Eat junk or nothing?
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DawnieB1977 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »DawnieB1977 wrote: »P.S if I asked people I know what the term 'junk food' refers to, I'm pretty sure they'd all say the same...burgers, chips, crisps, biscuits, chocolate, fast food etc. I'm not saying you can't eat it within a balanced diet, because of course you can, but this is what I assumed everyone would agree is classed as 'junk'. So why the constant questioning the op about her use of the word?
Or maybe it's just different in England....
I'm grilling up burgers tonight for my wife and I...how exactly is the "junk"...it's an awesome source of protein among other things...note that red meat does not equal "bad". I will also be cutting up a potato and sauteing said potato in a bit of oil to make some home fries, and as with most nights I will be having some dark chocolate for desert.
You can look at my diary if you like and you will find that I have a very well rounded and balanced day and that in fact, my planned dinner is fairly kick *kitten* on the macro and micro front. I'm failing to see how this is "junk".
I also need about 500 more calories to round out my day so I might have a couple of beers...now you can consider that junk if you like...but really, if you look at my day overall I pretty much kick *kitten*.
I was more referring to fast food, and yes that is what pretty much everyone would consider junk in England. I'm sorry if that offends you.
No, I wouldn't consider a homemade burger as junk, however it would eat into my calorie allowance a fair bit (if I were having it in a roll) so I probably wouldn't eat one. You need to remember that not everyone can eat 2000+ calories a day to lose weight/maintain.
It doesn't offend me...I'm just trying to illustrate how one person's junk is another person's totally healthy and awesome food. There are any number of people on this site who know jack about actual nutrition who would indeed think a home grilled burger was inherently "unhealthy" because "red meat"...and don't get me started on the "oh noes, white carbs" with my potatoes...and OMG, sauteing them in oil...that's just fat!
Generally speaking, people are incredibly un-knowledgeable about actual nutrition or what actually constitutes a balanced and healthy diet.0 -
Any mother in law that objects to someone bringing their own healthy food options when they are on a weight loss journey is not much of a mother in law. Just let her be offended if she chooses to be! It's your health, and your body. If you are concerned that she will be offended, take along enough to share. If you know the family is having pizza, then take along a salad big enough to share. It's really not that complicated. Have a single slice of pizza and a salad. Who knows, by taking healthy foods along you may be setting an example for someone else who may decide to start eating healthy too! My family knows that I am losing weight and they understand that I have to eat healthy so when we go visit some of them, they even try to have foods there that I can eat. Family should understand and not be offended and if they are, again, it's there problem!0
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OP: How will handle a vacation, where you can't just bring food with you?? For instance we are going on cruise soon, you can't exactly bring food with you, shouldn't you learn how to deal with foods now, so you handle it when confronted with it. Just food for thought.
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OP: How will handle a vacation, where you can't just bring food with you?? For instance we are going on cruise soon, you can't exactly bring food with you, shouldn't you learn how to deal with foods now, so you handle it when confronted with it. Just food for thought.
Cruises typically have a very wide variety of foods to choose from.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »OP: How will handle a vacation, where you can't just bring food with you?? For instance we are going on cruise soon, you can't exactly bring food with you, shouldn't you learn how to deal with foods now, so you handle it when confronted with it. Just food for thought.
Cruises typically have a very wide variety of foods to choose from.
yeah? Do they still require jackets and assigned seating? I want to do a cruise, but I wouldn't want to have to sit in a geriatric table.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »OP: How will handle a vacation, where you can't just bring food with you?? For instance we are going on cruise soon, you can't exactly bring food with you, shouldn't you learn how to deal with foods now, so you handle it when confronted with it. Just food for thought.
Cruises typically have a very wide variety of foods to choose from.
