Food as Fuel
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I would not enjoy eating such a limited range of food, but I can understand how some one who has an unhealthy relationship with food would find this way of eating useful. Do you plan to eat this way for the rest of your life? Or do you intend to introduce other foods at some point? What do you do when you eat out, or go to parties?7
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The subject line "Food as Fuel" is a topic near and dear to the root of my personal success. I'm sharing it for however it might be useful to others who are on the journey of good nutrition.
I think of my physical self as an engine, not unlike a mechanical engine in a motorized vehicle.
Foods are equivalent to gas, oil and other fluids.
In practical application of this idea, it means I evaluate the needs of my engine (body and mind) and feed myself according to need. The corollary to this is that if I am not using my body or mind, I don't need to be eating food. (watching tv I don't count as mind-use).
I think of consuming food as an "eating event", and liken it to gassing up my car.
My desired macros are portioned in a balanced way at each eating event, for the purpose of not ending up with weird 'holes' in my daily nutrition and having to eat nothing but fat for dinner.
The upside of removing some food items from my menu has been no more heartburn or acid reflux (none at all!) which leads to better sleeping and a steadier energy level during the day.
Some of the things I've almost entirely eliminated from my diet because they provide so little benefit over a short time frame: beer, alcohol, added sugars/honey, artificial sweeteners of any kind including plant based extracts, bread products, crackers, and chips, most dairy (except yogurt and hard cheeses).
Some might consider my menu somewhat boring and repetitive; and I'd be inclined to agree since chicken, rice and beans, grits and oatmeal, sweet potatoes, plus some kind of green veggies are the everyday staples. My variety comes from spices and seasonings. On the other hand, to pick back up on the car analogy, my car doesn't much care that the gas from one brand to another isn't much different, but the car keeps going strong.
In the last month or so, I'm able to walk down the cookie aisle at the grocery and not be tempted at all by the shiny sugary sweets. There is an unopened container of ice cream in my freezer that doesn't say a word to me. I got such a belly ache from the last piece of pie I allowed myself that I can't even look at pie with any interest.
The longer I go on feeling good from the food I am eating, it is easier and easier to skip over even the hint of a craving for something that isn't fuel-worthly.
I'm an all or nothing kind of gal, meaning I don't do well moderating myself, and for this reason I believe the Food as Fuel concept works really well for me.
Good fitness to us all!
Amyfb
I am totally on board with your food as fuel concept actually. I think it is great. I actually wrote an article along these same lines a couple years ago I should dig up. Since being here I have tried to jump on the "moderation" train but I am failing miserably at weight loss. lol So I may join you in this reframing of perspective.
You will get a lot of people who will call it boring - but really - most people don't eat all that much variety anyway. How is your variety of foods any more boring than eating bagels and cookies every day? It's just different.
Personally I totally believe that it is possible to reframe our experience with food, and that we can gain the socialization and pleasure that people often attribute to food from other things, if we so desire.7 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »MelanieCN77 wrote: »The car metaphor is nice until you consider your car isn't sentient.MelanieCN77 wrote: »The car metaphor is nice until you consider your car isn't sentient.
...and humans aren't machines, and don't function like them.
I don't know. I get your points, but I think OP's analogy is a lot better than the anthropomorphizing you see so often that attributes sentience to parts of your body other than your brain, so that it is susceptible to being "fooled" or "confused" by various dieting tactics.
But that's saying it's good compared to woo. I agree; it will actually work for some people. I just wouldn't encourage it. I think the first response had the right word - joyless.4 -
happymom221 wrote: »My meals have a pattern of foods which I eat frequently. For example a protein and two veggies or a big salad or eggs and fixings. Most people would think it’s super boring
However, I only eat food that I love.
When I bite into my food I go mmmmm
YES! I too only eat food I love the taste of.
I'm not looking for sympathy from those here who enjoy their "fun food", and, i'm clearly failing to express my satisfaction with this plan for myself. I don't feel deprived at all, and, I guess that was my biggest eye-opener about the results of this program in my own life.
