Not eating for pleasure
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I haven't generally seen it either, but in this thread we have: "The reason anybody is overweight is because they get so excited about stimulating their taste buds."
I actually disagree (as indicated above). One reason I was overweight was because I ate thoughtlessly, neither focused on food as fuel nor food as really pleasurable. I did too much mindless eating or ate for other reasons (to justify a break) or for emotional soothing (which is different than for pleasure, IMO).
Whenever I focus on eating for true pleasure, on making sure my meals are worth the calories, I tend to eat better. (And I definitely consider that consistent with eating for fuel.)0 -
I agree that shame about enjoying food keeps us from creating good food traditions.
We freak out about how to diet on feast days, then feast on days that aren't meant for feasting. We permasnack all damn day on stuff that's marketed to us because we're never ever supposed to feel the slightest hunger, then we don't enjoy simple meals because we're not HUNGRY for them. (A basic salad when you're genuinely hungry can be AMAZING)
Then we get told we're lazy gluttons for enjoying a meal? That's crap. Yeah, eating is one of the pleasures in life, but that doesn't mean go overboard with it any more than... well, sex...
Blake was an idiot. The road of excess does NOT lead to the palace of wisdom.
But shame in life pleasures is just as excessive as gluttony.0 -
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kommodevaran wrote: »Why? And how does it work out?
I see quite often people in here stating that they now eat only to fuel their bodies, not for pleasure. Are those the same people who used to be overweight? And eat for pleasure then? How can you just switch? Isn't that a recipe for disaster...? Making it sooo easy to slip back to old habits? I am eating both for health and for pleasure now, trying to be sensible and kind to myself at the same time. I cook most of my meals from scratch, and they all taste delicious. I never eat anything I don't like, but I don't eat everything I like at once either.
I flippin' love food! I also use it for fuel. As long as I use my brain when eating, I can and do have the best of both worlds.0 -
If you've ever seen the portion sizes in very expensive restaurants, you'll understand one reason why "foodies" are not usually overweight. Being a foodie is not about being a glutton. It's about enjoying extremely high quality, very flavorful food, often unusual in taste and origin, or with unusual combinations. When you have a meal packed with so much exquisite flavor, you don't need a large portion to enjoy it.
Also, foodies eat mindfully, and are less prone to overeating for that reason.
(And yes, I'm a foodie. Currently have a butternut squash and goat cheese gratin in the oven, while marinating my miso-ginger mahi mahi. I can't freaking wait for lunch!)0 -
I choose a combination of foods. 90% of the time, I choose foods that are good fuel for my body, but I do also indulge in some foods I find pleasurable. Why? Because I'm only going to live once. I understand that in order to live a long, happy, healthy life, I need to make changes in my life. But, at the same time, I realize that if I never treat myself to foods I find pleasurable, I'm going to miss out on some of the experiences that make life great. For example, if traveling, of course I'm going to try new foods that are common in the area I'm traveling in. And, if they have something that may not be the healthiest, but I'd like to try it, I'm not going to tell myself "no". I'm going to watch everything I eat though, and be careful not to let those pleasurable foods throw me off my path.0
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I think they just find a different set of priorities. Food is still a source of pleasure for me, and I find nothing wrong with that, but some people just start thinking about it differently. Sometimes I think it may be easier their way.0
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Today I forced myself to eat Ezekiel almond sprouted whole grain cereal. I just tried really hard to switch my brain off while eating because it is really tasteless. I knew it was good for me and would fill me up, so I was definitely trying to eat just to fuel my body.0
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Today I forced myself to eat Ezekiel almond sprouted whole grain cereal. I just tried really hard to switch my brain off while eating because it is really tasteless. I knew it was good for me and would fill me up, so I was definitely trying to eat just to fuel my body.
Was there some particular combination of macros in that cereal that you were unable to find in something more palatable?
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Today I forced myself to eat Ezekiel almond sprouted whole grain cereal. I just tried really hard to switch my brain off while eating because it is really tasteless. I knew it was good for me and would fill me up, so I was definitely trying to eat just to fuel my body.
god lord.
but why??
don't they have wawa's near you- or sheets? or dunkin? or a grocery store?
- anything?0 -
I do both. For me, breakfast and lunch are simply fuel (but I still eat things I like ok). Dinner might be fuel or it might be good or a combination. Most importantly, I save calories every night to eat snacks, because that is what I like best.
I have to eat a lot more protein than before I started this, so I've had to acclimate to the idea of eating very monotonously to have calories in the evenings, and for breakfast and lunch that is something I can do forever. I put my interest into the evening.
I do the same thing. To be honest, I'm also a lazy cook so part of it is taking the easy way out when cooking. Breakfast and lunch are "reasonably OK tasting and filling and easy to take to work" and dinner is usually something I actually enjoy eating.0 -
feisty_bucket wrote: »
I bet it's largely that a lot of people are really, really excited to eat. Unhealthily stoked, you could say. Rabidly enthused. Foodies are food hobbyists, and I think their attitude is often dysfunctional and enabling.
