If eating trash makes us sick, why do we keep eating it?
Replies
-
Iwishyouwell wrote: »SnuggleSmacks wrote: »It's an emotional reaction.
That's my experience.
I've done a lot of introspection and pinpointed the psychological and emotional reasons why I've used sweets to sabotage my own progress. The answer to those questions are rooted in places much deeper than my weight and extend to issues that are manifest in other parts of my life.
However the reasons why I chose to not pursue important weight goals doesn't erase the fact that I tend to overeat certain cakes, cookies and ice cream because I just dig the taste.
It's that simple. I keep eating because it tastes damn good to me.
This was reiterated to me recently. This year I started eating a lot of some of those old favorites again. Since I don't consider food "bad" anymore, no matter the content nor the quantity, I don't guilt trip myself anymore over how much I eat. It's typically fine, but admittedly the last few months before October, it was enough to put a little weight back on. I kept "trying" to put a kibosh on it, but kept "failing".
Except that was a lie and rooted in an old way of thinking. Eventually I said to myself 'I'm not stopping because I'm enjoying these foods and I don't want to stop". End of story.
When I finally came round back to the place where I wanted to stop maintaining/slowly gaining, I was back pursuing my goals in the matter of 3 days. The weight I'd put on is almost gone and I'm firing on all cylinders.
The "struggle", for me, is manufactured. It use to just make me feel better about overeating, to suggest that I was in some battle that I fought valiantly, but eventually lost. This mindset helped me gain a lot of weight.
The truth of the matter is that I know exactly what I'm doing, know exactly how to stop, and I simply chose not to. And I owe it to myself to be honest about that with no moral implications.
It's just food.
This is honestly one of the most sensible things I've seen written about overeating on this entire forum. Thank you for sharing this.
0 -
Yes Charlottesometimes, things are changing even if you haven't noticed. Melbourne is especially embracing the healthy food concept.
I'm not sure what this statement means - "Instead of Paleo restaurants (which fortunately I haven't seen), I believe we need greater scientific literacy!" Scientific literacy - we have enough of that, we are drowning in it.
As for Paleo restaurants, here is link to some Cafes if you are ever in Melbourne you can check them out for yourself. Don't knock what you haven't tried.
Melbourne cafe owners are quickly committing to the Paleo cause. Take a look around and you’ll find several of the best cafes in Melbourne offering Paleo menus alongside their mainstream offerings, plus a growing tribe of dedicated Paleo cafes. Offering pancakes to risottos, omelettes to burgers, here’s our guide to the best Paleo cafes in Melbourne. - See more at: http://www.theurbanlist.com/melbourne/a-list/best-paleo-cafes-melbourne#sthash.rgBu0xUm.dpuf
I really don't value the opinion or take a lot of notice of the "scientific and dietetic community" and so their opinion of Pete Evans is irrelevant to me. He doesn't worry me one way or the other. Some of his food is awesome and if more people ate that way, we would have a healthier community. The I Quit Sugar book didn't express me much but it has some merit if it helps people to stop overeating sugar. And make no mistake, society in general eat too much sugar. Sugar is not evil, in fact it is great stuff, just too much of it is a problem.0 -
Paleo risotto makes me laugh. Those hunter gatherers were a canny lot.0
-
-
This content has been removed.
-
–Just because you can does not mean you should. Dieting without exercising is IMO a path to disordered eating...Wrong because you can always control your weight through diet no matter how little exercise you do
Again I respectfully disagree...which makes diet the primary component for success.
Not true. Again, I said within reason. That said, the physical adaptations one experiences from exercise change the game with which the body utilizes calories which again IMO, makes exercise the primary component...You can't out-exercise any diet, which makes exercise a secondary component for success.
–Agreed. More leeway means better compliance which means better success...Of course people who exercise some have a higher rate of success because they have more leeway in their diet. No argument there.
–Something as simple as long walks, hikes, playing with kids to as intense as a marathon or intense weight lifting. It means being active every day. The more advanced society becomes, the lazier IMO we become.Well, OK. Then what exactly does daily exercise mean to you?
–Absolutely disagree. Again, just because you can does not mean you should. Why make it harder on yourself by excluding something you should be doing anyway.Daily exercise is not necessary to keep weight off.
