Our diet-obsessed culture

I hit my "goal weight" last week- for probably the 10th time in my life. I've been a lot thinner, and a lot heavier, but this is the range that I know has been healthy and comfortable to maintain in the past- and it measures correctly on all the "scales"

Hitting that number on the scale has made me pause and think about how much of my life has been consumed with obsession over my weight and how difficult it's been to find a healthy relationship with myself, with food, exercise and my personal goals for overall well-being.

Why is food, which should be a normal source of fuel and a source of enjoyment, become such a source of trouble for us all? And how do all of you see your relationship with food and wellness now?

FYI- I am 64, 5'2, 127 lbs; my goal is to maintain between 125-130 from now forward, forever. I've been as low as 110 and as high as 165 and I'm getting off the seesaw...



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Replies

  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    75in2013 wrote: »
    Food has become an industry. And the industrie's goal is to make more money. So far they are doing a very good job ;)
    F ing right!
  • MadisonMolly2017
    MadisonMolly2017 Posts: 10,875 Member
    I’ll add that as processed and/or fast food have entered countries for the first time, citizens have become more fat. My gastroenterologist told me they are seeing skyrocketing IBD cases in countries when processed foods are first introduced.

    When we are fatter, it is harder, more uncomfortable, and can be embarrassing (thinking back to 80’s aerobics classes with skimpy outfits and huge mirrors AND an exercise class that sounded fun in the 00’s and a friend saying, “But it would be too hard for you.” It was all very shaming.

    Nowadays, I think younger folks are judged on their looks more than ever before with IG, etc. And songs with lyrics like “you’re so beautiful, you don’t even need a filter.” They make eyes bigger, noses narrower, etc.

    I think for many, they change when they or someone they know has a health scare, and we decide the priceless life we have been given is worth moving a little more & eating a little less. But some I know will as the poster above decide their relationship with food is more important as I did for decades.
  • Janatki
    Janatki Posts: 730 Member
    psychod787 wrote: »
    75in2013 wrote: »
    Food has become an industry. And the industrie's goal is to make more money. So far they are doing a very good job ;)
    F ing right!

    Fing right x 2

  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,427 Member
    vanmep wrote: »
    I think it’s evolutionary. Our bodies are designed to seek out and conserve calories for our very survival. Because of shift in society we have more than enough food but our brains are still in the mode of “must consume.”

    I'd sure like to think we're smarter than that with so many health problems made worse by obesity.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    edited June 2021
    75in2013 wrote: »
    Food has become an industry. And the industrie's goal is to make more money. So far they are doing a very good job ;)

    I think it's been a money-making industry for quite some time, even before I was born (I'm 44). It's been about how to make more food more cheaply and convenient for the majority of people. I was watching a snippet of "The Food that Built America" on the History Channel, and my husband has been watching it regularly. To me, it seems like when food was made much more convenient AND cheaper, while at the same time Americans were moving less and less due to less active jobs and/or having a form of transportation that required a lot less walking.
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I think I've finally internalized the idea that I need to balance my short-term enthusiastic, hedonistic pursuit of pleasure, with my future self's need for decent health and good functioning, so future Ann can be happy, too.

    This is such a great way of thinking about it. Thank you @AnnPT77!