I disagree. I became overweight largely (there were many factors of course) because I was mindless about my eating. No pleasure, no real sensation whatsover, just shoveling whatever was handy into my face hole. Typically while watching TV.
Today, I give real thought to creating food that is healthy, tasty, sensuous and that looks great on the plate. I find myself eating less but being more satisfied and, just as importantly, satiated.
Mindful eating exercises have also been used in clinical weight loss settings to great effect.
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Today I forced myself to eat Ezekiel almond sprouted whole grain cereal. I just tried really hard to switch my brain off while eating because it is really tasteless. I knew it was good for me and would fill me up, so I was definitely trying to eat just to fuel my body.
I don't do this. I've actually gotten a lot more reluctant to eat foods I don't like since I've been watching my calories. (I like lots of nutrient-dense foods like vegetables, though, so it's somewhat easy for me.)
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lemurcat12 wrote: »Given that America has little food culture, and plenty of "foodies" (who aren't exactly free from mockery by general American culture) are actually less likely to be overweight than the average American (which is about income and subculture, not virtue), blaming obesity in the US on foodies seems crazy.
In particular, food marketing in the US tends to promote size and value over taste, and food costs and household expenses on food is less in the US than thinner Europe and various other well-off countries. France and Italy and Spain are all much more developed food cultures than the US, and yet not as fat.
Nail, meet head.
I think the feistybucket and Sevendust912 have incorrect notions of what "foodie" actually means.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »Given that America has little food culture, and plenty of "foodies" (who aren't exactly free from mockery by general American culture) are actually less likely to be overweight than the average American (which is about income and subculture, not virtue), blaming obesity in the US on foodies seems crazy.
In particular, food marketing in the US tends to promote size and value over taste, and food costs and household expenses on food is less in the US than thinner Europe and various other well-off countries. France and Italy and Spain are all much more developed food cultures than the US, and yet not as fat.
Nail, meet head.
I think the feistybucket and Sevendust912 have incorrect notions of what "foodie" actually means.
I'd second both comments above.0 -
Seriously. We're like extremely adventurous food snobs. Sort of...food hipsters, almost (although that idea makes me cringe.)0
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amusedmonkey wrote: »feisty_bucket wrote: »Is food really that interesting? I think foodies are ridiculous. The reason anybody is overweight is because they get so excited about stimulating their taste buds. You see it all over the Thanksgiving threads here: "I ate 8000 calories today, YOLO!!" On a weight-loss forum. WTF.
If food was not interesting or enjoyable, why don't you just take a slab of meat, microwave it and eat it without any additions? Would you be equally happy if you had all your nutrients in pill form or through a tube? The answer is simple: because food IS supposed to be enjoyable. That's how our bodies are built. If food was not innately enjoyable, the art of cooking would not have evolved.
Now there may be some kind of misunderstanding. Some people prefer to eat only when hungry, but that is actually the exact opposite of "eating only to fuel", since the first few bites of food after hunger sits in are the most enjoyable.
There is also the distinction between the feeling of pleasure derived from food and artificially attaching certain feelings to food, like feeling good about yourself when you eat salad, or consider sugar to be the devil that will cause you to instantly gain 15 pounds. Now that I'm against. Once you attach terms like good, bad, guilty, fattening, superfood, comforting.. etc to food, it stops being the simple pleasure it is and moves into the territory of obsession, stress, self-worth measure, and emotional eating.
In my case, eating for joy has helped my weight loss tremendously. In the past I used to eat food just because it's there, even if I didn't care much for it. When someone offered me a doughnut, for example, I used to eat it all without thinking twice, just for the sake of the act of eating. Now when that happens, I simply say "no, thank you". Not because doughnuts are some kind of deadly diet sin, but because I don't like them enough to warrant spending calories on them. Now everything that goes into my mouth, including higher calorie "evil" foods, has to be something I really like and derive pleasure from, since my calorie budget has a limit. And the moment something stops being enjoyable and turns into a mere act of stuffing yet another piece of chips in my mouth, my meal ends there.
I like this. I'm glad I read it.0 -
SnuggleSmacks wrote: »Seriously. We're like extremely adventurous food snobs. Sort of...food hipsters, almost (although that idea makes me cringe.)
out.
out with you.
no hippsters allowed.0 -
Hating on hipsters is a very hipster thing to do...
out.SnuggleSmacks wrote: »Seriously. We're like extremely adventurous food snobs. Sort of...food hipsters, almost (although that idea makes me cringe.)
out with you.
no hippsters allowed.
I don't always eat for pleasure because of lack of budget, time or cooking skill and I think it's weird when people can't seem to be able to deal with inferior quality meals every now and then, but never eating for pleasure is denying yourself a ton of experiences in life...
It's all about balance, IMO.0 -
indeeedddyyyyy
I think the reality is sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do- I can live off bags of veggies + rotesseri chicken and then eggs and cheap bacon.
This week I had to pay board and rent from the same check- which means- E'ello beans and rice.
And no boyfriend to butter up my plate with a sweet steak. I'll live.
Then- when it's not rent/board same check- bring on the steak and wine!!!
