Originally Posted by CherryPie99:
But I find that if I have a day of massive overeating (think a large buffet) that completely cures my cravings for several weeks. And I eat on plan until the next episode of pigging out. I know that this would not work for everyone, but for me, it is working.

Me too, me too! I suspect that most people think I'm crazy for having this pattern, but it works for me. (I've been maintaining a 50-pound weight loss for almost two-and-a-half years.) Every few weeks I have a MASSIVE pigout. Usually it's at a restaurant or catered event, but most recently I had one at home. I had over 3,000 calories of my very favourite desserts in one short sitting. Who in their right mind does this? Me, I guess. (I think I could have had a stellar career in eating contests, such is my capacity to overeat without feeling any ill effects.)

I've concluded that "never again" doesn't work for my own psychology. As long as I know I can keep my vices, even if on a sporadic basis, I'm good.

Freelance

It also doesn't ever have to be pleasure or health. That is a false dichotomy.

I've never had better burgers since going grain free. Never, not even close. A good burger becomes transcendent to me without the bun. So it is win-win.

And human beings are endlessly creative. I should have brought this up before but the Paleo/Primal/Grain Free communities enjoy food just as much as anyone else. Countless recipes of all kinds.

My wife has done some of her best, most tasty baking since we both went grain free. So it truly doesn't have to be an OR with a little discovery and experimentation.

Originally Posted by CindySunshine:
Overeating is not pleasurable.

Sez who? Overeating IS pleasurable for me. It's a pleasure I've decided to forsake for the most part, because I'd rather have the pleasure of good health and attractive looks. But I'd be lying if I said that overeating made me feel sick, guilty, etc. The truth is that I enjoy the feeling of being full -- even very full. I just have to balance this enjoyment against my overall life goals.

F.

Freelance my sincere apologies I missed the important reference "for me" overeating is not pleasurable. My husband seems perfectly thrilled happy with that feeling as well.

I do love to feel comfortably full, satisfied just not overfull and a stuffed.

Originally Posted by Arctic Mama:
I'm a lifetime food logger, food weigher, scale watcher, and occasional free eater. It's very individual, but the advice toward more carbs and moderation leads me to awful cravings and weight creep.

To be clear, nobody on the thread has actually advised anyone here to eat carbs. What we like and what we put in your mouth is nobody's business but our own and we shouldn't feel like we have to justify that, especially not here. It's rather sad that every discussion has to end up right back to the tired old carb argument because there's so much more to our lives than whether or not we eat/love/hate/tolerate/moderate carb consumption. I didn't want this thread to be about that at all, I just wanted to start a thread about enjoying food... there are too many threads that are about the distrust of food, or distrust of ourselves around food.

We might have all suffered from dysfunctional eating at one time or another but that doesn't mean we are dysfunctional people who attack one another based on what we put in our mouths. My best friend and I couldn't be more different people. She likes asian cuisine, I like european cuisine. She likes spicy food, I don't like spicy food. She craves sweets, I crave salty snacks. But at the end of the day we can sit down at a table together and enjoy a meal without throwing rice at each other. And she's eating way more carbs than I am and has lost way more weight than I have eventhough she's doing a completely different kind of diet than me! It's all good :dizzy:

Hey, I'd love to go out to eat with your best friend! I love Asian, spicy and carbs. As you say, it's all good.:p

F.

Originally Posted by freelancemomma:
Sez who? Overeating IS pleasurable for me. It's a pleasure I've decided to forsake for the most part, because I'd rather have the pleasure of good health and attractive looks. But I'd be lying if I said that overeating made me feel sick, guilty, etc. The truth is that I enjoy the feeling of being full -- even very full. I just have to balance this enjoyment against my overall life goals.

F.

I seriously thought I was the only freak who felt like this!!! I would LOVE to overeat all the time if I could get away with it! I am so glad that I am not the only one - especially with someone who has been so successful!!

jen

Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny:
To be clear, nobody on the thread has actually advised anyone here to eat carbs. What we like and what we put in your mouth is nobody's business but our own and we shouldn't feel like we have to justify that, especially not here. It's rather sad that every discussion has to end up right back to the tired old carb argument because there's so much more to our lives than whether or not we eat/love/hate/tolerate/moderate carb consumption. I didn't want this thread to be about that at all, I just wanted to start a thread about enjoying food... there are too many threads that are about the distrust of food, or distrust of ourselves around food.

We might have all suffered from dysfunctional eating at one time or another but that doesn't mean we are dysfunctional people who attack one another based on what we put in our mouths. My best friend and I couldn't be more different people. She likes asian cuisine, I like european cuisine. She likes spicy food, I don't like spicy food. She craves sweets, I crave salty snacks. But at the end of the day we can sit down at a table together and enjoy a meal without throwing rice at each other. And she's eating way more carbs than I am and has lost way more weight than I have eventhough she's doing a completely different kind of diet than me! It's all good :dizzy:

Oh yes, I was speaking more generally, not suggesting anyone on this thread was necessarily saying this. In fact the latest advice I tried following toward this approach came off a low carb board. It just turns out I must personally run on the more strict side. I wish I didn't have to, but I do. One of my dear friends is a consultant for a whole grain coop and does juice cleanses every few months - we still love each other despite our both bringing snacks to events, because we eat like weirdos on the opposite ends of the spectrum. My friend's body can handle it and remain slender as long as she skips dessert and seconds. I take a sideways look at her soaked grain cinnamon rolls and gain three pounds. We're just not the same.

Originally Posted by freelancemomma:
Sez who? Overeating IS pleasurable for me. It's a pleasure I've decided to forsake for the most part, because I'd rather have the pleasure of good health and attractive looks. But I'd be lying if I said that overeating made me feel sick, guilty, etc. The truth is that I enjoy the feeling of being full -- even very full. I just have to balance this enjoyment against my overall life goals.

F.

Oh I wish this wasn't so. I love the feeling of eating until pleasantly stuffed. Not sick, but definitely beyond satisfied. And unfortunately I don't do well with fasting significantly as my blood sugar drops overly much. But I definitely try to plan my meals so I can have one big one, or else graze all day. Something in between bugs me and yes, if I know I am eating out in the evening I absolutely eat lightly prior to that, so I can eat a massive steak and buttery beans with zero guilt.

Balancing this against life goals is a great way to put it. For me, I can really enjoy this more with my way of eating - it allows rich foods and more calories in general than if I was higher carb. But I have tried to make peace with being 'not hungry' even if I can tell my stomach is half empty. I'm not a fan, to put it lightly.

Fortunately for me this isn't disordered, it's just a preference. And I've managed to strike a good balance whereby I can maintain my weight and still enjoy these things. I just can't enjoy them overly frequently or with certain types of foods, by and large.

I haven't read all 5 pages yet, wowza, I just want to chime in, I love food, love to eat, love to exercise (most of the time..:lol:)

Today I eat whatever I want on the weekend, what I enjoy eating on my plan during the week. It's working for me for now, if it stops working I'll adjust.

I have had times when I felt I had to stay away from some foods, but temporarily, similar to the posts I've read so far about IE I acknowledge cravings, I usually tell myself I can have that later, if it's really distracting me from life (doesn't get to that point too often anymore) I will just have it.

I wish everyone the best and hope we all can find that peace and balance.

best to all :sunny:

Originally Posted by MauiKai:
But I also know that candy, fried foods, junk, soda, fake sugars, processed foods come with consequences that have NOTHING to do with weight. They damage the body, even though you can't necessarily see it on the outside. Not right away at least. Those items cause harm inside the body. There are medical studies out there to prove it. (No, I don't play the internet game of "Oh yeah? Show me!" We're all adults, and can each do our own research. I have no skin in the game of you taking my word for it or caring about what I say. The info is there for those who seek it.)

You're welcome to have any opinion you want but proclaiming that your opinion is proven fact? :?:

In my opinion, based on the research I have read, dose matters. 1 soda has a different effect on your body than 12. 1 corn dog has a different effect on your body than 12.

Believe what you want but don't tell the world your opinion is fact because it isn't.

I love food. I am the person who will try every taco in town to find the best one. It's not uncommon for me to drive 30 minutes one way to get a good meal.

I would rather live a shorter life I enjoy than a long life full of food I only think tastes good because my tastes buds have adjusted to a new level of bland.

That moment when you are chewing on a bite and it's as if a choir of angels is singing in my mouth? Hard to find but when you do? Wonderful ...

Also, something important that I don't talk about much on this forum is that I'm a major foodie. I cook, love hosting dinner parties, research recipes and work on my knife skills and cooking techniques, do food photography and cook seasonal foods. I visit farmers markets, drive to nearby farms, visit specialty delis and ethnic food markets and cheese shops, I'm the girl who gives my butcher advice on how to cook meats, the customer that the fish monger knows by name. There is nothing unhealthy about this and it's a huge part of my life that brings me incredible pleasure.

I hate cooking and I don't understand why some people (many of my friends) can drive over an hour to a restaurant they fancy just to eat there or to queue up for ages to eat at a particular place.

However, I think that if I want to become a foodie, I can. It's just that I'm too lazy and too impatient to be one?? Just thinking of a food queue makes me shudder in horror.

This thread has been great, still not done reading, but enjoying it

Originally Posted by :
Locke~
Remember the wise words of the Oracle at Delphi: Know thyself.

I'm fondly remembering eating buffalo burgers outside of Glacier National Park, they were so good we ate there twice, lots of memories of great hikes and wonderful scenery there, too.

I also (with chagrin) remember eating McD's in the car, thinking I was getting away with something since nobody could see me chowing down, poor girl, so glad she got better.

Also, thanks to JohnP I remember Korean tacos and nachos from a food truck at a music festival, can't wait to hear some great music and munch on those tacos again, that was one of those wonderful in my mouth moments :)

Great thought provoking posts, my mind is open :sunny: