Thoughts, Epiphanies, Insights, & Quotables
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Nope, I'm not a taster either. I know the best chefs are, but apart from literally tasting once (or at most twice) to test the seasoning, I never nibble when I'm cooking.
Lots of cooks say they don't have an appetite for the food they've cooked by the time they come to serve it...but I never experience that. I have a hearty appetite for food whether I've cooked it myself or not.4 -
Bites, licks and tastes (BLTs) are in the MFP database! So I can’t be the only one tempted by food prepping and sampling.
I wish it wasn’t a lifelong bad habit but sadly it is. I’m not even all that hungry which might provide an explanation for nibbling. It doesn’t stop me from eating a full meal afterwards. It’s just that it’s FOOD, there right in front of me, begging to be sampled. A trigger to immediately eat. No logical reason.
So I’m constantly on guard when dealing with food prep. Avoidance has worked well thus far. Having hubby in the kitchen with me when I cook on occasion keeps me honest.3 -
I absolutely used to constantly sample and taste as I was cooking. Constantly. Season, sample, continue.
Logging totally curbed that.
Actually I should rephrase that. Logging before putting ANYTHING in my mouth totally cured that after a few uncomfortable incidents.
With my current logging (which is partially while cooking using phone and partially from envelopes, napkins and notes) I could have easily gone back... except that I am now used to not tasting till the end at which time I make most adjustments.2 -
Well the random bites, licks, and tastes have very little to do with seasoning. Honestly it’s just that I’m hands-on dealing with food. I’m okay with a plate/meal that’s logged. But somehow the food eaten while standing, passing by, prepping is not registered in my mind.
Brain fog!
I am much more aware of my bad habit now and mostly able to control it. But heaven help me if there’s an open candy bowl or bag of chips laying around. Or odd bits of sliced cheese, ham while making sandwiches. I try to confine myself to salad making where the stray bits are carrots or tomatoes 🍅2 -
I'm terrible with "serving plate leftovers" - after a big meal - clearing the table - those odd pieces of cheese - last few crackers - a spoonful of hummus - all go into my mouth before I even think.2
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Yes! Thank you Laurie. I was beginning to think it was just me although I know that can’t be true. Stray food of any kind seems fair game. I also avoid cleanups after meals too.
Still trying to understand how I can be in control at the table but oblivious at other times. Like calories don’t count unless I’m sitting down for a meal?
It’s something I struggle with daily.3 -
No, I think it's something many, many people struggle with. There are numerous studies that prove that we don't register calories eaten 'on the hoof' - which is why it's so important to eat your food sitting down, ideally from a plate and with cutlery, because it signals to our brain that we're eating.
I've learned from bitter experience that at parties I graze constantly if there's buffet food available. And if I add alcohol into the mix, I have zero food restraint. I've learned that I need to serve myself one small plate of food and then remove myself entirely from the vicinity of the food, otherwise I'll just pick and pick and pick. I can't remain in the same room as the food - the more walls and doors between me and the food, the better.4 -
Bella_Figura wrote: »...There are numerous studies that prove that we don't register calories eaten 'on the hoof'...
Didn't know this was "official" but I know it is how it works in my world. Glad you posted this, Bella, to hopefully cement it into my reality.
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Actually the whole mindful eating thing is covered by one of my (few) Cardinal Rules of Life...
The rules are:- Be kind
- Keep it fun
- Engage your brain before you open your mouth
As FOPs (Formerly Obese People) we need to cement the habit NEVER to eat anything mindlessly. I may not always physically log what I eat (though I do!), but I try to always mentally log so that I can hold myself accountable.7 -
Today after our training session I hung out on the floor in front of the fan with one of the coaches because it was nice to feel a little cool and she commented on how much my sit ups had improved because she remembered that when I started at the gym I needed to put two 20kg DBs on the floor to stick my toes/feet under to work as a lever to get myself up. She mentioned how a bunch of improvements I made seemed really fast to her (I got rid of the DBs after 4 months or so, not whatI would call fast, but hanging from the pull up bar came about 2 years before I expected it to and burpees also caught me off guard).
It was a really nice conversation where I felt very respected and could openly talk about my body. She was impressed with my consistency showing up and pushing myself hard but she didn't compare me to anyone else so she was lifting me up without bringing anyone down. It was so nice.
We have 5 coaches at the gym and some of them specialise in one type of teaching, for example pilates and other flex stuff or olympic weightlifting, but they all have different styles and approaches. I know I had some negative feelings about the pilates coach at first because she was so shocked that I, a very fat person, could do so much. It just didn't sound very openminded to me. I never had flexibility issues, especially in my hips, and I can almost do a split even now so it irked me.
With the other coaches I kinda struggle with their expectations too, but mostly because they're so inconsistent. Sometimes they think I can do things that seem impossible to me (like knee raises from the pull up bar, which it turns out I can actually do, and box jumps, which I absolutely cannot do) and other times they completely underestimate me. I feel like I'd probably do better with a range of options or a "try out a few things and then decide" approach but I am as often wrong as they are at estimating what I can do.
I definitely prefer the coaches that believe in me but caution me to listen to my body (and praise me when I do take it easy, because I'm bad at resting and not giving it my all every time) but I think this coach is the one I feel most comfortable just talking to about this journey. She's just a little more approachable, a little more interested and a little more respectful towards my current body.
Anyway, this had been on my mind since the conversation took place over 2 hours ago and I wasn't sure where to put it but I just needed to share it and maybe hear a bit about other people's thoughts or experiences.
Also, sidenote, there's this super cute girl at the gym who today confided in me that she used to weigh 147kg (she's less than half that now) and we bonded over our similar body shapes so that was super nice too.5 -
Are your coaches or gym friends sharing any thoughts on eating plans? While I went to gym and worked out hard even at my highest weight (310!), it wasn’t until I started measuring and weighing food and logging that I made progress. Having been obese from childhood, learning portion control was truly eye opening.
Weight is lost in the kitchen, fitness is gained in the gym.2 -
They haven't and I'm happy for it because I haven't asked. The coach only wanted to make sure I wasn't undereating so I told her I averaged 2500 cals for a 0,5kg per week weight loss pace and that pacified her.
I'm not looking for advice on losing weight or logging or food. And I'm not going to the gym to lose weight. My weight loss journey was sparked by my increased activity level but that was accidental and I started logging food so as not to lose weight too fast.
I've been overweight since childhood and got to my current weight with an active lifestyle but portion control was never the problem. Stress and boredom were. I worked hard to get those dealt with a few years ago but then covid hit and my activity level dropped to sedentary for a year and a half so I gained some weight while I taught myself to eat more fruit. Now my natural way of eating leads to weight loss, I got rid of the extra pandemic weight, and I am thriving, both fitness wise and weight loss wise.3 -
Very interesting read, Bojaantje. I haven't been in a gym for a very long time. Your post has definitely piqued my interest though!3
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I've had great luck with the communities at the gyms and sports clubs I've been a member of, they've always been a main place I make friends. But I know not every place is like that.
One of the first times I trained here someone made a comment like "you're not going heavier than that? Really?" to another guy who was exercising and it rubbed me the wrong way. Never seen that person again. The owner of our gym is very strict about making it a safe space where you can be yourself (not just for overweight people but also for women and lgbtq+ people and I would assume people of colour too but I can't speak to that from personal experience) and can talk about behaviour that bothers you, even if it's a coach saying something insensitive. My relationship with the pilates coach greatly improved and the presence of me and another fat woman really changed her perspective it seems. It's just a place for growth (and optional shrinkage of body) and that's really nice.4 -
Bojaantje, it sure sounds as if you're on a good point in this endeavor. Both the fact that you enjoy the gym and that you have a very reasonable sounding eating target and rate of loss goal by the look of things! Woohoo!3
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Here’s a quote for those of us who have been around a while-
“The older I get, the better I was”3 -
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Absolutely.
But, we are all lucky enough to get a little (big!) help from our friends.2 -
For sure! I feel a lot of support here. ❣️ In my rational daytime life I rely on the friendly motivation.
When PAV is snarfing down chocolate pies in the middle of the night or when I think I need ice cream at bedtime, it just comes down to yourself and the spoon.2