Why is it that we seem to reward ourselves with food?

onfleur · June 2009

Is it just our culture that we tend to reward ourselves with food? How many time have we reached a goal and then rewarded ourselves by going out to dinner or indulging in a yummy dessert or allowing ourselves to eat that chocolate or buy that large cone?

I am adamant that as I reach my goals, small or large that I don't allow myself to be rewarded by the very demon that helped me put these pounds on. I want to discover other rewards such as a day at the spa, or a weekend get away.. any other idea's?

abr25 · June 2009

I rewarded myself with a leasurly shopping day the other day. And let me just say that being thin and fitting into clothes feels like SUCH a better reward than eating something bad or fattening for a reward

staclo · June 2009

Although I do agree with you that we should find other ways to reward ourselves most of the time, I don't see anything wrong with having the occasional treat. The food in and of itself isn't "bad," it's lack of control and indulgence that is the problem. As much as I believe that food is fuel for our bodies, I also know that it was meant to be enjoyed...in moderation.

xsargex · June 2009

Hey, every living organism loves a good treat. You reward your pets with a treat. Humans love treats.
We give plants water and fertilizer (nutrition). Doesn't seem like that wild of a concept. Know your body and a little weekend fun food (in moderation) is not only something to look forward too, but justifies being a "workout nazis" during the week. That really keeps me going. I know my limits.

havingitall · June 2009

New work out clothes?

moujie · June 2009

What's worse than using food as a reward (IMHO) is using it as comfort. I'm really trying not to do that. but I do believe some of us need to begin to see other things as just as good a reward as food...shopping for smaller clothes is definitely better!!

krisloock · June 2009

I agree with some of the others...there is nothing wrong with a little treat now and again but we shouldn't ALWAYS reward ourselves with food. I personally LOVE when I can put on a smaller size in the dressing room...now that's a reward!!

xsargex · June 2009

I'd like to pose this question? Why do we have to view food as inherently evil? I view my body like I do my car... it requires preventive maintenance. A car needs oil and proper lubrication (get your mind outta the gutters). So why would I deprive my body of the same requirements? We need food. So it seems to me that it comes down to the decisions you make with what you eat. You can put garbage in your body or put good nutritional food. There's plenty of AWESOME food items out there, that are not only good for you but taste great. Mind over matter. Its not that difficult. If you continue to view food as your enemy, then your never gonna win. You'll just keep torturing yourself and feeling guilty everytime you sit down and eat a plate of food. Extreme dieting does not lead to healthy weight loss. Not eating is not only ignorant, but dangerous.

onfleur · June 2009

I totally agree with you all. . .food is not necessarily evil, that was not my intent. Guess it just came out wrong. I believe in mini treats and little indulgences. Moderation in all things? absolutely! We need food to live, to fuel our bodies, I agree 100% with that. I think I am just trying to get out of the thinking that #1 food is the enemy and #2 that I need to be in more control of my choices, does that make sense?

Thank you so very much for your responses, I appreciate you all so much.

xsargex · June 2009

I totally agree with you all. . .food is not necessarily evil, that was not my intent. Guess it just came out wrong. I believe in mini treats and little indulgences. Moderation in all things? absolutely! We need food to live, to fuel our bodies, I agree 100% with that. I think I am just trying to get out of the thinking that #1 food is the enemy and #2 that I need to be in more control of my choices, does that make sense?

Thank you so very much for your responses, I appreciate you all so much.

I think its really just a mental approach and coming to a realization about what your putting into your body. I grew up not caring or being educated about what I eat and more importantly how much I was eating. I just didn't care to think about it. Then I wondered why I was like 50 lbs over weight. When I actually got on MFP and tracked my calories, I was seriously shocked. Total excess. Wasted calories, unhealthy calories. I was really doing my body a disservice. Not just based off my looks. I think people get way to obsessed about how they look in the mirrow everyday or what the scale reads. Yeah you wanna feel good about the way you look. Women wanna look skinny and beautiful. Men wanna have some muscle and no beer gut. But I would much rather concentrate on my overall health and live longer, because "societies standard" of beauty is fleeting with age or what-have-you.

You look at people with eating disorders and taking nonsicial pills to lose weight. Its just pathetic.
Eating right and working out does not have to be a battle necessarily. Its really about utilizing tools and making them work to your advantage. I love to eat, I'll never deny that. Its getting a grip on my control. Its possible. Look at all the success stories. Its just a change in mental attitude really. How easy is that?

staclo · June 2009

I totally agree with you all. . .food is not necessarily evil, that was not my intent. Guess it just came out wrong. I believe in mini treats and little indulgences. Moderation in all things? absolutely! We need food to live, to fuel our bodies, I agree 100% with that. I think I am just trying to get out of the thinking that #1 food is the enemy and #2 that I need to be in more control of my choices, does that make sense?

