Thoughts, Epiphanies, Insights, & Quotables
Replies
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So many familiar memories for me too! My family came to the US after 5 years in refugee camps post WWII where I was born. My parents were especially happy to be able to feed their children well after so many years of near starvation. Unlike my sisters I took to overeating very well! Heavy Eastern European/ Germanic fare.
I’ve read some interesting studies about pregnant women who lack adequate food producing children predisposed to obesity. My mother was starved during pregnancy with me as was my grandmother during her pregnancy with mom. My sisters were born before and after the food shortages and are average weight. So???
Still working on guilt from not cleaning my plate or tossing food. Funny the things from childhood that won’t go away no matter how old we get.4 -
Wow, reading this has been an eye-opener!
Amazing how times had changed, considering those descriptions were several years before I was born. Thinking back to my childhood, it's also different from how it is for me today.
When I started elementary school, I was forcefully woken up (I was never an early riser, but now I am, funnily enough). I had to walk to the bus stop two blocks down. Breakfast wasn't a thing for me back then, and it took me decades to realize I benefited from eating breakfast. Lunchtime was whatever the school cafeteria offered, which, surprisingly, was pretty nutritionally balanced, for the most part. We'd get off around 2-3pm. Dinner was around 5pm.
It was always a bowl of rice, a big pot of soup, two protein dishes (usually a type of fish and either red meat, poultry, or tofu (primarily for me)), and two vegetable dishes for the entire family of 10. Then one more meat dish was added when the family became a total of 13.
Incredible how the only amount of exercise I ever did back then was the walk to the bus stop and the mandatory Physical Education classes. When I started middle school, I had to be driven to school. So my only exercise was during P.E. Then I got both my knees injured during P.E. at different times and detested exercise even more. But I was always hovering around a healthy weight range.
Once I started attending college, all hell broke loose. I still never really exercised, but my meals changed. Breakfast? What's that? Lunch? The campus cafeteria had pizza, calzones, pasta, and burgers. Packaged sushi if you're feeling high-class. A tiny salad bar existed, but not many people went for it naturally. Soda vending machines were everywhere around the campus and came in those 16.9 fl oz./500mL bottles. Water fountains were there too, and it was in vending machines if one cared to find them at the very bottom of the list. Otherwise, there were some fast-food restaurants down the street from the campus. And several boba tea shops and Starbucks. Dinner? Time to eat out with friends if we're feeling decadent! Otherwise, 8pm instant ramens for you! Oh, look, we've been studying for hours! Let's go order a midnight dinner! Ah, financial aid didn't come through for us yet. Time for 2 more cups of instant ramens each!
Oh man... now that I listed it out, it really did start when I got that "newfound freedom" when I went to college. Those college eating habits never changed once I started working, and it brought me to this point today.
With too much "freedom," options, and no semblance of self-control, it's natural to gain excess weight when we don't exercise to help combat unhealthy decisions.
And as Yoolypr mentioned, we had to finish every grain of rice before leaving the dinner table.
"Back when we migrated to Vietnam, we had to go weeks without rice!" my grandfather loves to mention every so often. (Very) Old habits die hard, I guess.4 -
We are often the experimental result of our parents eating habits. Food for many parents represented security and safety from want and deprivation. The offspring internalized the need for security but also had abundant access to food.
Maybe we behave like hungry people in a sea of plenty?2 -
And that my friends is why studies do show that people exercise more dietary restraint and eat more close to within their calories when predominantly consuming what I will use the short hand of "whole foods cooked from scratch" versus code word "less restrained" eating habits.
Such as those of a very smart friend of mine who has trouble controlling her weight while pulling an income that allows her to order from both skip the dishes and Uber eats everyday more than one time a day. Not counting restaurants friends and family events...