My idea of fun food is just different from others. A date stuffed with almond butter for me is like a chocolate sundae for others. I choose fruit for my sweet fix; sugars have a role in good nutrition, and I'm choosing natural over not.
BTW -someone asked how long I've been doing this, and the answer is almost two months, this time around. Beside the positive impact on my weight loss goals is the extra money in my food budget. Making my own meal-starters in two-week batches and freezing them ahead of time is really economical.
Will I never eat cake or ice cream again? i'm not going to be silly and say never again, because I almost certainly will have some. The way my body feels, internally, when I consume sugar is almost unpleasant now; it's like ants running through my bloodstream for about five minutes.
But, I will say that the older I get (I'm 62) the more interesting it is to me that I get the portion and moderation aspect of this under control; the biggest expense in retirement is medical care, and so much of that is related to poor food and exercise choices.6 -
happymom221 wrote: »My meals have a pattern of foods which I eat frequently. For example a protein and two veggies or a big salad or eggs and fixings. Most people would think it’s super boring
However, I only eat food that I love.
When I bite into my food I go mmmmm
YES! I too only eat food I love the taste of.
I'm not looking for sympathy from those here who enjoy their "fun food", and, i'm clearly failing to express my satisfaction with this plan for myself. I don't feel deprived at all, and, I guess that was my biggest eye-opener about the results of this program in my own life.
My idea of fun food is just different from others. A date stuffed with almond butter for me is like a chocolate sundae for others. I choose fruit for my sweet fix; sugars have a role in good nutrition, and I'm choosing natural over not.
BTW -someone asked how long I've been doing this, and the answer is almost two months, this time around. Beside the positive impact on my weight loss goals is the extra money in my food budget. Making my own meal-starters in two-week batches and freezing them ahead of time is really economical.
Will I never eat cake or ice cream again? i'm not going to be silly and say never again, because I almost certainly will have some. The way my body feels, internally, when I consume sugar is almost unpleasant now; it's like ants running through my bloodstream for about five minutes.
But, I will say that the older I get (I'm 62) the more interesting it is to me that I get the portion and moderation aspect of this under control; the biggest expense in retirement is medical care, and so much of that is related to poor food and exercise choices.
I think a lot of people would consider a date with almond butter to be a fun food (I know I would). It's high in sugar, high in fat, and very calorie-dense. Assuming you don't dislike either of those foods, it's a treat. Liking chocolate sundaes and choosing to have them sometimes doesn't mean that one isn't also going to enjoy different foods. I get excited for french fries, I also get excited for roasted broccoli.
If sugar makes you feel like ants are running through your bloodstream, why wouldn't dates provoke that reaction? They're so sweet that they're often used to sweeten other foods.
12 -
janejellyroll wrote: »happymom221 wrote: »My meals have a pattern of foods which I eat frequently. For example a protein and two veggies or a big salad or eggs and fixings. Most people would think it’s super boring
However, I only eat food that I love.
When I bite into my food I go mmmmm
YES! I too only eat food I love the taste of.
I'm not looking for sympathy from those here who enjoy their "fun food", and, i'm clearly failing to express my satisfaction with this plan for myself. I don't feel deprived at all, and, I guess that was my biggest eye-opener about the results of this program in my own life.
My idea of fun food is just different from others. A date stuffed with almond butter for me is like a chocolate sundae for others. I choose fruit for my sweet fix; sugars have a role in good nutrition, and I'm choosing natural over not.
BTW -someone asked how long I've been doing this, and the answer is almost two months, this time around. Beside the positive impact on my weight loss goals is the extra money in my food budget. Making my own meal-starters in two-week batches and freezing them ahead of time is really economical.
Will I never eat cake or ice cream again? i'm not going to be silly and say never again, because I almost certainly will have some. The way my body feels, internally, when I consume sugar is almost unpleasant now; it's like ants running through my bloodstream for about five minutes.
