Does anyone else feel guilty when eating out?

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Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,223 Member
    I got fat, then obese, rarely eating fast food (handful of times a year, maybe, when traveling with friends who liked it). I got fat, then obese, eating lots (lots!) of whole grains, veggies, etc. Then I became very active, even competing as a masters athlete, for over a decade . . . while staying obese.

    Nutrition is important, but I'm pretty clear that it isn't which foods one chooses that causes obesity, it's how much of them one eats. And it isn't how much exercise one does that creates a sure counterbalance to any achievable level of intake.

    Food isn't sin. It's just food. Guilt is optional.

    And, for my taste, fast food still is mostly pretty awful.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    Didn't read the thread, so I'm guessing others have said this. I don't feel guilty at all, but I'm usually disappointed afterward and wish I'd used the calories for something else (usually only go because the kids want to occasionally). I'm never disappointed with a Whopper, though ;)
  • lindasuedue
    lindasuedue Posts: 7 Member
    Not guilty, just aware that I will be logging whatever I eat in my daily food journal. Ate with friends at Taco Bell yesterday, had a lot of fun - still came in under my calorie budget by adjusting breakfast (none) and dinner (veggie pizza, salad with red wine vinegar dressing) and hitting the exercise bike for a nice spin. No reason to not enjoy food and friends, how much fun would that be?
  • aimjolie
    aimjolie Posts: 60 Member
    I don’t feel guilty when I eat out. But I do try moderation. I’ll order the hamburger, forget the chocolate shake, and try to avoid the fries or go half on fries with a friend. Guilt serves no purpose except to make you feel bad. The only time I feel guilty if I mindlessly pick on junk food snacks late at night. And to solve that problem, I don’t buy it so it’s not there to tempt me. I think basically, you can eat everything but just in moderation. I can have that 1 or 2 cookie but not half the package. Really no food should be off limits. We need to find a lifestyle that we can live with and still be a normal weight. Deprivation is certainly not the answer because it leads to binges. At times, it’s difficult to eat in moderation. But it’s worth it. There is no greater feeling than having those pants fit well or going to the store and buying something you really like that fits and shows off that new slim figure to perfection.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    elisa123gal wrote: »
    To my critics.. just try giving up fast food and see if you reach your weight loss or maintenance goals more easily. I predict.. you will.

    I already did reach my weight loss goals and have been maintaining with little effort for 2 years. In between veggies, fruits, whole grains, fish, eggs, chicken etc I did and do regularly eat Wendy's, Taco Bell, pizza, Dunkin Donuts, frozen dinners, convenience snacks. Moderation has already worked for lots of us. If someone doesn't feel those foods are worth the calories, or has a mindset where they are unable to moderate those foods, then they might need to avoid some of them I guess. I'm personally thrilled I learned to moderate them, because I enjoy them.
  • Jackie9003
    Jackie9003 Posts: 1,116 Member
    I never feel guilty about eating something I like or want, I log it and move on.
    I do find I make different choices now though, whereas in the past I would eat out and have 3 courses but now generally have 2 or I'll have 3 courses but opt for one of them being a "light" option.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,223 Member
    elisa123gal wrote: »
    To my critics.. just try giving up fast food and see if you reach your weight loss or maintenance goals more easily. I predict.. you will.

    LOL, very questionable crystal ball you've got there.

    I eat the same amount of fast food I always did (possibly a tiny bit more, but still very little). At the fast food joints I occasionally visit (most often to socialize with friends who enjoy them), I've found meals that give me sound nutrition that contributes to my daily goals (including vegetarian protein), are filling, and come in at reasonable calories. Other than the occasional Subway salad, I wouldn't eat any of those fast foods purely for taste, though.

    In year 3 of maintenance at a healthy weight, doing just fine, thanks.

    Glad to hear you're doing fine with your preferred ways of eating for weight loss and maintenance, too - sincerely. :flowerforyou:
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    you are very welcome -- and achieving maintenance for three years is amazing. I'm still trying to figure it out completely for myself. I focus now on nutrition and trying to going more organic with my food. I do eat out fast food now and then.. and like the OP.. I feel guilty because it is something the old me would have done. I just know better now and would consider that a slip....and no crystal ball needed.. :) peace out.
  • ShayCarver89
    ShayCarver89 Posts: 239 Member
    Not at all. Double cheeseburgers from Burger King are one of my favorite things on the planet and I eat them all the time. I refuse to feel guilt from eating. Its disordered behavior and that's a big nope from me.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    elisa123gal wrote: »
    To my critics.. just try giving up fast food and see if you reach your weight loss or maintenance goals more easily. I predict.. you will.

    I ate fast food maybe once every 3-4 months when I was morbidly obese. I eat it more often now that I'm a lot thinner because it's easy to log, maybe once every 2-6 weeks. It has actually made weight loss easier for me when I'm too lazy to log 15 ingredients per meal. What was the main culprit in your weight gain is not necessarily what contributed to weight gain in others.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    elisa123gal wrote: »
    To my critics.. just try giving up fast food and see if you reach your weight loss or maintenance goals more easily. I predict.. you will.

    No kosher fast food chains I know of in North America, let alone my city of residence. A felafel once every 3 to 6 months really wasn't what got me to obesity-level III in the first place.
  • LovelySavannah
    LovelySavannah Posts: 145 Member
    Nope. I just make sure that whatever I eat from the restaurant doesn't make me go over my calorie goal.
  • 39flavours
    39flavours Posts: 1,494 Member
    I feel kinda bad when I substitute alcohol for food, like I decide to have a few drinks and skip dinner. Because honestly, really, that's not the best way to take care of myself and I know it. But as long as it's not every night it's ok.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    I don't eat food that makes me feel guilty. However, if I was forced to eat at McD's I would be angry, because it's not filling, healthy, or delicious, which means it's a waste of calories I could have used to eat foods that were filling, healthy, and delicious.

    I live in what they call a food swamp - a term invented by the same people who came up with food desert - which is a place surrounded by an abundance of fattening and unhealthy places to eat out. It's really annoying and troublesome in terms of socializing. I would like to be able to go out with friends without having to save up calories for it, for food that doesn't even taste good. Recently my husband and I have been running at a new location, and we were looking for a place to eat on the way back. At a single corner we could see Captain D's, Shoney's, McD's, IHOP, a local fried fish place, Krystal, Ruby Tuesday, Taco Bell, a local Mexican place, and Church's chicken. None of those places has food I would voluntarily choose for the flavor, and in all of them it would be difficult to pick a meal under 500 calories which didn't make me feel sad, bust my blood glucose levels, and clog my arteries. (Actually the Mexican place might have one or two decent options, it's unfair to malign it without having seen the menu.) At home I can have a delicious meal for 500 calories. But I have to shop for it and cook it myself, and if I want to socialize with friends I have to go through all the effort of entertaining, which is much harder than meeting someone at a restaurant.

    There are a handful of decent local places to eat out, but none of them are cheap - I can buy 50 chicken nuggets for 10 dollars! Or two pieces of grilled fish for fifty dollars - and they require driving miles out of my way to get to them.

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