Sometimes, I have a hard time relating...

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  • vnvdvci
    vnvdvci Posts: 16
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    This mostly happens with sugar for me. If I've been cutting down on sugar, once I eat sugar again I get this saggy feeling all over my skin (even if it's not really sagging) and generally feel uncomfortable. Not to mention the jittery twitching. Then I feel blah-ish for the rest of the day.

    Salty and greasy foods, however, have zero effect on me. Except for me feeling faint if I go without salt. Low blood pressure! :)

    Maybe the grossness people feel when they switch back is all the simple carbs and sugars that tend to accompany processed foods, and then they attribute it to the fast food in general. I noticed someone said they didn't feel a difference when they went off a raw diet to processed food, but don't raw diets include a TON of fruit? In other words, a lot of simple sugars (yes, more nutrients from fruit, but I saw a sample raw menu once and...yeah, a lot of fruit)? Meanwhile, someone "eating clean", living off yogurt, green beans and chicken breasts and brown rice (and etc) with the occasional fruit has lower sugar levels in their system at any given time. Having a burger and a milkshake, with all those refined carbs, probably is a huge jolt to the system.

    Just a thought, maybe.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I have a hard time relating to food guilt. I look at a food splurge the way I look at a nap. If I didn't need it (either physically or emotionally) I wouldn't have taken it. One splurge isn't going to undo weeks of good eating. Just like an occasional nap doesn't mean I'm lazy. Feeling like I screwed up is more likely to derail me than anything I eat.

    The only time I've ever felt "Oh, why did I eat that?!" is when I've had gas and cramps from Fiber One bars. :embarassed:

    I do get a much bigger sugar rush from desserts than I used to, but I kinda enjoyed that. :laugh:
  • Tree72
    Tree72 Posts: 942 Member
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    I do sometimes physically feel bad after eating bad foods, but it's usually for one of two reasons. One, it's easier to eat larger portions without realizing it. So sometimes I'm just in pain from stuffing my stomach. It's not really the food, just the quantity. Second, since I've been eating healthier I'm much more aware of the effect sugar has on my mood and energy levels. If I eat lots of sugar or simple carbs I'll get a big rush followed by a crash a couple of hours later. That roller-coaster effect can definitely make me feel yucky and sometimes cause headaches.

    Also, different people react differently to foods. I've never been able to eat much in the way of processed meats due to the preservatives. No matter how good they might taste, they give me significant issues. If it's a high enough load of preservatives, like in hot dogs, it just won't even stay down. My body flat out rejects them. So some people might have allergy or sensitivity issues to certain ingredients that are common in some "bad" foods.

    There's one other thing I've considered too. Some of us who've been quite obese really learned to ignore lots of things about our bodies. We were eating for emotional reasons and didn't want to notice how bad some foods always made us feel. Now that we're on the journey to better health we're much more conscious of and willing to listen to all the things our bodies are telling us. So there wasn't really a change due to a clean diet, just an altered level of awareness.
  • swinginchandra
    swinginchandra Posts: 418 Member
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    I agree with what most everyone (including you), has said so far about this!
    I must say, I feel the same way as you do. I don't really feel 'yucky' when I eat processed foods. I've always eaten fairly clean, and never had a problem with an occasional fast food meal causing issues. Honestly I think the problem is mostly psychological, now sometimes if I eat a huge cheat meal, I'm more pissed with myself than I am physically affected by it. Reasonable cheat meals, are fine.

    That having been said, I did notice something recently I never had before. After almost 6 mos of virtually no sweets (I really don't have a sweet tooth, so it hasn't been worth it to me to work into the diet), I recently had some cookies / cheat type of things, thinking 'no big deal at all' - but I've found now, when I'm so unaccustomed to this type of thing, that the addition of even a little of it back into my diet has made me crave it ALL THE TIME! So yah... that's my story. Also, I over my 4th of july weekend, I ate fast food, and diet sodas and stuff, for the first time really since my diet began, and the day after the trip, (TMI Alert) I couldn't get off the toilet... don't know if it's related, just saying.

    So yah, what people have been saying. It's not a big deal if you do it semi-regularily, or even occasionally. If you literally never do it, a processed meal can feel like the second day of low-carbing. (IE, CRAP)
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    I have to say I have no ill effects from a balanced amount of anything, including "unhealthy" food so long as it's a treat and not an everyday occurrence. It's all carbohydrate, fat and protein which the body uses for energy and repairs.

    For every few days I eat healthily I'll have a curry or a sausage, bacon and egg fry-up. During a stressful day at work I'll have a lowish-calorie (but not "diet") chocolate bar, which, heaven forfend, gives me a boost an apple never would to get my brain working again.

    I do bloat up if I have loads of bread and pasta in a day, but to be honest that was when I was eating a lot of everything - staying within MFP limits means I never eat so much I get affected any more. So it may or may not be an intolerance, but it's easily managed by not stuffing my face with it. Though I suspect my formerly tight waistbands weren't helping the pain and bloating either!

    I certainly don't get a "food hangover" from eating "bad" food, never a second of guilt, and so long as I stay under MFP calories on average over a week and get the nutrients I need, the weight's still coming off and I have plenty enough energy to work out any time of day I decide.
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
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    I think it because some people are crazy and you are not.
  • vnvdvci
    vnvdvci Posts: 16
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    I do sometimes physically feel bad after eating bad foods, but it's usually for one of two reasons. One, it's easier to eat larger portions without realizing it. So sometimes I'm just in pain from stuffing my stomach. It's not really the food, just the quantity. Second, since I've been eating healthier I'm much more aware of the effect sugar has on my mood and energy levels. If I eat lots of sugar or simple carbs I'll get a big rush followed by a crash a couple of hours later. That roller-coaster effect can definitely make me feel yucky and sometimes cause headaches.

    Also, different people react differently to foods. I've never been able to eat much in the way of processed meats due to the preservatives. No matter how good they might taste, they give me significant issues. If it's a high enough load of preservatives, like in hot dogs, it just won't even stay down. My body flat out rejects them. So some people might have allergy or sensitivity issues to certain ingredients that are common in some "bad" foods.

    There's one other thing I've considered too. Some of us who've been quite obese really learned to ignore lots of things about our bodies. We were eating for emotional reasons and didn't want to notice how bad some foods always made us feel. Now that we're on the journey to better health we're much more conscious of and willing to listen to all the things our bodies are telling us. So there wasn't really a change due to a clean diet, just an altered level of awareness.

    Oh yeah I forgot about processed meats. It's been so long since I had icky packaged ham! That stuff used to make me feel blah-ish too, especially if it's the really cheap kind. High end Spanish and Italian hams are "processed" I guess, but I don't know, maybe the decadence and the lightness of my wallet makes me giddy enough to counteract it!
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
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    I think it because some people are crazy and you are not.

    >Oh no, every now and again I get a little psycho... just not psychosomatic! :P<
  • clw_888
    clw_888 Posts: 157 Member
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    I think everyone's body is different. I used to be able to eat anything I wanted and never feel sick or gross. That was before I had my first baby. Since, my body has changed. I can still enjoy any sugary and sweet foods I want with no problem. It is the greasy stuff that gets me...especially food from restaurants! If I eat a greasy burger or something...then it is stomach cramps and all the bad things that go with that. I really think everyone's body reacts to different foods differently. Artificial sweeteners have always made me sick - migraines. It really is all about listening to your body! As for guilt - I don't feel guilty if I eat something bad or not on my healthy food plan. I enjoy every single bite and just know that I won't see the scale move like I want for having done so.

    IMO, those of us who have SEVERE guilt over eating bad foods don't necessarily have the healthiest thought processes. If you eat something terrible, you are conscious of it before, during and after you do it. If you ate it, own up to it and move on! Exercise more, drink more water and make better choices for your NEXT meal or snack. Get back on track right away! We are all human and we can't be perfect all the time!
  • think48
    think48 Posts: 366 Member
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    To be truthful, the mind is a very powerful thing. Except for things like allergies and intolerances and stuff, I think you can convince yourself to feel gross and bloated and yucky after eating certain foods, as a reminder to not eat it. If you WANT to feel guilty about eating something, then you do. If you DON'T, then you don't. If you WANT to feel gross, then you focus on those little gross feelings. If you don't want to feel gross, you don't notice those little gross feelings.
  • clynch08
    clynch08 Posts: 6
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    everyones body is soo different on we react to foods. just consider yourself lucky you dont have any wierd feeling after something you eat.
  • spatticus
    spatticus Posts: 230 Member
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    once you've stayed away from unhealthy/processed/fast food long enough you will relate! I don't eat a lot of red meat and its been that way for a few years. Now when I eat it I feel pretty terrible. Once your body is used to the good stuff and you realize how good you could feel, you won't want to go back. But just cutting soda isn't going to do it.
  • spatticus
    spatticus Posts: 230 Member
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    When you eat healthy for so long unhealthy food makes you feel horrible, sluggish, headaches, sick to your stomach, lack of energy, etc. which makes it much easier to stay away from it.

