Not eating for pleasure
kommodevaran
Posts: 17,890 Member
Why? And how does it work out?
I see quite often people in here stating that they now eat only to fuel their bodies, not for pleasure. Are those the same people who used to be overweight? And eat for pleasure then? How can you just switch? Isn't that a recipe for disaster...? Making it sooo easy to slip back to old habits? I am eating both for health and for pleasure now, trying to be sensible and kind to myself at the same time. I cook most of my meals from scratch, and they all taste delicious. I never eat anything I don't like, but I don't eat everything I like at once either.
I see quite often people in here stating that they now eat only to fuel their bodies, not for pleasure. Are those the same people who used to be overweight? And eat for pleasure then? How can you just switch? Isn't that a recipe for disaster...? Making it sooo easy to slip back to old habits? I am eating both for health and for pleasure now, trying to be sensible and kind to myself at the same time. I cook most of my meals from scratch, and they all taste delicious. I never eat anything I don't like, but I don't eat everything I like at once either.
0
Replies
-
My friend told me once that food is not for pleasure. I laughed in his face (well, via text).
You can, however, eat for both. I eat higher in protein than I used to to fuel my workouts, and I make sure I am eating enough calories, but I choose foods that I love to comprise this intake. I also don't just eat chips and candy all day for my carb intake because I'd get way sugar-rushy and feel sick.
Balanced diet. Anyone saying htey don't eat for pleasure either hasn't been eating that way for long or is a miserable person.0 -
I eat to fuel myself, but I'll be damned if I'm going to eat something I hate to do that. I enjoy all the food I eat, but I don't eat just whatever I want.0 -
Everyone is different. Once you really set a goal and 100% committed, you can see food entirely as fuel. I for one, never could. But then I don't like drinking alcohol, and lots of people do. Same thing I suppose0
-
This content has been removed.
-
I still really enjoy good food. I try to stick with the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time - eat for nourishment; 20% of the time - eat for pleasure.0
-
QFT! Seriously! I'm not an emotional eater. I'm not a binge eater. But if you think for a second I don't enjoy the food I'm eating… you're out of your mind!The_Enginerd wrote: »
I eat to fuel myself, but I'll be damned if I'm going to eat something I hate to do that. I enjoy all the food I eat, but I don't eat just whatever I want.
0 -
feisty_bucket wrote: »Is food really that interesting? I think foodies are ridiculous. The reason anybody is overweight is because they get so excited about stimulating their taste buds. You see it all over the Thanksgiving threads here: "I ate 8000 calories today, YOLO!!" On a weight-loss forum. WTF.
Indeed food is that interesting to some people. Clearly you don't feel that way or you wouldn't have to ask that question. But to some people it just isn't all that great, and that's just how they are. Foodies might be ridiculous to you, but sports enthusiasts are ridiculous to me. But because I don't care about sports doesn't make any difference in how much other people love them. I just have to accept they feel that way.
In regards to the forum excitement on eating ridiculous amounts on Thanksgiving: This isn't just a weight-loss forum, but a fitness site. I will always love eating, and most of my friends list will too. This site is a great way to still eat foods you love, be ridiculous sometimes, but stay focused on health as a long-term goal.
0 -
feisty_bucket wrote: »Is food really that interesting? I think foodies are ridiculous. The reason anybody is overweight is because they get so excited about stimulating their taste buds. You see it all over the Thanksgiving threads here: "I ate 8000 calories today, YOLO!!" On a weight-loss forum. WTF.
Yeah I am one those people. Call me ridiculous if you want but I take pleasure in the simple things in life. Amazing tasting food that I made:) Now I make amazing tasting low calorie, low carb food.0 -
feisty_bucket wrote: »Is food really that interesting? I think foodies are ridiculous. The reason anybody is overweight is because they get so excited about stimulating their taste buds. You see it all over the Thanksgiving threads here: "I ate 8000 calories today, YOLO!!" On a weight-loss forum. WTF.
