Many people subconsciously sabotage themselves because they think dieting and maintaining a slim weight means never being able to enjoy food again.

I was one of them.

Having been dieting and maintaining for a year in total (I started after returning from my Easter holiday), I feel that the opposite is the case. The more comfortable I became with the regime and the more weight I lost the more I find I can enjoy food, and I think the reason is that food is no longer a threat to me.

Take 74kg-me in a restaurant, for example. I carefully chose what I would feel least guilty for afterwards, but afterwards, I`d find that I still ate more than I would have at home and still felt guilty. I`d try to compensate the next day by eating less and excercise extra hard. I always had a "fat day" after being to a restaurant. Besides, I`d check out other women and almost hated them for being slender and showing it off.

59kg-me is totally different. Having learnt to handle food I confidently chose what fits my regime and, within these parameters, what I fancy most on the day. Being confdent that my body can handle everything within these parameters (to me, that`s low carb at night) I enjoy my food and feel no guilt afterwards. I don`t feel a need to make up afterwards because I have not broken the diet. I don`t need to envy slender women because I`m one of them.

Or take baking. I always wanted to learn to bake but fat me was worried that she would lose it if there was cake in the house and eat herself to the size of a house. Now that I am slender *and* have learnt how to handle food, I have started to bake. Since Saturday lunch time, we have a cheesecake in the fridge, and I just had my second slice, having flly enjoyed every morsel of it.

I certainly feel dieting and slimming has enhanced rather than reduced my enjoyment of food.

Can anyone relate?

Although I can't have cheesecake in my fridge, I can relate to a lot of what you say.

I was thinking about this today, actually. This weekend, I binged. It was bad, I felt like crap. But the worst part of it was that I didn't enjoy the food nearly as much as I enjoy the healthy food I eat. And it's not entirely about the flavor (although that is certainly part of it), it's more about taking the time to make something and appreciating what you made. Instead of shoveling as much in your face as possible. There's no enjoyment in that!

No, there isn`t (any enjoyment in that), and sometimes, when it happens to me (the binge) I think: well, it`s good to be reminded from time to tome of how crap it actually feels!:-)

All the best
Stella

i can understand enjoying food more now than when i am dieting/binging... actually, i was shocked yesterday how good celery can taste - yes i am serious! i actually really look forward to my food now... not just because it fuels me but because it is good! and the healthier the better...

part of it is that i dont deny myself anything...doesnt mean i keep it in the house (couldnt have cheesecake in the fridge either!) more that it is not forbidden... so i choose healthy over crappy more often... and when i have crappy, i am (finally) finding that it tastes LESS good than i remember and i want LESS of it!

sooo bizarre how tastes change!?!?!

I can relate. Yes, tastes change & quantity cravings change too! I have homemade banana bread in the house from my weekend baking... it is so wonderful.... so yesterday I had a little piece and savored it, I didn't devour it in two seconds. I made myself pause, deeply smell it, and then slowly chew each bite. It made all the difference in the world!! It was delicious.