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Original poster

Do you eat what you want?

262 replies

shrubgreen · 06/03/2023 20:16

Just wondering how many of you eat what you want, when you want on a regular basis - or if you tend to view food in terms of what you can/can't, should/shouldn't indulge in?

Was just wondering as I know so many people who have been on some sort of diet for most of their lives and wondering if anyone is really immune from this? Or do some people really not think twice about what they eat - I mean in terms of "guilt" and feeling like there's a right or wrong way to eat.

OP posts:
Dionysiana · 07/03/2023 22:21

ummm…no. If I ate what I wanted I would live on salted caramel ice cream 🤷‍♀️.

Reddahlias · 07/03/2023 22:56

I think your grasp of logic and nutrition is as wonky as your grasp of statistics.

I am happy with all that is wonky about me Smile

amicissimma · 07/03/2023 23:07

Yes.

By eating what I feel like, when I want, I have remained the same weight for about 40 years. BMI about 20, for what it's worth.

Franticbutterfly · 07/03/2023 23:12

Yes, and I'm fat because of it.

Elphame · 08/03/2023 11:47

crackofdoom · 07/03/2023 15:09

I think one of the problems we're facing here is the conflation of "healthy" with "low calorie". I mean...which has less calories- a Diet Coke or a bag of nuts? But which is better for your health?

One of my favourite dinners is deep fried home made broad bean falafels in a homemade sourdough flatbread with lashings of tahini and fried aubergine, accompanied by a rainbow slaw with plenty of mayonnaise. Healthy? Undoubtedly. Fattening? Very probably 😬

Oh now I want the recipe for those falafels.!!! I love broad beans, they are one of my favourite vegetables

Elphame · 08/03/2023 12:06

I love food and refuse to be restrictive. I am not much of a grazer, we had set meals as kids and I seem to still follow that pattern. Though not intentionally

I think this is very true. We never had takeaway foods like MacDonalds and my mother provided home made meals. If I came school starving I'd make a cheese toastie. Other than that there was no snacking between meals.

This was reinforced by school - absolutely no eating in public in school uniform or the wrath of the head would descend upon you.

Even now I don't consider anything like MacDonalds or KFC etc to be a "treat" food. Nor takeaways etc. I'm always underwhelmed by them on the few occasions we have one and invariably know I can do better myself (maybe we just have bad takeaways around here but even when we lived in the SE I was always unimpressed).

I guess I probably repeated the same pattern with my own children. The constant snacking of the current generation still rather amazes me. Mine would get a custard cream or something similar with a drink at playgroup but it would simply never occur to me to have a supply of drinks and snacks in my bag whilst out and about.

They have both grown up with a healthy attitude to food and are both far more adventurous cooks than I am (and are both a healthy weight).

CeriB82 · 08/03/2023 12:14

I only eat when im hungry. I don’t go by the clock.

i always eat breakfast, as im hungry. I can go till about 1pm then ill have a sandwich. If im busy i can forget to eat.

ill have a coffee and cake at 3-4, then i wont have tea as that cake filled me. Ill have some thing light like toast before bed.

Or if im hungry after work I’ll have tea. No day is the same. I rarely eat a big meal though (i bloat) especially after 6pm.

I’ve learned to live with IBS for 30 years so thus works for me

Reddahlias · 08/03/2023 13:14

Even now I don't consider anything like MacDonalds or KFC etc to be a "treat" food.

A 'treat'? I definitely don't either. You'd have to pay me to eat such bland fatty food.

My teen kids would probably eat it but they'd have to spend their own pocket money on it.

ZZTopGuitarSolo · 08/03/2023 16:18

Elphame · 08/03/2023 12:06

I love food and refuse to be restrictive. I am not much of a grazer, we had set meals as kids and I seem to still follow that pattern. Though not intentionally

I think this is very true. We never had takeaway foods like MacDonalds and my mother provided home made meals. If I came school starving I'd make a cheese toastie. Other than that there was no snacking between meals.

This was reinforced by school - absolutely no eating in public in school uniform or the wrath of the head would descend upon you.

Even now I don't consider anything like MacDonalds or KFC etc to be a "treat" food. Nor takeaways etc. I'm always underwhelmed by them on the few occasions we have one and invariably know I can do better myself (maybe we just have bad takeaways around here but even when we lived in the SE I was always unimpressed).

I guess I probably repeated the same pattern with my own children. The constant snacking of the current generation still rather amazes me. Mine would get a custard cream or something similar with a drink at playgroup but it would simply never occur to me to have a supply of drinks and snacks in my bag whilst out and about.

They have both grown up with a healthy attitude to food and are both far more adventurous cooks than I am (and are both a healthy weight).

I was raised much like this. It didn't make any difference. I still want to eat all the fatty food there is. I want to snack constantly. I want to always have food with me just in case. I adore takeaways.

lipstickontheglass · 08/03/2023 19:12

I had a bar of mini eggs at lunchtime - was meant to buy stuff at the shop for an omelette lunch but got a bit distracted. Came home having scoffed 3/4 the bar of mini eggs on the way and made dh a double cheesy omelette cooked in butter - but I didn't want anymore food, so I ate what I wanted but it meant I couldn't face lunch - still haven't thought about making dinner.
For what it's worth, for me - the less fat I eat the more food I need to eat - I'm not at all convinced that the low-fat nonsense ever worked well for me, it just made me crave more food - although everyone is different.

back289 · 08/03/2023 19:45

Yes, have never dieted. I eat relatively healthily but drink wine and eat chocolate biscuits in the evening. I've only started exercising very recently as I want to be strong in old age, I'm 50, size 6 and bmi 18.5. My weight has always been the same. I realise I'm very lucky

Pinacalola · 10/03/2023 19:49

Yes, it's the best way I think.
Dieting and the demonisation of some foods, nearly destroyed me food wise.
I was developing an eating disorder, and so was one of my DC. Now we've got rid of the idea of good vs bad foods and we are both on the road to a healthier balanced relationship with food.

I was using intuitive eating and initially gained some weight, but have now started losing it as my relationship with my body, exercise and food has started to resolve and I no longer feel like a kid in a candy shop. My DC no longer has an eating disorder and is gaining weight appropriately. I think the diet industry have a lot to answer for, tbh. I was raised into a inter generational yo-yo dieting family. I'm glad that lineage ends with me, in my kitchen, where salad, pizza, ice cream and yoghurt are all equals.

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