If food was not interesting or enjoyable, why don't you just take a slab of meat, microwave it and eat it without any additions? Would you be equally happy if you had all your nutrients in pill form or through a tube? The answer is simple: because food IS supposed to be enjoyable. That's how our bodies are built. If food was not innately enjoyable, the art of cooking would not have evolved.
Now there may be some kind of misunderstanding. Some people prefer to eat only when hungry, but that is actually the exact opposite of "eating only to fuel", since the first few bites of food after hunger sits in are the most enjoyable.
There is also the distinction between the feeling of pleasure derived from food and artificially attaching certain feelings to food, like feeling good about yourself when you eat salad, or consider sugar to be the devil that will cause you to instantly gain 15 pounds. Now that I'm against. Once you attach terms like good, bad, guilty, fattening, superfood, comforting.. etc to food, it stops being the simple pleasure it is and moves into the territory of obsession, stress, self-worth measure, and emotional eating.
In my case, eating for joy has helped my weight loss tremendously. In the past I used to eat food just because it's there, even if I didn't care much for it. When someone offered me a doughnut, for example, I used to eat it all without thinking twice, just for the sake of the act of eating. Now when that happens, I simply say "no, thank you". Not because doughnuts are some kind of deadly diet sin, but because I don't like them enough to warrant spending calories on them. Now everything that goes into my mouth, including higher calorie "evil" foods, has to be something I really like and derive pleasure from, since my calorie budget has a limit. And the moment something stops being enjoyable and turns into a mere act of stuffing yet another piece of chips in my mouth, my meal ends there.0 -
I do both. For me, breakfast and lunch are simply fuel (but I still eat things I like ok). Dinner might be fuel or it might be good or a combination. Most importantly, I save calories every night to eat snacks, because that is what I like best.
I have to eat a lot more protein than before I started this, so I've had to acclimate to the idea of eating very monotonously to have calories in the evenings, and for breakfast and lunch that is something I can do forever. I put my interest into the evening.0 -
feisty_bucket wrote: »Is food really that interesting? I think foodies are ridiculous. The reason anybody is overweight is because they get so excited about stimulating their taste buds. You see it all over the Thanksgiving threads here: "I ate 8000 calories today, YOLO!!" On a weight-loss forum. WTF.
No, the reason people are overweight is because they eat too much. People seem to enjoy junk like dominoes, McDonald's, crappy American chocolate etc. I'd hardly call that stimulating your taste buds.
There's no reason you can't enjoy tasty food. When food is really good you don't have to have huge portions of it.
There are plenty of chefs who aren't overweight. There's a show here called The Great British Bake-Off. The woman, Mary Berry, on that is slim and she can still make yummy food.
I'd much rather make myself a stir fry with ginger, chilli etc that shove some tasteless crap in the microwave.
Personally I eat when I'm hungry, but I make sure it's foods I enjoy.0 -
From this foodie... screw you
My weight gain was 95% medical, not everyone got fat shoving cheeseburgers and ice cream down their throats. It's my love of food that also encouraged my healthiness because I can cook AMAZING healthy food. Guess you don't care about that though, cause you'res not a "foodie". I'm also a yelper, le gasp!-3 -
[quote
In my case, eating for joy has helped my weight loss tremendously. In the past I used to eat food just because it's there, even if I didn't care much for it. When someone offered me a doughnut, for example, I used to eat it all without thinking twice, just for the sake of the act of eating. Now when that happens, I simply say "no, thank you". Not because doughnuts are some kind of deadly diet sin, but because I don't like them enough to warrant spending calories on them. Now everything that goes into my mouth, including higher calorie "evil" foods, has to be something I really like and derive pleasure from, since my calorie budget has a limit. And the moment something stops being enjoyable and turns into a mere act of stuffing yet another piece of chips in my mouth, my meal ends there.[/quote]
HALLELUJAH, SISTER, my sentiments exactly! You have nailed it.
