More natural food, more weight loss?

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jyoti_0
jyoti_0 Posts: 87 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have observed one thing about "food type" and weight loss in my "regaining health" journey.
The more natural the food (boiled, steamed, home cooked), the easier it is to lose weight. I lost pounds rapidly when I was eating this type of food.
Then in the last couple of weeks, I switched to equally low calorie, but more complex food (more spices, more ingredients, more steps in cooking, outside food) and I found that my body started retaining water. I started gaining weight and very quickly my weight increased by 3 pounds.
A couple of days ago, I switched back to simpler foods and my water retention seems to have gone down and the scale is moving downwards again.
Have any of you observed this co-relation between the "food type" and weight loss too?
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  • VegjoyP
    VegjoyP Posts: 2,714 Member
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    Yes absolutely. The more I eat WFPB, the better. I also feel mentally and physically better, much more satiated and better digestion. Yes, calories matter but its not just what we eat but what we absorb. Simple sugars, processed food, high calorie liquids, fats and oils are digested rapidly, and the majority of calories is taken in. With whole foods there is some caloric deflect from fiber, water, resistant starch. An example is nuts. Nut butters are quicker digesting than whole nuts. Whole raw nuts are not, so we don't retain as much. I aim for calories either way, but it makes a big difference for me where they come from.
  • jyoti_0
    jyoti_0 Posts: 87 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    There's nothing "unnatural" about spices and herbs...they come from plants. If you're getting more takeout or eating out, it's likely sodium that is causing an increase in water. Restaurant food typically has tons of sodium as well as is also typical with highly processed foods. I've never heard of herbs and spices causing water retention...they are "natural" and have been used for thousands of years.

    try using 100 grams of spices :)
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
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    jyoti_0 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    There's nothing "unnatural" about spices and herbs...they come from plants. If you're getting more takeout or eating out, it's likely sodium that is causing an increase in water. Restaurant food typically has tons of sodium as well as is also typical with highly processed foods. I've never heard of herbs and spices causing water retention...they are "natural" and have been used for thousands of years.

    try using 100 grams of spices :)

    Sure, the berbere mix that I made a while ago has lots of calories. Which are accounted for when I log it to the gram. But there's very little salt in it and hence the effect on water retention is very small. It's also extremely tasty, mind. Why do you think spices and herbs contain lots of salt and cause water retention?
  • jyoti_0
    jyoti_0 Posts: 87 Member
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    yirara wrote: »
    jyoti_0 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    There's nothing "unnatural" about spices and herbs...they come from plants. If you're getting more takeout or eating out, it's likely sodium that is causing an increase in water. Restaurant food typically has tons of sodium as well as is also typical with highly processed foods. I've never heard of herbs and spices causing water retention...they are "natural" and have been used for thousands of years.

    try using 100 grams of spices :)

    Sure, the berbere mix that I made a while ago has lots of calories. Which are accounted for when I log it to the gram. But there's very little salt in it and hence the effect on water retention is very small. It's also extremely tasty, mind. Why do you think spices and herbs contain lots of salt and cause water retention?

    Did I say "spices and herbs contain lots of salt and cause water retention"? Where?
  • jyoti_0
    jyoti_0 Posts: 87 Member
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    :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,526 Member
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    jyoti_0 wrote: »
    I have observed one thing about "food type" and weight loss in my "regaining health" journey.
    The more natural the food (boiled, steamed, home cooked), the easier it is to lose weight. I lost pounds rapidly when I was eating this type of food.
    Then in the last couple of weeks, I switched to equally low calorie, but more complex food (more spices, more ingredients, more steps in cooking, outside food) and I found that my body started retaining water. I started gaining weight and very quickly my weight increased by 3 pounds.
    A couple of days ago, I switched back to simpler foods and my water retention seems to have gone down and the scale is moving downwards again.
    Have any of you observed this co-relation between the "food type" and weight loss too?
    Water retention is normal. Sodium is usually the main culprit for water weight gain.

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  • jyoti_0
    jyoti_0 Posts: 87 Member
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    The more I progress in my weight loss journey, the more I believe that yes, eating less processed food and more "natural state food" is the key to weight loss for me.
    I hit a plateau in Jan, didn't lose any weight from the last week of Jan till the last week of Feb. Then I switched back to eating more fruits/vegetables/ steamed + boiled food and successfully broke the plateau in one week (took help of zig zag diet for a week). Since I don't eat any fried food, I make sure to drink 10 ml oil (sunflower) 3 times a day. With my morning coffee, with my boiled potato breakfast and before going to sleep at night.
    Now, in overall, since Nov '22, I have lost 16.5 lbs with only changing my food and counting calories.
    I eat at least half a pound of salad of watery fruits and vegetables (orange, tomato, cucumber) with my lunch and as the evening snack and this approach has worked for me.
    I am happy with my progress and hope, everyone finds the key to their weight loss progress, whatever it may be.
  • jyoti_0
    jyoti_0 Posts: 87 Member
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    @mtaratoot -Feel so happy! Sent you a hug :)
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,158 Member
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    I'm confused. Maybe "processed" means something different to different people. To me, it typically implies "industrial processing," not the type of cooking techniques easily (or perhaps historically) accessible to the home cook. I am not sure I accept that boiling is inherently less "processed" than frying, though I'll easily cede that it's fewer calories.

    The spices and herbs argument is throwing me, too. Ditto salt. Salt is critical to human health and wars have been fought over access to it. Is (a lot of industrially processed) food way oversalted today? Sure. If I have a lot of sodium on any given day do I feel cranky and bloated? Sure. But I feel great eating meat and other animal products, I use a lot of spices, and I even eat bread - real bread, with wheat. I also eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and stay hydrated.

    I'll also say, the ability to process food and preserve it through methods like pickling or salt curing helps people not die from starvation. Pretty important. Also delicious.
    westrich20940 wrote: »
    It sounds like when you made food that didn't taste as good...you ate less of it.

    And when you made food that tasted good...you ate more.

    Yep, that would seem to sum it up.
  • PAPYRUS3
    PAPYRUS3 Posts: 13,259 Member
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    @jyoti_0 - curious, why 'sunflower' oil? Have you ever considered something like 'Flora' (plant-based organic unrefined oils- flax, sunflower, sesame, evening primrose, coconut, rice bran) or another Omega 3 oil?

    It's great when the food/diet your consuming is working well with one's body. Everything seems to work better...quality sleep/less stress-inflammation within the body/less cortisol. Increased cortisol increase one's cravings for salty/sugary foods among other things.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,170 Member
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    Just to be puckish, not because I think it's a definitive study (not even close):

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2897733/

    People have started eating hot peppers or ACV for weight loss on lighter evidence, though. 🤣
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,972 Member
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    mtaratoot wrote: »
    If you're just talking about water retention, sure - eating foods without much salt will let you flush out the excess water. That's very short-term. I like complex flavors, so I'll always use herbs, spices, and seasonings including salt.

    For weight management, over the long run, it doesn't matter if you eat only whole foods or processed foods; it's calories that matter. Well, except some new research that says your body is less able to access some calories from uncooked foods. Your body may respond better to whole foods, and if you focus on eating nutritious foods rather than empty calories (mashed potatoes with rutabagas rather than a bag of chips), you may be more likely to eat fewer calories. That will lead to weight loss.

    The term "natural" is kind of loaded anyway. Butter is natural. I can gain weight easily if I add a lot of butter to my steamed broccoli and brown rice.


    Ditto on "natural." Loaded and often just silly in how it's used. Don't see how OP comes up with boiling and steaming being somehow "natural." Raw is natural. And humans would have first cooked by throwing food into a fire or suspending it over the fire before they had containers they could use for boiling or steaming. So roasted is more "natural" than boiling or steaming.
  • jyoti_0
    jyoti_0 Posts: 87 Member
    edited March 2023
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    @penguinmama87
    @PAPYRUS3
    @AnnPT77
    First of all, my apologies for not making clear why-s and what-s of my food choices. I should have given the context of what I was discussing
    I have sever dairy allergy and gluten intolerance. Things kept getting worse over the years and right now, I can't eat anything with preservatives. So, @penguinmama87, yes, I meant "industrial processing" when I said "processed food". Having even one biscuit out of a packet is a luxury for me. If I eat gluten or dairy, my body and face swell up.
    And I also apologies for causing the confusion about spices. What I meant was "spicy" food, you know, not herbs or spices separately.
    Actually, fresh herbs are a life saver for me, as in green juice. This was the only thing that helped me. I can digest 2 slices of bread if my diet regularly includes green juice and eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables high in water. FODMAP diet is closest to what I can eat and it is very restrictive.
    The list of my woos also includes high blood pressure and I became pre-diabetic a couple of years ago. Lost my parents in recent years, developed anxiety and depression and was put on medication for these things too.
    This added to weight gain and swelling, or what I feel, but may not be right, water retention.
    Last November, something jolted me about my deteriorating health.
    I decided to turn all the negative points into positive and decided to lose weight, get rid of swelling and bloating, even if it meant chewing only the grass.
    I made a list of what food I could eat, which was pretty short, and rejoined MFP. To my pleasant surprise, here I found, everyone helped others, people share their knowledge and in general, it is the most supportive community I have ever come across. It has meant a lot to me, helped me a lot.
    In the last few months, not only my physical health improved, so has my mental health. I took all steps I could to get over my anxiety and depression and with my doctor's help, this month I have completely stopped those mental health medications. That has reduced the swelling of my face and I guess, perhaps it was also a factor in my weight loss. This is small victory for me, after years of fighting against the universe (or so it seemed at times). That's why I'm cherishing it.
    Sorry for this boring long post, but just wanted to make clear that it's my necessity to eat what I eat.
    @PAPYRUS3, that's why sunflower oil. It is the only oil that does not causes swelling on my face. So, out of necessity I have only this.
    Again, my apologies for the confusion. I should have given the context.
    Thanks you all for your support. Wish you all a nice day/ night in your region :)
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,923 Member
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    Peoples in India and Thailand would probably disagree with you.

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