    Playing devil's advocate here, then why, when I'm feeling awesome and all of my tests from the doctor come in swimmingly well and I'm pretty fit, do I want to increase the chances of me feeling like poop. From a logistical standpoint, it seems better for me to keep my diet moderate.

    What do you mean increase your chances of feeling bad? Just don't eat the stuff and you won't feel bad...are you saying there's no way of possibly staying away from fast food so why even try? I dont understand.
  • TK421NotAtPost
    TK421NotAtPost Posts: 512 Member
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    You're young and you run marathons. :smile:

    Hehe, to be honest, I'm sort of in the same boat as you. I actually feel fine after eating junk or semi-junk...as long I'm not gorging on Oreos or sugary sweets.

    I think the bigger issue behind why "some" people don't feel so well after eating junk is because of a confounding factor...namely calories consumed.

    A better way to put this in context is to compare clean vs. unclean meals while keeping total calories and macronutrient breakdowns within the same ballpark. One is obviously going to feel different after eating 500 calories in Oreos vs. 500 calories in organic grass fed beef with broccoli on the side.

    As long as calories are reasonable, the way your body reacts to food is determined more by macro-nutrient content and total calories rather than the source of the food.
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
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    When you eat healthy for so long unhealthy food makes you feel horrible, sluggish, headaches, sick to your stomach, lack of energy, etc. which makes it much easier to stay away from it.

    Playing devil's advocate here, then why, when I'm feeling awesome and all of my tests from the doctor come in swimmingly well and I'm pretty fit, do I want to increase the chances of me feeling like poop. From a logistical standpoint, it seems better for me to keep my diet moderate.

    What do you mean increase your chances of feeling bad? Just don't eat the stuff and you won't feel bad...are you saying there's no way of possibly staying away from fast food so why even try? I dont understand.


    To a certain extent, yes. You can probably cut them out most of the time, but keeping them out completely, 100% of the time, can be extremely difficult. Unless you want to always keep separate food from everyone you're around. I'm not saying don't try, but I would probably be advocating a moderation type approach. If I eat completely clean and then the rare time I eat "unhealthy" I get sick OR I have the option to eat pretty healthy(not partaking in unhealthy foods enough to affect my health), but have the occasional fast food and don't get sick regardless of what I eat for a meal, I'm probably going to choose moderation. Because: (1) it doesn't seem to be affecting my health too positively to keep completely clean(too much effort for little perceived gain) (2) frankly, I don't want to do anything that increases my chances of making me feel sick
  • taem
    taem Posts: 495 Member
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    Sometimes, I have a hard time relating to some of the people on this site. Not everyone. But sometimes, I think some of us are such health-o-philes that we create issues for ourselves, or chalk things up to things that don't relate. I know everyone's different, but... I just have a hard time shaking this thought. And if the thought is true, it makes it harder for me to take stuff seriously. I want to, but...

    Really, I would like to eat better. I would like to cut down on fast food. I've decreased my soda consumption considerably. I'm working on it. But I know I will never have a purely clean diet, even though I'm making strides.

    But what I don't get is:

    ~I feel so worn out from all of the unhealthy foods I've been eating at parties lately.

    IDK, maybe you're worn out from all of the parties, period? I've never felt worn out from processed or fast foods. I feel pretty good, unless I haven't gotten enough sleep, or I'm stressed... or... but not from food... unless we're talking a LARGE Thanksgiving style meal. I do get tired, but not SOOOOOOO worn out.

    ~I had (insert some unhealthy sounding food here that's not the best, but not going to kill you) and now I feel totally gross. I need to cleanse.

    Other than having something like food poisoning or perhaps too much grease, I've never felt gross or terrible from eating a meal. As a whole, unless I need a shower or I'm sick, I don't feel gross.

