Life without enjoyment of food

[labamba007]

I'm 5 stone overweight and have tried for a decade to lose it. I'm considering using weight loss injections however I just can't imagine life without enjoying food! What about holidays and Christmas? These are so centred around food for me. I'm a real foodie!

So my question is do you enjoy food at all or has it become a chore, I can't wrap my head around it!

You can eat anything, anything and EVERYTHING iif you try portion control. Try it as a strategy to lose weight. No denial. Buy the chocolate bar, for example, and break it into 2 or 3. Now... this is the discipline bit until you loose the weight. You are still eating everything but in smaller portions,,save the other half for tomorrow. Eat slower and savour it. Sounds grim and depressing but basically you got to change something or you won't loose the weight and this way yiure still tasting everything you like. Then slowly start making healthier choices or introducing healthier food. It either that or go on an appetite suppressant injection. GRIM. no thanks, when there is so much pleasure in food, just try portion control.

I am not doing the injection thing. I eat low carb and it works for me.

However, for real enjoyment of food, you talk to the French. They opine that no bite of a dessert tastes as good as the first bite. So you can put your fork down then. I once watched a woman order (Paris) une grande assiette de fromage (spelling) and eat about three bites. She had tasted it, and enjoyed it, and was done. That is how you eat wonderful food, in a way that doesn't hurt you.

You can enjoy Christmas, and holidays. You just eat one Yorkshire pudding, one roast potato, one ball of ice cream. Enjoy it, just a smaller piece.

Not on weight loss injections myself but I did read that some people report low mood on them - the suggestion was that those people had been using food to regulate their emotions.

Two of my friends are on injections though and we still go for meals out, they just eat noticeably less than they used to. Being a foodie doesn’t mean stuffing your face? Overeating is different.

On a weightloss/healthy diet, you still enjoy food but your tastebuds change and everything tastes better when you're hungry so you appreciate healthy foods more. Overly greasy and sugary foods often lose their appeal. You also learn just to enjoy a mouthful or two of certain foods, not an entire plateful.

I'm currently injecting myself with 1.7 mg of Wegovy and I still love the taste of food! I just don't crave it nor can I eat very much of it. I avoid anything that's high in fat or sugar because I desperately want to lose more weight. What's marvellous is that I don't miss it. 😀

I am in month 5. Still enjoy my food and still crave things sometimes and look forward to them. Just can’t eat as much.

Had fish and chips last week. Just had a bit of fish cut off someone else’s portion and a handful of chips. Amazing! But was then full. Would have had a large cod and chips before.

The weirdest thing for me is the timing of my appetite. I wake up hungry and have eggs on toast. Then hungry again about 2pm and have a small portion of something delicious and healthy. It’s dinner I have no space for. Currently on holiday in a country with wonderful food and think I will just have to sit out the long evening meals with a cocktail and a small salad or bit of fish.

I love the Parisian story. It’s true. I still enjoy a taste of things but that’s all. I am not really ‘dieting’ and am a slow loser. 17lb in 15 weeks.

It’s no good if food is your crutch and main entertainment and pleasure in life. I have seen a friend with a stomach staple carry on constantly eating chocolate whenever she can. What’s the point in that? She’s slowly creeping back up beyond obese.

It might be that the injections aren’t for you. They aren’t for everyone. I am a foodie. And I love cooking.

I am in injection 2. The other day I had a biscuit and it did taste as great as it used to. But it didn’t bother me. I am enjoying the food I am eating though. Which is much healthier. I haven’t had chocolate for over week and haven’t fancied it so don’t miss it.

I have, however, really enjoyed making good food from scratch. It’s almost like it’s more important it tastes great and is healthy because I am eating less.

Last night we had pork souvlaki, home made pita and salad. It was delicious. I just didn’t eat loads and enjoyed it.

Dp is doing a Sunday lunch today. I am looking forward to that.

Where have you got the impression that the injections make you not enjoy food?

