[mariarose]

I loved this article so much I had to post it, though it's not exactly "news."
Thoughts? How does this relate to your own philosophies on eating?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/di...=1&oref=slogin

[Ufi]

Wow, that's what I'm trying to do! It really is a whole lifestyle shift, which is hard.

[PhotoChick]

I think if you read the maintainers forum here, you'll find that a LOT of people have that attitude already. I think many people who are maintaining and many people like me who are still losing but who have committed to a lifestyle change have already decided to eat clean and healthy.

Of course, I do have a little cynic in me and I have to admit that I do think a lot of people are "bandwagoning" clean/green/healthy eating. It's cool and trendy to be "green". Eating organic foods, whole grains, demanding that your meat be hormone free and humanely raised ... you used to be a freak if you were into that. Now it's not only cool, but your friends look down on you if you're not.

So I think there are a lot of factors there - more awareness, more concern, and some green-snobbery.

.

[kaplods]

I think that one of the reasons "this time" is so drastically different than all the other countless weight loss attempts is that I don't eat anything "just because it's low calorie" anymore. I hate "diet" salad dressings, so I don't use them anymore.

Hubby and I love eating out, cooking, and just good food in general. In the past, dieting meant eating things I didn't like, "substituting lousy low calorie "fakes" for things I did like, and generally focusing on what I "wasn't eating," more than on what I was.

It may be the reason it's hard for me to lose weight "faster," but I'm definitely having a better time losing weight than I ever have before. When you eat like your meals are a prison sentence, it's hard to feel enthusiastic about the process, but if you're eating what you enjoy (that just happens to be healthy) you really can see "doing this" forever.

[junebug41]

While I do shop at the farmer's market during the season and limit my meat and dairy consumption, I'm not an all-or-nothing-organic person. I don't seek out sepcifically organic foods, particularly at the grocery store because from what I've read, their impact on the environment is the same as non-organic foods. I eat very well and am in excellent health, so non-organic produce doesn't bother me too much

Now, I will say that the lifestyle I have practiced over the years has greatly diversified the foods I eat. Less processed foods are better for me, simple as that. Also, I think it takes the acquisition of quite a bit of knowledge and a big adjusment in beliefs to change your lifestyle and through that I know so much more about food in general. It was just part of the process.

I have also discovered a great appreciation for food preparation and cooking in general. I recently received a set of high quality knives as a wedding present and I love nothing more than having vegetables sprawled out on the counter ready for me to chop and mix to create whatever I'm in the mood for. I think this comes from my dad who loves nothing more than being in his kitchen, not to mention he is a vegetarian so I have always felt at peace working in a kitchen with a variety of foods.