Abstenuary February, anyone?

This could get interesting....

I'm in for sure. No more Oppo, nuts or choc for a month and back to OMAD.

Ha! Good timing.
I’m actually trying to give up carnivore.

After 3 years of it I am progressively more bored, so am trying to shake things up a bit.
Recently, the boredom has led to more chocolate (only a year ago I thought a way of eating that was meat, fish, eggs and cheese plus a smidge of dark choc was the perfect way of eating), but now choc has started to disagree with me (think it is the caffeine, or theobromine acting as stimulants), so am trying to shift to a greater variety of textures and ingredients, to distract from the gaping choc hole.

so far, the keto porridge has been enjoyable. Also the keto muesli.
Goatsmilk yog seems to leave me feeling bloated, so will reduce portions.
I’m craving a few berries, which I will indulge in with pleasure (and double cream)
Oh, and the sag paneer, onion bhaji and lamb dhansak i had Thur night were delicious and did not kick off any unpleasant repercussions.
I am still wary of veg, but have had a tablespoon off Mr B’s plate each day this week.

blood glucose is hopping about like a ecg chart, but has (so far) stayed within my self imposed limits.
Will see how it all plays out.
I suspect that the negative effects (if any) will be to joints, energy levels, digestive tract and weight gain, but will wait and see.
it would be lovely if none of those happen

I’m in. I find myself resorting to 85% choc as a frequent “treat” alongside a few more glasses of wine than previously. I’m stuck in the low prediabetic ranges constantly and have gained a good 5kg back over the last 6 months. I’m bored with food overall and the kitchen especially, which I think sparks the “need” for snacking. As I’m only online shopping not having items in the house at all is somewhat easier at the moment and seems the time to address these things and see if it makes the difference I need before I consider alternative options I don’t actually want to take.

Do I count? I have already started with taking a good look at what I am eating and importantly, my total lack of exercise, because I have put on 3kg this month and I really don’t want to ruin all my good work. For me, I think it’s more that portion size has crept up rather than eating the wrong things, so I am rationing nuts, cream and chicken legs (yes, somewhat of an obsession since the advent of the air-fryer) to more suitable daily amounts.

And trying much harder to get our for a good brisk route-march at least 3 times a week.

But this is not just a thing for Feb, I need to be more careful on a permanent basis....

I’m in. Nut butter obvs. In fact all nuts - having bought and eaten a large bag of M&S mixed nuts on the journey to and from London this week, but hardly remembering eating them at all.
I’m not counting ground almonds which I have sometimes in the form of lc bread, pizza base etc. in this form I don’t tend to overindulge in mindless snacking.
Question - do I now hoover up all remaining nuts in the house quickly before Monday?

For me, it's bread! Not only do I feel it's a poor nutritional choice, compared to other foods, but I find it extremely dehydrating. Worse than that, for me, is the high salt content. And while I am absolutely fine with eating no-salt bread, just having the stuff in the house leads me to be lazy (A sammidge takes mere minutes to prepare, as opposed to a proper meal) and lI end up over-eating the stuff

No-bread February, and perhaps longer. Thanks for the inspiration!

Beating-My-Betes said:

For me, it's bread! Not only do I feel it's a poor nutritional choice, compared to other foods, but I find it extremely dehydrating. Worse than that, for me, is the high salt content. And while I am absolutely fine with eating no-salt bread, just having the stuff in the house leads me to be lazy (A sammidge takes mere minutes to prepare, as opposed to a proper meal) and lI end up over-eating the stuff

No-bread February, and perhaps longer. Thanks for the inspiration!

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Hi, perhaps you find bread dehydrating because it raises your blood glucose levels which in turn make you feel thirsty. I am much happier with low carbohydrate bread. My favourite is HiLo bread which had 5g carbohydrate a slice. However, I only have it as toast so I am not sure how good it would be for sandwiches.
I'm trying to rein in my nut habit for February as I much prefer the roasted, salted ones and can eat 200g at a time!

Dr Snoddy said:

Hi, perhaps you find bread dehydrating because it raises your blood glucose levels which in turn make you feel thirsty.