True....but when you confronted with said "junk food", instead binge on the cake or whatever wouldn't it be better to learn control now?? That's what I did when I started my weight loss, cause you know there are weddings, birthdays, holidays, restaurants, etc.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »OP: How will handle a vacation, where you can't just bring food with you?? For instance we are going on cruise soon, you can't exactly bring food with you, shouldn't you learn how to deal with foods now, so you handle it when confronted with it. Just food for thought.
Cruises typically have a very wide variety of foods to choose from.
True....but when you confronted with said "junk food", instead binge on the cake or whatever wouldn't it be better to learn control now?? That's what I did when I started my weight loss, cause you know there are weddings, birthdays, holidays, restaurants, etc.
How is choosing not to eat said "junk food" not control?0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »OP: How will handle a vacation, where you can't just bring food with you?? For instance we are going on cruise soon, you can't exactly bring food with you, shouldn't you learn how to deal with foods now, so you handle it when confronted with it. Just food for thought.
Cruises typically have a very wide variety of foods to choose from.
yeah? Do they still require jackets and assigned seating? I want to do a cruise, but I wouldn't want to have to sit in a geriatric table.
Jackets were not required on the cruises I've taken. Some people really dressed up for dinner, others were in shorts and flip flops. Seats were assigned for the 'fine dining' restaurant, but nowhere else.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »OP: How will handle a vacation, where you can't just bring food with you?? For instance we are going on cruise soon, you can't exactly bring food with you, shouldn't you learn how to deal with foods now, so you handle it when confronted with it. Just food for thought.
Cruises typically have a very wide variety of foods to choose from.
yeah? Do they still require jackets and assigned seating? I want to do a cruise, but I wouldn't want to have to sit in a geriatric table.
Jackets were not required on the cruises I've taken. Some people really dressed up for dinner, others were in shorts and flip flops. Seats were assigned for the 'fine dining' restaurant, but nowhere else.
On the second night on carnival cruises you do have to dress up, though men are not required to wear jackets, but they do have to wear like dress pants, no shorts and no flip flops.0 -
... excellent.0
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AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »I can imagine the reaction if I brought my own food to my mother-in-laws.
Food is food, eat it, log it, move on.
Within the confines of a balanced diet nothing in moderation should be off limits.
I remember back when I allowed other people's perceptions of me stop me from doing what I really wanted to do, too.
I wasted a lot of years being miserable.
Awesome and totally agree. I would eat in moderation personally BUT it would not bother me one bit if someone were to bring their own food. All the power to them.
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OP,
I'm a runner and I exactly know what happens after that "LONG RUN". You definitely need the fuel for the next run.
If I were you I would eat @ my home prior to heading to their place and/or carry a fruit or veggie or deli slices tray to their home. It would seem as though the tray(s) for everyone but in reality it's for me to munch on when I'm hungry.0 -
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It's irrelevant how they define it...the point is "junk" is any food that a particular person doesn't view as a good choice. If somebody wants to cut it out completely or just reduce it, that is not dumb. It's not just about weight loss. There are larger health issues as stake.MoiAussi93 wrote: »
I don't notice the question mark, so thought you were speaking for yourself. My bad.TheVirgoddess wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »
Why does that even matter? Eat what you want, however you want. Let other people do the same. They don't need to agree with your choices...or validate them.TheVirgoddess wrote: »DawnieB1977 wrote: »P.S if I asked people I know what the term 'junk food' refers to, I'm pretty sure they'd all say the same...burgers, chips, crisps, biscuits, chocolate, fast food etc. I'm not saying you can't eat it within a balanced diet, because of course you can, but this is what I assumed everyone would agree is classed as 'junk'. So why the constant questioning the op about her use of the word?
Or maybe it's just different in England....
Maybe it's that people are tired of the food they eat and enjoy being called junk?
I don't know - I was just making a suggestion as to why someone would take exception to the word junk. That's why my post ended in a ? - because it was a question, not a statement.
I don't care about what other people think about my intake. Which is why my diary is public. If people want to call certain foods junk, and give the food some sort of moral or emotional value, they are the ones missing out, not me.
I asked because I have noticed a lot of people get really angry when people use words like junk. It is strange to me. If someone thought my diet was not healthy, I would view that no differently than if they thought a movie I liked was bad. I wouldn't care or be offended by it. Some people really do seem to identify with their food choices, and take it personally if you don't think their way of eating is "healthy" (however you define that).
because it is dumb to label foods "good" "bad" "junk" etc…food does not have a moralistic value…it is just energy that your body uses to function …
combine it in the right way and you get certain results.
no one gets "angry" ..they just ask the poster to define what they are defining as "junk"…
at the end of the day there is no junk food that is just a simplistic way to label food as bad and then avoid it because one believes it is bad.
And nobody (at least not me) has claimed that food has moral value. But different foods certainly do affect the body in different ways...it is not all just energy. If it was all just energy, macros would be completely irrelevant. As you said...combine it in the right way and you get certain results. That's all people reducing "junk" are trying to do...get the results that THEY want.
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^^^THIS! LOL! That is exactly the attitude that I see all the time...a lot of insecurity around here.richardositosanchez wrote: »blktngldhrt wrote: »erbfrench62 wrote: »My daughters boyfriend brings his own food & I find it insulting. Everyone talks about him when they leave. I think you could find something to nible on.
Why is someone's personal preference for food insulting?
I find talking about people behind their backs to be more insulting.
Because people are a bunch of narcissist, hyper-sensitive p*ssies who think everything everyone says and does is an indirect insult to them. "Oh, my food isn't good enough?!?" Good lord, some people need to get over themselves.
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The OP's question was simply 'eat junk or nothing?'
Doesn't matter what they call 'junk': it's more 'eat this thing I don't want to or nothing?'
I say: life is too short to eat something you don't want to. Yes I eat donuts and do not consider them junk... but I don't eat them every day, either. Because I don't want to. Because they are more likely to give me the shakes than be satisfied. I'd *much* rather eat a bacon and egg sandwich for a few more calories and a lot more satisfaction (though I really really want to try a donut and bacon sandwich some time. I keep forgetting!).
If everything at OP's MIL's house is going to make them feel this way... then why do it? Keep something portable, nutrient-dense, and something you'd WANT to eat on you at all times, and eat it on the way if you're afraid of insulting her.
Funny story a bit on the topic about the rest of this thread. Went to a theme park with a friend and we got chicken sandwiches for lunch. She asked for no bacon and looked at me sideways when I said I'd take her bacon.
'Aren't you on a diet?' she asked when we sat down.
'Yep. But I've been walking for 4 hours, didn't have breakfast, and bacon is delicious! Besides, this only adds like, 40 calories to this sandwich, which is less than the mayo sauce I *didn't* get on it.'
'But bacon is bad for you!'
'...why?'
'Because it's full of salt, and fat!'
'.... you eat peanuts, right? And roasted almonds?'
'Well, yes?'
'Do you just not like bacon?'
'Oh, I love it. That's the problem.'
'Hmm.' (I ate my sandwich and let it drop)
Later that week we had dinner at her house. Chicken cooked in olive oil, green beans cooked in ham, cornbread... and coffee cake (with creamy coffee to go with it), glazed apple turnovers, and bowls of salted nuts to snack on. Just seems weird to me that all of that is fine in her mind, but somehow not even one slice of bacon is okay.0 -
MoiAussi93 wrote: »
It's irrelevant how they define it...the point is "junk" is any food that a particular person doesn't view as a good choice. If somebody wants to cut it out completely or just reduce it, that is not dumb. It's not just about weight loss. There are larger health issues as stake.MoiAussi93 wrote: »
I don't notice the question mark, so thought you were speaking for yourself. My bad.TheVirgoddess wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »
Why does that even matter? Eat what you want, however you want. Let other people do the same. They don't need to agree with your choices...or validate them.TheVirgoddess wrote: »DawnieB1977 wrote: »P.S if I asked people I know what the term 'junk food' refers to, I'm pretty sure they'd all say the same...burgers, chips, crisps, biscuits, chocolate, fast food etc. I'm not saying you can't eat it within a balanced diet, because of course you can, but this is what I assumed everyone would agree is classed as 'junk'. So why the constant questioning the op about her use of the word?
Or maybe it's just different in England....
Maybe it's that people are tired of the food they eat and enjoy being called junk?
I don't know - I was just making a suggestion as to why someone would take exception to the word junk. That's why my post ended in a ? - because it was a question, not a statement.
I don't care about what other people think about my intake. Which is why my diary is public. If people want to call certain foods junk, and give the food some sort of moral or emotional value, they are the ones missing out, not me.
I asked because I have noticed a lot of people get really angry when people use words like junk. It is strange to me. If someone thought my diet was not healthy, I would view that no differently than if they thought a movie I liked was bad. I wouldn't care or be offended by it. Some people really do seem to identify with their food choices, and take it personally if you don't think their way of eating is "healthy" (however you define that).
because it is dumb to label foods "good" "bad" "junk" etc…food does not have a moralistic value…it is just energy that your body uses to function …
combine it in the right way and you get certain results.
no one gets "angry" ..they just ask the poster to define what they are defining as "junk"…
at the end of the day there is no junk food that is just a simplistic way to label food as bad and then avoid it because one believes it is bad.
And nobody (at least not me) has claimed that food has moral value. But different foods certainly do affect the body in different ways...it is not all just energy. If it was all just energy, macros would be completely irrelevant. As you said...combine it in the right way and you get certain results. That's all people reducing "junk" are trying to do...get the results that THEY want.
then why assign any value to at all? By labeling it junk someone is assigning a value to it...
to clarify, by combine I mean hit your macro/micro/calorie goal and you get the results that you are looking for.
overall diet, not individual food type is what matters.
weight loss = straight calorie deficit
body composition = hit macros/micros/calorie targets0 -
If it's only on sundays then I say don't worry about it and just eat whatever you want
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spoonyspork wrote: »The OP's question was simply 'eat junk or nothing?'
Doesn't matter what they call 'junk': it's more 'eat this thing I don't want to or nothing?'
I say: life is too short to eat something you don't want to. Yes I eat donuts and do not consider them junk... but I don't eat them every day, either. Because I don't want to. Because they are more likely to give me the shakes than be satisfied. I'd *much* rather eat a bacon and egg sandwich for a few more calories and a lot more satisfaction (though I really really want to try a donut and bacon sandwich some time. I keep forgetting!).
If everything at OP's MIL's house is going to make them feel this way... then why do it? Keep something portable, nutrient-dense, and something you'd WANT to eat on you at all times, and eat it on the way if you're afraid of insulting her.
Funny story a bit on the topic about the rest of this thread. Went to a theme park with a friend and we got chicken sandwiches for lunch. She asked for no bacon and looked at me sideways when I said I'd take her bacon.
'Aren't you on a diet?' she asked when we sat down.
'Yep. But I've been walking for 4 hours, didn't have breakfast, and bacon is delicious! Besides, this only adds like, 40 calories to this sandwich, which is less than the mayo sauce I *didn't* get on it.'
'But bacon is bad for you!'
'...why?'
'Because it's full of salt, and fat!'
'.... you eat peanuts, right? And roasted almonds?'
'Well, yes?'
'Do you just not like bacon?'
'Oh, I love it. That's the problem.'
'Hmm.' (I ate my sandwich and let it drop)
Later that week we had dinner at her house. Chicken cooked in olive oil, green beans cooked in ham, cornbread... and coffee cake (with creamy coffee to go with it), glazed apple turnovers, and bowls of salted nuts to snack on. Just seems weird to me that all of that is fine in her mind, but somehow not even one slice of bacon is okay.
This is exactly why people on here ask why a person thinks a food is junk. Your friend said she loves bacon..but for some reason she has this misconception that bacon is worse for her than the other things she eats. Now, unless your friend thinks she would start eating bacon and not stop until she's over stuffed..then there's really no reason for her to not eat something she likes. I mean, what's bacon have in it that she feels she can't eat that but she can have chicken cooked in oil, glazed apple turnovers, and coffee cake? She could be enjoying bacon..and fitting into her calories..0 -
Of course different foods have different value when you are trying to achieve your goal. Not MORAL value, but practical value...as in "this food has what I need to achieve this goal and doesn't have too much of things that will make it harder to reach this goal or some other". To say otherwise is silly.MoiAussi93 wrote: »
It's irrelevant how they define it...the point is "junk" is any food that a particular person doesn't view as a good choice. If somebody wants to cut it out completely or just reduce it, that is not dumb. It's not just about weight loss. There are larger health issues as stake.MoiAussi93 wrote: »
I don't notice the question mark, so thought you were speaking for yourself. My bad.TheVirgoddess wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »
Why does that even matter? Eat what you want, however you want. Let other people do the same. They don't need to agree with your choices...or validate them.TheVirgoddess wrote: »DawnieB1977 wrote: »P.S if I asked people I know what the term 'junk food' refers to, I'm pretty sure they'd all say the same...burgers, chips, crisps, biscuits, chocolate, fast food etc. I'm not saying you can't eat it within a balanced diet, because of course you can, but this is what I assumed everyone would agree is classed as 'junk'. So why the constant questioning the op about her use of the word?
Or maybe it's just different in England....
Maybe it's that people are tired of the food they eat and enjoy being called junk?
I don't know - I was just making a suggestion as to why someone would take exception to the word junk. That's why my post ended in a ? - because it was a question, not a statement.
I don't care about what other people think about my intake. Which is why my diary is public. If people want to call certain foods junk, and give the food some sort of moral or emotional value, they are the ones missing out, not me.
I asked because I have noticed a lot of people get really angry when people use words like junk. It is strange to me. If someone thought my diet was not healthy, I would view that no differently than if they thought a movie I liked was bad. I wouldn't care or be offended by it. Some people really do seem to identify with their food choices, and take it personally if you don't think their way of eating is "healthy" (however you define that).
because it is dumb to label foods "good" "bad" "junk" etc…food does not have a moralistic value…it is just energy that your body uses to function …
combine it in the right way and you get certain results.
no one gets "angry" ..they just ask the poster to define what they are defining as "junk"…
at the end of the day there is no junk food that is just a simplistic way to label food as bad and then avoid it because one believes it is bad.
And nobody (at least not me) has claimed that food has moral value. But different foods certainly do affect the body in different ways...it is not all just energy. If it was all just energy, macros would be completely irrelevant. As you said...combine it in the right way and you get certain results. That's all people reducing "junk" are trying to do...get the results that THEY want.
then why assign any value to at all? By labeling it junk someone is assigning a value to it...
to clarify, by combine I mean hit your macro/micro/calorie goal and you get the results that you are looking for.
overall diet, not individual food type is what matters.
weight loss = straight calorie deficit
body composition = hit macros/micros/calorie targets
And individual food types are what make up the overall diet...so of course you have to evaluate each food in order to make sure you get the overall diet you want. An overall diet that fits your goals does not magically happen without making many decisions on the foods that comprise it.
If you are bulking and trying to add muscle a food high in protein has much more value than one with little or no protein. If you are trying to stabilize blood sugar, a food high in sugar has much less value than one without added sugar. If you are trying to make sure you get the vitamin c you need, fruits and vegetables are much more valuable than most other foods.
Labeling it junk is saying that the food does not support the goals of the person using the term. Nothing wrong with that.
