Thursday 6 June – The nutrition edition

I’m halfway through week 4 and the weight loss has slowed. I’m noticing that I am able to eat more. I find myself fancying my dinner a bit earlier. I’m still not eating any rubbish, it’s probably the longest I’ve ever gone without biscuits, chocolate, cake, crisps etc of any kind. I would usually be trying to replace junk with healthier junk, but still junk.

This week I have only lost 0.5lb so far, which takes my total to 17lb. I am not complaining. I went to Center Parcs for a week and came back lighter. I am determined to celebrate these wins.

I’ve spoken about calories and feel it’s time to talk nutrition. Reading some of the comments on the Facebook groups has made me realise that some people seem to have embarked on the skinny jab journey without first exhausting every other diet.  I am seeing questions like; ‘people are saying protein is important, what does this mean?’

So here is my nutrition 101, in a nutshell, pun intended!

Protein: Is good for you. It’s good for your health and, because it fills you up for longer, it’s great when you are cutting down the calories. Some good sources of protein are:

meat, fish, eggs, beans, seeds, seafood, tofu, yoghurt. Protein powder and shakes are great if you want something in a hurry or an easy way to add protein into your diet without cooking.

Fibre: Is good for you. It is particularly helpful at giving you regular bowel movements, which appear to be a challenge on Mounjaro. So, increasing your fibre intake is a great idea. Some good sources of fibre are:

Oats, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts. You could go for a high bran cereal or dried apricots. I have resorted to a nightly sachet of Fibrogel to be in the safe side.

Fats: Now we’re in dangerous territory because there are good and bad fats. Good fats are natural ones such as: oily fish, olive oil, chia seeds, avocado, coconut oil. They are good and yet still much more calories dense, so if you drench your salad in olive oil remember to watch the volume and count the calories. The bad fats are the ones found in most processed foods, fries, ice-cream, fatty meat, corn oil, trans fats, margarine.

Carbohydrate: These again are split into good and bad. It’s all about the sugar. The higher the sugar the more to be careful. I was once told to avoid foods that are, or could be, white, think potatoes, pasta, bread, rice. Swap for brown rice, wholemeal pasta, sourdough bread, and obviously avoid cakes, biscuits, chocolate, desserts, you know, the good stuff!

You could honestly go mad trying to learn and research all the conflicting information and advice that’s out there. It’s the misinformation that has put most of where we are in the first place. So, I have 2 recommendations.

 The first is a book that will unlock a lot of what is going wrong with the food we are surrounded by these days, its ‘Ultra-Processed People’, by Chris van Tulleken you can buy it here:  https://amzn.eu/d/dXgF6M9 I’m a big fan of an audio book, and Chris reads it himself, which makes it much easier to get through the science bits.

Put simply, he explains, if you eat food, real food, food that your Mum, Grandmother or Great Grandmother would recognise, you will not go far wrong. If it was cooked in a real kitchen by a human being, it is probably ok. If it was made in a factory, from ingredients that used to be thrown away, you’re probably in trouble.

My other recommendation, get help. I have worked with nutritionists over the years. I am amazed at how much I didn’t know, and there is nothing worse than thinking you have been really good and seeing no movement on the scales, only to realise the hidden calories in foods you eat without thinking.

When we all went mad for smoothie makers, it was not uncommon to throw in milk, banana, peanut butter, walnuts, half an avocado, and before you know it, you had half your days calories in one delicious drink that you could knock back in 5 mins.

If you work with a nutritionist, they will have you record everything you eat and then help you make easy swaps that will make a big difference. I currently work with my friend Marijana at www.sugarfreelife.co.uk and she helps me to make better choices every day. Thank you Marijana.

The only way this process will work long term, is if we use the time on the drug to learn how to eat differently. The hope is, that for those of us with a long road ahead, this will become our new normal by the time we have to do it by ourselves.

Because I really don’t think I can start again, again!

See you next time.