Clearly we're going to disagree on this one, but the notion that losing your weight solely through dieting is a path to disordered eating is just nuts to me. That's exactly how plenty of other people on this site lost their weight. I almost count among this group, except that I was doing slo-fit at the time 1x per wk (so you can figure <100 cals burned). Other than that, I had a desk job. No disordered eating here, unless you count logging. Even that gets dropped on occasion (vacations, holidays, just plain inconvenient).
And frankly, I don't see why you 'should' be exercising 7 days a week. It certainly isn't necessary for health or for weight maintenance. Many don't have to exercise at all and can be healthy and maintain their weight if they watch their diet.
Is it better to exercise? Sure. Always better to be stronger, more flexible, have more endurance, etc. But you can do those things 3, 4 or 5 days a week with at least equal results as someone exercising 7 days a week. And if you're working at high intensity, those days off become important.
Exercise is certainly not necessary for weight loss, or maintenance. There are plenty of people that are unable to exercise due to medical conditions, but they can still lose, or maintain a healthy weight through diet alone. Exercising alone won't do anything to help weight unless you also monitor intake, whether by calorie counting, or other methods. Calories in vs calories out still applies. You SHOULD exercise for optimal health, of course, but again, it's not NECESSARY for weight control. And it's certainly not NECESSARY to exercise EVERY day.
0 -
balance in all things.0
-
"Paleo risotto makes me laugh. Those hunter gatherers were a canny lot".
"I set my short-grain rice traps for weeks before I was able to make risotto!"
lol Actually both funny and clever responses.
Do what I do and drop the hunter gatherer and caveman approach and think more "eat as close to nature as possible" and honestly it all falls into place. We have an amazing variety of food to choose from when you do that and believe me as you get older nutrition is very important.0 -
Yes Charlottesometimes, things are changing even if you haven't noticed. Melbourne is especially embracing the healthy food concept.
I'm not sure what this statement means - "Instead of Paleo restaurants (which fortunately I haven't seen), I believe we need greater scientific literacy!" Scientific literacy - we have enough of that, we are drowning in it.
As for Paleo restaurants, here is link to some Cafes if you are ever in Melbourne you can check them out for yourself. Don't knock what you haven't tried.
Melbourne cafe owners are quickly committing to the Paleo cause. Take a look around and you’ll find several of the best cafes in Melbourne offering Paleo menus alongside their mainstream offerings, plus a growing tribe of dedicated Paleo cafes. Offering pancakes to risottos, omelettes to burgers, here’s our guide to the best Paleo cafes in Melbourne. - See more at: http://www.theurbanlist.com/melbourne/a-list/best-paleo-cafes-melbourne#sthash.rgBu0xUm.dpuf
I really don't value the opinion or take a lot of notice of the "scientific and dietetic community" and so their opinion of Pete Evans is irrelevant to me. He doesn't worry me one way or the other. Some of his food is awesome and if more people ate that way, we would have a healthier community. The I Quit Sugar book didn't express me much but it has some merit if it helps people to stop overeating sugar. And make no mistake, society in general eat too much sugar. Sugar is not evil, in fact it is great stuff, just too much of it is a problem.
I guess you don't understand the meaning of scientific literacy. If people had a better understanding of basic human physiology and biochemistry, there wouldn't be so many Pete followers. What we are really drowning in is pseudoscience.
0 -
What I find interesting is, and please, this is not meant in a disrespectful way to Americans. i love Americans, love their culture and country, so please understand, it's not me saying this....
We often see and hear headlines here in the UK and I believe the same headline has appeared in various European and even Australia. The headline basically goes,
"Britons becoming as obese as Americans"
"UK as fat as America"
And so on.....
Seen that many times. Seems a little unfair that Americans should be the yardstick by which we all measure ourselves.0 -
So I have been having this thought quite frequently lately. I eat a bunch of junk (ie. fast food, candy, sweets, fried foods, etc.) and I feel really crappy afterwards. I feel sick to my stomach and lethargic and I swear that I will make sure that I don't feel this way ever again because it is so horrid. But then comes the next day and it's back to the desire of having all the junk again despite the knowledge of what the result will entail. So how does one break this cycle? I truly have a desire to live a healthy and active lifestyle but I feel like I am self sabotaging and trying to fulfill my subconscious self prophecy that I will fail. What are y'alls thoughts on this subject? If you have had any experiences dealing with this issue I'd love to hear about it.
