Eating Guilt?
anl90
Posts: 928 Member
Does anyone else have the problem of feeling guilty eating anything unhealthy? For the past two weeks or so, I have buckled down drastically on what I am eating and drinking, and honestly I am pretty proud of myself. However, I am to the point where it is getting extremely difficult to eat anything other than what I schedule for myself. For example: I have a slice of cake waiting for me in my fridge, and while I really want it, I cannot bring myself to do so. I guess, I feel like eating even the slightest amount of bad stuff makes me a failure. I am sure part of it, too, is I am afraid of going back to my old habits.
But am I crazy here? Does anyone else have anything similar to this? Please tell me I am not alone..lol
(Sidenote: I am not saying this is a bad thing necessarily. I just want to know if anyone else has the same feeling.)
But am I crazy here? Does anyone else have anything similar to this? Please tell me I am not alone..lol
(Sidenote: I am not saying this is a bad thing necessarily. I just want to know if anyone else has the same feeling.)
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Replies
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Nope. Food in itself is neither healthy nor unhealthy. You have to look at your diet as a whole. If you’re eating nutritious foods 80-90% of the time there’s nothing wrong with having that slice of cake.5
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You are not alone, that's why sites like this exist
Personally, the minute I stopped dividing foods into healthy and unhealthy, I stopped feeling guilty for eating certain foods and proud or virtuous for eating other certain foods. Oh, and after struggling with my weight and mild malnutrition "all my life", I'm maintaining a healthy weight now - three years in and counting - virtually effortlessly. 10 -
Don't fall into this trap...
orthorexia:
an obsession with eating foods that one considers healthy.
a medical condition in which the sufferer systematically avoids specific foods in the belief that they are harmful.
Eat foods you like within reason.10 -
I do at times. Like tonight, I had 200 to go to tip me over 1K so I could complete my diary and I feel like crap that I made that choice instead of something better or simply leaving things as they were at just over 800 for the day.2
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WanderingRivers wrote: »I do at times. Like tonight, I had 200 to go to tip me over 1K so I could complete my diary and I feel like crap that I made that choice instead of something better or simply leaving things as they were at just over 800 for the day.
This mindset is far more unhealthy than whatever choice you made to get over 1000 cals. Which by the way is still 200 calories under the minimum recommended calorie allotment for women. Which by the way is a net goal, meaning if you exercise you should be eating more than 1200 calories....
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I didn't catch this, which isn't a sidenote at all, but a disturbing suggestion, that food guilt can be anything else than a bad thing:
So I totally agree with this:(Sidenote: I am not saying this is a bad thing necessarily. I just want to know if anyone else has the same feeling.)Don't fall into this trap...
orthorexia:
an obsession with eating foods that one considers healthy.
a medical condition in which the sufferer systematically avoids specific foods in the belief that they are harmful.
Eat foods you like within reason.4 -
Yes OP your attitude to food and subsequent feeling of guilt and failure are "a bad thing" - how could those emotions be anything else but negative?
Yes others feel the same way, but that doesn't make it a healthy mindset.
You must have seen newsreel of starving people - would you slap any of the foods you label as unhealthy out of their hands? A sense of perspective helps.
Yes you should work on having an overall healthy diet of course but the notion that a slice of cake is bad for you is patently ludicrous, it has nutrients doesn't it?6 -
I ate nothing but ice cream and cake at one point in the name of science just to vouch if CICO is indeed all about the calories, lost 50 pounds but I stopped. Why? Because I got sick of eating sweets everyday and I craved savory the way I craved sweets. 120 pounds less later, I eat three plates, one is my main meal, the other plates is for veggies and the other is dessert. No guilt whatsoever.6
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That's a dangerous way of thinking and yes, it is a bad thing. It's one thing to choose not to have something because it's easier without it, it's another thing to fear food. Why does eating cake make you a failure? You're failing to do what, exactly? Will one slice of cake have an effect on your weight management out of context? Why do you consider it bad, and is that justified out of context? Start there. When you dive deep into your reasoning you'll find that these are just restrictions to chose to arbitrarily place on yourself because you've been influenced by scaremongerers, not real facts.
I have lost more than 100 lbs and let me tell you, at no point in my weight loss did food guilt produce good results, physically or mentally.5 -
WinoGelato wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »I do at times. Like tonight, I had 200 to go to tip me over 1K so I could complete my diary and I feel like crap that I made that choice instead of something better or simply leaving things as they were at just over 800 for the day.