But, I will say that the older I get (I'm 62) the more interesting it is to me that I get the portion and moderation aspect of this under control; the biggest expense in retirement is medical care, and so much of that is related to poor food and exercise choices.
I think a lot of people would consider a date with almond butter to be a fun food (I know I would). It's high in sugar, high in fat, and very calorie-dense. Assuming you don't dislike either of those foods, it's a treat. Liking chocolate sundaes and choosing to have them sometimes doesn't mean that one isn't also going to enjoy different foods. I get excited for french fries, I also get excited for roasted broccoli.
If sugar makes you feel like ants are running through your bloodstream, why wouldn't dates provoke that reaction? They're so sweet that they're often used to sweeten other foods.
yes i don't understand this...sugar is sugar is sugar...so dates should have the same reaction as gummy bears (both being high carbs/limited protein/fat)9 -
CarvedTones wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »MelanieCN77 wrote: »The car metaphor is nice until you consider your car isn't sentient.MelanieCN77 wrote: »The car metaphor is nice until you consider your car isn't sentient.
...and humans aren't machines, and don't function like them.
I don't know. I get your points, but I think OP's analogy is a lot better than the anthropomorphizing you see so often that attributes sentience to parts of your body other than your brain, so that it is susceptible to being "fooled" or "confused" by various dieting tactics.
But that's saying it's good compared to woo. I agree; it will actually work for some people. I just wouldn't encourage it. I think the first response had the right word - joyless.
I think that Joy or Joyless are emotional attributes and are very individual feelings for very specific individual reasons.
In the context of nutrition, joy doesn't factor into my decisions. I don't think that eating to be joyful is nutritionally sustainable over the long term.
YMMV10 -
I could never see food as just fuel. So many of the recipes I cook and eat have beautiful memories with them.... making chocolate chip cookies with my great grammy, my moms amazing stuffed artichokes, my grandmothers spaghetti. Every time I eat these things they are delicious and they bring back happy memories and just take me back. I take the time to slowly appreciate these things. I also love learning how to make new things, it’s an art for me. I enjoy sharing delicious food with loved ones, having dinner with my husband every night is so special. I could understand how some people have to think this way if they have a troubled relationship with food. I’d argue no foods are inately “good or bad” , I ran a crazy fast for me 15 miles the last time I had pizza and ice cream for dinner!9
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I feel these boards believe no foods are innately good or bad, until someone cuts out foods that (for want of a better description) are seen as junk food. Then suddenly they must have an unhealthy relationship with food.
At is very basis food is fuel for our bodies. We have been socialized to connect it with comfort, love and other emotions. I think one could also argue that is the unhealthy perspective?
I am not arguing that one way or another, I just find the subject fascinating and I do think there is room for both perspectives. Even of you have no interest in vegetarianism the book "eating animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer is a good read that touches on this topic.11 -
I see food as fuel atm as I am NPO (nothing by mouth) and on TPN and just waiting to clear a bowel obstruction to start my J tube feeds. I am missing real foods a lot. Nothing wrong with eating some foods for pleasure.15
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CarvedTones wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »MelanieCN77 wrote: »The car metaphor is nice until you consider your car isn't sentient.MelanieCN77 wrote: »The car metaphor is nice until you consider your car isn't sentient.
...and humans aren't machines, and don't function like them.
I don't know. I get your points, but I think OP's analogy is a lot better than the anthropomorphizing you see so often that attributes sentience to parts of your body other than your brain, so that it is susceptible to being "fooled" or "confused" by various dieting tactics.
But that's saying it's good compared to woo. I agree; it will actually work for some people. I just wouldn't encourage it. I think the first response had the right word - joyless.
I think that Joy or Joyless are emotional attributes and are very individual feelings for very specific individual reasons.
In the context of nutrition, joy doesn't factor into my decisions. I don't think that eating to be joyful is nutritionally sustainable over the long term.
YMMV
When you say that a date with almond butter is for you like a chocolate sundae is for others, is joy in eating not a part of that? If enjoyment isn't a factor, what are you getting out of the date with almond butter and what do you think others are getting from a chocolate sundae?
