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What are your unpopular opinions about health / fitness?

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Replies

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    my
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    Dessert after meals is unnecessary and does nothing good for your health.

    Unnecessary, true. Does nothing good for your health, that depends. If you really like having dessert after a meal and having it helps you moderate your calories and reduce your stress level, then it can be very healthy.

    Is eating to reduce stress, dessert or anything else for that matter, really a good way to cope with stress?

    Food is fuel, first and foremost. Ideally, it is the fuel that tastes good. Any type of emotional importance attached to food (aside from ceremonies (like birthdays, holidays) or food that has religious or ethnic meaning ) is of no benefit.

    Oh I so disagree with that last sentence. I spend a lot of time and money on food and derive great pleasure from it. Pleasure is beneficial.

    I think I'm just wired differently when it comes to food, perhaps that is why I have never really been overweight. I enjoy expensive food out occasionally - but if plans change and I have to eat something ordinary, life goes on. I have other outlets for pleasure that aren't oriented around food, lol.

    I get pleasure from food and I've never been over BMI 23 and am 18.7 now. You can get pleasure from food and not overeat.

    I get that - but the almost 70% of the people in the US who are obese don't.

    I understand that my "food is fuel first and pleasure second" policy is unpopular, which makes this particular thread the perfect place to share it ;)

    'pleasure second' isn't exactly what you said though. You said "Any type of emotional importance attached to food (aside from ceremonies (like birthdays, holidays) or food that has religious or ethnic meaning ) is of no benefit."

    Pleasure itself is a benefit.

    I guess to put it a different way: the pleasure derived from eating food that I consider "healthy" is greater than the pleasure I derive from eating something that is sort of a "cheat" food (I know this will trigger some, but that is how I reference it :o ).

    The other day I had some calories left and a chance to eat a piece of my son's birthday ice cream cake. I decided instead to have a Greek yogurt with a half scoop of protein powder in it (he is six and does not care if I eat his cake or not, so it isn't a matter of etiquette). It gave me more pleasure to eat that because the yogurt was high protein and low fat while the cake was high carb / high fat / high sugar. I'm in pretty good shape and could have withstood eating the cake without a problem, but I chose something that was more oriented toward "fuel". To me, that is more pleasurable and more of a stress reliever than eating the dessert.

    All this and he's thinking more for me :).

    In my case it would be: what sounds more pleasurable to me now? Cake or Greek yogurt with protein powder? If it's cake, then I have cake, if it's not then I don't have cake. I usually opt for the cake simply because I like the social aspect and the ritual of eating it with family and friends if it's a birthday, but you would be surprised how many times something seemingly "healthy" appealed to me more than something that is not not usually considered so. When I say I eat for pleasure people imagine someone stuffing donuts down their throat all day (which I don't like by the way) when in reality I get just as excited about barley soup or roasted cauliflower.
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
    (Was it this thread where someone mentioned gazpacho? THANK YOU!!!)

    Gazpacho is one of my favorite parts of summer.

    I was thinking it was you that had mentioned it...I have the cukes, tomatoes and garlic lined up and ready to go! Unfortunately I have a countertop cuke-to-tomato ratio of about 10:1.

    Everyone I know who plants cucumbers seems to be over run with them this year. This seems to be the 'year of the cuke'. IDK what the heck I am going to do with all the pickles.

    The cooler, wetter weather has been great for them...and of course, this is the year we had to plant 10 hills (and netted them against critters) for 4-H. In the past, either the heat or the deer have gotten them before they go too crazy. We planted Marketmores and Burpless, and I am now wishing I had planted some pickling varieties. I will still pickle the slicers, but they aren't as crisp as a good pickler. Lesson learned.

    All the tomatoes, peppers, squashes, eggplants, and okra are just sitting there, in various stages of development, just not progressing. We had about a week of good hot weather, and now a couple of weeks in the low 80s/high 70s with nights in the 50s and 60s. My habaneros especially have been horribly blighted. :/
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
    Is a Greek yoghurt sandwich exactly what it sounds like?