    I wish I could understand. Or, maybe I don't, because... I don't want to start feeling worn out and gross.

    While I understand that for some moderation is a good thing, here is my reason for why it is not.

    If you have high levels of cholesterol, your doctor might say to cut down on your meat intake a little, say 5%. So you eat 5% less and while going through that, you have to change your eating habits and you might become a little irritable because you eat a little less meat.

    You go back to the doctor a few months later and your levels improved, slightly, but not enough and the doctor now gives you pills to take. A little less meat in your diet is not going to help you. Now I understand everyone has different circumstances. However, a little bit of this and that doesn't fix the underlying problem.

    This recognition and then finding out other factors of health, one might conclude that a drastic change is required in order to reverse disease or to gain health (depends how you look at things).

    I guess we are on our own journey, and it is good to show our perspective to show others different ways to good health.
  • spatticus
    spatticus Posts: 230 Member
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    I guess we agree to disagree! Clean eating IS that important and health beneficial. You can't say eating fast food every once in a while doesn't effect your health because it does. And you can certainly still go out and participate with friends ECT but order a salad or whatever. To choooose to eat fast food sometimes simply so that next time you eat it you won't feel sick is just not logical.
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
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    I guess we agree to disagree! Clean eating IS that important and health beneficial. You can't say eating fast food every once in a while doesn't effect your health because it does. And you can certainly still go out and participate with friends ECT but order a salad or whatever. To choooose to eat fast food sometimes simply so that next time you eat it you won't feel sick is just not logical.

    When I go to the doc and get tested, everything, and I do mean everything is in a healthy range. So please, tell me, that my lack of perfectly clean eating is affecting me negatively. Please diagnose me over the internet. This should be fun! :)

    I was just throwing devil's advocate out there on the stomach pains and woes thing.
  • neurochamp
    neurochamp Posts: 261 Member
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    To the OP: thanks, this is an interesting and amusing thread :happy:

    A couple of weeks ago I spent a few hours at the driving range with friends, hitting buckets of balls and sweating buckets, too. After that, we went to Portillo's and I had a hamburger and fries with lots of ketchup. This was my first burger and fries in probably at least 3-4 months. Know how I felt after I ate it? I felt AWESOME. Portillo's makes a darn fine hamburger, and nice, crunchy, salty fries. And after burning off lots of calories golfing, I didn't even feel remotely guilty for indulging.

    Know what makes me feel awful after I eat it (but I eat it anyway)? Broccoli. Cabbage. Lettuce. Nearly every kind of bean on the planet. I love these things and eat them as often as I can, but even if I eat "clean" for weeks on end, I still get bloated and uncomfortable from veggies. Given the track record so far (more than a decade of eating all of these regularly with no improvement on the, uh, side effects), I kinda doubt this is ever going to change.

    I still eat as healthy as I can, as often as I can, but I'm just sayin' (as others have already stated) - we all handle food differently. I think if you can indulge in feel-good foods now and then without feeling guilty or "gross", and your doctor says you're in good health, then by all means go for it...
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
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    To the OP: thanks, this is an interesting and amusing thread :happy:

    A couple of weeks ago I spent a few hours at the driving range with friends, hitting buckets of balls and sweating buckets, too. After that, we went to Portillo's and I had a hamburger and fries with lots of ketchup. This was my first burger and fries in probably at least 3-4 months. Know how I felt after I ate it? I felt AWESOME. Portillo's makes a darn fine hamburger, and nice, crunchy, salty fries. And after burning off lots of calories golfing, I didn't even feel remotely guilty for indulging.

    Know what makes me feel awful after I eat it (but I eat it anyway)? Broccoli. Cabbage. Lettuce. Nearly every kind of bean on the planet. I love these things and eat them as often as I can, but even if I eat "clean" for weeks on end, I still get bloated and uncomfortable from veggies. Given the track record so far (more than a decade of eating all of these regularly with no improvement on the, uh, side effects), I kinda doubt this is ever going to change.

    I still eat as healthy as I can, as often as I can, but I'm just sayin' (as others have already stated) - we all handle food differently. I think if you can indulge in feel-good foods now and then without feeling guilty or "gross", and your doctor says you're in good health, then by all means go for it...

    This is exactly why I don't touch wheat. It's not an allergy, but I feel like death after I eat wheat-containing products.

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