Rehabilitated Picky Eater: Is That Really a Good Thing?

court_alacarte

(Sorry for the post being long but I was trying to cover as much info as possible to get the answers I'm looking for right off the bat. God speed!)

Preface: I'm 5'5" and currently 155 lbs.

When I was in high school, I never went over my average 125-lb size all four years. It seemed so effortless at the time to maintain that frame now that I look back. Granted, I was a little more active than sitting at a desk 8 hours a day—I played on the golf team after school and walked 9 holes for two days out of the week—but I never truly “worked out”. I remember I never paid too much attention to what I ate and never counted a calorie.

I of course gained weight in college and I figured that was due to the increase in alcohol consumption (I didn't really dabble in drinking ever until the summer before my freshman year).

Fast forward, I graduate and off in the real world I am…

Being an adult and on my own and having this desire to shed some poundage, I find myself running into a lot of pitfalls and temptations and derailments and it’s vexing to the nth degree. I’ll stay in my caloric range during the week but then on the weekends I just feel like I can’t resist the various cheesy, sugary, creamy, alcoholic deliciousness that would find its way in front of me. I kept wondering to myself, “Why was it so easy back then when I wasn't even that neurotic about what I ate?!” (I would literally average AT LEAST 5 bread sticks every time I went to Olive Garden; I was a total carbohydrate junkie.) And like I said, I didn't even truly exercise THAT much and I’m only 26 years old so my metabolism should still be in good shape. Granted, I still drink once a week about 3-4 drinks (it's a helluva lot less than from my college days); however I stick to mostly red wine, light beers and a vodka soda if I’m feeling like liquor, which aren't as bad as most other drinks around…

But then it hit me: I will eat ANYTHING now.

Back in high school, I didn't eat anything with nuts, onions, tomatoes, peppers, anything spicy, ground beef, sour cream, mayonnaise, avocado… the list goes on. I lived off a handful of foods only 9-year-olds eat. If it just looked weird and unappetizing, I didn't even touch it, even if it was something I would normally eat but with some weird added ingredient. I didn't even eat my first Cheez-It until I was a junior in college. I didn't really have a sweet tooth back then either and only ate desserts or candy every now and then (now I have to have something sweet every day).

Sometime in college, my taste buds did a 180. I started dating this guy when I was 18 who was a total foodie; and each time I said, “No, I don’t like that” he would respond with “Why? You haven’t even tried it.” And so of course out of wanting to impress him, I would, and then… it was all downhill from there.

Now there’s no food out there I won’t try/like. Literally, I like 98% of all foods that I put in my mouth. Sure! Invite the nuts to the party. Avocado: I’ll eat the whole damned thing if you just give me a spoon already. You say this dish is spicy? Game on! Instead of picking apart and avoiding trying something new, I now load my plate with a little bit of everything. I get way too excited about going out to eat at exotic places or a Chinese buffet. I've started to feel like my taste for anything and everything edible has been an obstacle for me in my weight loss struggles. I feel like because of that, I have developed this relationship with food that I “live to eat” that I've never had before.

So, are there any others out there like me: you’ll try and most likely like everything? Has it caused you as well to not resist temptation as easily and thus lead you down this spiral of “screw it, I’ll start my diet next week, why did I kid myself into thinking I could be good the week of the dinner party”? Or is it really the alcohol that’s holding me back??

tl;dr: I’ll eat anything and I feel like it derails my weight-loss efforts and sometimes wish I were a picky eater like I used to be. Anyone feel the same?

Need2Exerc1se

I think a lot of it is age and the changes that come with it, mostly life changes. I've always been one that would eat anything, ever since I was a wee thing. But I too found it very easy to stay thin when I was young, even though I never exercised or did sports. The older I got, the more I had to think about it. At 50, it's hard. I think it's just that I don't want it as badly as I did back then. And, menopause.

concordancia

Yes, eating a variety is a good thing: each food has different nutrients in it.

