Want to Lose Weight? Watch This **TONIGHT**

[Rowls]

Looking forward to watching this tonight - "Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating"

Slim and healthy Dr Chris van Tulleken explains the addictive qualities of ultra processed food.

I'm a big fan of him, but he also recounts how he quit eating low quality soylent chow in an instant. There's a LOT in what he says about the difficulties we face in losing weight and adopting healthy eating practices. But there are also plenty of flaws in some of his conclusions and assertions.

We all know the solutions are, in essence, simple: Eat healthy whole foods. Eat plenty of fruit and veg. Cook as many meals as you can - make the time to cook!

And yet, it's also simultaneously the most difficult thing in the world: The constant advertising, the ease of our lives, the work culture, the dopamine kicks that processed food give us, the impossibly clever tricks and psychological warfare that marketing and advertising subjects us to to push this awful kibble on us...

Anyway, I think this is going to be immensely interesting and I'm looking forward to it.

If anybody out there has decided to lose weight, quit eating junk food and to get fit and healthy this should hopefully be a fascinating and informative watch.

[mdd2]

Calorie input greater than output weight gain until the increased calorie expenditure servicing that weight gain equates to calorie input
Reduce calories in and increase activity weight loss
Helps to eat foods that are low glycemic to stop the sugar rush
Also cut out or down your calories from alcohol which has 7cals/G only fat at 9 cal/G is more
If I have a drink I get the munchies so eat more

[Rowls]

Disagree with the basic premise of food being "irresistible" and the implied notion that we are helpless.

If that were true, everybody would be equally obese - including Dr Chris van Tulleken himself.

[Rowls]

The thing about processed food being soft and mushy is really fascinating: Soft mushy food doesn't need chewing. When you don't need to chew food, your brain doesn't know to tell you that you're full up. Chewing food plays an integral part in activating the brain to feel full.

Here's a fun game you can play next time you have a fast food burger or sandwich. Ask yourself, can I eat this burger without chewing it?

Subway is so mushy it can be swallowed without even chewing. You can just much it above the top of your mouth with your tongue to form it into a bolus.

[Rowls]

Lots and lots of interesting talking points but an extremely dodgy conclusion: "It's not your fault if you're overweight."

Clearly, external factors play a huge role in weight gain. But ultimately, this simple kind of message removes agency from us and provides an easy excuse to a complex question.

It isn't entirely your fault if you're overweight, but you do bare ultimate responsibility for managing your own health and equally, just like Dr van Talleken, you have the ability to stop eating junk food if you want to.

[jdrobbo]

My main dietary interest at present is around the Paleolithic Diet…in other words, the diet followed by ‘cavemen’ or ‘early humans’

• Meat: Wild animals (birds deer, boars)
• Fish and seafood: Fish, shellfish
• Eggs: From bird nests
• Fruits: Berries, wild apples, figs
• Vegetables: Wild greens, roots, tubers
• Nuts&seeds:Walnuts,hazelnuts, sunflower seeds
• Honey: From beehives
• Insects: Protein from bugs and larvae
• Bone marrow& organ meats:Liver,heart,marrow

Simple and nutrient-dense!


Makes you wonder, when you’re chewing your way through a super-ultraprocessed bagel!

[mdd2]

It is your fault after these data (if true) if you continue to eat highly processed foods
I think research should be done on the gut microflora and how it may change with these diets
Some anecdotal data on faecal transplants to try and clear up colonisation with C diff after antibiotics
There are patients who have gone from being slim to becoming obsese and vice versa after this treatment

[mdd2]

My main dietary interest at present is around the Paleolithic Diet…in other words, the diet followed by ‘cavemen’ or ‘early humans’

• Meat: Wild animals (birds deer, boars)
• Fish and seafood: Fish, shellfish
• Eggs: From bird nests
• Fruits: Berries, wild apples, figs
• Vegetables: Wild greens, roots, tubers
• Nuts&seeds:Walnuts,hazelnuts, sunflower seeds
• Honey: From beehives
• Insects: Protein from bugs and larvae
• Bone marrow& organ meats:Liver,heart,marrow

Simple and nutrient-dense!


Makes you wonder, when you’re chewing your way through a super-ultraprocessed bagel!

