Do you have a healthy relationship with food?

Yup totally, I can relate to this - I totally can say mine isn't healthy at all - most people eat, go back to their stuff/ hobby/ work, and when the Ghrelin kicks in - they eat. I agree on the "but I don't get the enjoyment out of them that I think I will. " I'm 24/7 thinking about food, about the next meal to come, about eating. It's a total obsession - that might be related to the fact it's a critical factor in the perception we can have on ourselves since eating plays a major role. I guess violinists are obsessed by their violins...
Maybe one day we'll be pissed off about being so binded to food and will quit, dunno...

Clearly the world of fitness/nutrition is a breeding ground for obsessive behavior. I actually never followed most of the meticulous dieting myths, and I've long stopped following the few I did believe in.

I've never had an eating disorder or anything close to it, but I'm not sure my relationship with food is completely healthy. But this I mean that I really, really love eating. I look forward to all my meals, but like any other material pleasure, eating doesn't leave me with a sense of "satisfaction" like I think it will when I'm thinking about my next meal. I suppose this is the kind of thing that goes through the mind of a binge eater, but again, I've never binged once in my life (not that I haven't wanted to).

I guess what I'm saying is that larger meals are "fun," but I don't get the enjoyment out of them that I think I will. I'm thinking about switching to more frequent, smaller meals to get over this mindset (I don't really want to, because the "grazing method" made me more hungry in the past).

I completely know what you are saying. I am satisfied with my breakfast because it is my biggest (and I am talking BIG) meal of the day. My other meals are smaller and not extremely satisfying. I try not to have bad cheat days like I used to because the taste of that food is SO GOOD and it does remind of a binge eater. I have not had the eating problems either (although some cheat days I stuff myself and feel sick ha!). I am not the best at explaining my thoughts but I do get what you mean! Some days all I think about right after I eat a meal is "when is the next meal!".

I'm a foodie...I love to eat a variety of foods, cuisines and I love to cook. I still do. I just treat them as occasional indulgences, and I have learned to be creative with healthy cooking and coming up with new lighter versions of favorite dishes, without it being bland and boring. When I eat now, I savor it. Turn off the TV, light a candle, eat at the dining room table and just be in the moment. I find that helps with the romantic part of eating without having to eat the foods I used to associate with it (heavy pastas, cheesy dishes and rich desserts). Congrats on just having to put on the finishing touches...I'm 4lbs away from my goal weight, so I'm just behind you

my Mum and my husband were both children during rationing here in the UK and both are mortified if i do not clean my plate (my husband does most of the cooking) and have seconds as well if there is anything left... 'don't you like it? what's wrong? and my favourite.. 'you don't eat enough to keep a mouse alive! I can assure you I do...:laugh:

I think everyone's relationship with food is as complex as our relationships with each other... I used to count my peas... so did all my sisters... :blushing:

Not really i dont think. When you are constantly thinking abt this and that regarding food its hard to. I feel like i think abt food 24/7 and sometimes that just makes me sad LOL

I'm a foodie...I love to eat a variety of foods, cuisines and I love to cook. I still do. I just treat them as occasional indulgences, and I have learned to be creative with healthy cooking and coming up with new lighter versions of favorite dishes, without it being bland and boring. When I eat now, I savor it. Turn off the TV, light a candle, eat at the dining room table and just be in the moment. I find that helps with the romantic part of eating without having to eat the foods I used to associate with it (heavy pastas, cheesy dishes and rich desserts). Congrats on just having to put on the finishing touches...I'm 4lbs away from my goal weight, so I'm just behind you

Thanks for the advice, I probably do need to savor my food a bit more. I'm a volume eater, I always have been (that's kinda how I got fat), I have the ability to put down A LOT of food at once, and still want more.

You may call me party-breaker, but I don't think DragonflyF15 here is as deep as we are :laugh:
In fact making dinners, lunch more sexy, romantic, pleasant to see,to savor might helps to learn to eat in proportion - but won't untie the weird relation we have to food. Every of my meals are cool, well prepared, perfect sized, smell good, are a pleasure to eat - but the sado-masochist relation is there - no matter how material I'd put around to complete the endless process of eating. That complex relation goes WAY beyond what you perceive, since like uponthisrock said - the mental projection goes further that the moment itself :drinker:

I'm a foodie...I love to eat a variety of foods, cuisines and I love to cook. I still do. I just treat them as occasional indulgences, and I have learned to be creative with healthy cooking and coming up with new lighter versions of favorite dishes, without it being bland and boring. When I eat now, I savor it. Turn off the TV, light a candle, eat at the dining room table and just be in the moment. I find that helps with the romantic part of eating without having to eat the foods I used to associate with it (heavy pastas, cheesy dishes and rich desserts). Congrats on just having to put on the finishing touches...I'm 4lbs away from my goal weight, so I'm just behind you

Thanks for the advice, I probably do need to savor my food a bit more. I'm a volume eater, I always have been (that's kinda how I got fat), I have the ability to put down A LOT of food at once, and still want more.

You may call me party-breaker, but I don't think DragonflyF15 here is as deep as we are :laugh:
In fact making dinners, lunch more sexy, romantic, pleasant to see,to savor might helps to learn to eat in proportion - but won't untie the weird relation we have to food. Every of my meals are cool, well prepared, perfect sized, smell good, are a pleasure to eat - but the sado-masochist relation is there - no matter how material I'd put around to complete the endless process of eating. That complex relation goes WAY beyond what you perceive, since like uponthisrock said - the mental projection goes further that the moment itself :drinker:

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Yes - I absolutely have a healthy relationship with food.

I didn't always. I had to work at it. I was never a binge eater or emotional eater. I just ate too much - too many calories in my super-sized portions. I labeled foods as 'good' and 'bad' and thought of myself as good or bad based on what I ate.

I've managed to fix that over the past year, and I feel like things have finally clicked for me.

I think it all has to do with "what are you eating for?" - I love to eat, I love the feeling eating gives me, and i do feel satisfied after... however, I also see food as "my fuel", without it I can't function therefore it is a necessity. So many people will argue that you can eat only once a day and as long as you get all your calories in its ok... my mentality is completely different - my own body now asks for the fuel every 2-3 hrs - and it is functioning at a better rate than when I used to skip meals and just eat larger.

I think that for you to create a healthy relationship with your food your need to first identify the main reasons for eating it. Appreciate its value.

I was a smoker for 10 years and became completely obsessed about smoking...when was I going to take the next break to smoke a cigarette. If I was at an event that did not allow smoking, I was planning my escape to go have a smoke. I was smoking over 2 packs a day sometimes. When it finally hit me how obsessed I really was, I quit cold turkey and never went back.

I think my relationship with food is very similar, but you can't just stop eating altogether. So I have to face my obsession on a daily basis. Whenever I make plans to go somewhere, my very first thought is always about what food will be available there and I start planning my meals. I've tried and tried to get away from that mindset, without success. It is better now, though. I've finally dropped the idea that I have to order the thing on the menu that will give me the biggest volume of food. And I can actually leave some food on my plate when we eat out...once in a while. LOL

I think counting calories and tracking my eating is the healthiest thing I can do to deal with my obsession. It's the best I have for now. So I guess my answer would be...sorta.

No I do not have a healthy relationship with food. Before I was obsessed with eating way too much and now having to count every single calorie that touches my lips has taken my obsession to a whole new level. I like you am always THINKING about my next meal. I feel guilty, I feel happy, I feel confused about each meal. It can control my mood...I think this makes it unhealthy!

This is me too! I often hear my family members and friends say that I am obsessive with controlling everything that goes into my mouth...and I probably am. And the feelings associated with it all are another story entirely! I suffer from extreme guilt over eating "bad" foods or going over my calorie goal. I know that this isn't a healthy way to approach food, but being extreme has helped me lose weight successfully. In my mind, I think that I'm doing what needs to be done for now. When I hit my goal weight and raise my calorie count, I think it will become easier to feel good about food and what I'm eating. I think the main issue behind all of this is that I'm terrified of gaining the weight back! Does anyone else feel this way? I mean, in my mind I know it's completely irrational to think that if I eat one meal at McDonald's that I'll gain back 74 lbs overnight. However, that does not mean that I don't freak out about eating it.

I've given up logging my calories for Lent because I feel like my relationship with food is getting really messed up by counting every little thing. I'm not giving up portion control and things like that, but I am going to try to relax a bit so I can reclaim my power over food instead of it having power over me, so to speak. Sounds kind of stupid, but I feel like I'm a little too obsessed with food, and it's not helping my weight loss/health in any way.

Wow! That's awesome for you to recognize what food is doing to you! I really admire your strength...now I'm thinking about giving up counting too...

i'm a stress eater, so no i do not have a heathly relationship with food. i am brand new to this website and my new found get fit attitude. i can use a lot of advice or suggestions on how to get over this stress eating. i also don't want to feel like i'm putting my son on a diet with me. i'm a single mother so i cook for just us two. he likes to eat "kid" foods and he gets them only in moderation because i don't want him to grow up and be over weight either. i guess i just haven't found that happy median on his meals and mine.