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My mom has a similar approach to weight loss. It worked for her. She lost 80 lbs and kept it off. And that’s what her diet is still like.
There’s absolutely no way I would want to lose weight in the same way. I love food. I enjoy trying new foods and cooking. It’s a big part of mine and my husband’s lifestyle. I want my meals to be delicious and healthy - which is totally possible.2 -
I feel these boards believe no foods are innately good or bad, until someone cuts out foods that (for want of a better description) are seen as junk food. Then suddenly they must have an unhealthy relationship with food.
At is very basis food is fuel for our bodies. We have been socialized to connect it with comfort, love and other emotions. I think one could also argue that is the unhealthy perspective?
I am not arguing that one way or another, I just find the subject fascinating and I do think there is room for both perspectives. Even of you have no interest in vegetarianism the book "eating animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer is a good read that touches on this topic.
I think the idea that we have to be socialized to feel emotions around food requires us to ignore substantial evidence that we aren't the only animals that do so. When we see apes celebrate getting certain fruit, do we think that is mere socialization? When dogs get excited when they anticipate getting a treat, is that just because of socialization?
When your existence depends on a steady supply of something, having it is literally a comfort. Most of us are lucky enough not to have faced literal starvation, but we evolved in the context of this being a real threat for many. It's not surprising that our emotional relationship with food can be complex. That veers into unhealthy territory for many, especially now that too much food is the pressing health problem in some parts of the world. But I wouldn't conclude that having emotions around food is inherently unhealthy. It's all about how those emotions impact your life.
Having a sense of pleasure and joy around eating the foods that sustain us, using food to create connections with others or deepen those connections, making food choices that celebrate our cultural inheritances, these are all positive things, IMO.11 -
janejellyroll wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »MelanieCN77 wrote: »The car metaphor is nice until you consider your car isn't sentient.MelanieCN77 wrote: »The car metaphor is nice until you consider your car isn't sentient.
...and humans aren't machines, and don't function like them.
I don't know. I get your points, but I think OP's analogy is a lot better than the anthropomorphizing you see so often that attributes sentience to parts of your body other than your brain, so that it is susceptible to being "fooled" or "confused" by various dieting tactics.
But that's saying it's good compared to woo. I agree; it will actually work for some people. I just wouldn't encourage it. I think the first response had the right word - joyless.
I think that Joy or Joyless are emotional attributes and are very individual feelings for very specific individual reasons.
In the context of nutrition, joy doesn't factor into my decisions. I don't think that eating to be joyful is nutritionally sustainable over the long term.
YMMV
When you say that a date with almond butter is for you like a chocolate sundae is for others, is joy in eating not a part of that? If enjoyment isn't a factor, what are you getting out of the date with almond butter and what do you think others are getting from a chocolate sundae?
Yes, I get enjoyment out of the food I eat, and when I want dessert, the joy I get from that stuffed date is probably quite like the joy others get from some chocolate.
My point, lost somewhere in the telling, is that I don't want joy or other emotions to factor into my food choices.
Food is fuel for my body.
In the kitchen and at meal times, my joy comes from the ability to achieve my weight goals by eating nutritionally balanced meals that results in my having good energy all day and sleep well all night. Those are important results for me.
Enjoy your chocolate! and Good fitness to us all!
Amyfb4 -
If sugar makes you feel like ants are running through your bloodstream, why wouldn't dates provoke that reaction? They're so sweet that they're often used to sweeten other foods.
I think it's the refined sugars that make the ants run in my blood. Not long ago, I had one (1) bite of iced birthday cake and they started right up almost before I was done swallowing the bite!
Fruits, fresh or dried, don't cause that reaction at all.
10 -
If sugar makes you feel like ants are running through your bloodstream, why wouldn't dates provoke that reaction? They're so sweet that they're often used to sweeten other foods.
I think it's the refined sugars that make the ants run in my blood. Not long ago, I had one (1) bite of iced birthday cake and they started right up almost before I was done swallowing the bite!
Fruits, fresh or dried, don't cause that reaction at all.
The mind is a powerful thing.24 -
If sugar makes you feel like ants are running through your bloodstream, why wouldn't dates provoke that reaction? They're so sweet that they're often used to sweeten other foods.
I think it's the refined sugars that make the ants run in my blood. Not long ago, I had one (1) bite of iced birthday cake and they started right up almost before I was done swallowing the bite!
Fruits, fresh or dried, don't cause that reaction at all.
I don't think there is any process by which your body could somehow distinguish between the sugar in a date and the sugar in birthday cake, let alone have it activate in your bloodsteam before you even swallowed the food in question. Your mind does know the difference, so this is probably a mental trigger (not that it would feel any less real while it was happening).12 -
janejellyroll wrote: »If sugar makes you feel like ants are running through your bloodstream, why wouldn't dates provoke that reaction? They're so sweet that they're often used to sweeten other foods.
I think it's the refined sugars that make the ants run in my blood. Not long ago, I had one (1) bite of iced birthday cake and they started right up almost before I was done swallowing the bite!
Fruits, fresh or dried, don't cause that reaction at all.
I don't think there is any process by which your body could somehow distinguish between the sugar in a date and the sugar in birthday cake. Your mind does know the difference, so this is probably a mental trigger (not that it would feel any less real while it was happening).
Particularly when it has barely hit your stomach.4 -
janejellyroll wrote: »If sugar makes you feel like ants are running through your bloodstream, why wouldn't dates provoke that reaction? They're so sweet that they're often used to sweeten other foods.
I think it's the refined sugars that make the ants run in my blood. Not long ago, I had one (1) bite of iced birthday cake and they started right up almost before I was done swallowing the bite!
Fruits, fresh or dried, don't cause that reaction at all.
I don't think there is any process by which your body could somehow distinguish between the sugar in a date and the sugar in birthday cake. Your mind does know the difference, so this is probably a mental trigger (not that it would feel any less real while it was happening).
Particularly when it has barely hit your stomach.
Yeah, I edited to note that. Even if our bodies could somehow sort out sugar based on the food it was contained in, this probably wouldn't be happening while the food was still in our mouth.3 -
janejellyroll wrote: »If sugar makes you feel like ants are running through your bloodstream, why wouldn't dates provoke that reaction? They're so sweet that they're often used to sweeten other foods.
I think it's the refined sugars that make the ants run in my blood. Not long ago, I had one (1) bite of iced birthday cake and they started right up almost before I was done swallowing the bite!
Fruits, fresh or dried, don't cause that reaction at all.
I don't think there is any process by which your body could somehow distinguish between the sugar in a date and the sugar in birthday cake, let alone have it activate in your bloodsteam before you even swallowed the food in question. Your mind does know the difference, so this is probably a mental trigger (not that it would feel any less real while it was happening).
no argument on that observation janejellyroll!
I went a-googling and came across this bit from a page (https://www.cancercenter.com/discussions/blog/natural-versus-refined-sugars-what-is-the-difference/) :
"[excerpt]...How the body metabolizes the sugar in fruit and milk differs from how it metabolizes the refined sugar added to processed foods. The body breaks down refined sugar rapidly, causing insulin and blood sugar levels to skyrocket. Because refined sugar is digested quickly, you don’t feel full after you’re done eating, no matter how many calories you consumed. The fiber in fruit slows down metabolism, as fruit in the gut expands to make you feel full.
But there’s a caveat, Baker says. Once the sugar passes through the stomach and reaches the small intestine, it doesn’t matter if it came from an apple or a soft drink.
“How much sugar is already in your blood will determine how the body uses the sugar,” Baker says. “If you already have a lot of sugar in your system, then what you just digested will form either fat or glycogen, the storage form of glucose that’s used for quick energy. It doesn’t matter if it’s junk food or fruit.”[end excerpt]"1
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