But in those days of hunter gatherers the men often returned home without a kill thus restricting calories available

[jdrobbo]

But in those days of hunter gatherers the men often returned home without a kill thus restricting calories available

Fair comment: they likely were left extremely lean, but the point is, I think we’d look better as a society, health and ‘shape-wise’ if our diet was far more limited to that if the earlier diet foods.

[Jimmymaccer]

My Grandpa (bless him) simply used to say “they need to realise the hole at the top, is much bigger than the one at the bottom!”…….

And he used to drink beer and lived until he was 90……

Loved him to bits………

[Hipper]

Fair comment: they likely were left extremely lean, but the point is, I think we’d look better as a society, health and ‘shape-wise’ if our diet was far more limited to that if the earlier diet foods.

That paleo diet can't be done on a mass scale though. In practical terms we rely on supermarkets. Some, perhaps many, could grow their own vegetables and fruits and there may be a good case for doing that as farmer's fields become exhausted of nutrients.

Even with supermarkets, you can still do as Rowls says - cook (or make - eg salads) your own meals using mostly the basic ingredients with a few exceptions such as oils, purees, maybe stocks.

Counting calories is a guide, not an exact science. If you eat less your body adapts by slowing down. In fact I read somewhere that a group of people wanted to put on weight and some wily nutritionist advocated them cutting down their calories considerably for a time and then eating normally. They did this and as expected lost some weight initially but then when they went to normal eating found they not only put the weight back on but actually put on additional weight. Just like yo-yo dieting.

[hoosier-daddy]

I read that the calories in vs out isn't as straightforward as most people seem to think. And that our digestive system plays a significant role in how our bodies process and utilize the calories we consume. People absorb more or fewer calories from the same amount of food than the next person.

[Quickenthetempo]

Certainly a lot of good advice with food so far.

I have lost plenty of weight recently (slowly) without changing much about the food. I don’t believe in diets as I haven't met anyone who did one and lost weight without putting it back on.

So how have I done it?

For the last 2 years I have eaten an apple a day (fat burner)
Last 1 year I have had 5 Brazil nuts every morning in my bran flakes. (They get your metabolism going)
The odd grapefruit (fat burner)
Last 6 months I've had to start carb counting for my insulin pump system.
I don't restrict myself to anything and eat plenty of crap but sub consciously I think it helps you reduce portion size.

You need your metabolism working fast to lose weight, if you don't feel hungry at any time of the day then it's not fast enough.
People go down the slowing it down route to eat less calories but that never worked for me.

[hoosier-daddy]

You need your metabolism working fast to lose weight, if you don't feel hungry at any time of the day then it's not fast enough.
People go down the slowing it down route to eat less calories but that never worked for me.

Calorie counting has never worked for me. Something I read about years ago and I do think it helps and that's Fish Oil around 30 minutes before exercise. Not sure on the exact science but it's been shown to increase fat burning.

[Quickenthetempo]

Calorie counting has never worked for me. Something I read about years ago and I do think it helps and that's Fish Oil around 30 minutes before exercise. Not sure on the exact science but it's been shown to increase fat burning.

Plenty of fat burning foods if you look online.

In regards to exercise, I would suggest water and no energy products beforehand. Your body produces it's own glucose from it's fat stores.
When your blood sugar levels go up in excercise you know it's fat burning.
Sprinting and Weight lifting are supposedly the best for a spike as they use the most energy.
As more people wear blood sugar monitors, more info will be gathered.

[KernowHouseClaret]

You need your metabolism working fast to lose weight, if you don't feel hungry at any time of the day then it's not fast enough.
People go down the slowing it down route to eat less calories but that never worked for me.

This is interesting, especially since you mentioned insulin pump. I'm type 2 and have been offered Mounjaro to help control my diabetes and lose weight. On reading some articles they say it enhances metabolism and in others says it slows the metabolism down and is a hunger suppressant.

I admit I've only taken 2 doses so far, but I know I'm eating far less, I feel fuller quicker and lost 3lbs in my first week.

[Quickenthetempo]

This is interesting, especially since you mentioned insulin pump. I'm type 2 and have been offered Mounjaro to help control my diabetes and lose weight. On reading some articles they say it enhances metabolism and in others says it slows the metabolism down and is a hunger suppressant.

I admit I've only taken 2 doses so far, but I know I'm eating far less, I feel fuller quicker and lost 3lbs in my first week.

