"Secret Eaters" TV show

MissusMoon

I brought up this memory issue in another discussion not too long ago. The "I used to have a fast metabolism and could eat all I wanted and never gained weight". I think it's the same thing.

The human memory is notoriously bad. So many studies have proven this.

hamstertango

Love this programme!

I was that person who was convinced I had a reasonable diet as I wasn't putting on weight just maintaining my overweight! I used to think I could have a lovely gooey cheese pasty for breakfast and then a big egg mayo baguette for lunch and then eat a 'healthy' jacket potato for dinner (oh and no snacks don't you know!) and think that would be okay. I never knew that the pasty was like 60% of the daily calorie allowance about 700 cals for a whole day for someone wanting to lose weight at my height. Then the baguette another calorie bomb at about 800cals! I was so out of touch .

Now I realise I was so very lucky not to have actually doubled my weight with that eating regime before I finally learnt about the simplicity of CICO!

Francl27

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

Colorscheme wrote: »

Another recurring theme seems to be not tracking liquid calories like booze and such.

And that's a bad one, because alcohol has 7 calories per gram - more than sugar. Even apart from the carbs contained in the drink, your body will burn the alcohol itself, like a happy drunken spirit stove (and playing havoc with your blood sugar in the process - there's a reason for all those late night kebabs).

Track your booze, people!

Lol. I know a couple people who complain about their weight and having a hard time losing even though they 'eat nothing', but they have at least a drink a night, plus random Starbucks drinks during the day...

Well, yeah. And what they eat are a piece of pizza here and there... and it just adds up.

MissusMoon wrote: »

I brought up this memory issue in another discussion not too long ago. The "I used to have a fast metabolism and could eat all I wanted and never gained weight". I think it's the same thing.

The human memory is notoriously bad. So many studies have proven this.

I agree with this because in my memories of 3.5 years ago, I was eating 3000+ calories a day... but if it was true, I would have been 300 pounds, not 213 (and I maintained 200 pounds for 8 years eating that way too).

So I realize that I was probably eating less than I thought... which is completely ironic because it means that my TDEE was probably close to what it is now... the only difference being that I'm 77 pounds lighter and much more active - but now I obsess about calories more

MFP has been eye-opening for sure.

MissusMoon

OP, thank you so much. I am binge watching this on Youtube as I type this. So awesome!

Wynterbourne

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

Denial is a powerful force.

It also seems a lot of people just don't make the connection between QUANTITY of food and weight loss, they think it's all about quality - so if it's "bad" or "fattening" you should NEVER eat ANY of it, and if it's "healthy", " wholesome" or "home made" then you can eat as much as you like. It's the same thing that causes people to accidentally overdose on painkillers, I think - if a little bit is good, more must be better!

Last night I watched an episode of Secret Eaters where a man was eating Special K for breakfast - a QUADRUPLE portion of it, with about half a pint of milk, two tablespoons of jam (!) and a dollop of cream! "Well, it's healthy," he said, "so I thought the more the merrier."

That's the problem for a lot of people. Add the idea that "I deserve a treat", lack of awareness of how many calories are in treat food, and total ignorance of correct portion sizes and you have a recipe for unwitting obesity while believing you're eating "a healthy diet".

I just watched that episode. He actually didn't even put any milk on it. He poured double cream on it. That would be the American equivalent of pouring whipping cream on your cereal. I can't imagine... lol. Oh, and he also added a banana. It was a 1500 calorie bowl of cereal that he was insisting was healthy all the way up until they gave him the actual calorie count. *boggle*

Francl27

Wynterbourne wrote: »

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

Denial is a powerful force.

It also seems a lot of people just don't make the connection between QUANTITY of food and weight loss, they think it's all about quality - so if it's "bad" or "fattening" you should NEVER eat ANY of it, and if it's "healthy", " wholesome" or "home made" then you can eat as much as you like. It's the same thing that causes people to accidentally overdose on painkillers, I think - if a little bit is good, more must be better!

Last night I watched an episode of Secret Eaters where a man was eating Special K for breakfast - a QUADRUPLE portion of it, with about half a pint of milk, two tablespoons of jam (!) and a dollop of cream! "Well, it's healthy," he said, "so I thought the more the merrier."

That's the problem for a lot of people. Add the idea that "I deserve a treat", lack of awareness of how many calories are in treat food, and total ignorance of correct portion sizes and you have a recipe for unwitting obesity while believing you're eating "a healthy diet".

I just watched that episode. He actually didn't even put any milk on it. He poured double cream on it. That would be the American equivalent of pouring whipping cream on your cereal. I can't imagine... lol. Oh, and he also added a banana. It was a 1500 calorie bowl of cereal that he was insisting was healthy all the way up until they gave him the actual calorie count. *boggle*

Lol now I want to see that.

canadianvampyregurl

MissusMoon wrote: »

OP, thank you so much. I am binge watching this on Youtube as I type this. So awesome!

As am I...quiet afternoon at work = watching Secret Eater.

canadianvampyregurl

Holy moly !!!! That is a lot of alcohol consumed...one guy consumed over 3000 calories in alcohol alone in 1 night...zoinks

CrabNebula

I love that show and also Supersize vs. Superskinny.

scoii

I think this show highlights 3 of the main reasons people wrongly blame a poor metabolism. Forgetfulness, portion judging and knowledge of what is healthy.

I remember one episode where 2 sisters would have a fresh salad, pretty big but still a decent calorie count, then add half a pint of tahini or similar as dressing.

Fortunately I know where I go wrong, a pack of biscuits as a snack is never good!

gothchiq

lol yes I love these shows. They help me be strong and not pig out when I am having weak moments.

Colorscheme

CrabNebula wrote: »

I love that show and also Supersize vs. Superskinny.

It was good up until they got rid of the food tube.

emmylootwo

CrabNebula wrote: »

I love that show and also Supersize vs. Superskinny.

Ugh, I hate that show. Every one that I've watched has been all about making the "super sized" people feel like absolute *kitten*. There's always that moment where the "super sized" contestant is thinking he or she would really love to have the body of the "super skinny" contestant, but the "super skinny" person is all disgusted by the "super sized" person. Plus, the youtube comments are so mean to the bigger people, so that doesn't help. Terrible show.

CattOfTheGarage

The guy with the supersized cereal bowl was Murray from "Helena and Murray", season 3.

scoii wrote: »

Fortunately I know where I go wrong, a pack of biscuits as a snack is never good!

Yes, it does help if your weaknesses are for obviously fattening things - but at the same time, when I was binging on poppy seed crackers or Shreddies (wholegrain cereal) I still knew it was a problem!

Where the show has helped me is in things like realising that a "weekend off" can use up all the calorie deficit the the rest of the week, seeing the impact of a lot of small snacks, and just generally being aware of how badly skewed our perceptions can be when it comes to food. This has been a long process, from the first time a dietitian told me about the impact of eating one extra chocolate biscuit a day over time, and then the reality check of weighing portions for mfp, but this show was definitely part of that learning process.