Thank you so very much for your responses, I appreciate you all so much.

I think its really just a mental approach and coming to a realization about what your putting into your body. I grew up not caring or being educated about what I eat and more importantly how much I was eating. I just didn't care to think about it. Then I wondered why I was like 50 lbs over weight. When I actually got on MFP and tracked my calories, I was seriously shocked. Total excess. Wasted calories, unhealthy calories. I was really doing my body a disservice. Not just based off my looks. I think people get way to obsessed about how they look in the mirrow everyday or what the scale reads. Yeah you wanna feel good about the way you look. Women wanna look skinny and beautiful. Men wanna have some muscle and no beer gut. But I would much rather concentrate on my overall health and live longer, because "societies standard" of beauty is fleeting with age or what-have-you.

You look at people with eating disorders and taking nonsicial pills to lose weight. Its just pathetic.
Eating right and working out does not have to be a battle necessarily. Its really about utilizing tools and making them work to your advantage. I love to eat, I'll never deny that. Its getting a grip on my control. Its possible. Look at all the success stories. Its just a change in mental attitude really. How easy is that?

Very insightful! :flowerforyou:

xsargex · June 2009

I totally agree with you all. . .food is not necessarily evil, that was not my intent. Guess it just came out wrong. I believe in mini treats and little indulgences. Moderation in all things? absolutely! We need food to live, to fuel our bodies, I agree 100% with that. I think I am just trying to get out of the thinking that #1 food is the enemy and #2 that I need to be in more control of my choices, does that make sense?

Thank you so very much for your responses, I appreciate you all so much.

I think its really just a mental approach and coming to a realization about what your putting into your body. I grew up not caring or being educated about what I eat and more importantly how much I was eating. I just didn't care to think about it. Then I wondered why I was like 50 lbs over weight. When I actually got on MFP and tracked my calories, I was seriously shocked. Total excess. Wasted calories, unhealthy calories. I was really doing my body a disservice. Not just based off my looks. I think people get way to obsessed about how they look in the mirrow everyday or what the scale reads. Yeah you wanna feel good about the way you look. Women wanna look skinny and beautiful. Men wanna have some muscle and no beer gut. But I would much rather concentrate on my overall health and live longer, because "societies standard" of beauty is fleeting with age or what-have-you.

You look at people with eating disorders and taking nonsicial pills to lose weight. Its just pathetic.
Eating right and working out does not have to be a battle necessarily. Its really about utilizing tools and making them work to your advantage. I love to eat, I'll never deny that. Its getting a grip on my control. Its possible. Look at all the success stories. Its just a change in mental attitude really. How easy is that?

Very insightful! :flowerforyou:

thank you

"common sense will always conquer over emotion" - Who said that? I did.

StiringWendel · June 2009

I'm learning there is actually a biological answer to your question. I'm listening to the audiobook 'The End of Overeating' by David Kessler right now. I've only listened to about 1/3 so I don't have the whole answer.

But, in short, there is a 'reward center' in our brain that is stimulated by things like sugar, fat, and sodium. So, by nature, we are inclined to reach for that type of food as a reward (when we reach for food as a reward that is). What has happened is that such food has become readily available, it has been made relatively cheap, AND we are given constant cues (thanks to advertising) to pursue such foods for emotional reasons. So I think right there is the answer why we reach for food more often as a reward than other thing.

Pretty much all restaurant food (as an example) is high in those three elements--sugar, fat and sodium. And if you watch the commercials, you'll realize that the advertisers aren't actually just selling food, but they are selling feelings. This really capitalizes on that reward element of our physiology (which makes sense because these companies are in the food business not to keep people healthy, but to make money). Kessler had a few advertising slogans as examples in the book, but I don't remember any of them accurately to be able to quote them here.

I have found his arguments to be relatively compelling. I haven't gotten to the 'solution' part of the book yet, but I do agree with xsargex that, despite the fact our brains have this center and that center is being hit easily every which way, that doesn't mean we are helpless in the face of that. I think recognizing the issue is the first step (especially when it comes to how and why some foods are developed, liked restaurant foods, and how and why they are being marketed the way they are). I think being aware of what you are eating and why is the most important step. For instance, if you are eating ice cream as a 'reward', you need to make sure that is HOW you want to reward yourself and not just being doing it out of habit (and Kessler does talk alot about how habits are formed and how some food eating becomes habit so people end up doing it mindlessly).