I admit that I did a lot of 🐹 arm twisting in order to allow myself to throw out food. And said this remains religiously opposed by most people who've known me in the past!1 -
And that my friends is why studies do show that people exercise more dietary restraint and eat more close to within their calories when predominantly consuming what I will use the short hand of "whole foods cooked from scratch" versus code word "less restrained" eating habits.
Such as those of a very smart friend of mine who has trouble controlling her weight while pulling an income that allows her to order from both skip the dishes and Uber eats everyday more than one time a day. Not counting restaurants friends and family events...
I admit that I did a lot of 🐹 arm twisting in order to allow myself to throw out food. And said this remains religiously opposed by most people who've known me in the past!
https://icedrive.net/s/iTVv7xh6zYNNVDQ1AbYxGxvahh2W
https://icedrive.net/s/T56Q9PQWabkjPPXxSuv3vPXVCggy
Food item links only on for a few days!😹2 -
Funny how I was just looking for background music ideas, and this pops up in my feed instead:
The Asian "Secrets" to Healthy Eating
I'm just going to reiterate the more pronounced sayings in the video to make it easier, even though the video is only a little over 7 minutes long:- "Eat until you're 80% full." (The Chinese version changes that to 70%)
- "1 soup, 3 dishes." (a healthy variety of 1 soup, 2 vegetable dishes, 1 protein dish)
- "Eat well and worry less."
WAIT. WAIT. WAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT, ちょっと待って!
The real goal was never about weight loss! It's all about HUNTING FOR WHAT'S BEEN LESS PROCESSED! 🤯
Less processed = something our body has an easier time breaking down = 💩all the excess, unnecessary stuff💩 = naturally slim!
The true winner is finding ways to make processed foods in an unprocessed fashion! BEST. OF. BOTH. WORLDS.
Dang. OK. I need to start substituting more.
Where was I going with this anyway? 😅🤣4 -
Thinking. Which is good.😎
Now for me to stop adding bo vien to my pho tai with half noodles 🐹😘2 -
I think it's interesting how at a certain point my focus shifted from weight loss -> weight management -> health management.
While I don't think it's especially helpful for me to think in terms of 'good foods' and 'bad foods' - because food is just food and shouldn't have those emotive labels or connotations - I AM trying to eat unprocessed foods 80% of the time. Natural foods that have been messed around as little as possible - that, when they arrive in my house need washing, peeling, chopping, grating, coring, filleting, shucking, cooking, mashing, bashing or squashing.
I try to eat the rainbow to cover all my vitamin and mineral bases...eat a variety of foods to promote a healthy gut biome....keep it as natural as possible...watch my portion sizes....hopefully a healthy weight will be a bonus side-effect.4 -
That is one mighty fine list of verbs. I guess the key point is if you're not working for your food, you're not truly enjoying the process of eating! 🤔Bella_Figura wrote: »—SNIP FOR FOCUS—
Natural foods that have been messed around as little as possible - that, when they arrive in my house need washing, peeling, chopping, grating, coring, filleting, shucking, cooking, mashing, bashing or squashing.
—SNIP FOR FOCUS—
🤯 It truly begins the moment we take the time to prep every ingredient~! Let the ingredients sing their song to you and serenade you as you turn them into something truly wondrous~
Dang. I think I'm on a roll here. 🤣
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Keep rolling, Luxia. I like "if you're not working for your food, you're not truly enjoying the process of eating" ! That is so true. When I'm working for my food I'm living my best. Doesn't always happen - but it is fine when it rolls that way.3
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Hey, I think you guys are downgrading my labor to recycle the cardboard and peel the film of the microwave dinners! That's a lot of work you know! 🙀🙀🙀3
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You know - I don't even think my own frozen dinners qualify. Too easy on the days of eating. Maybe there are some rules about how long you have to be in contact with the food you consume each day that we don't know about yet? Something extra to CICO?
When I spend hours (and hours) cooking big family meals on the big days - I'm frequently not interested in eating. Not from tasting or sampling - but just from being in such close proximity to food. Just handling it is filling. (but I don't think any calories are absorbed????? )3 -
LESS - that’s my latest epiphany on eating. I need to get used to less to get past this stagnant period.