I have a similar system: I ask myself if the food I'm about to eat is more important to me than another pair of size 6 super-skinny jeans (my new size). It's all a matter of choices. Don't get me wrong-- I love to eat! However, the way I use food has changed. I look forward to my meals not so I can stuff myself to the gills, but because I know that I'm being responsible to myself and doing something to help my body. The healthier foods taste better and make me feel great. Surprisingly, what some people call "bad foods" don't seem all that tempting to me anymore. They're just "there". Makes me wonder whether I actually even liked the junk I used to eat, or if it was just mindless consumption...0 -
First of all, it is not just a weight loss forum.feisty_bucket wrote: »Is food really that interesting? I think foodies are ridiculous. The reason anybody is overweight is because they get so excited about stimulating their taste buds. You see it all over the Thanksgiving threads here: "I ate 8000 calories today, YOLO!!" On a weight-loss forum. WTF.
For some people it is about fitness, nutrition,recipes, maintaining weight, entertainment, there is even a section specifically for - gasp! - gaining weight.
The reason anybody is overweight - they eat too many calories.
One can be a healthy weight and enjoy food, enjoy cooking, even enjoy photographing food.
My father is in his mid 70's - he enjoys food, he enjoys dining out. He has always been slim to the point of underweight.
0 -
This content has been removed.
-
feisty_bucket wrote: »Is food really that interesting? I think foodies are ridiculous. The reason anybody is overweight is because they get so excited about stimulating their taste buds. You see it all over the Thanksgiving threads here: "I ate 8000 calories today, YOLO!!" On a weight-loss forum. WTF.
To make your argument valid, I shall peer-review this, and make some annotations.
"Is food really that interesting? Yes. I think foodies are ridiculously on point with this. One of the reasons anybody is overweight is because he/she goes over their daily calorie intake often. Enjoying foods in moderation is the way to go. You can enjoy food, live to eat, and still achieve your goals. You see it all over the Thanksgiving threads here: "I ate 8000 calories today, YOLO!!" On a public forum that not only discusses weight loss issues, but also weight gain, weight maintenance, offers support, and so on. FTW!"
All done!
0 -
I LOVE food. I cook and bake and it brings me joy. I got fat because I stopped my super active job and ate more out of boredom at my new job. Activity went down, calories went up and I wasn't paying attention. Then I was too lazy and content to really care to do anything about it. Then I was like "damn I miss my bikini, time to lose weight".
I don't label myself a foodie but I do eat for joy. Good food is one of life's greatest pleasures to me. I'm currently losing about 2lb/week loving everything I eat. Probably loving it even MORE because in a deficit you better make EVERY CALORIE COUNT! Lol
And as for this being a weight loss site. Pffft. After I've lost all this weight I will be reverse dieting and trying to GAIN weight (more muscles!) in a body recomp.0 -
47Jacqueline wrote: »feisty_bucket wrote: »Is food really that interesting? I think foodies are ridiculous. The reason anybody is overweight is because they get so excited about stimulating their taste buds. You see it all over the Thanksgiving threads here: "I ate 8000 calories today, YOLO!!" On a weight-loss forum. WTF.
This.
^^Really? Seriously, I do not understand the "eat to live" thing. How can you become overweight if you just eat to live? I am not trying to be a smart a**, I just don't get this.
I love food! I love to cook and bake and I am good at both, and I have been doing both for most of my life. I have lost a lot of weight on MFP (160# +) and have been maintain for 1 year now, but, I will always love to eat and, I will always struggle, to stay a normal weight.
0 -
I love food, but some people are less interested in it and I respect that because we are all different.0
-
This content has been removed.
-
I will keep it short! Some people live to eat and others eat to live. Why not just eat to be healthy? MFP is the greatest program on the internet to help any person who truly wants to eat to be healthy.0
-
First of all, it is not just a weight loss forum.Plenty of people here gain weight, lose weight and maintain
Sure.
"Goal: Maintaing Weight" has 143 pages of posts.
"Goal: Gaining Weight" has 108.
"General Diet and Weight Loss Help" has... 6619 pages.