I like to reward myself with things like new books and clothing. My days of rewarding myself with food are over. As far as the odd indulgence (and I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with the occasional piece of cake), I've recently opted to take another approach and that is to save such things when I'm celebrating. I like that concept because, generally for me, celebrations are something that is less self-focused than a reward so I get to share those moments with others.

xsargex · June 2009

I like to reward myself with things like new books and clothing. My days of rewarding myself with food are over. As far as the odd indulgence (and I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with the occasional piece of cake), I've recently opted to take another approach and that is to save such things when I'm celebrating. I like that concept because, generally for me, celebrations are something that is less self-focused than a reward so I get to share those moments with others.

I'm gonna check that book out. The physiology aspect really fascinates me.

I really agree with your last statement about "celebrations" and to add to that "social gatherings." My friends and I don't really party. You know like we don't go to clubs or bars. Alot of us don't drink, so its just a place we don't go on a regular basis. Hanging out for us, is going to get yummy food. This is where the problem lies with alot of people that have the same issues with drinking too much beer or cocktails. Eating has become our "social time". Its easy to go out and over indulge, because the mindset is... "oh its the weekend" or "oh its so-and-so's going away party" or "i haven't ate out all week; reward time". The problem with that was recognizing this as an excuse to over eat. In my mind, I was justifying that it was okay to go hang out and eat an entire medium pizza or drink a whole bunch of soda. That would either lead to a breakdown in my exercise routine or just a really bad stomach ache. haha!

Finally, I came to the realization that it was time to create sum limits. At this time, I don't find it unreasonable to have a soda or have a slice or two of pizza. But rather, how do I approach eating that food. Instead of drinking a Coke, have a Coke Zero (0 calories). Instead of drinking 4 cans, just limit myself to 1. Instead of eating a bunch of pizza. Have a salad and a slice, instead of multiple slices.
I could still go out, have fun hangin out and eat some yummy food.... but go into the situation with limits. Not just allow myself to fly off the handle.

Since imposing those limits on myself, I've dramatically changed my mentality and its helped tremendously; ontop of losing weight. Which has really become more of a natural result, not just the main goal in mind.

Its easy to point fingers at society and the business-aspect of people wanting to eat. I don't disagree with any of those points. But at some point, we have to take some freaking personal responsibility for our actions.

I've traveled the world. I've been to quite a few countries that don't have the "easy access" to food like we do. In Pakistan, they have way more appreciaton for food. Because it means survival, not just eat cause your bored. In remote villages, they grow their own food. They even preserve their own foods so that they can survive thru the winter months. They don't put food on a pedestal like we do. Which is why most of them are skinny, in shape, but maybe a little mal-nutrioned. Regardless, its a no wonder I lost weight at a tremendous rate. Cause there was no food to snack on at night. We had maybe 3 square meals a day. No kitchen with all day access. No 7-11. No nothing.

Now the challenge, is living in the states and controlling myself from the easy access. Its a challenge, but its not impossible.

staceyw37 · June 2009

rewards: massage; mani/pedi; workout clothes; workout dvds; books; cd's; jewelry; makeup; bath; day or hrs at home w/o kids; wii or wii games; scrapbooking; concert or other cultural outing; shoes; magazine subscription; photo frame (with pic of new you!); something pretty for the house; something to add to a collection; time at a pottery place.

hth :flowerforyou:

onfleur · June 2009

You know. . . I eat when I am happy, eat when I am sad, eat when I am depressed and eat just because it is there. It has been a real eye opener to me when logging to actually see the OMG's when entering in foods I used to eat as to what I eat now.

I don't know if you are like me, but I have friends who when being social, we ate whether at a restaurant or some one's home. Food has always, ALWAYS been the center of my existence. I think I just want things to be different now. I want to eat to live a long and healthy life, not live to eat.

Thank you all for you input.

xsargex · June 2009

You know. . . I eat when I am happy, eat when I am sad, eat when I am depressed and eat just because it is there. It has been a real eye opener to me when logging to actually see the OMG's when entering in foods I used to eat as to what I eat now.

I don't know if you are like me, but I have friends who when being social, we ate whether at a restaurant or some one's home. Food has always, ALWAYS been the center of my existence. I think I just want things to be different now. I want to eat to live a long and healthy life, not live to eat.

Thank you all for you input.

I agree, controlling those emotions can be tough. But you don't have to allow it to consume you. Those same emotions that lead us to eat poorly, are the same ones that keep us from working out, or giving up on that extra mile. Maybe give up on that last set of bicep curls. Making food (nutrition) and exercising the enemy just doesn't work. Its truely a transformation of your mindset that leads you to success. Have a plan, stick to the plan. Being flexible enough to allow some inconsistencies or change-ups. It really comes down to making balanced, reasonable goals when it comes to your approach. Balance. Not full on lazy or full on ridiculous with your goal-setting. Just keep that in mind.

Why is it that we seem to reward ourselves with food?

Replies

Categories