    Oh it's how we've always traditionally eaten greek yogurt: plain, full fat, savory, salted and with bread. More like a spread or a dip than something you eat with a spoon. Usually with olive oil and sometimes with deli and tomato or some other enhancers in the sandwich.

    ETA: Google "Labneh".

    i love labneh! with some sliced cucumbers and red onions and black pepper that sounds amazing.

    Duly noted for my cuke issues...:)
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    (Was it this thread where someone mentioned gazpacho? THANK YOU!!!)

    Gazpacho is one of my favorite parts of summer.

    I was thinking it was you that had mentioned it...I have the cukes, tomatoes and garlic lined up and ready to go! Unfortunately I have a countertop cuke-to-tomato ratio of about 10:1.

    Everyone I know who plants cucumbers seems to be over run with them this year. This seems to be the 'year of the cuke'. IDK what the heck I am going to do with all the pickles.

    The cooler, wetter weather has been great for them...and of course, this is the year we had to plant 10 hills (and netted them against critters) for 4-H. In the past, either the heat or the deer have gotten them before they go too crazy. We planted Marketmores and Burpless, and I am now wishing I had planted some pickling varieties. I will still pickle the slicers, but they aren't as crisp as a good pickler. Lesson learned.

    All the tomatoes, peppers, squashes, eggplants, and okra are just sitting there, in various stages of development, just not progressing. We had about a week of good hot weather, and now a couple of weeks in the low 80s/high 70s with nights in the 50s and 60s. My habaneros especially have been horribly blighted. :/

    I can't even imagine. We planted 4 plants, 2 regular (can't remember what type now but a basic slicing cucumber) and 2 pickling. I've already put up 21 quarts of pickles, eaten cucumbers until I'm almost sick of them, and taken several bags of them to the homeless shelter and they just keep coming.

    It wouldn't be so bad but neither my husband or I eat a lot of pickles.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    my
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    Dessert after meals is unnecessary and does nothing good for your health.

    Unnecessary, true. Does nothing good for your health, that depends. If you really like having dessert after a meal and having it helps you moderate your calories and reduce your stress level, then it can be very healthy.

    Is eating to reduce stress, dessert or anything else for that matter, really a good way to cope with stress?

    Food is fuel, first and foremost. Ideally, it is the fuel that tastes good. Any type of emotional importance attached to food (aside from ceremonies (like birthdays, holidays) or food that has religious or ethnic meaning ) is of no benefit.

    Oh I so disagree with that last sentence. I spend a lot of time and money on food and derive great pleasure from it. Pleasure is beneficial.

    I think I'm just wired differently when it comes to food, perhaps that is why I have never really been overweight. I enjoy expensive food out occasionally - but if plans change and I have to eat something ordinary, life goes on. I have other outlets for pleasure that aren't oriented around food, lol.

    I get pleasure from food and I've never been over BMI 23 and am 18.7 now. You can get pleasure from food and not overeat.

    I get that - but the almost 70% of the people in the US who are obese don't.

    I understand that my "food is fuel first and pleasure second" policy is unpopular, which makes this particular thread the perfect place to share it ;)

    'pleasure second' isn't exactly what you said though. You said "Any type of emotional importance attached to food (aside from ceremonies (like birthdays, holidays) or food that has religious or ethnic meaning ) is of no benefit."

    Pleasure itself is a benefit.

    I guess to put it a different way: the pleasure derived from eating food that I consider "healthy" is greater than the pleasure I derive from eating something that is sort of a "cheat" food (I know this will trigger some, but that is how I reference it :o ).

    The other day I had some calories left and a chance to eat a piece of my son's birthday ice cream cake. I decided instead to have a Greek yogurt with a half scoop of protein powder in it (he is six and does not care if I eat his cake or not, so it isn't a matter of etiquette). It gave me more pleasure to eat that because the yogurt was high protein and low fat while the cake was high carb / high fat / high sugar. I'm in pretty good shape and could have withstood eating the cake without a problem, but I chose something that was more oriented toward "fuel". To me, that is more pleasurable and more of a stress reliever than eating the dessert.

    You are considering long term risk/reward in making this decision rather than immediate gratification, which is where the majority of the population is at.

    Bringing up the financial analogy this is akin to depositing your tuppence into an investment account to further a larger goal such as saving for a home.
  • Okiludy
    Okiludy Posts: 558 Member
    That being stronger makes everyday life easier.

    That barbell lift are better for gaining strength than body weight exercise.

    That strength is at least as important as cardio, and maybe more depending on lifestyle/job.

    That people shouldn't settle for good enough in any endeavor they actively work at.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    I am extremely confused by purposely making food not taste good because "it's fuel". Or maybe the argument is the old parent argument of "poor children in Africa can't enjoy their food so you aren't allowed to either"?

    So am I, who stated that?

    What is your point?

    I will agree that you're not explicitly against food tasting good, but you seem to have an issue with people enjoying it. It would follow, logically, that part of enjoying food is enjoying how it tastes.

    You seem to have very black or white thinking on this issue. Reading between the lines of what you posted, it's almost as if it's not okay in your books for fat people to enjoy food for pleasure because they're fat.

    Why?

    Why can't food be good, and pleasurable and still within the realm of someone's correct energy balance?

    I think your cut-and-dried, rather dull "food is fuel" and your initial point was that maybe fat people should remove emotions from eating as... what? Punishment for being fat? OR is that your solution to the obesity crisis?

    Whatever you're doing, I don't think people who ignore the nuances of humankind's relationship with food have a balanced relationship with it. Food as fuel is just one aspect.

    You might want to do some soul searching.

    There are millions of people with a destructive, dysfunctional relationship with food - I will leave the deep soul searching to them, and not waste a moment of my time dissecting something that I do actually enjoy and is giving me great results. I'm former military and I think that there is a disconnect between my perception of discipline and delayed gratification and the mindset of others.

    You're right. If you use the search function for these forums and search for emotional eating and stress eating (IMO just a subset of emotional eating) you will get 1,000 hits (which is apparently the max) for each of them.

    The emotional ties to food surely are resulting in weight issues.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    edited August 2017
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    I am extremely confused by purposely making food not taste good because "it's fuel". Or maybe the argument is the old parent argument of "poor children in Africa can't enjoy their food so you aren't allowed to either"?

    So am I, who stated that?

    What is your point?

    I will agree that you're not explicitly against food tasting good, but you seem to have an issue with people enjoying it. It would follow, logically, that part of enjoying food is enjoying how it tastes.

    You seem to have very black or white thinking on this issue. Reading between the lines of what you posted, it's almost as if it's not okay in your books for fat people to enjoy food for pleasure because they're fat.

    Why?

    Why can't food be good, and pleasurable and still within the realm of someone's correct energy balance?

    I think your cut-and-dried, rather dull "food is fuel" and your initial point was that maybe fat people should remove emotions from eating as... what? Punishment for being fat? OR is that your solution to the obesity crisis?

    Whatever you're doing, I don't think people who ignore the nuances of humankind's relationship with food have a balanced relationship with it. Food as fuel is just one aspect.

    You might want to do some soul searching.

    There are millions of people with a destructive, dysfunctional relationship with food - I will leave the deep soul searching to them, and not waste a moment of my time dissecting something that I do actually enjoy and is giving me great results. I'm former military and I think that there is a disconnect between my perception of discipline and delayed gratification and the mindset of others.

    You're right. If you use the search function for these forums and search for emotional eating and stress eating (IMO just a subset of emotional eating) you will get 1,000 hits (which is apparently the max) for each of them.

    The emotional ties to food surely are resulting in weight issues.

    For some people.

    Not all.

    This is besides the original point, but you two are too busy back-patting each other to realize that you've strayed from it.

    OR..

    Are you deflecting from the original point BryLander made about the "epidemic" of emotional eating and the need to diminish the prevalence of eating for pleasure?

    So emotional eating isn't an epidemic? So what is your theory on why so many people are overweight, did 68.8% of the people in the US just spontaneously get fat?

    They don't move and eat too many calories

    Surely not the only reason, but couldn't emotional eating be the reason some of the overweight and obese eat too many calories?
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    I am extremely confused by purposely making food not taste good because "it's fuel". Or maybe the argument is the old parent argument of "poor children in Africa can't enjoy their food so you aren't allowed to either"?

    So am I, who stated that?

    What is your point?

    I will agree that you're not explicitly against food tasting good, but you seem to have an issue with people enjoying it. It would follow, logically, that part of enjoying food is enjoying how it tastes.

    You seem to have very black or white thinking on this issue. Reading between the lines of what you posted, it's almost as if it's not okay in your books for fat people to enjoy food for pleasure because they're fat.

    Why?

    Why can't food be good, and pleasurable and still within the realm of someone's correct energy balance?

    I think your cut-and-dried, rather dull "food is fuel" and your initial point was that maybe fat people should remove emotions from eating as... what? Punishment for being fat? OR is that your solution to the obesity crisis?

    Whatever you're doing, I don't think people who ignore the nuances of humankind's relationship with food have a balanced relationship with it. Food as fuel is just one aspect.

    You might want to do some soul searching.

    There are millions of people with a destructive, dysfunctional relationship with food - I will leave the deep soul searching to them, and not waste a moment of my time dissecting something that I do actually enjoy and is giving me great results. I'm former military and I think that there is a disconnect between my perception of discipline and delayed gratification and the mindset of others.

    You're right. If you use the search function for these forums and search for emotional eating and stress eating (IMO just a subset of emotional eating) you will get 1,000 hits (which is apparently the max) for each of them.

    The emotional ties to food surely are resulting in weight issues.

    For some people.

    Not all.

    This is besides the original point, but you two are too busy back-patting each other to realize that you've strayed from it.

    OR..

    Are you deflecting from the original point BryLander made about the "epidemic" of emotional eating and the need to diminish the prevalence of eating for pleasure?

    So emotional eating isn't an epidemic? So what is your theory on why so many people are overweight, did 68.8% of the people in the US just spontaneously get fat?

    They don't move and eat too many calories

    Surely not the only reason, but couldn't emotional eating be the reason some of the overweight and obese eat too many calories?

    Some
  • sophie9492015
    sophie9492015 Posts: 204 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »

    I HATE grazing/snacking. I do think it works for some so wouldn't say people shouldn't do it, but I strongly dislike how eating lots of mini meals is promoted and dislike snacking quite a lot for myself.

    .

    Oh really? Why is that.. I've just noticed if i have several healthy snacks instead of a sandwich or something more of a meal for lunch I can manage my calorie goals much better.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    I am extremely confused by purposely making food not taste good because "it's fuel". Or maybe the argument is the old parent argument of "poor children in Africa can't enjoy their food so you aren't allowed to either"?

    So am I, who stated that?

    What is your point?

    I will agree that you're not explicitly against food tasting good, but you seem to have an issue with people enjoying it. It would follow, logically, that part of enjoying food is enjoying how it tastes.

    You seem to have very black or white thinking on this issue. Reading between the lines of what you posted, it's almost as if it's not okay in your books for fat people to enjoy food for pleasure because they're fat.

    Why?

    Why can't food be good, and pleasurable and still within the realm of someone's correct energy balance?

    I think your cut-and-dried, rather dull "food is fuel" and your initial point was that maybe fat people should remove emotions from eating as... what? Punishment for being fat? OR is that your solution to the obesity crisis?

    Whatever you're doing, I don't think people who ignore the nuances of humankind's relationship with food have a balanced relationship with it. Food as fuel is just one aspect.

    You might want to do some soul searching.

    There are millions of people with a destructive, dysfunctional relationship with food - I will leave the deep soul searching to them, and not waste a moment of my time dissecting something that I do actually enjoy and is giving me great results. I'm former military and I think that there is a disconnect between my perception of discipline and delayed gratification and the mindset of others.

    You're right. If you use the search function for these forums and search for emotional eating and stress eating (IMO just a subset of emotional eating) you will get 1,000 hits (which is apparently the max) for each of them.

    The emotional ties to food surely are resulting in weight issues.

    For some people.

    Not all.

    This is besides the original point, but you two are too busy back-patting each other to realize that you've strayed from it.

    OR..

    Are you deflecting from the original point BryLander made about the "epidemic" of emotional eating and the need to diminish the prevalence of eating for pleasure?

    So emotional eating isn't an epidemic? So what is your theory on why so many people are overweight, did 68.8% of the people in the US just spontaneously get fat?

    They don't move and eat too many calories

    I'm fairly certain that everyone involved in this discussion already knows that - my question was concerning the psychology behind these behaviors.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    I am extremely confused by purposely making food not taste good because "it's fuel". Or maybe the argument is the old parent argument of "poor children in Africa can't enjoy their food so you aren't allowed to either"?

    So am I, who stated that?

    What is your point?

    I will agree that you're not explicitly against food tasting good, but you seem to have an issue with people enjoying it. It would follow, logically, that part of enjoying food is enjoying how it tastes.

    You seem to have very black or white thinking on this issue. Reading between the lines of what you posted, it's almost as if it's not okay in your books for fat people to enjoy food for pleasure because they're fat.

    Why?

    Why can't food be good, and pleasurable and still within the realm of someone's correct energy balance?

    I think your cut-and-dried, rather dull "food is fuel" and your initial point was that maybe fat people should remove emotions from eating as... what? Punishment for being fat? OR is that your solution to the obesity crisis?

    Whatever you're doing, I don't think people who ignore the nuances of humankind's relationship with food have a balanced relationship with it. Food as fuel is just one aspect.

    You might want to do some soul searching.

    There are millions of people with a destructive, dysfunctional relationship with food - I will leave the deep soul searching to them, and not waste a moment of my time dissecting something that I do actually enjoy and is giving me great results. I'm former military and I think that there is a disconnect between my perception of discipline and delayed gratification and the mindset of others.

    You're right. If you use the search function for these forums and search for emotional eating and stress eating (IMO just a subset of emotional eating) you will get 1,000 hits (which is apparently the max) for each of them.

    The emotional ties to food surely are resulting in weight issues.

    For some people.

    Not all.

    This is besides the original point, but you two are too busy back-patting each other to realize that you've strayed from it.

    OR..

    Are you deflecting from the original point BryLander made about the "epidemic" of emotional eating and the need to diminish the prevalence of eating for pleasure?

    So emotional eating isn't an epidemic? So what is your theory on why so many people are overweight, did 68.8% of the people in the US just spontaneously get fat?

    They don't move and eat too many calories

    I'm fairly certain that everyone involved in this discussion already knows that - my question was concerning the psychology behind these behaviors.

    It doesn't take a ton of calories to become overweight. In fact I think it was shown that most people have weight creeping onto them slowly over years without noticing or not caring because it's never a lot at once. It only takes just over 100 calories extra per day to gain a pound per month and a year from now you weigh 12 pounds more.

    But wouldn't that initial extra100 over maintenance, at an ideal weight, have to keep increasing as the body weight went up otherwise one would hit maintenance at a slightly higher weight?

    Cheers, h.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    I am extremely confused by purposely making food not taste good because "it's fuel". Or maybe the argument is the old parent argument of "poor children in Africa can't enjoy their food so you aren't allowed to either"?

    So am I, who stated that?

    What is your point?

    I will agree that you're not explicitly against food tasting good, but you seem to have an issue with people enjoying it. It would follow, logically, that part of enjoying food is enjoying how it tastes.

    You seem to have very black or white thinking on this issue. Reading between the lines of what you posted, it's almost as if it's not okay in your books for fat people to enjoy food for pleasure because they're fat.

    Why?

    Why can't food be good, and pleasurable and still within the realm of someone's correct energy balance?

    I think your cut-and-dried, rather dull "food is fuel" and your initial point was that maybe fat people should remove emotions from eating as... what? Punishment for being fat? OR is that your solution to the obesity crisis?

    Whatever you're doing, I don't think people who ignore the nuances of humankind's relationship with food have a balanced relationship with it. Food as fuel is just one aspect.

    You might want to do some soul searching.

    There are millions of people with a destructive, dysfunctional relationship with food - I will leave the deep soul searching to them, and not waste a moment of my time dissecting something that I do actually enjoy and is giving me great results. I'm former military and I think that there is a disconnect between my perception of discipline and delayed gratification and the mindset of others.

    You're right. If you use the search function for these forums and search for emotional eating and stress eating (IMO just a subset of emotional eating) you will get 1,000 hits (which is apparently the max) for each of them.

    The emotional ties to food surely are resulting in weight issues.

    For some people.

    Not all.

    This is besides the original point, but you two are too busy back-patting each other to realize that you've strayed from it.

    OR..

    Are you deflecting from the original point BryLander made about the "epidemic" of emotional eating and the need to diminish the prevalence of eating for pleasure?

    So emotional eating isn't an epidemic? So what is your theory on why so many people are overweight, did 68.8% of the people in the US just spontaneously get fat?

    They don't move and eat too many calories

    Surely not the only reason, but couldn't emotional eating be the reason some of the overweight and obese eat too many calories?

    Emotional reasons are probably also why many are underweight...

    I would tend to agree.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I have struggled with emotional eating. I still think claiming that some kind of "epidemic" of emotional eating (which probably is common, sure) is why the obesity rate is higher now is odd. I also think it's really odd to go to emotional eating from the posts on experiencing pleasure from food.

    IME, emotional eating isn't about enjoying food at all. It's about self comfort and stuffing feelings. To claim it's about appreciating food strikes me as rather like thinking that alcohol abuse is fundamentally about being an oenophile or enjoying the taste of craft beers.

    Humans are good at using all kinds of things to dysfunctionally deal with feelings, sure, and I doubt the tendency to do that has changed much over time. (I used to do it with food even as a teen, when I wasn't fat at all, so it also does not necessarily result in obesity.)

    Why people are obese now is because food is really easily available and low cost (including the time of preparation), it tends to be around a lot and there are few cultural restrictions on eating, servings and the calorie costs of the most easily available foods are generally up, and people don't really notice, and activity that is required in daily life today is really low and for some people not easy to get without making an effort. Culturally hedonic eating is somewhat encouraged and mindless eating is common.

    Indeed, I suspect mindless eating is way more responsible for obesity than emotional eating. Despite my tendency to the latter I think mindless eating was more of a culprit for me, even.

    I don't get the impression from the average MFP poster who is struggling that being a foodie or enjoyment of a thought-out evening indulgence is the main stumbling block. Seems like more of them feel guilt and shame about food, eating, and almost don't really seem to enjoy food, to struggle with appreciating more than a really narrow range of foods, sometimes.

    So going to "finding pleasure in an evening snack" = "emotional eating" = "the cause of obesity!" strikes me as, well, again, kind of odd.

    I would say a fair part of mindless eating is out of boredom which I would consider an emotion.
This discussion has been closed.