Instead of trying to up quantities and volume with substitutes or filler foods, I need to accept I cannot eat the amounts I have in the past. Regardless of calories, too much food is TOO much.
So now I’ll work on learning to eat LESS because that’s all my body needs to function.5 -
Lead the way, Yooly
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If you can pull it off 🤞, the strategy can definitely work!
🤯🐹🙀🐹🤯 <-- yes dumb*kitten* 🐹s, it's a tough road that she is flirting with and one you didn't quite choose to take, but when the going gets tough, the tough get to experiment and adjust.
Plus you should know that over the course of the day you are not only eating lower caloric density foods; but, overall, including skipping all you can eat meals several times a week, you are eating less quantity overall on average.2 -
Don’t plan on skipping meals or quality!
My eyes need to accept that less food -if it’s a regular serving- is okay. Rather than looking for volume all the time to make me think I’m still eating a lot.
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Here’s an example of adjusting to LESS.
My plate on the right.
Around 400 calories which is more than an adequate meal for someone my age and size. Hubby’s is on the left. Fine for his needs. Well maybe a bit much even for him!
I need to learn that this size meal is normal and to stop searching for MORE. I don’t need more and it’s a habit I need to give up. I want to be satisfied with normal portions.3 -
Sorry Yooly re the skipping meals confusion. Want thinking you would.
I was still talking about my favourite person and saying that even though I continue to eat visually larger but lower calorie meals these do remain, on balance, smaller as compared to the all you can eat meals that used to be a regular, more than once a week, go-to.
Garfield and Alexandra seem to have developed the habit!3 -
I wouldn't say I'd totally cracked the smaller portion challenge, yet, but it IS a habit I'm working on and I'm definitely making progress. There are times when I still have a huge portion (e.g. if my meal is predominantly salad or veggies) that dwarfs my husband's much more calorie-dense fattier/carbier/proteiny meal...and that's absolutely fine. But on the days when my own meal is calorie dense, I'm encouraging myself to embrace the 'small is beautiful' mindset and accept that a modest portion is perfectly sufficient for someone of my gender, age, build and activity level.
I've found that drinking a large glass (or even two) of water immediately before the meal helps me to feel satiated until my brain kicks into gear and convinces my stomach that the small portion of calorie dense food has met its needs...I also try always to drink water with my meal (from a crystal wine glass in a doomed attempt to fool the 🐹🐹🐹) and I eat sitting at the dining table, with the appropriate cutlery and from a smaller plate.
There are many, many occasions when I get up from the table still feeling dissatisfied after a small calorie dense meal, but I've discovered that if I keep myself busy immediately after rising from the table for about thirty minutes or so (i.e. the danger zone when the 🐹🐹🐹 are being most minxy and anarchic) that after those 30 minutes or so the 🐹🐹🐹 give up tormenting me and slouch away in disgust.4 -
Bella_Figura wrote: »There are many, many occasions when I get up from the table still feeling dissatisfied after a small calorie dense meal, but I've discovered that if I keep myself busy immediately after rising from the table for about thirty minutes or so (i.e. the danger zone when the 🐹🐹🐹 are being most minxy and anarchic) that after those 30 minutes or so the 🐹🐹🐹 give up tormenting me and slouch away in disgust.
Yes...distraction...I do well if I time a walk for immediately after one of those small calorie dense meals. Freakin' short-eared virtually-no-tailed bunnies.3 -
Interestingly enough, how I learned to eat LESS and enjoy MORE of what I eat was to simply trick my brain into thinking it was getting more each time. Of course, the change was done gradually to avoid dissing my own thinking. 12"/30.48cm plate to 10"/25.40cm plate to 9"/22.86cm plate to 8"/20.32cm plate. Just keep "piling" on the food on a smaller scale to make it seem MORE than the last! 😁3
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I might just give that a try, Luxia. I've dropped down to a 9" plate - but hey? I can go smaller still!2
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Posted this elsewhere, but thought I’d post it here too… as perhaps the start of an ephiphany that’ll banish them pesky 🐹🐹🐹’s and get me further into a health & weight loss journey that will last longer than in the past!
It was fish & chips for tea yesterday, with the obligatory portion of mushy peas - was part of a planned & well needed afternoon trip out and relax…..
So The Supper was part of the plan, but I had a bit of a meltdown, as we were packing the stuff to go to the river … the mutt, the old people’s chairs (how did this happen?!… used to be a picnic blanket?!) to the calorie counted sarnie’s & few snacks etc… etc…
The meltdown was the panic of course… the fear of the Eating Out & The Loss Of Control of the Cals! ….we all know this one!
“How many in the chip supper, was it worth it? what would the inevitable scale damage be?
Would it lead to a oh-no-this-isn’t -going-to-work…Is-too-hard…. can’t- do-this… then the fall off the preverbial wagon I go….poor me…”
🐹’s on the loose!!!
Well, took a big pause! MFP friends & acquaintances have done this..I have seen it!
So…. in the name of the institution that is British Fish & Chips and Bank Holidays…and the my need to be able to live with CICO, I got out my 2021 Calorie Carb Fat Bible & scanned the takeaway section, averaged out all the variables given in there …I minused the greatest value & the least value to reduce the bias…. came to a mean average figure and thought ok that is now a well thought out, considered, sensible figure…..
(My O level maths teacher, Mrs Scott, would have been proud…& probably shocked at my research data skills that she used to despair I certainly didn’t demonstrate in her classes!)
… and I then breathed out and factored it in to my available calories as best as it would fit….
In the end I chickened out a bit and didn’t have the chips!
Not too far out calorie wise, but savoured every mouthful and you know, I didn’t miss the chips in the end!
Plus there was a lovely, long meander down the river too - twice my normal walk with the mad mutt - also helped calm my brain 🐹’s
I can do this & 1lb down on the scales to boot! Come on!
And now I am batch cooking for a planned & organised week! Begone you 🐹🐹🐹🐹’s4 -
The British fish fryer federation lists fish and chip values and some are even in MFP as, for dinner strange reason, I have reason to know.
I've taken the scale to my favorite (all you can eat is an option) fish and chip place! Not just once or twice. So I do have average values. The chip portion they put out with the fish piece(a) by the way is remarkably consistent around the 120 to 130g mark.
I've logged two piece and three piece and double chips and refills and mushy peas while losing and after losing. But I do order my coleslaw dry and very seldom do I use tartar sauce--we have standards here you know! 😹
My meals there, off the top, are logged in the 1500 Cal range. With no real cut down other than not getting extras!😹
Given what I see in menus in general, that's probably a "bit":of an underestimate unless I specifically go for a flour only or very light (not just light) batter option. Even if not fully correct weight management has still taken place!
Your 🐹 wrangling aptly demonstrated above was both masterful and inspiring😻👍
The mutt union is considering recognizing your current effort by giving you a provisional indulgence for your transgression last week!1 -
Could that be a reprieve from the Mutt Union? I’d hang on as she is still waiting …. admittedly & willing getting under my feet .. enjoying the odd tit bit of meat, veg & fruit… for her walk today!2
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I do know what you mean about caliorie variations fo stuff! I agree that I think those MFP inputters are widely off I mean a bit off 🤣1
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I like the smaller plate idea but I am afraid putting my food on a smaller plate would make the food all run together and touch!4
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Great job, Janatki! I'm ashamed to admit that sometimes I just can't do it. Not so much that I'm freaked out by the calories - but the figuring feels so uncertain I just throw a dart and miss the track completely.2
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Not mentioning any names or anything...
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I was thinking THAT exactly when "she who will remain nameless" mentioned touching!
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