Because its available - its convenient and it cheap.
And because most people (not including most of the people on these forums) don't understand the consequences of over indulgence.
Junk food in moderation is fine, but a lot of peoples ideas of moderation are not really moderation!0 -
tennisdude2004 wrote: »So I have been having this thought quite frequently lately. I eat a bunch of junk (ie. fast food, candy, sweets, fried foods, etc.) and I feel really crappy afterwards. I feel sick to my stomach and lethargic and I swear that I will make sure that I don't feel this way ever again because it is so horrid. But then comes the next day and it's back to the desire of having all the junk again despite the knowledge of what the result will entail. So how does one break this cycle? I truly have a desire to live a healthy and active lifestyle but I feel like I am self sabotaging and trying to fulfill my subconscious self prophecy that I will fail. What are y'alls thoughts on this subject? If you have had any experiences dealing with this issue I'd love to hear about it.
Because its available - its convenient and it cheap.
And because most people (not including most of the people on these forums) don't understand the consequences of over indulgence.
Junk food in moderation is fine, but a lot of peoples ideas of moderation are not really moderation!
This is so true. When I eat things now, I try to stick to one portion, especially if it's not lean protein or vegetables. Most people would gawk at one serving of chips, and it really isn't much...but when you add some lean protein, tomatoes, and an oz of cheese, you've got some really tasty nachos!0 -
SnuggleSmacks wrote: »This is honestly one of the most sensible things I've seen written about overeating on this entire forum. Thank you for sharing this.
Wow, thank you, I appreciate hearing that.0 -
What I find interesting is, and please, this is not meant in a disrespectful way to Americans. i love Americans, love their culture and country, so please understand, it's not me saying this....
We often see and hear headlines here in the UK and I believe the same headline has appeared in various European and even Australia. The headline basically goes,
"Britons becoming as obese as Americans"
"UK as fat as America"
And so on.....
Seen that many times. Seems a little unfair that Americans should be the yardstick by which we all measure ourselves.
We are just way ahead when it comes to fatness. Keep trying, you can catch up!0 -
This content has been removed.
-
Iwishyouwell wrote: »SnuggleSmacks wrote: »It's an emotional reaction.
That's my experience.
I've done a lot of introspection and pinpointed the psychological and emotional reasons why I've used sweets to sabotage my own progress. The answer to those questions are rooted in places much deeper than my weight and extend to issues that are manifest in other parts of my life.
However the reasons why I chose to not pursue important weight goals doesn't erase the fact that I tend to overeat certain cakes, cookies and ice cream because I just dig the taste.
It's that simple. I keep eating because it tastes damn good to me.
This was reiterated to me recently. This year I started eating a lot of some of those old favorites again. Since I don't consider food "bad" anymore, no matter the content nor the quantity, I don't guilt trip myself anymore over how much I eat. It's typically fine, but admittedly the last few months before October, it was enough to put a little weight back on. I kept "trying" to put a kibosh on it, but kept "failing".
Except that was a lie and rooted in an old way of thinking. Eventually I said to myself 'I'm not stopping because I'm enjoying these foods and I don't want to stop". End of story.
When I finally came round back to the place where I wanted to stop maintaining/slowly gaining, I was back pursuing my goals in the matter of 3 days. The weight I'd put on is almost gone and I'm firing on all cylinders.
The "struggle", for me, is manufactured. It use to just make me feel better about overeating, to suggest that I was in some battle that I fought valiantly, but eventually lost. This mindset helped me gain a lot of weight.
The truth of the matter is that I know exactly what I'm doing, know exactly how to stop, and I simply chose not to. And I owe it to myself to be honest about that with no moral implications.
It's just food.
Really good post here, as was your other post. The bolded is what I've come to terms with as well, once I started being honest about it and stopped trying to save face. I wasn't kidding anyone but myself anyway.