You can only try things and this is new to the market.

Just keep track of what works for you.

[hoosier-daddy]

Has anybody tried Huel for any length of time? One of my mates gave me 2 big packs of it so I've started taking a 35g scoop in the morning, then what I have normally throughout the day, just to see how it goes.

[Rowls]

Has anybody tried Huel for any length of time? One of my mates gave me 2 big packs of it so I've started taking a 35g scoop in the morning, then what I have normally throughout the day, just to see how it goes.

I'm sceptical in the extreme about any kind of food supplements, especially small portions with big claims.

Food isn't médecine.

The health benefits from food come from eating good sized portions of healthy, whole foods. Not from tiddly "shots" of processed supplements.

One of the tricks these kind of supplements use to make you think they're doing something "good" is to include strong flavourings. For example, 'Moju' ginger shots taste really strong. I think this is one of the appeals of people who drink vinegar too - we've made s connection with feeling better after taking strong-tasting médecines so we start to believe strong tasting foods might act like médecines do. It's a fallacy.

The manufacturers of these products know this. Yoghurt shots like 'yakult' have a slight medicinal tang to them. Why? Real yoghurt doesn't.

Ask yourself this: what would be healthier - taking a 'shot' of mushy peas every morning or having 5 portions of frozen veg throughout the day.

I daresay these 'Huel' thingys won't harm you but I doubt they'll do any good for you. Take a look at where they're placed in the supermarkets. I've noticed them right by the checkouts. That's a prime spot and you have to pay to have your product here. These 'Huel' shots are being heavily pushed and marketed.

Consider the name too. The smartest graduates these days either end up in the city working in banking or in advertising. These are super smart people. 'Huel' sounds like fuel. Simple, but effective: they're implying that this is something more than just food. But it isn't. It's a processed little drink with some stuff added to it in a factory.

Take a look at the 'Huel' website. There's a whole page dedicated to the health claims. It lists the various nutrients and the claims against them. What you'll notice is that the claims all start with the phrase, "Contributes to NORMAL ..." and then you get the health benefit. Eg. "Contributes to normal pooping..." "Contributes to normal metabolism..." These all have to be legally verified but the question to ask yourself is, "If all of the functions that 'Huel' contributes to are actually normal, then why do I need to take them as a supplement?" The answer is, you don't. You only need to eat a healthy varied diet of whole foods and you'll get every single nutrient in the Huel stuff.

However, if you get these nutrients from whole food rather than in a processed supplement you'll be better for it. Real food provides something that processed supplement do not: they provide bulk, fibre etc and they deliver it to your body in the manner your body can digest them best.

Think of your body as like a rolls Royce. It's evolved over millennia to run best when it receives the right kind of fuel. That fuel is real food. Not processed factory mush turned into a powder. You wouldn't buy a rolls Royce and decide to pop rocket fuel in it because it's a more concentrated fuel. Your body needs the right kind of fuel just as a rolls would. The right kind of fuel for humans is whole foods.

Ask yourself what do you think would be better for you, a shot of 'Huel' every morning or a cup of frozen veg every morning? There isn't a nutritionist out there who wouldn't opt for the frozen veg. Unless, of course, they're being paid by 'Huel'.

You won't ever spot frozen veg next to the checkout in the supermarket. But get yourself down that aisle next time you're in the shops. You'll save money as well as getting healthier.

I'd take a mug full of mixed veg over a processed, powdered food supplement any day of the week.

[Rowls]

Having just seen the prices of 'Huel' I think the harm it will do to your wallet will negate any "normal" bodily function it might 'contribute" towards.

[jos]

Eat as much as you want, just don’t swallow.

[Rowls]

BBC 4 tonight at 9pm is the Royal Institute Christmas Lecture of 2024.

Dr. Chris van Tulleken is delivering a speech titled "The Truth About Food".

There's always a deal of healthy scepticism to be weighed against anything claiming to tell "The Truth About..." as it implies a widespread "lie" which is often a straw man.

However, it should be interesting.

[Hipper]

Saw the first one yesterday and although the delivery is designed for children I suspect most adults would learn too.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/ ... s-lectures

[dsr]

"Eat less, move more". Anything else is just playing at it.

