Trying to give up bread

The Wild Bunch

Been off the sauce a month and plan on quitting completely.

Next step is giving up bread. No weight problems, in fact I'm probably about a stone under weight (12st 5, 6ft 2)

Any tips or suggestions on replacing it? I love a couple of slices of toast in the morning or maybe a brown bread roll/couple of slices of wholemeal or wholwheat with a bowl of stew.

I'm actually finding this harder to quit than the booze!

Any advice greatly appreciated

Stench Blossoms

I gave it up a few years ago and tbh I didn't replace it with anything. Well actually I kinda did, I started adding in more veg to my meals.

Are you only having the toast in the mornings? If so, try something more substantial like porridge or eggs.

The Wild Bunch

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

I gave it up a few years ago and tbh I didn't replace it with anything. Well actually I kinda did, I started adding in more veg to my meals.

Are you only having the toast in the mornings? If so, try something more substantial like porridge or eggs.

Aye, toast and a coffee. I AM partial to scrambled eggs so might try replace it with that

thegreatiam

when you take an objective look you realise that bread has very little function in a meal.

Most people include it out of habit, I grew up with a slice of white bread on the side of every plate and most of the time it is redundant and nothing more than extra calories.

Nutritionally bread gives you nothing you cant get elsewhere.

Functionally it forms the base of a sandwich but when you realise that if you ditch the bread and use the ingredients of the sarnie in a salad instead you notice you can get more of the good stuff.

When you notice that it is doing nothing more than keeping your fingers clean youll be happy enough to drop it.

I eliminate all those habitual thoughts forcing me to eat 4/5+ slices of white bread, eating sandwiches and having it with meals or as a snack. I noticed that I didnt even like it. It was tasteless and unpleasant.

Now I only eat bread on occasion and it is a treat when I do, much better all round for it.

change the way you think about bread from "give us this daily bread" to "give me bread on occasion that I may enjoy it more and it doesnt screw my insides up as easily"

runawaybishop

The Wild Bunch wrote: »

Been off the sauce a month and plan on quitting completely.

Next step is giving up bread. No weight problems, in fact I'm probably about a stone under weight (12st 5, 6ft 2)

Any tips or suggestions on replacing it? I love a couple of slices of toast in the morning or maybe a brown bread roll/couple of slices of wholemeal or wholwheat with a bowl of stew.

I'm actually finding this harder to quit than the booze!

Any advice greatly appreciated

Why are you giving it up in the first place?

The Wild Bunch

runawaybishop wrote: »

Why are you giving it up in the first place?

Tiny tiny gut, really small but bothers me. Not sure whether it was caused by booze or 'wheat belly' but it has decreased substabtially and I can now fit into my old 30 waist jeans.

Still though - I'm worried about continuing to eat bread in case it develops again.

On a side night, would Jacobs Cream Crackers with low fat butter be a suitable, lower calorie alternative?

cullenswood

The Wild Bunch wrote: »

On a side night, would Jacobs Cream Crackers with low fat butter be a suitable, lower calorie alternative?

Don't be bothering with low fat butter, normal butter is better for you. It is good fat.

The Wild Bunch

cullenswood wrote: »

Don't be bothering with low fat butter, normal butter is better for you. It is good fat.

So Dairy Gold is ok?

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

runawaybishop

The Wild Bunch wrote: »

Tiny tiny gut, really small but bothers me. Not sure whether it was caused by booze or 'wheat belly' but it has decreased substabtially and I can now fit into my old 30 waist jeans.

Still though - I'm worried about continuing to eat bread in case it develops again.

On a side night, would Jacobs Cream Crackers with low fat butter be a suitable, lower calorie alternative?

Avoid low fat butter, use the real stuff. A small bit of bread won't make any real difference. You could make your own bread (irish soda is stupidly easy) if you want to avoid shop bought crap. For breakfast i guess you want something quick and easy, try instant porridge or scrambled eggs.

thegreatiam

just get real butter, not spreads or margerine. Irish butter is pretty good butter, shame not to use it.

yosser hughes

The Wild Bunch wrote: »

So Dairy Gold is ok?