0 -
*sigh* at people using Wikipedia as a research source. There's a reason it's not allowed for college research papers, people. Anyone and everyone can add and alter the data at anytime, so it isn't exactly accurate.
Sigh at dismissing everything Wikipedia has to say because it's not a primary resource. You realize that Wikipedia is more accurate than most other online encyclopedias, right?
Wikipedia articles in this sample scored higher altogether in each of the three languages, and fared particularly well in categories of accuracy and references. As the report notes, the English Wikipedia fared well in this sample against Encyclopaedia Britannica in terms of accuracy, references and overall judgement, with little differences between the two on style and overall quality score.”
http://library.blogs.delaware.gov/2013/05/05/is-wikipedia-a-reliable-source/
The fact that Wikipedia is not a reliable source for academic research doesn't mean that it's wrong to use basic reference materials when you're trying to familiarize yourself with a topic. In fact, the library is stocked with introductory materials, and the Harvard librarians can point you to specialized encyclopedias in different fields. These sources can be particularly useful when you need background information or context for a topic you're writing about.
http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k70847&pageid=icb.page346376
0 -
I will eat that stuff when I am stressed. I wonder if it means I am secretly trying to commit a slow suicide when I eat it. I never want any junk food because of how it makes me feel sick and lethargic , until I am stressed to the max.0
-
Is it better to exercise? Sure. Always better to be stronger, more flexible, have more endurance, etc. But you can do those things 3, 4 or 5 days a week with at least equal results as someone exercising 7 days a week. And if you're working at high intensity, those days off become important.
Agreed. Remember, I said exercise could be as intense as weight lifting and a marathon or as casual as a long walk. I just believe we should be active every day. Wether it be purposeful exercise or NEAT.
0 -
–Just because you can does not mean you should. Dieting without exercising is IMO a path to disordered eating...Wrong because you can always control your weight through diet no matter how little exercise you do
Again I respectfully disagree...which makes diet the primary component for success.
Not true. Again, I said within reason. That said, the physical adaptations one experiences from exercise change the game with which the body utilizes calories which again IMO, makes exercise the primary component...You can't out-exercise any diet, which makes exercise a secondary component for success.
–Agreed. More leeway means better compliance which means better success...Of course people who exercise some have a higher rate of success because they have more leeway in their diet. No argument there.
–Something as simple as long walks, hikes, playing with kids to as intense as a marathon or intense weight lifting. It means being active every day. The more advanced society becomes, the lazier IMO we become.Well, OK. Then what exactly does daily exercise mean to you?
–Absolutely disagree. Again, just because you can does not mean you should. Why make it harder on yourself by excluding something you should be doing anyway.Daily exercise is not necessary to keep weight off.
Clearly we're going to disagree on this one, but the notion that losing your weight solely through dieting is a path to disordered eating is just nuts to me. That's exactly how plenty of other people on this site lost their weight. I almost count among this group, except that I was doing slo-fit at the time 1x per wk (so you can figure <100 cals burned). Other than that, I had a desk job. No disordered eating here, unless you count logging. Even that gets dropped on occasion (vacations, holidays, just plain inconvenient).
And frankly, I don't see why you 'should' be exercising 7 days a week. It certainly isn't necessary for health or for weight maintenance. Many don't have to exercise at all and can be healthy and maintain their weight if they watch their diet.
Is it better to exercise? Sure. Always better to be stronger, more flexible, have more endurance, etc. But you can do those things 3, 4 or 5 days a week with at least equal results as someone exercising 7 days a week. And if you're working at high intensity, those days off become important.
Exercise is certainly not necessary for weight loss, or maintenance. There are plenty of people that are unable to exercise due to medical conditions, but they can still lose, or maintain a healthy weight through diet alone. Exercising alone won't do anything to help weight unless you also monitor intake, whether by calorie counting, or other methods. Calories in vs calories out still applies. You SHOULD exercise for optimal health, of course, but again, it's not NECESSARY for weight control. And it's certainly not NECESSARY to exercise EVERY day.
Daily physical activity is the foundation of energy balance...