They did a TV series about diet a few years ago, where 10 people tried 10 different diets - mostly faddy or involving some sort of supplement or weird exclusion of certain types of food - but the one thing they all had in common, was eating less. The rest was just playing around the edges.

[deanothedino]

I'm sceptical in the extreme about any kind of food supplements, especially small portions with big claims.

Food isn't médecine.

The health benefits from food come from eating good sized portions of healthy, whole foods. Not from tiddly "shots" of processed supplements.

One of the tricks these kind of supplements use to make you think they're doing something "good" is to include strong flavourings. For example, 'Moju' ginger shots taste really strong. I think this is one of the appeals of people who drink vinegar too - we've made s connection with feeling better after taking strong-tasting médecines so we start to believe strong tasting foods might act like médecines do. It's a fallacy.

The manufacturers of these products know this. Yoghurt shots like 'yakult' have a slight medicinal tang to them. Why? Real yoghurt doesn't.

Ask yourself this: what would be healthier - taking a 'shot' of mushy peas every morning or having 5 portions of frozen veg throughout the day.

I daresay these 'Huel' thingys won't harm you but I doubt they'll do any good for you. Take a look at where they're placed in the supermarkets. I've noticed them right by the checkouts. That's a prime spot and you have to pay to have your product here. These 'Huel' shots are being heavily pushed and marketed.

Consider the name too. The smartest graduates these days either end up in the city working in banking or in advertising. These are super smart people. 'Huel' sounds like fuel. Simple, but effective: they're implying that this is something more than just food. But it isn't. It's a processed little drink with some stuff added to it in a factory.

Take a look at the 'Huel' website. There's a whole page dedicated to the health claims. It lists the various nutrients and the claims against them. What you'll notice is that the claims all start with the phrase, "Contributes to NORMAL ..." and then you get the health benefit. Eg. "Contributes to normal pooping..." "Contributes to normal metabolism..." These all have to be legally verified but the question to ask yourself is, "If all of the functions that 'Huel' contributes to are actually normal, then why do I need to take them as a supplement?" The answer is, you don't. You only need to eat a healthy varied diet of whole foods and you'll get every single nutrient in the Huel stuff.

However, if you get these nutrients from whole food rather than in a processed supplement you'll be better for it. Real food provides something that processed supplement do not: they provide bulk, fibre etc and they deliver it to your body in the manner your body can digest them best.

Think of your body as like a rolls Royce. It's evolved over millennia to run best when it receives the right kind of fuel. That fuel is real food. Not processed factory mush turned into a powder. You wouldn't buy a rolls Royce and decide to pop rocket fuel in it because it's a more concentrated fuel. Your body needs the right kind of fuel just as a rolls would. The right kind of fuel for humans is whole foods.

Ask yourself what do you think would be better for you, a shot of 'Huel' every morning or a cup of frozen veg every morning? There isn't a nutritionist out there who wouldn't opt for the frozen veg. Unless, of course, they're being paid by 'Huel'.

You won't ever spot frozen veg next to the checkout in the supermarket. But get yourself down that aisle next time you're in the shops. You'll save money as well as getting healthier.

I'd take a mug full of mixed veg over a processed, powdered food supplement any day of the week.

Will a cup of frozen veg be as satiating as huel? The biggest battle of eating less is feeling full. Take away a lot of the other claims these type of things will put on the label, if you find they help you eat less without wanting to naw your arm off then feel free, just don't dedicate your entire diet to them.

[Rowls]

Will a cup of frozen veg be as satiating as huel? The biggest battle of eating less is feeling full. Take away a lot of the other claims these type of things will put on the label, if you find they help you eat less without wanting to naw your arm off then feel free, just don't dedicate your entire diet to them.

Veg is very filling.

And I’d wager the veg has more fibre than the huel pap.

If huel is “filling” in any way it likely to do with the volume of water mixed in with it.

You could replicate this by having a glass of water with your frozen veg.

Edit - Im not going to try huel to find out but I suspect the veg will actually be more filling, having thought about it. If anybody has any huel and some frozen veg they could try it out.

[Rowls]

Saw the first one yesterday and although the delivery is designed for children I suspect most adults would learn too.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/ ... s-lectures

Yes I had t realised it was aimed at children!

[dsr]

For someone like me who isn't a scientist, science set at intelligent child level is probably about right. Brian Cox is interesting but sometimes just a bit deep!