Dairy Gold isn't butter.

thegreatiam

runawaybishop wrote: »

Avoid low fat butter, use the real stuff. A small bit of bread won't make any real difference. You could make your own bread (irish soda is stupidly easy) if you want to avoid shop bought crap. For breakfast i guess you want something quick and easy, try instant porridge or scrambled eggs.

If you wanted to you could make your own butter and use the butter milk to make the soda bread.

The Wild Bunch

yosser hughes wrote: »

Dairy Gold isn't butter.

So what exactly do I buy in the Supermarket? Any brands in particular? How do I distinguish real from not real?

runawaybishop

thegreatiam wrote: »

If you wanted to you could make your own butter and use the butter milk to make the soda bread.

I have access to a butter churn, but lidl do buttermilk now \:D/

yosser hughes wrote: »

Dairy Gold isn't butter.

Dairygold make many products, one of which is real butter. They also do a salt free version but i dont think its easy to find.

thegreatiam

runawaybishop wrote: »

I have access to a butter churn, but lidl do buttermilk now \:D/

defeats the point of making it your self if you give up and buy from lidl.

I had no churn tho i just used a mixer, 5 minutes of noise and done.

turned out to be pointless tho as I spent as much on cream as I would've on butter, but it was a fun exercise.

runawaybishop

thegreatiam wrote: »

defeats the point of making it your self if you give up and buy from lidl.

I had no churn tho i just used a mixer, 5 minutes of noise and done.

turned out to be pointless tho as I spent as much on cream as I would've on butter, but it was a fun exercise.

I don't see how using store bought buttermilk defeats the purpose of making your own bread?

Alf Veedersane

runawaybishop wrote: »

Dairygold make many products, one of which is real butter. They also do a salt free version but i dont think its easy to find.

I don't think Dairygold to unsalted butter.

Kerrygold and Avonmore do. Not sure about Dairygold though.

thegreatiam

runawaybishop wrote: »

I don't see how using store bought buttermilk defeats the purpose of making your own bread?

defeats the purpose of making your own butter for your own bread. To cook in your home made oven and eat off homemade plates

clappyhappy

The Wild Bunch wrote: »

So what exactly do I buy in the Supermarket? Any brands in particular? How do I distinguish real from not real?

The traditional Kerrygold butter in the foil packaging, is probably the most recognisable.

The Wild Bunch

clappyhappy wrote: »

The traditional Kerrygold butter in the foil packaging, is probably the most recognisable.

I'll pick it up today and give it a try!

siochain

Aldi stock a brand of real butter salted and and unsalted can't remember the brand.

If you’re going to give up bread there’s no point in replacing it with crackers or other wheat sources. Best thing would be to give the wheat up for two weeks and track how you’re feeling. Giving it up totally for two weeks will give you a good indication on how your body handles wheat

Alf Veedersane

The Wild Bunch wrote: »

So what exactly do I buy in the Supermarket? Any brands in particular? How do I distinguish real from not real?

They're usually in a block with foil packaging. More often than not what is in a tub is a spread and not butter.

Not a hard and fast rule but a good rule of thumb.


Just make sure it's not margarine...

Shedite27

jacksie66 wrote: »

I've cut out bread and lost nearly a stone in 2 weeks..

Fair play.

Although at the accepted rate of 3,500cals = 1lb, you had a net decrease of 49,000 calories in those two weeks.

There's about 1750 calories in a slice pan (brennans white), so unless you were eating two slice pans in a day, I'd say the bread was only a part of your weight loss

rubadub

thegreatiam wrote: »

It was tasteless and unpleasant.