I am still enjoying my food - I’m just not eating compulsively, overeating when not hungry, or using food as a crutch. It seems inconceivable when you have an unhealthy relationship with food that things can feel this way - that’s what the injection has done for me. Last night I made a beef pho with fillet steak, went to all the usual lengths of preparation, and really enjoyed sitting down and eating it garnished with all the little flourishes.

Perhaps what you’re a bit nervous of is letting go of food as an emotional support - I couldn’t imagine how it would feel until I started (I’m on lowest dose Mounjaro) but I essentially feel like all the chatter around food has disappeared and I’m free to prepare, eat and enjoy it, much as a naturally slim person can - the kind of person who says they love chocolate but can have a couple of squares and they’re done. I was not that person, but I am at the moment and hope I can spend enough time experiencing how that feels whilst learning new habits that it becomes sustainable.

You can eat tasty food in small portions no?

I lost over 14 stones and no food tastes as good as slim feels!

I get what you mean OP.

I'm on these injections and they've been an amazing help. I'm down almost 2 stone in 3 months and am half a stone off no longer being overweight.

But it's coming up to my birthday and normally I would have people round and do a several course dinner with lots of delicious things to take. Now I can only eat maybe half or a third of my normal amount without feeling unwell so I can't do that. I would normally enjoy making loads of different dishes and I would enjoy the leftovers over the following week or so but the leftovers would go off before I ate them so it wouldn't be worth the trouble.

It has been worth it for me, but I am looking forward to being able to go out for a 3 course meal occasionally or similar.

I suspect it's not being aided in my case by the fact I haven't been honest about the jabs with people other than close family. So with my family I could just go "oh yes I am going to eat two starters and pudding" or "I'll have half my main and then half a pudding" or whatever because they know I know I won't be able to manage it now.

I do still enjoy food and I am still doing some reasonably nice cooking but I live on my own and the issue is that cooking for one always used to be a pain and now it's a nightmare to physically cook little enough that it doesn't just go off before I get round to cooking it

Having people over/cooking simple meals for others does help because then I can dole out 3/4 of it to other people.

I'm really enjoying my life not being dominated by food. I am 1 year sober tomorrow as my drinking was starting to hurt me so I stopped. I couldn't imagine a life without drinking, but it's so beautiful and freeing now! It's a bit like that with food, except I can't quit food. But I am enjoying the head space of not having every waking moment dominated by food. Instead I'm enjoying other things and just enjoying the peace. I just want eating to be something I do to survive, without a second thought. I thought I was foodie, but I was addicted and used food as emotional support. Right now, I'm not enjoying food all that much, but I am eating because it's required. I can also make much more balanced and nutritional choices because I don't have a inner dialogue telling me to eat, eat, eat. I'm using this time to be reflective and journal about what I'm doing instead of eating so when I come off the meds I can hopefully look back and remember that a life without ALL the food is possible and that's it something I can do to fulfill my nutritional needs rather than a deep desire to want it. I don't want to do things that hurt me anymore whether that be drinking alcohol, eating too much food or anything else. I hope this makes sense and gives another perspective.

Some people struggle to eat unhealthy food like oily fried food etc. but a lot of people can eat everything but just in small quantities.

I still feel like eating different things, I will just eat smaller portions when I do. If I go out for dinner my husband usually won't order his own because he knows I won't eat much and my kids will have left overs, so he tends to just eat that! For example went for a spoons breakfast yesterday. I ordered a large brekkie (knowing we would share). I ate half a sausage, half an egg, about quarter of a black pudding, half a mushroom, a few spoons of beans, half a hash brown and half a slice of toast. There was plenty left for my husband to eat and I felt pretty stuffed.

Some foods don't hit like they used to tho. A maccy ds now just tastes like cardboard and I don't enjoy it. Certain foods that I used to enjoy I don't get the same feeling anymore. I think those foods were tied to emotional eating so I didn't get the same buzz anymore. Often feel disappointed after eating it as I don't get the same enjoyment as eating it anymore. If you know what I mean.

My thoughts aren't tied to what I want to eat anymore. I can go to the supermarket sweet/choc isle and look at the treats but not feel like anything so won't pick anything up for myself. Sometimes I still get cravings for things, usually around time of the month time.

