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What are your unpopular opinions about health / fitness?

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Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,333 Member
    I do feel a little sad for people who post that they are finding healthy eating challenging or low-calorie eating unsatisfying, but don't even begin to know how to cook (i.e., time or priority are not the problem, knowledge is).

    Obviously, they can learn, but I can see how it would seem daunting, especially if you don't have a social context that fosters that learning. Besides, internalizing it, to the point that it seems easy, can take a while.

    There are quite a few things I learned kind of gradually and organically, starting as a child, that it's hard for me to imagine living without (cooking, utility sewing, basic carpentry/tool use, gardening, canning/freezing, etc.). I feel lucky/grateful about those, even though I don't do them every day.
  • cahubbard6421
    cahubbard6421 Posts: 769 Member
    I don’t care about calorie counting. I don’t care about portion control. I don’t care about frequency of workouts. I just try to not eat like an acehole all the time and get workouts in when I can.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    @AnnPT77 i agree - in my experience, it seems like home cooking in general has gone to the wayside for a majority of people because they have never had that experience or been taught how
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    vinerie wrote: »
    My unpopular opinion is that I love food. And not crappy frankenfood like chips, fast food and most stuff that comes in a box. But rather creative and perfectly-executed dishes featuring nuanced flavors and cooking techniques.

    People that share their diaries while losing, but show that they eat protein/nutrient bars, frozen meals and other pre-packaged foods make me sad, because that kind of food is just so unsatisfying to me. I want to lose while eating well (not high-calorie food, but elevated food.)

    I hate chain restaurants and never go there. (This makes calculating calories when I go out to eat really hard, though.)

    But the people who are eating those things either find them satisfying or find the time saved by choosing those options helps them enjoy other priorities in life.

    I just can't imagine someone else's food diary making *me* sad. Taste is so subjective. The foods that thrill me might leave you unhappy, but as long as we're both eating what we want and meeting our goals, it's a good thing . . . right?

    I agree with the exception that I'm sometimes saddened by how little food some people seem to eat in a day especially when it's over a period of time and not just 1 low day here and there.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    edited November 2017
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I do feel a little sad for people who post that they are finding healthy eating challenging or low-calorie eating unsatisfying, but don't even begin to know how to cook (i.e., time or priority are not the problem, knowledge is).

    Obviously, they can learn, but I can see how it would seem daunting, especially if you don't have a social context that fosters that learning. Besides, internalizing it, to the point that it seems easy, can take a while.

    There are quite a few things I learned kind of gradually and organically, starting as a child, that it's hard for me to imagine living without (cooking, utility sewing, basic carpentry/tool use, gardening, canning/freezing, etc.). I feel lucky/grateful about those, even though I don't do them every day.

    My parents both cooked, but it was mostly "comfort food", with a lot of grease, breading, butter, sugar, and salt. It was delicious, but when I was in my early teens (an age where I think most people embrace cooking for themselves) they had steadily gained weight and started developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure issues, and I didn't have any interest in cooking like this for myself. I ate whatever they made and I could absorb this type of diet without any health issues because I was young and active, but I didn't eat like that once I left home as an adult, and I never learned to cook (beyond the basics).
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    cahubbard6421 wrote: »
    I don’t care about calorie counting. I don’t care about portion control. I don’t care about frequency of workouts. I just try to not eat like an acehole all the time and get workouts in when I can.

    So are you gaining/losing/maintaining?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    vinerie wrote: »
    My unpopular opinion is that I love food. And not crappy frankenfood like chips, fast food and most stuff that comes in a box. But rather creative and perfectly-executed dishes featuring nuanced flavors and cooking techniques.

    People that share their diaries while losing, but show that they eat protein/nutrient bars, frozen meals and other pre-packaged foods make me sad, because that kind of food is just so unsatisfying to me. I want to lose while eating well (not high-calorie food, but elevated food.)

    I hate chain restaurants and never go there. (This makes calculating calories when I go out to eat really hard, though.)

    If you have the time and resources to regularly make or be served "creative and perfectly-executed dishes featuring nuanced flavors and cooking techniques" you have made lifestyle choices drastically different than mine. My priorities are family, fitness, and career, and these generally burn about 98% of my waking hours. Therefore, I am constantly eating protein bars, frozen meals, prepackaged food, and fast food or else I will be going hungry. If I'm warming up a frozen dinner it is because I just walked in from work and have to pick a kid up from sports in 20 minutes or I skipped my lunch to exercise and will be eating at my desk, not because I have all this time on my hands and I lack the motivation or imagination to eat something better.

    Don't let this make you sad - I'm not complaining, I wouldn't change any of my choices, and being a practicing foodie is extremely far down my list of priorities.

    Exactly. Someone who is regularly choosing premade/easier to prepare foods may be making a deliberate choice to prioritize other things or achieve other goals and I consider that to be a completely rational choice that may lead to fulfillment. Why would I feel sad for them?

    Some people may enjoy spending more time selecting and preparing their food, others don't. And people may switch back and forth between styles in their life as their priorities and lifestyles change.

    Regularly eating a "perfectly-executed" meal isn't some universal good that everyone is obligated to go after at the expense of other obligations and goals. It's just one of many things that can make life good and honestly, very few of us are maximizing every single opportunity for happiness that is out there for us. We're choosing to go after the ones that we think will make us happiest or lead to the best chance of future rewards.

    It's also for other reasons too. I am a genuine fire risk a lot of the time if I attempt to actually cook because of cognitive/dissociation stuff. So excuse me for trying not burn down my flat and those around me. I'll whack a macro happy ready meal in the microwave over cooking from scratch because that's actually the best choice. And there can be others with health issues and disabilities who absolutely love "fine dining" but just can't do it at home for themselves.

    This is a great point, thank you for bringing it up.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    ladyhusker39 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    vinerie wrote: »
    My unpopular opinion is that I love food. And not crappy frankenfood like chips, fast food and most stuff that comes in a box. But rather creative and perfectly-executed dishes featuring nuanced flavors and cooking techniques.

    People that share their diaries while losing, but show that they eat protein/nutrient bars, frozen meals and other pre-packaged foods make me sad, because that kind of food is just so unsatisfying to me. I want to lose while eating well (not high-calorie food, but elevated food.)

    I hate chain restaurants and never go there. (This makes calculating calories when I go out to eat really hard, though.)

    But the people who are eating those things either find them satisfying or find the time saved by choosing those options helps them enjoy other priorities in life.

    I just can't imagine someone else's food diary making *me* sad. Taste is so subjective. The foods that thrill me might leave you unhappy, but as long as we're both eating what we want and meeting our goals, it's a good thing . . . right?

    I agree with the exception that I'm sometimes saddened by how little food some people seem to eat in a day especially when it's over a period of time and not just 1 low day here and there.

    Yes, what I should have said was "I can't imagine being saddened by the food that satisfies other people." If someone is eating less than they need or eating food that they hate because they think they have to do it, that could make me feel sorry or sorry for them. But as long as they're happy with what they are eating, it's not going to make me feel sad.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    cahubbard6421 wrote: »
    I don’t care about calorie counting. I don’t care about portion control. I don’t care about frequency of workouts. I just try to not eat like an acehole all the time and get workouts in when I can.

    How’s that working out?
  • spinnerdell
    spinnerdell Posts: 233 Member
    cahubbard6421 wrote: »
    I don’t care about calorie counting. I don’t care about portion control. I don’t care about frequency of workouts. I just try to not eat like an acehole all the time and get workouts in when I can.

    This was my attitude when I first decided to shed a few pounds about six years and seventy pounds ago. A firm commitment to a healthier lifestyle was too daunting for me. It worked better for me to slide into it sideways and gradually add a few healthful habits down the road.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I used to love food. But food made me fat. *kitten* food.

    restart your love affair with food...but only food that deserves it.

    I love food...but have gotten to the point where it has to be amazing for me to eat it...

    I am not going to eat crap cake from a store when I can get an amazing heavenly piece of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting at my house...

    I love food...*repeated I know*

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    CommonBiped wrote: »
    How boring is working out really? I hear there's a runners high, but they must've been high before it started because running is the most boring activity on the face of the planet.

    I have my music if I run outside...or a movie if it's inside...

    however I do know someone who actually does exactly what you said...he loves running...haha.


  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    jessiferrrb wrote: »
    CommonBiped wrote: »
    How boring is working out really? I hear there's a runners high, but they must've been high before it started because running is the most boring activity on the face of the planet.

    QFT

    literally lol, also, i'm gonna have to give that a shot because it doesn't work the other way for me either.

    The Zombies, Run! app makes it better.

    i have that! and it does make it better . . .

    tbh, i don't hate running, i do hate the soreness and tightness after it despite stretching, but that could be just because i started back up. in miami, i only run in the cooler months, when daylight savings means i can wake up early and avoid the sun entirely.
  • projectsix
    projectsix Posts: 5,088 Member
    Protein amounts and eating "too little"
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  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    scotchandrhinestones wrote: »
    My unpopular opinion is that the super-skinny look is incredibly lovely and elegant, and does not require an eating disorder to achieve.

    Also:

    1. CICO rules everything. Some foods make you more likely to eat more calories, so they're more dangerous. Some have more salt, so you hold on to water longer, which temporarily deceives the scale. But in the end, it's CICO.

    2. You can safely go under 1200 calories a day frequently, keep losing weight, and feel perfectly fine.

    2. Right up until you can't... and then it's too late

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