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While it is true that high-blood sugars will definitely influence hydration levels, i am not experiencing the same issues after meals of potatoes, fruit or rice, all of which I'm eating at higher levels (Sometimes up to double) the amount of carbs. I also have no issue eating seitan (made from gluten) or pasta.

I think it's partly due to a few factors, most notably the sponge-like nature of the structure of yeasty breads (Other grains do take on liquid during preparation, but not thereafter). Unfortunately, what makes bread so good for mopping up sauces likely makes it very bad when coming into contact with the various juices that lubricate the pathways towards the stomach etc. I do find i eat bread a little too quickly i.e not chewing until sufficiently combined with saliva, and this no doubt has a huge impact on this issue. Moreover, the salt is just much higher than I normally eat. When I eat pasta or rice, I generally use a very little amount of salt. I notice the difference the minute bread touches my tongue.

None of the above would be so much of an issue if I ate the occasional sandwich. But I have a hard time controlling it when it's in the house. And there are too many alternatives that I'd prefer to eat and that don't come with the same downsides.

Dr Snoddy said:

I'm trying to reign in my nut habit for February as I much prefer the roasted, salted ones and can eat 200g at a time!

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Nuts are definitely MOAAARR-ish! and I think salt can definitely be a driver in that. I used to only enjoy the salted ones, but since I tend (at least when i'm being healthy) towards minimal salt, I enjoy salt-free nuts much more. Any lack of flavour can be supplemented with nutritional yeast, although I'd argue that would lead to a potential tripling of consumption

Count me in. Cream is my downfall. My consumption is creeping up and up. I get through about 2-3 pints a week. I guess that is why my weight will not go down!

Oh, and coffee. I no longer need the stuff, due to ramping up in general energy levels. In fact, now my energy is higher drinking the same amount as before leaves me pretty jittery. It has to go.

So...Bread and coffee, for me

I’ll join a fair few of you on the nuts. They definitely drive me to snack and like you @DJC3 I often forget I dipped into the nut tin or even opened the cupboard. I’ve put tape on the lid of the tin to make me conscious of my mindless over nibbling! I will use ground almonds though for baking and I will continue to add a few walnuts to avocado and celery salad but will ask OH to chop them as if I do it I nibble them and eat more than put in salad! think nuts are good for us but not as a mindless snacking so that’s my February aim.

I’ve just finished the handful of nuts in the open packet. No more!
@shelley262 I often nibble more than I put in the meal too - I will carefully weigh out the 15 g or so that I want, if it’s overweight I just pop one or 2 in my mouth until the scale shows what I want!!!

DJC3 said:

I’ve just finished the handful of nuts in the open packet. No more!
@shelley262 I often nibble more than I put in the meal too - I will carefully weigh out the 15 g or so that I want, if it’s overweight I just pop one or 2 in my mouth until the scale shows what I want!!!

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Great job! I finished off my coffee, this morning. How to deal with the last bread meal I'm not so sure about. A nearby pizzeria have just released it's first line of vegan pizzas.(vegan nuggets, also). I am so tempted to go for the pizza, but not sure I could finish it. This is one thing I won't be able to leave over for tomorrow. Might just not bother. It's only pizza, after all

Beating-My-Betes said:

It's only pizza, after all

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I find some of the lc pizzas very satisfying and acceptable. No need to abstain

MrsA2 said:

I find some of the lc pizzas very satisfying and acceptable. No need to abstain

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Thanks! But it's the fat that I'm avoiding. I'm not so keen on vegan cheeses, and only eat them rarely. And I already have a place where I can get delicious cheese-free pizza. I think it was just the thought of missing out on the new thing. As for low-carb pizzas: Not sure I'd find a vegan one, and have no oven access to make my own. In the end, I don't mind having bread occasionally (Not during Feb, of course). It just needs to be more like a once-a-week affair.

Anyway, i didn't order the pizza in the end. instead I got some pita bread and salad from the local kebab shop, which I'll combine with the vegan kebab 'meat' that I bought yesterday.

Beating-My-Betes said:

Oh, and coffee. I no longer need the stuff, due to ramping up in general energy levels. In fact, now my energy is higher drinking the same amount as before leaves me pretty jittery. It has to go.

So...Bread and coffee, for me

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I’m in awe of you giving up coffee! Go you!