As for your weight loss efforts, you will just have to learn moderation. You don't actually *need* sweets every day. You want them. You have to decide whether or not you can work them in moderately. This week, I have been having a piece of leftover birthday cake every day (there were two different kinds!). It has been a real challenge to stay within my goals. The practical part of me is glad that I will be eating the last piece tonight and can go back to my regularly scheduled eating.

Have you tried practicing mindful eating? Whenever you eat alone, put a serving on your plate and eat it slowly. Never load the fork until you have swallowed the bite in your mouth. Notice the flavors and the texture. Every once in awhile, put the fork down, take a drink of water and count to ten, then resume eating. This may seem painful, but it is an excellent skill for enjoying your food, without feeling the need to eat ALL THE THINGS ALL THE TIME.

SueInAz

I don't have any experience with what you're going through but I had to laugh at this; not at you but at the situation. I would never have thought about the fact that not being a picky eater would have its pitfalls but you've nailed it. On the flipside, I watched an episode of Anderson Cooper with these two women who had food issues and literally ate nothing but potatoes and they were both pretty overweight so....

As far as the struggle not to eat some of everything? I'm there with you. I don't know that it's caused me more troubles with resisting temptation but then, since I've always like pretty much everything I guess I have more practice saying "no" to foods that I know taste fabulous but just aren't practical while I'm trying to cut calories? I hate to throw around the word "willpower" but that's ultimately what it comes down to, I think. You have to decide who wins, you or the delicious foods.

tulips_and_tea

All 3 of my kids (and myself, for that matter) weren't necessarily picky eaters growing up, but they had a fairly limited diet. Now they are all in their early to mid twenties and they now eat onions, chile, fish, varieties of vegetables, etc. I do think your palate (for most people) develops as you get older.

Mediocrates55

Yep, I love everything food-ish. Trick is to keep the portions small. Really enjoy that small taste of everything if you HAVE to have everything. Makes logging a beast, but it can be done. Or half-a**ed and called a day. I refuse to deprive myself of something I really enjoy - that to me is setting myself up for failure. But I HAVE noticed as I've gotten back to more whole foods, my taste has changed for the positive. That candy bar looks awesome, but it makes my teeth ache and my stomach upset. Those Cheezits smell really good for some reason but they leave a weird film on my teeth that irritates the hell out of me. Etc, etc. Point is, enjoy it in moderation, log it, and evaluate for yourself if it is worth it in your overall goals.

Lizzy622

Activity levels. When I was in high school, my only workout was gym twice a week but I remember walking the halls between classes and hanging out with friends and doing after school activities ( not sports) that kept me active and on the go. Then you grow up and get chained to a desk.

court_alacarte

thank you ladies for all your input. it's just been kind of hard to resist temptation as the holidays approach. just today we had a potluck lunch at work a few hours ago and the coordinator sent an email notifying us to get our leftovers or else she's throwing it away. and there's still so much food left and of course my first thought is "omg that's so much delicious food. i must save it! not my babies!!" i kind of feel like once i start looking at food differently, things will start to fall into place. i see food and eating as an experience rather than something to keep me alive, y'know?

bwogilvie

concordancia wrote: »

Have you tried practicing mindful eating? Whenever you eat alone, put a serving on your plate and eat it slowly. Never load the fork until you have swallowed the bite in your mouth. Notice the flavors and the texture. Every once in awhile, put the fork down, take a drink of water and count to ten, then resume eating. This may seem painful, but it is an excellent skill for enjoying your food, without feeling the need to eat ALL THE THINGS ALL THE TIME.

This is excellent advice. Another good tip comes from Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, in his recent book The Diet Fix: when you are confronted with a food that you like, ask yourself this question: how much of this do I need to eat to be satisfied? Then don't eat any more than that. Most food tastes best for the first few bites, and then your palate adapts to it. If I want a little cheese, I'll just take out one kind, because if I take out four cheeses, by the time I have a little bit of each one, I'm ready to have more of the first one I tasted, and I might end up doing an entire second round.

ana3067

I'll eat practically anything and it hasn't derailed my progress whatsoever. CICO, has nothing to do with what you eat but how much you eat relative to your caloric burns for the day/on average.