If you look at the "I'm new here" messages, the common narrative is one of yo-yo dieting, sometimes over decades.
If people stick to steady deficits, they can fix almost any weight problem within a year. But that's not happening for a lot of people.
Why? I'm new here, but the Thanksgiving threads in combination with the backstories have been pretty illuminating.
I bet it's largely that a lot of people are really, really excited to eat. Unhealthily stoked, you could say. Rabidly enthused. Foodies are food hobbyists, and I think their attitude is often dysfunctional and enabling.
(But not you! You just have refined taste and appreciate the finer things in life. Go you! Mmm-wah!)
-1 -
Do you have anything in your life that you are excited/enthusiastic about? Sports? Movies? Books? Games? Nothing?feisty_bucket wrote: »Is food really that interesting? I think foodies are ridiculous. The reason anybody is overweight is because they get so excited about stimulating their taste buds. You see it all over the Thanksgiving threads here: "I ate 8000 calories today, YOLO!!" On a weight-loss forum. WTF.
0 -
This content has been removed.
-
kommodevaran wrote: »Why? And how does it work out?
I see quite often people in here stating that they now eat only to fuel their bodies, not for pleasure. Are those the same people who used to be overweight? And eat for pleasure then? How can you just switch? Isn't that a recipe for disaster...? Making it sooo easy to slip back to old habits? I am eating both for health and for pleasure now, trying to be sensible and kind to myself at the same time. I cook most of my meals from scratch, and they all taste delicious. I never eat anything I don't like, but I don't eat everything I like at once either.
This is interesting to think about.
I definitely enjoy food and I don't think I would be able to stick to eating things I didn't like or trying not to feel anything about it.
I like to cook. I like to feed people. I like talking about food and looking at recipes. I like trying new foods. I think food and what people eat is very interesting. I don't think I could switch that off. I wouldn't say I consume food for pleasure because I am motivated to eat primarily by hunger. I see no reason not to enjoy the food I put in my body. I just need to stop eating when I have reached the proper amount to "fuel" my body. I can do that and enjoy my food.
I know there are people who just don't think about food much or care what they eat. If it works for them then that is great.
0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »Why? And how does it work out?
I see quite often people in here stating that they now eat only to fuel their bodies, not for pleasure. Are those the same people who used to be overweight? And eat for pleasure then? How can you just switch? Isn't that a recipe for disaster...? Making it sooo easy to slip back to old habits? I am eating both for health and for pleasure now, trying to be sensible and kind to myself at the same time. I cook most of my meals from scratch, and they all taste delicious. I never eat anything I don't like, but I don't eat everything I like at once either.
I was obese, about 100lbs overweight.
Food is fuel to me now. It's tasty food, but I've divorced myself from the obsession with taste and the association with emotion. Now food can just be tasty fuel, and not something I'm killing myself with or obsessing over in an unhealthy way. I can enjoy it, eat to satiety, and stop. I can look forward to a meal, enjoy it, and stop eating after the appropriate amount consumed to fuel my body and still lose weight.
It isn't a recipe for disaster at all, if the unhealthy relationship is repaired. It might be just an artificial switch in the beginning, however in my circumstance, I identified and fixed the unhealthy components. Now it is a genuine switch. "Food is fuel" isn't that I don't care about food or don't eat tasty food, it's that I don't care too much, in a twisted emotional way, that causes me to allow food to have an inappropriate power over my life. We're buddies, not co-dependent dysfunctional lovers any longer.
There isn't one type of person. Or one cookie-cutter type of unhealthy relationship with food. And there are people who have never had an unhealthy relationship with food. But some people are still wary of going back in the bad place they were. So they get a little intense about other people indulging, because they don't understand that some people just don't have that issue.0 -
feisty_bucket wrote: »First of all, it is not just a weight loss forum.Plenty of people here gain weight, lose weight and maintain
Sure.
"Goal: Maintaing Weight" has 143 pages of posts.
"Goal: Gaining Weight" has 108.