Now I only eat bread on occasion and it is a treat when I do, much better all round for it.

as you say its fairly tasteless, so I don't even regard it as a treat (I know what you probably meant though, maybe a burger with a bun, not bread alone). If I want a wheat laden treat its going to be a donut. I view them as similar products now, which also helps me resist it. I don't buy bread so its not in the house. I would be a restaurant and see a basket of bread when I sit down and be grabbing for one, but then think to myself "wait a minute, this is really no different to a basket of donuts, would I really eat a donut before sitting down to what is likely to be a high portion meal -no, its pure junk food"

runawaybishop wrote: »

Dairygold make many products, one of which is real butter. They also do a salt free version but i dont think its easy to find.

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

I don't think Dairygold to unsalted butter.

Kerrygold and Avonmore do. Not sure about Dairygold though.

Looking it up it seems Dairygold was a product by the kerry group, and over 30 years old. Now there are more products under that banner, none seem to be butter. http://www.butteritwithdairygold.ie/about-dairygold/our-story.aspx

There is also a co-op called dairygold
http://www.dairygold.ie/
So it could be some company involved with the co-op who makes butter, so you might see the word "dairygold" on some blocks of real butter, but its not the same kerrygroup range.

rubadub

Shedite27 wrote: »

Although at the accepted rate of 3,500cals = 1lb, you had a net decrease of 49,000 calories in those two weeks.

Thats the theory for fat loss, he just said he lost weight, not necessarily fat. He could have lost retained excess water weight too.

The 3500kcal / 1lb thing is by no means an exact science, certainly not for alcohol.

siochain

Shedite27 wrote: »

Fair play.

Although at the accepted rate of 3,500cals = 1lb, you had a net decrease of 49,000 calories in those two weeks.

There's about 1750 calories in a slice pan (brennans white), so unless you were eating two slice pans in a day, I'd say the bread was only a part of your weight loss

Not really an exact science.
Giving up the bread could have resulted in less water retention and improved intestinal motility. This is not uncommon.

yosser hughes

siochain wrote: »

Aldi stock a brand of real butter salted and and unsalted can't remember the brand.

If you’re going to give up bread there’s no point in replacing it with crackers or other wheat sources. Best thing would be to give the wheat up for two weeks and track how you’re feeling. Giving it up totally for two weeks will give you a good indication on how your body handles wheat

Yep I get the unsalted butter in Aldi, or is it Lidl? I can't remember, at least one of them do it anyway.

thegreatiam

rubadub wrote: »

as you say its fairly tasteless, so I don't even regard it as a treat (I know what you probably meant though, maybe a burger with a bun, not bread alone).

nah, like soup with a artisan fresh warm artisan loaf, that sort of treat.

Im not really that bothered by bread. Ill eat a burger with the bun if Im in a burger place no worries.

Happily eat doughnuts every now and then, or some pancakes of a sunday.

I did stop buying bread for the house tho as it was just getting eaten through routine and habit. Once I did that I found i dont miss bread on a daily basis.

I used to be a sammich king. I would be able to eat a 3 course meal with just sammiches. swedish style for a starter, toasted ham and cheese for mains and a PB&J for dessert.

Subway on a daily basis, sometimes twice. If I was bored and hungry it was 4 slices of toast. I could happily eat a loaf a day.

If I had a meal i would have 4+ slices of bread with it. I noticed that if I was cooking and I didnt have bread I would just spend ages staring into the cupboard for something to replace the bread with.

Id be looking at a fridge full of meat and veg and not be able to cook it cos I couldn't get the idea out of my head that the bread had to be there.

When i noticed I was only really eating bread because id been conditioned that bread was a staple I squashed the urges and started to stop buying it. Then it was a small step from thinking what do i replace it with to knowing i dont want it at all.

Best advice i can give is to not replace it with anything just stop using it.
just like when i stopped the heroin.

Alf Veedersane

thegreatiam wrote: »

Best advice i can give is to not replace it with anything just stop using it.
just like when i stopped the heroin.

Did you switch to crackerbread?

thegreatiam

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Did you switch to crackerbread?

Nah, cold turkey rolls