This mindset is far more unhealthy than whatever choice you made to get over 1000 cals. Which by the way is still 200 calories under the minimum recommended calorie allotment for women. Which by the way is a net goal, meaning if you exercise you should be eating more than 1200 calories....
Considering I binged quite a bit over the weekend, I am trying to make up for that. I haven't been doing much exercise lately so it's all food deficit.0 -
WanderingRivers wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »I do at times. Like tonight, I had 200 to go to tip me over 1K so I could complete my diary and I feel like crap that I made that choice instead of something better or simply leaving things as they were at just over 800 for the day.
This mindset is far more unhealthy than whatever choice you made to get over 1000 cals. Which by the way is still 200 calories under the minimum recommended calorie allotment for women. Which by the way is a net goal, meaning if you exercise you should be eating more than 1200 calories....
Considering I binged quite a bit over the weekend, I am trying to make up for that. I haven't been doing much exercise lately so it's all food deficit.
if you didn't eat so little during the week, maybe you wouldn't binge at the weekend?
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TavistockToad wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »I do at times. Like tonight, I had 200 to go to tip me over 1K so I could complete my diary and I feel like crap that I made that choice instead of something better or simply leaving things as they were at just over 800 for the day.
This mindset is far more unhealthy than whatever choice you made to get over 1000 cals. Which by the way is still 200 calories under the minimum recommended calorie allotment for women. Which by the way is a net goal, meaning if you exercise you should be eating more than 1200 calories....
Considering I binged quite a bit over the weekend, I am trying to make up for that. I haven't been doing much exercise lately so it's all food deficit.
if you didn't eat so little during the week, maybe you wouldn't binge at the weekend?
It was a confluence of multiple family events at once that led to my binge.1 -
WanderingRivers wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »I do at times. Like tonight, I had 200 to go to tip me over 1K so I could complete my diary and I feel like crap that I made that choice instead of something better or simply leaving things as they were at just over 800 for the day.
This mindset is far more unhealthy than whatever choice you made to get over 1000 cals. Which by the way is still 200 calories under the minimum recommended calorie allotment for women. Which by the way is a net goal, meaning if you exercise you should be eating more than 1200 calories....
Considering I binged quite a bit over the weekend, I am trying to make up for that. I haven't been doing much exercise lately so it's all food deficit.
if you didn't eat so little during the week, maybe you wouldn't binge at the weekend?
It was a confluence of multiple family events at once that led to my binge.
and what happens this weekend after a week of eating 1000 cals or less?3 -
WanderingRivers wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »I do at times. Like tonight, I had 200 to go to tip me over 1K so I could complete my diary and I feel like crap that I made that choice instead of something better or simply leaving things as they were at just over 800 for the day.
This mindset is far more unhealthy than whatever choice you made to get over 1000 cals. Which by the way is still 200 calories under the minimum recommended calorie allotment for women. Which by the way is a net goal, meaning if you exercise you should be eating more than 1200 calories....
Considering I binged quite a bit over the weekend, I am trying to make up for that. I haven't been doing much exercise lately so it's all food deficit.
If it's a day or two within a day or two of when you went over it's fine to do this to make the average across days come out at/near goal. Just don't do it too many days in a row.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »I do at times. Like tonight, I had 200 to go to tip me over 1K so I could complete my diary and I feel like crap that I made that choice instead of something better or simply leaving things as they were at just over 800 for the day.
This mindset is far more unhealthy than whatever choice you made to get over 1000 cals. Which by the way is still 200 calories under the minimum recommended calorie allotment for women. Which by the way is a net goal, meaning if you exercise you should be eating more than 1200 calories....
Considering I binged quite a bit over the weekend, I am trying to make up for that. I haven't been doing much exercise lately so it's all food deficit.
if you didn't eat so little during the week, maybe you wouldn't binge at the weekend?
It was a confluence of multiple family events at once that led to my binge.
and what happens this weekend after a week of eating 1000 cals or less?
I work on my crochet and knitting since I have nowhere to go and no events to attend. Busy hands are hands that don't reach for snacks.3 -
WanderingRivers wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »I do at times. Like tonight, I had 200 to go to tip me over 1K so I could complete my diary and I feel like crap that I made that choice instead of something better or simply leaving things as they were at just over 800 for the day.