0 -
Is it better to exercise? Sure. Always better to be stronger, more flexible, have more endurance, etc. But you can do those things 3, 4 or 5 days a week with at least equal results as someone exercising 7 days a week. And if you're working at high intensity, those days off become important.
Agreed. Remember, I said exercise could be as intense as weight lifting and a marathon or as casual as a long walk. I just believe we should be active every day. Wether it be purposeful exercise or NEAT.
I think the biggest contributor to my recent consistent weight loss has been increasing my NEAT. Love my fitbit as I keep trying to find ways to add more steps to my day.0 -
–Just because you can does not mean you should. Dieting without exercising is IMO a path to disordered eating...Wrong because you can always control your weight through diet no matter how little exercise you do
Again I respectfully disagree...which makes diet the primary component for success.
Not true. Again, I said within reason. That said, the physical adaptations one experiences from exercise change the game with which the body utilizes calories which again IMO, makes exercise the primary component...You can't out-exercise any diet, which makes exercise a secondary component for success.
–Agreed. More leeway means better compliance which means better success...Of course people who exercise some have a higher rate of success because they have more leeway in their diet. No argument there.
–Something as simple as long walks, hikes, playing with kids to as intense as a marathon or intense weight lifting. It means being active every day. The more advanced society becomes, the lazier IMO we become.Well, OK. Then what exactly does daily exercise mean to you?
–Absolutely disagree. Again, just because you can does not mean you should. Why make it harder on yourself by excluding something you should be doing anyway.Daily exercise is not necessary to keep weight off.
Clearly we're going to disagree on this one, but the notion that losing your weight solely through dieting is a path to disordered eating is just nuts to me. That's exactly how plenty of other people on this site lost their weight. I almost count among this group, except that I was doing slo-fit at the time 1x per wk (so you can figure <100 cals burned). Other than that, I had a desk job. No disordered eating here, unless you count logging. Even that gets dropped on occasion (vacations, holidays, just plain inconvenient).
And frankly, I don't see why you 'should' be exercising 7 days a week. It certainly isn't necessary for health or for weight maintenance. Many don't have to exercise at all and can be healthy and maintain their weight if they watch their diet.
Is it better to exercise? Sure. Always better to be stronger, more flexible, have more endurance, etc. But you can do those things 3, 4 or 5 days a week with at least equal results as someone exercising 7 days a week. And if you're working at high intensity, those days off become important.
Exercise is certainly not necessary for weight loss, or maintenance. There are plenty of people that are unable to exercise due to medical conditions, but they can still lose, or maintain a healthy weight through diet alone. Exercising alone won't do anything to help weight unless you also monitor intake, whether by calorie counting, or other methods. Calories in vs calories out still applies. You SHOULD exercise for optimal health, of course, but again, it's not NECESSARY for weight control. And it's certainly not NECESSARY to exercise EVERY day.
Daily physical activity is the foundation of energy balance...
Physical activity is necessary to help prevent muscle atrophy. Even if it isn't necessary to exercise daily , it is necessary to move your body in some way or another. Regardless if you are bed bound or chair bound, your muscle need to be used . Losing weight doesn't always mean it will improve health. Attempting to be active in any way possible increases the possibilities for better health and to prevent healthy decline.0 -
Is it better to exercise? Sure. Always better to be stronger, more flexible, have more endurance, etc. But you can do those things 3, 4 or 5 days a week with at least equal results as someone exercising 7 days a week. And if you're working at high intensity, those days off become important.
Agreed. Remember, I said exercise could be as intense as weight lifting and a marathon or as casual as a long walk. I just believe we should be active every day. Wether it be purposeful exercise or NEAT.
I think the biggest contributor to my recent consistent weight loss has been increasing my NEAT. Love my fitbit as I keep trying to find ways to add more steps to my day.
0 -
TheRealKit wrote: »
–Just because you can does not mean you should. Dieting without exercising is IMO a path to disordered eating...Wrong because you can always control your weight through diet no matter how little exercise you do
Again I respectfully disagree...which makes diet the primary component for success.
Not true. Again, I said within reason. That said, the physical adaptations one experiences from exercise change the game with which the body utilizes calories which again IMO, makes exercise the primary component...You can't out-exercise any diet, which makes exercise a secondary component for success.