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feisty_bucket wrote: »Is food really that interesting? I think foodies are ridiculous. The reason anybody is overweight is because they get so excited about stimulating their taste buds. You see it all over the Thanksgiving threads here: "I ate 8000 calories today, YOLO!!" On a weight-loss forum. WTF.
Being a foodie has nothing to do with stuffing one's face. I'm a foodie...I'm very healthy and very fit. I enjoy food and I enjoy preparing and cooking delicious meals...I enjoy the presentation of food as someone might enjoy a painting. Most true foodies that I know eat far healthier than the average Joe/Jane and generally appreciate a wide variety of things and like to experiment...it has nothing to do with stuffing your face full of *kitten*.
Also, this isn't a weight loss forum...people are here for all kinds of reasons. It's called MyFitnessPal..not MyWeightLossPal.
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Hating on hipsters is a very hipster thing to do...
out.SnuggleSmacks wrote: »Seriously. We're like extremely adventurous food snobs. Sort of...food hipsters, almost (although that idea makes me cringe.)
out with you.
no hippsters allowed.
I don't always eat for pleasure because of lack of budget, time or cooking skill and I think it's weird when people can't seem to be able to deal with inferior quality meals every now and then, but never eating for pleasure is denying yourself a ton of experiences in life...
It's all about balance, IMO.
It's not that I can't deal with inferior meat, but I invest a significant portion of my income toward not having to, because I can and I want to. That doesn't mean I would refuse to eat, for example, Wal-Mart steaks at a friend's house. But it does mean it's easy for me to turn down a Hershey bar (ew!!) and when I get a real chocolate bar, like Vosges or Scharffen Berger, it lasts for days because I will savor it one square at a time.
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You can still enjoy your food without eating more than you require to be sated. If something is super delicious then you can enjoy it twice by saving half for another day or meal.0
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This thread makes me sad. I don't know if I qualify as a "foodie" but I enjoy food, I enjoy cooking it, ordering it in restaurants, eating it, and talking about it. I was never "fat" but definitely overweight, and honestly I probably enjoy food more now that I have lost weight because I am more conscious of it. I wasn't a binge eater or an emotional eater, but I definitely made poor choices because I didn't think about food enough. Now I consider my food carefully, plan my days, make sure to leave room for treats while still meeting my goals. As others have said, maybe I eat less food in total, but I eat more mindfully and that makes it more enjoyable to me.0
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This thread makes me sad. I don't know if I qualify as a "foodie" but I enjoy food, I enjoy cooking it, ordering it in restaurants, eating it, and talking about it. I was never "fat" but definitely overweight, and honestly I probably enjoy food more now that I have lost weight because I am more conscious of it. I wasn't a binge eater or an emotional eater, but I definitely made poor choices because I didn't think about food enough. Now I consider my food carefully, plan my days, make sure to leave room for treats while still meeting my goals. As others have said, maybe I eat less food in total, but I eat more mindfully and that makes it more enjoyable to me.
I'm sorry but if anyone I know qualifies as a food, you, my friend are at least top 3 people. If not top 2.
And I love that.
Thanks... Ironically we were discussing this at Thanksgiving this weekend, my niece commented that I was such a foodie. My sister laughed and said, "knowing how picky of an eater she was and still is - I don't know how she can be called a foodie"
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I was reading this while my taste buds were stimulated. But my belly ran out of room. My taste buds are angry, and we're blaming this thread.
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This thread makes me sad. I don't know if I qualify as a "foodie" but I enjoy food, I enjoy cooking it, ordering it in restaurants, eating it, and talking about it. I was never "fat" but definitely overweight, and honestly I probably enjoy food more now that I have lost weight because I am more conscious of it. I wasn't a binge eater or an emotional eater, but I definitely made poor choices because I didn't think about food enough. Now I consider my food carefully, plan my days, make sure to leave room for treats while still meeting my goals. As others have said, maybe I eat less food in total, but I eat more mindfully and that makes it more enjoyable to me.
Same here. Most of my Pinterest account is made up of (mostly healthy) recipes, and I could spend hours in gourmet food shops. Yet I'm only 10 lbs overweight, and all my health markers are great. My problem has been choosing rich foods with lots of calories, topping my veggies with creamy sauces and cheeses, and eating lots of homemade pasta and bread without regard to portion sizes. I love my dessert, too, but I've never been an everyday dessert person.
I think in many ways that spending the time, money and effort to go after higher quality (and often more expensive) ingredients and investing in the equipment to combine those ingredients effectively has made me much more conscious of the flavor of my food, and I'm far less likely to overindulge in something that I've slaved a little over, or even paid twice as much for. Like the chocolate I mentioned earlier. I'll turn my nose up at a Hershey's bar, but my $7 Scharffen Berger will last a week or more.0 -
I will keep it short! Some people live to eat and others eat to live. Why not just eat to be healthy? MFP is the greatest program on the internet to help any person who truly wants to eat to be healthy.
But why cant it be all of the above? - being healthy doesnt mean not enjoying food.
I dont want to "just eat to be healthy"
I like food.
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