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i was taught several years ago it's better to eat something (When it's time to eat) then nothing. I ran Sunday morning and burned around 700cals so I definitely needed more food. Well we spend Sunday's at my mother in laws so she can spend time with my kids. She hardly has any good choices...seriously so much junk and processed foods. Thankfully I've successfully left her house the last two times not having eaten any of it! My question...I was pretty hungry and needing calories last week but didn't want junk. Should I find the best thing possible? Or wait until I can get something healthy? I also, in the bk of my head, don't want to eat something that will trigger a binge. (Next time I will take even more of my own snacks!)
@tlw7 you might have abandoned this thread already for obvious reasons. BUT I know how you feel. Yeah, yeah, there's no inherently "good" or "junk" foods but I wouldn't want to waste my calories on my mother-in-law's heinous ground beef lasagna nonsense. Is this like a potluck situation where you can bring things to share? If so, do. Or, let her know that you're eating..differently, however you want to phrase it. Even if the DIL-MIL relationship is tense (eh, they usually are), she might understand and say you can bring things or that she'll make it work.
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Who knew a simple term would cause such an argument. Maybe I should have said...eat something I'd prefer not to because I'd rather eat something else or nothing. Didn't mean to start arguments-posted while watching my kids so just typed it up quick. If anyone read my previous post, which many didn't bc I stated that no foods are off limits. A few of my favorites are chickfila, ice cream, and tootsie pops. I have a past of binging. I'm finally back on track, and once I get there I'm in control and do a much better job of eating anything in moderation. But most of the time I'd like to fuel my body with some of the better choices.
My mil doesn't get offended if I bring food..just didn't bring enough that day. Next time I'll be more prepared. I always eat what ever she cooks. Sometimes very small amts just to eat bc it's not something I like or prefer...then back at home I'll eat something else.0 -
Who knew a simple term would cause such an argument. Maybe I should have said...eat something I'd prefer not to because I'd rather eat something else or nothing. Didn't mean to start arguments-posted while watching my kids so just typed it up quick. If anyone read my previous post, which many didn't bc I stated that no foods are off limits. A few of my favorites are chickfila, ice cream, and tootsie pops. I have a past of binging. I'm finally back on track, and once I get there I'm in control and do a much better job of eating anything in moderation. But most of the time I'd like to fuel my body with some of the better choices.
My mil doesn't get offended if I bring food..just didn't bring enough that day. Next time I'll be more prepared. I always eat what ever she cooks. Sometimes very small amts just to eat bc it's not something I like or prefer...then back at home I'll eat something else.
It's just how MFP is. If you stick around the boards, you'll get used to it. I don't like my MIL's food. I'm still finding that my husband says he "doesn't like something" because his mother cooked it and didn't do so well. Like, he thought he hated Thai food after her foray into bad Thai home cooking. Anyway, be creative if you're there a lot. Plan well, offer to help cook, there are lots of ways to make it work.0 -
I hate the term "junk food" too.
I much prefer the term "blacklisted."
My blacklist only has two items: Snyders Hot Buffalo Wing Pretzel Pieces and Cheetos Cheddar and Jalapeno.
Why those two? Because I have, and will, eat either of them until I literally make myself ill. Like, waking up in the middle of the night to vomit, ill.
Now, it's certainly possible that I could train myself to eat and enjoy these things in moderation? But why even make the effort? It's only two foods of iffy nutritional value and zero satiety. Plus, I think we all have a finite motivational bandwidth. I want to work hard at things like -- running a marathon, biking 2000 miles this summer, hitting my goal weight, revamping my business plan, etc. and so on. I don't want to waste any time or energy on learning how to eat two foods that I can't eat right now in moderation. It's just not that important, big picture wise. It's not "defeatist," it's prioritizing my resource allocation.
I don't feel some aching void in my life because I don't buy those two things anymore. I'm not pining for the Cheetos.
That being said, I can certainly understand if you've blacklisted vast swaths of the grocery store, that could be problematic.
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