[Tribesmen]

Look I have never know anyone who has spent 3 months in India and not lose weight . Simple eat everything you will be sick as a rat and you will lose 15kg . Hey bigger or smaller depending how fat you are .
Doctor Tribes ......

[deanothedino]

Veg is very filling.

And I’d wager the veg has more fibre than the huel pap.

If huel is “filling” in any way it likely to do with the volume of water mixed in with it.

You could replicate this by having a glass of water with your frozen veg.

Edit - Im not going to try huel to find out but I suspect the veg will actually be more filling, having thought about it. If anybody has any huel and some frozen veg they could try it out.

I’ve never had Huel but milk and protein shake (which I think Huel is pretty similar to) is more filling than veg imo. And more satisfying as a meal than 350cals worth of frozen veg, which I feel pretty depressed just thinking about to be honest!

[GetIntoEm]

Frozen veg is minging though, fresh veg and I'm on board

[Quicknick]

All you have to do is eat 16/8. It's easy.

[Rowls]

I’ve never had Huel but milk and protein shake (which I think Huel is pretty similar to) is more filling than veg imo. And more satisfying as a meal than 350cals worth of frozen veg, which I feel pretty depressed just thinking about to be honest!

Feeling "depressed" about eating veg is a mindset problem. And I've chosen the word 'problem' specifically.

Preferring processed protein powders to veg is a preference. However! Protein powders aren't meant to replace vegetables in your diet. They're meant to supplement your protein intake.

So you're comparing apples and sausages here, so to speak.

I haven't proposed eating veg as "a meal" - I've simply said that it's a healthier and cheaper alternative to Huel. I prefer to eat veg but each to their own.

Protein powders can be a cheap way to supplement your protein but personally I'd rather have an additional chicken leg.

[Rowls]

Frozen veg is minging though, fresh veg and I'm on board

Some veg are better frozen, others better fresh.

The benefit of frozen is that nutrient value is as good as fresh and they keep far, far longer and are easy to cook and store.

They typically taste as good too because the flavour is preserved the same way as the nutrient value is.

I mix fresh and frozen fruit/veg depending on what is in season, what's on offer at the supermarket and what I fancy.

[Rowls]

I’ve never had Huel but milk and protein shake (which I think Huel is pretty similar to) is more filling than veg imo. And more satisfying as a meal than 350cals worth of frozen veg, which I feel pretty depressed just thinking about to be honest!

Addendum...

I've had a quick look at Huel's website and it remarkably difficult to find the ingredients list. You'd think they'd be happy to put this at the forefront of their ad campaign if they were proud of using good quality ingredients.

I had no problem finding the mega expensive paid celebrity endorsement from Idris Elba. But not the ingredients.

However, the point I was going to make is that the element of protein shakes that makes them filling is the protein. But from looking at the consistency of Huel in photographs, I don't *think* it has any protein in it.

Protein is gloomy and clumps. Huel is smooth. I'm happy to be corrected on this.

So there's more reason to doubt the hypothesis that Huel will be "filling" in the same way a protein shake can be. It might be no more filling that a large vitamin tablet and a glass of water?

[Rowls]

And if anybody can find the ingredients list of Huel please feel free to share so we can see what goes into it.

[deanothedino]

Addendum...

I've had a quick look at Huel's website and it remarkably difficult to find the ingredients list. You'd think they'd be happy to put this at the forefront of their ad campaign if they were proud of using good quality ingredients.

I had no problem finding the mega expensive paid celebrity endorsement from Idris Elba. But not the ingredients.

However, the point I was going to make is that the element of protein shakes that makes them filling is the protein. But from looking at the consistency of Huel in photographs, I don't *think* it has any protein in it.

Protein is gloomy and clumps. Huel is smooth. I'm happy to be corrected on this.

So there's more reason to doubt the hypothesis that Huel will be "filling" in the same way a protein shake can be. It might be no more filling that a large vitamin tablet and a glass of water?

Depends on the version of Huel but it has 20-30g per serving of protein. Mixed with water I wouldn’t find that particularly filling but with milk I probably would.

[clarethomer]

And if anybody can find the ingredients list of Huel please feel free to share so we can see what goes into it.

https://uk.huel.com/pages/the-huel-blac ... %20Edition