short term pleasure, long term destruction

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rocket_ace
rocket_ace Posts: 380 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
eating food (bad food) makes you feel so good in the long term. do it over and over and you jump the track and start heading down the wrong path....and then its so hard to get back on the right track all over again. I'm trying to get back on but so so hard.

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  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    1. there's no such thing as bad food.... there are balanced diets and unbalanced diets and any food can be a part of a balanced diet

    2. eating foods that you enjoy isn't the start of a slippery slope, not if you can learn to enjoy them in moderation. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1042954-moderation-is-a-basic-life-skill Even if you think that moderation isn't something you're good at.... it is a skill that can be learned and it's well worth learning it. Not everyone learned it in childhood but it's never too late.

    ETA: seriously, learning to enjoy "bad" foods in moderation is a lot easier and makes you a lot happier than being trapped in a cycle between restriction and eating "bad" foods in excess.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,932 Member
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    1. there's no such thing as bad food.... there are balanced diets and unbalanced diets and any food can be a part of a balanced diet

    2. eating foods that you enjoy isn't the start of a slippery slope, not if you can learn to enjoy them in moderation. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1042954-moderation-is-a-basic-life-skill Even if you think that moderation isn't something you're good at.... it is a skill that can be learned and it's well worth learning it. Not everyone learned it in childhood but it's never too late.

    ETA: seriously, learning to enjoy "bad" foods in moderation is a lot easier and makes you a lot happier than being trapped in a cycle between restriction and eating "bad" foods in excess.

    ^ This.

    Think of it as ending the binge and starve cycles, and instead moving on to a healthy and sustainable approach to eating and exercise.
  • STrooper
    STrooper Posts: 659 Member
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    It takes a different mindset to set aside the black and white judgments of "good" or "bad," "right" and "wrong." We have been trained to see things in this way with associated "rewards" and "punishments."

    While food and certain foods can be quite enjoyable (and it probably requires a certain quality of enjoyment), seeing food as fuel for the body can be useful way of viewing eating. While it may be true that a calorie is a calorie as far as the body is concerned, what it takes to make that calorie useful and available is something that we generally overlook. Looking at food as fuel and food choices as fuel choices is a different way of viewing things.

    Thus, too much of certain foods can have effects that aren't really what we would choose for ourselves if we really thought about it.

    For example, MFP makes certain recommendations on things like protein, carbohydrates, and fats. It further breaks some of these down to things like sugars, fiber, or type of fats. From those recommendations we can make choices about the mix of foods and the importance of those recommendations. Where things fall short is accounting for the difference between what the body does to process high-fructose corn syrup versus a simple sugar. Both end up as a simple sugar for the body to use but that doesn't tell you anything about the internal pathways for the body. That's a choice that you have to make.

    Just some "food for thought."
  • rocknlotsofrolls
    rocknlotsofrolls Posts: 418 Member
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    eating food (bad food) makes you feel so good in the long term. do it over and over and you jump the track and start heading down the wrong path....and then its so hard to get back on the right track all over again. I'm trying to get back on but so so hard.

    I know exactly what you mean. Most people should relate or they would not have a weight problem in the first place.
    For me, I try to make at least 80% of my diet filling foods with protein and fat, and allow 20% of junk to keep me from bingeing.
    This is the only thing that has helped.
    There is no way I could control myself if I did not include foods like eggs, meat, peanut butter, etc. I hate being hungry.
    Best of luck to you!
  • perrinjoshua
    perrinjoshua Posts: 286 Member
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    I think in my case, what I have been struggling with lately, now that I am at maintenance, is not necessarily "good" or "bad" foods. What I am struggling with is my "trigger" foods. The foods that I have always had a hard time saying no to. The fact that in moderation they would not create a weight issue for me is very real, however, that said, once I have starting bringing these trigger foods back into my diet, my sense of proportion goes out the window and I just want more. It could be what is considered "junk" food by some, fast food, processed food, fried food, etc. It doesn't really matter. What matters is if the particular food sets off my trigger to increase my pleasure and by doing so, overindulging. Retraining myself to avoid these triggers is difficult because my body is reacting to these foods in a way very much like a person addicted to alcohol or drugs would react. Moderation is key and when it comes to food I am not advocating that we cut out any particular food, just realize that in some instances "moderation" is a hard to come by reality and everyone has to know their triggers. What I believe I have gained over the past 10 months is that I now know that these periods of over indulging can be brought to a halt, it just may take some time to get back on track so to speak. Good luck on your journey.
  • vslnrunner
    vslnrunner Posts: 164 Member
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    Two weeks makes or breaks a habit
  • KimiSteinbach
    KimiSteinbach Posts: 224 Member
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    tag for later reading
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
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    I assume what you refer to as "bad food" are foods high in fat/calorie and low in nutritional value. While these can be part of your diet if you include them in a balanced way, I get the general idea of what you're saying.

    Do they really even feel good in the short term though? My body usually feels kinda icky a few minutes after eating something really greasy, for example. I don't know why I still go for those kinds of foods. Maybe just because they TASTE good.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    1. there's no such thing as bad food.... there are balanced diets and unbalanced diets and any food can be a part of a balanced diet

    2. eating foods that you enjoy isn't the start of a slippery slope, not if you can learn to enjoy them in moderation. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1042954-moderation-is-a-basic-life-skill Even if you think that moderation isn't something you're good at.... it is a skill that can be learned and it's well worth learning it. Not everyone learned it in childhood but it's never too late.

    ETA: seriously, learning to enjoy "bad" foods in moderation is a lot easier and makes you a lot happier than being trapped in a cycle between restriction and eating "bad" foods in excess.
    Exactly this.

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