"General Diet and Weight Loss Help" has... 6619 pages.
If you look at the "I'm new here" messages, the common narrative is one of yo-yo dieting, sometimes over decades.
If people stick to steady deficits, they can fix almost any weight problem within a year. But that's not happening for a lot of people.
Why? I'm new here, but the Thanksgiving threads in combination with the backstories have been pretty illuminating.
I bet it's largely that a lot of people are really, really excited to eat. Unhealthily stoked, you could say. Rabidly enthused. Foodies are food hobbyists, and I think their attitude is often dysfunctional and enabling.
(But not you! You just have refined taste and appreciate the finer things in life. Go you! Mmm-wah!)
I'd say a foodie is someone who likes to cook and appreciates nice tasting food, not necessarily someone who likes to stuff their face. Someone who'd rather go to a posh restaurant with small portions than go to the local buffet and shove as much food in their face as humanly possible. Just because someone eats loads on Thanksgiving doesn't make them a foodie. I'd say it makes them a bit greedy!
We don't have thanksgiving here, so we have our nice meal at Xmas. My husband enjoys cooking so we'll have a nice meal, but it won't be huge. I logged my calories on Xmas day once...2500 calories, including a glass of prosecco, and a mince pie with brandy butter. More than I'd usually eat, but hardly excessive.0 -
feisty_bucket wrote: »First of all, it is not just a weight loss forum.Plenty of people here gain weight, lose weight and maintain
Sure.
"Goal: Maintaing Weight" has 143 pages of posts.
"Goal: Gaining Weight" has 108.
"General Diet and Weight Loss Help" has... 6619 pages.
If you look at the "I'm new here" messages, the common narrative is one of yo-yo dieting, sometimes over decades.
If people stick to steady deficits, they can fix almost any weight problem within a year. But that's not happening for a lot of people.
Why? I'm new here, but the Thanksgiving threads in combination with the backstories have been pretty illuminating.
I bet it's largely that a lot of people are really, really excited to eat. Unhealthily stoked, you could say. Rabidly enthused. Foodies are food hobbyists, and I think their attitude is often dysfunctional and enabling.
(But not you! You just have refined taste and appreciate the finer things in life. Go you! Mmm-wah!)
just because the masses cry one thing more than something else doesn't make it MORE valid.
I came on to this site more for bulking purposes than weight loss- but I use it for cutting and bulking.
I've NEVER been fat- and I have ALWAYS enjoyed food.
And yeah- I tried to eat my body weight in turkey on Thursday- what of it?? how does that impact you at all?
oh wait- that's right. It doesn't.
Sometimes i eat purely for fuel- and to maximize my results- amount of food I can eat- vs calories I consume.
Sometimes I just want to enjoy my meal- and I make sacrifices to do so- longer runs- longer IF windows- bigger deficits.
You DO only live once- and you need to make sure you're making the most of it- having goals- setting them and accomplishing them. 6000 calories once a year AND low body fat aren't mutually exclusive.0 -
Given that America has little food culture, and plenty of "foodies" (who aren't exactly free from mockery by general American culture) are actually less likely to be overweight than the average American (which is about income and subculture, not virtue), blaming obesity in the US on foodies seems crazy.
In particular, food marketing in the US tends to promote size and value over taste, and food costs and household expenses on food is less in the US than thinner Europe and various other well-off countries. France and Italy and Spain are all much more developed food cultures than the US, and yet not as fat.
To the extent culture plays a role, I think it's more because we don't much appreciate food and imbue it with shame and don't generally keep up basic food traditions and communal rituals. Or it could just be that we are less active and live in a way that means lots of people barely even walk.0 -
I've actually never seen anyone on here say they don't eat for pleasure. I've seen plenty say they eat to fuel their body, but I guess I never perceived the two as mutually exclusive, and from the subsequent comments those same people make, neither do they. Fueling your body has much more to do with paying close attention to macro and micronutrients for optimum performance, and does not exclude eating pleasurable tasty foods.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions