I think I might cry

There is nothing wrong with Chinese food, Love it! (personally I need to watch sodium so I just drink extra water when I choose it). There is no "bad" food, you just need to monitor portions. Keep your choices within your caloric allotment and you're golden.

I understand how you feel! I wanted something "bad" on my birthday, but not too bad. So I decided on Panda Express, teriyaki chicken bowl with white rice. I was salivating by the time we got home, smelling it was pure torture. Then I was so disappointed when it didn't taste as good as I remembered. We had learned to make something similar at home, and I prefer our version now. Much less salt, better portion control, and so much cheaper! We were so miserable after eating that dinner, I won't be going back.

I think it's a good thing! All of the fast food restaurants around us are going to miss our money, we've discovered homemade can be better than eating out. Now I just need to learn how to make a good pizza...

I can understand where you are coming from because some of my favorite foods from before I committed myself to this journey no longer seem to taste like I remember them to taste. Especially Dr. Pepper, I get one now and it tastes way too sweet and syrupy. It is upsetting that you are thinking about it as a treat and you have worked hard to work it into your calorie budget and then it tastes weird to you! I just try to find a new versions of my former comfort foods that are healthy and taste better to my taste buds. As for the seeds, I like to sprinkle a few on my salads everyday.

You might try asking them to hold the sauce or give it to you on the side like a salad. Some chinese restaurants will accomodate. I agree that once you start watching sodium etc things suddenly taste more salty etc. That's not a bad thing, just try experimenting with asking for different service options. It'll be harder on Chinese, but not impossible. Is a lot easier to fix it yourself, however.:happy:

The OP isn't worried about calorie count here. When you start eating healthier, you become more used to that and the favorite thing you used to enjoy now just taste salty and fatty and too sweet and generally gross. But, you remember enjoying them so much and you want to continue to enjoy them, but the taste just isn't the same.

OP, I can totally relate. A coke used to be the best thing ever - crisp and bubbly and refreshing. Now it's like drinking straight syrup. It is so disappointing! Especially when your brain and taste buds are expecting the satisfaction you used to get and it never comes. (I hate the after taste of diet, so that doesn't work for me.) I also planned to have Taco Bell one day (another one that was a favorite of mine) and I couldn't finish what I ordered. It all just tasted horrible.

But, try to find new favorites at your favorite places. For Chinese food, I now prefer things that aren't as heavily breaded like cashew chicken or mushroom chicken. I find myself ordering fish at restaurants I used to go crazy at and really enjoying it. While you're drawn to your usual old favorites, browse the menus and see if there is something else that you might want to try. Best of luck!

[ed: typo]

Yep it's like that. Things you formerly thought were ok or even great, now taste like mashed butt! The solution is to get an Asian cookbook, or google the foods, figure out how to make the foods at home, and then do them in a lighter version. Cooking is a lot of fun, and lightening up favorite recipes is a big triumph. A good recipe site is skinnytaste.com and there is also Cooking Light.

Yes.

Last week.

With Rolos. Man, I just wanted ONE of my kids' pieces of candy. Ewh. Why? Why when I've been craving something sweet does the only thing available have to be.... pedestrian and not fantastic?

I rejoiced when a Costco polish dog tasted greasy and disgusting. Your palate is no longer being overwhelmed by fat and salt. Now you can begin to savor farm- or sea-to-table fresh food, properly seasoned. It's the new yum.

The real issue here seems to be that food used to be a treat for you, but now it is something else. You can no longer turn to it in the same way to give you the feel-goods. At least not the same feel-goods.
Find something else to treat yourself with while you rediscover your relationship with food.

I haven't experienced that yet, I don't think my taste buds have changed one bit, but you don't have to live on rabbit food. Heck, I almost never have rabbit food.