Bread! What's the deal?

[weightaminute]

Hi everyone, hope your journey is going well this morning?

I've a question about bread which I am hoping someone may be able to help me with.

In the past I have following Slimming World (fab actually, but the weight cam back as soon as 'normal' eating was resumed).

So, I'm now trying the NHS plan and hoping this will make me aware of claris consumption and change my eating habits because of this.

On SW eating bread is actively discouraged, one slice is 6 sins (out of a daily allowance of 15 sins).

However, the NHS plan says eat plenty of starchy foods such as wholemeal bread.

Now, I'm not proposing to eat more than two slices per day anyway, but I was wondering why some plans discourage bread consumption, whilst others promote it?

I am assuming it is because the NHS plan is a lifestyle change, not a diet as such, and encourages one to stay below calorie limits? But if anyone can be more specific, and help put my scientific mind at rest, I'd appreciate it

P.S. I also make my own wholemeal loaves. This don't give the indigestion of the mass produced stuff and it's easier to control the salt content. Don't worry, I stick to two small slices (although it is generally more filling anyway). It's also cheap to make (75p for 1.5kg of wholemeal flour at Lidl now, with 500g needed per loaf). If anyone needs the recipe, let me know, it's really, really easy.

[atunia102]

Hi, I used to make my own bread too before I decided to lose few pounds. From my experience cutting it off completely is not a good idea as at some point you will just come back to it anyway. But also I would recommend not having it every day. Bread does not fill you up for very long and it is also the things you put on top of it are the bad things. Try to have 2 slices every other day for a while and see if it makes any difference. If you are worried that your bread will go off before you will get the chance to eat it slice it when its fresh and freeze it in small bags. Then you can just grab some from the fridge and defrost it in the toaster or microwave very quickly.

Let us know how you are getting on!

[Salaisa]

Also no expert, only an interested party. I think you got it spot on when you say that NHS is about lifestyle change. Slimming World changes your habits for a while to get the weight down and then you need to maintain it using a different diet than the one you lost the weight on. NHS encourages you to rethink all your eating habits, change them, and for the duration of your weight loss, eat less (but of the same stuff). So once you lose what you wanted to lose, you will continue eating the same, except a bit more.

Even though NHS says to eat plenty of starchy food, it does not mean a loaf a day. You can think of the eatwell plate in two ways - it's the total calories, or it's the actual physical composition of your food on a plate (although this would be whole day's worth, rather than any single meal). I will make this very very simple (hence not entirely accurate, but good enough): let's say you should get 1/3 of your energy from starchy food (I think the plate has about 1/3 in that category, doesn't i?). So for a girl who should have 2000 kcal a day, about 600 should come from grains and pasta and potatoes. So that's quite a lot. However, if you look at the energy value of a slice of bread, it's huge - my homemade slice has more than 200kcal in it, so even if I eat "plenty", it means about 3 slices a day for me and no potatoes and pasta. (The energy value of bread is quite high, about 250 kcal per 100g. Common calculators say a slice = 30g = about 80kcal, but when I cut bread, 30g comes to about two bites. Something wrong with my scales or my bite maybe?) At this lighter rate, you could have maybe 4 slices and still some potatoes a day.

[HRHGaby]

I love bread, I can't imagine a life without it. This plan is about making healthier choices that can be sustainable for the rest of our lives. Obviously those who cut off bread completely get fast results, but eventually they'll end up eating bread again. So I think that it's better not to cut it off whilst being aware that we shouldn't have much and that it should be wholewheat. Good luck!

[weightaminute]

Hi everyone, that's really helpful, thank you. Certainly the 'plate' idea puts it into context. I think for me I'd go with a little bread each day. The homemade stuff does keep (and there's children to feed from it too, so it doesn't last that long anyway) and actually I find it more filling. So, sounds like we have a plan. Goodness, after years of dieting, doesn't your mental attitude get confused with what is good, bad and 'normal'? Great to hear from so many others on a similar journey though, I can't tell you how much it helps.

[fibronfedup]

Hey im not sure really, i think it depends on the type od diet really, as you say this is a lifestyle change and so much easier to follow, ive changed to wholemeal bread and it is much more filling. I think with this lifestyle change its all about changing bad habits and having things in moderation so you dont feel deprived of anything. Hope you have a good week

[Penel]

Hi

I think you've answered your own question in you're post script....you make your own bread.

Supermarket bread is a potential disaster for many people, the lack of fibre means that it is digested quickly, spikes glucose/insulin, is easily stored as body fat, and leaves you feeling hungry. The additives, emulsifiers, lack of proper proving etc etc do not make it a particularly healthy choice.

Personally I find the NHS advice to eat plenty of starchy foods doesn't help me lose weight. Bread is a convenient habit for most people, but it may not help with weight loss.

[teri54 6lbs]

Hi I know on the diet I follow the carbohydrate content is so high in bread it interfers with weightloss, but it quite hard to do without bread even when you don't have it every day I have tried making my own bread but not much success, would be grateful for your recipe to try but I have found a low carb bread which taste great its called Hi-LO but so far you can only buy it in sainsburys,a small loaf stays fresh in my fridge for 2 weeks .Basically high carb foods encourage highs in your blood sugar which can make you eat all the wrong things,but its about you finding your way with this diet if you still lose weight ok then it may be fine for you to continue if you notice weight getting stuck then try without the bread or reduce further and see what happens you will then know where some of the dangers are for you .good luck

[Frog4]

Just saw that you are making your own bread: am I allowed to advertise? I get my flour from this mill: charlecotemill.co.uk

It is cheap, environmentally friendly (locally farmed grains, some organic grains mixed in, true watermill) and the best, freshest flour I have ever had. Perhaps there is a mill around where you live, I know when I have been looking, there were a few nationwide.

[weightaminute]

Wow, you are lucky! Bet that taste superb. Must have a look and see what is local.