I have been on and off the pen.

The enjoyment of food gets me down, honestly I usually feel a little miserable on it. But it's totally worth it and it's never failed to work for me. Im nkt massively overweight but do use the own when I need to shift a stone for a holiday etc so maybe. 2 month stint.

I wouldn't ever choose to take it on hols or use over chrome as it would spoil the event for me.

What I'm saying is just come off it maybe two weeks before those events and you'll get your appetite back in time to enjoy the food

I actually enjoy food more on Mounjaro. I feel like I am no longer chasing the highs and lows that eating sugary processed food used to give me.

Now I am able to eat small high quality meals and actually taste it and appreciate it whereas before Mounjaro I would eat until I was stuffed and uncomfortable, and would barely taste what I was putting in my mouth.

Mounjaro has been a revelation for me regarding my appreciation and relationship with food.

I'd have said the same, but two months in and I'm not bothered. Life is grand. I went out to dinner last night and it was enjoyable, but not the be all and end all.

I still enjoy food and cooking on MJ. It's just different and the foods I enjoy have changed. I'm naturally gravitating towards lower carb eating, I don't want sweet sugary things - we went out yesterday for ice cream and I just had one scoop of sorbet and that was fine. I find it harder to eat when I'm out on customer sites at work, because I used to love sandwiches and takeaway food, but now don't, and it's hard to find options I do like if I haven't had time to make my lunch.

You do still enjoy food, it's just you physically can't overeat as much and the foods you do enjoy may change.

This is something I was worried about too but, for me, it really hasn't been an issue.

I am 12 weeks in, have lost 38lbs and am still eating delicious food and enjoying it! I made a Thai green curry last night which was amazing! Had it with a little quinoa instead of rice and stuffed it with veg.

I seem to want two meals a day and I will be damned if I’m wasting them on food I don't like! 😂

I have just got home from a 16 day holiday during which I ate and drank whatever I wanted and I only put on a pound (which was fine the following day!). At no point did I feel deprived of anything but did seem to want to eat fish more than meat and was happy with a few chips instead of loads. I was on a bus at one point watching a teen eat a bag of ruffles crisps (which are/were one of my favourite things!) and it occurred to me that I hadn't had any the whole time I was there. It was a kind of 'ooohh yummy, I like those' thought without any desire to eat them. 🤷‍♀️ It's bizarre and I love it!!

I’m about 7 weeks in. Using Mounjaro.

I have no interest in food at all and have to remember to eat. I still enjoy it when I do, but I am full to bursting in about 2 mouthfuls. I haven’t eaten a ‘meal’ since I started. Who was it that said ‘taste everything, eat nothing’? That’s me 😂

I definitely would not take it over Christmas or a holiday.

I enjoy tasty food now, but don't gorge on it. For Christmas I plan to get all the usual food in, I will probably stay away from too many sweet treats as they must be spiking my sugar now and make me feel a big strange, so will stick to savoury and just eat a bit less.

The inconceivable part is so true. It's clear I have a very unhealthy relationship with food as I can't imagine what it would be like not having it on my mind so often and it being an integral part of my life/enjoyment!

Very true!!

Thank you everyone for your replies and sharing your experiences so helpful I've read every single one. I didn't realise I'd enjoy food just less of it, I thought it would feel like a chore to eat! Definitely seems like a good thing to do.

I found initially I went off food and had to make myself eat three good protein meals a day, but after a while, I've gone back to enjoying food more and eating more normal portions. I am losing slower than a lot of people on here on injections but I'm happy with that, and I think as I'm in my fifties, it helps not to lose too quickly on the skin front. I do enjoy buying new clothes and how I look now and that outweighs the slight loss of enthusiasm over food but everyone is different. I'm not a foodie though, I like food but if you are a good cook and love to entertain it might be tiresome, but that's probably what got you overweight, so it's a choice about what you want to do. You can always come off weight loss drugs, people seem to think once you start you have to continue, but you don't, you are still in control.

Totally agree. At least with other weight loss methods you can enjoy those special times. Also- Ozempic face 😞😞