This mindset is far more unhealthy than whatever choice you made to get over 1000 cals. Which by the way is still 200 calories under the minimum recommended calorie allotment for women. Which by the way is a net goal, meaning if you exercise you should be eating more than 1200 calories....
Considering I binged quite a bit over the weekend, I am trying to make up for that. I haven't been doing much exercise lately so it's all food deficit.
Let’s make sure we are on the same page - do you have clinically diagnosed binge eating disorder? Or what does a binge mean to you? Does it mean eating something you didn’t think you should eat? Couldn’t stop eating something once you started? Did it put you over your calorie target? Over your maintenance calories? By how much?
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WinoGelato wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »I do at times. Like tonight, I had 200 to go to tip me over 1K so I could complete my diary and I feel like crap that I made that choice instead of something better or simply leaving things as they were at just over 800 for the day.
This mindset is far more unhealthy than whatever choice you made to get over 1000 cals. Which by the way is still 200 calories under the minimum recommended calorie allotment for women. Which by the way is a net goal, meaning if you exercise you should be eating more than 1200 calories....
Considering I binged quite a bit over the weekend, I am trying to make up for that. I haven't been doing much exercise lately so it's all food deficit.
Let’s make sure we are on the same page - do you have clinically diagnosed binge eating disorder? Or what does a binge mean to you? Does it mean eating something you didn’t think you should eat? Couldn’t stop eating something once you started? Did it put you over your calorie target? Over your maintenance calories? By how much?
I ate way over calorie target and way over maintenance. IDK the exact number as I had no way to measure or track.0 -
WanderingRivers wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »WanderingRivers wrote: »I do at times. Like tonight, I had 200 to go to tip me over 1K so I could complete my diary and I feel like crap that I made that choice instead of something better or simply leaving things as they were at just over 800 for the day.
This mindset is far more unhealthy than whatever choice you made to get over 1000 cals. Which by the way is still 200 calories under the minimum recommended calorie allotment for women. Which by the way is a net goal, meaning if you exercise you should be eating more than 1200 calories....
Considering I binged quite a bit over the weekend, I am trying to make up for that. I haven't been doing much exercise lately so it's all food deficit.
Let’s make sure we are on the same page - do you have clinically diagnosed binge eating disorder? Or what does a binge mean to you? Does it mean eating something you didn’t think you should eat? Couldn’t stop eating something once you started? Did it put you over your calorie target? Over your maintenance calories? By how much?
I ate way over calorie target and way over maintenance. IDK the exact number as I had no way to measure or track.
Well first, that doesn’t sound like a binge. You overindulged, but a binge has a clinical definition and over doing it at family events is not really symptomatic.
Second, it’s a shame you didn’t try to log it (you still can) because what many people find when they do over do it - at a party, a holiday, etc - is that when they log it they really weren’t as far over their daily goal as they thought and still under their weekly goal. Logging it helps put it all in perspective when you can do the actual math.
When people were asking you about what happens this weekend is that what you’re describing sounds like a very unhealthy pattern of restricting too heavily during the week and then feeling tempted and over doing it on the weekend. You really need to find a way to break that cycle - for long term success.
Why are you eating under 1200 calories? How often are you not hitting that number? How much weight are you trying to lose?8 -
Totally agree about logging even if you have to estimate portions and find similar items that may not be an exact match. Always logging food is my line in the sand. Extremely slippery slope (buttered, no doubt
) to skip logging foods. 5 -
I only go 1200 or under when making up for a binge or I just don't feel good.
I have a minimum of 5 more lbs to go but I am thinking I may go to a lower goal then I have currently have.0 -
"Food in itself is neither healthy nor unhealthy" so with this kind of thinking....chocolate has the same nutritional health value as...broccoli?
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"Food in itself is neither healthy nor unhealthy" so with this kind of thinking....chocolate has the same nutritional health value as...broccoli?
Broccoli has all kinds of nice things that are good for you - potassium, fiber, calcium, vitamin c, etc. Chocolate also has nice things that are good for you, things that broccoli doesn't that are necessary for good health - essential fats, iron, magnesium. The mono-diet strawman has been done to death here at MFP.9 -
"Food in itself is neither healthy nor unhealthy" so with this kind of thinking....chocolate has the same nutritional health value as...broccoli?
Seriously? Do you eat a broccoli bar when you want a quick calorie hit? Do you drink hot broccoli when it's cold? Do you drink broccoli milkshake when it's cold? Do you give someone a box of broccoli as a gift? How many wedding cakes have broccoli? Does eating chocolate mean you will never eat broccoli again? I'm sure broccoli is every trick or treater's dream.
The two things are not even comparable in function nor in nutrition. One isn't better than the other, just different, and neither is healthy or unhealthy in itself. You would need to look at your diet as a whole to decide if one is a better fit nutritionally at any given point, but most people who already eat a varied diet wouldn't need to.13 -
I'm not going to feel guilty about eating something unless I stole it.
I don't have a restrictive diet or think of foods as bad or unhealthy unless they taste bad, are spoiled or I am allergic to it. I eat fast food and desserts sometimes. Food has nutrients. Some have more nutrients in relation to the amount of calories or help me meet my goals better that day. I'm going to use common sense and eat mostly nutritous foods.
I prelog my food and adjust portion sizes to fit my goals. I look at calories first then meeting my protein goal. I try to eat several servings of vegetables or fruits a day. I generally have 100-300 calories for snacks.
I pair higher calorie foods with more lower calorie vegetables. I reduce calories in foods by using less cheese, less oil, lower fat milk, thinner crust for pizza. I might skip rice or bread if it doesn't fit well that day. I don't try to have doughnuts, stuffed crust pizza, fried chicken, bacon cheeseburger and a peanut butter shake all in one day.
If I have a higher calorie day I log it, learn from it and move on. You don't have to be perfect every day to lose weight or have a healthy diet.
Guilt is not very helpful.4 -
Sometimes I feel bad when I eat too much, but I never feel bad about what I've eaten unless it didn't taste good and wasn't worth the calories. Punishing ourselves over food doesn't help us and an occasional indulgence doesn't either. I feel better when I can plan it in and do get a little uncomfortable when I can't control the eating situation, but for the most part I either log something reasonably similar in the database, or decide I'm having a special-occasion-to-heck-with-it day where I eat what I want and don't log.0
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"Food in itself is neither healthy nor unhealthy" so with this kind of thinking....chocolate has the same nutritional health value as...broccoli?
No, it means it's the overall context of your diet that is important. Chocolate isn't, by itself, unhealthy. Broccoli isn't, by itself, healthy. We need a great many things from our diet so we're lucky that foods come with such a wide range of macro- and micronutrients to help meet our various needs.5 -
Does anyone else have the problem of feeling guilty eating anything unhealthy? For the past two weeks or so, I have buckled down drastically on what I am eating and drinking, and honestly I am pretty proud of myself. However, I am to the point where it is getting extremely difficult to eat anything other than what I schedule for myself. For example: I have a slice of cake waiting for me in my fridge, and while I really want it, I cannot bring myself to do so. I guess, I feel like eating even the slightest amount of bad stuff makes me a failure. I am sure part of it, too, is I am afraid of going back to my old habits.
But am I crazy here? Does anyone else have anything similar to this? Please tell me I am not alone..lol
(Sidenote: I am not saying this is a bad thing necessarily. I just want to know if anyone else has the same feeling.)
or·tho·rex·i·a
ˌôrTHəˈreksēə/Submit
noun
an obsession with eating foods that one considers healthy.
a medical condition in which the sufferer systematically avoids specific foods in the belief that they are harmful.4 -
This thread has left me struggling on my food choices for tonight's snack. Will it be beer or ice cream. Oh, the struggle is real.
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janejellyroll wrote: »"Food in itself is neither healthy nor unhealthy" so with this kind of thinking....chocolate has the same nutritional health value as...broccoli?
No, it means it's the overall context of your diet that is important. Chocolate isn't, by itself, unhealthy. Broccoli isn't, by itself, healthy. We need a great many things from our diet so we're lucky that foods come with such a wide range of macro- and micronutrients to help meet our various needs.
Yep, it's about nutritional needs and goals.
100 grams of milk chocolate has 18% of your daily value of calcium
100 grams of broccoli has 4% of your daily value of calcium
If you need calcium and had to choose between the two, which one is "healthier"?
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