–Agreed. More leeway means better compliance which means better success...Of course people who exercise some have a higher rate of success because they have more leeway in their diet. No argument there.
–Something as simple as long walks, hikes, playing with kids to as intense as a marathon or intense weight lifting. It means being active every day. The more advanced society becomes, the lazier IMO we become.Well, OK. Then what exactly does daily exercise mean to you?
–Absolutely disagree. Again, just because you can does not mean you should. Why make it harder on yourself by excluding something you should be doing anyway.Daily exercise is not necessary to keep weight off.
Clearly we're going to disagree on this one, but the notion that losing your weight solely through dieting is a path to disordered eating is just nuts to me. That's exactly how plenty of other people on this site lost their weight. I almost count among this group, except that I was doing slo-fit at the time 1x per wk (so you can figure <100 cals burned). Other than that, I had a desk job. No disordered eating here, unless you count logging. Even that gets dropped on occasion (vacations, holidays, just plain inconvenient).
And frankly, I don't see why you 'should' be exercising 7 days a week. It certainly isn't necessary for health or for weight maintenance. Many don't have to exercise at all and can be healthy and maintain their weight if they watch their diet.
Is it better to exercise? Sure. Always better to be stronger, more flexible, have more endurance, etc. But you can do those things 3, 4 or 5 days a week with at least equal results as someone exercising 7 days a week. And if you're working at high intensity, those days off become important.
Exercise is certainly not necessary for weight loss, or maintenance. There are plenty of people that are unable to exercise due to medical conditions, but they can still lose, or maintain a healthy weight through diet alone. Exercising alone won't do anything to help weight unless you also monitor intake, whether by calorie counting, or other methods. Calories in vs calories out still applies. You SHOULD exercise for optimal health, of course, but again, it's not NECESSARY for weight control. And it's certainly not NECESSARY to exercise EVERY day.
Daily physical activity is the foundation of energy balance...
Physical activity is necessary to help prevent muscle atrophy. Even if it isn't necessary to exercise daily , it is necessary to move your body in some way or another. Regardless if you are bed bound or chair bound, your muscle need to be used . Losing weight doesn't always mean it will improve health. Attempting to be active in any way possible increases the possibilities for better health and to prevent healthy decline.
+1
0 -
"Paleo risotto makes me laugh. Those hunter gatherers were a canny lot".
"I set my short-grain rice traps for weeks before I was able to make risotto!"
lol Actually both funny and clever responses.
Do what I do and drop the hunter gatherer and caveman approach and think more "eat as close to nature as possible" and honestly it all falls into place. We have an amazing variety of food to choose from when you do that and believe me as you get older nutrition is very important.
I know and have actually worked the process of rice harvest, dehulling and polishing which is required for risotto rice.
It's an involved process, and not what a food nut would call "natural".0 -
tennisdude2004 wrote: »
Because its available - its convenient and it cheap.
And because most people (not including most of the people on these forums) don't understand the consequences of over indulgence.
Junk food in moderation is fine, but a lot of peoples ideas of moderation are not really moderation!
I am so happy you have appeared on this discussion and the other discussion. I really appreciate your level-headedness and willingness to discuss these issues with composure and calmness.
0 -
This content has been removed.
-
Is that what you mean by you being level headed and us not?
OMG so many things wrong with this.
I was complimenting someone on their post. How could you have possibly interpreted that as 1. it was an insult to you, and 2. I was claiming to be level-headed in a post on another thread?
Try this one on for size:
The sky is blue today!
What does that mean to you? That I insulted your mother and am claiming to be a rocket scientist?-2 -
0
-
DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Is that what you mean by you being level headed and us not?
OMG so many things wrong with this.
I was complimenting someone on their post. How could you have possibly interpreted that as 1. it was an insult to you, and 2. I was claiming to be level-headed in a post on another thread?
Try this one on for size:
The sky is blue today!
What does that mean to you? That I insulted your mother and am claiming to be a rocket scientist?
LOL, seriously, you can't hope to win.
They will pick that apart, misinterpret, misquote, take out of context and mock you for saying such foolish things which don't fit in with what the crowd thinks.-1
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 427 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions