Eat to live, not live to eat (the right thing!)

S

saralh

Cathlete
Hey guys. As much as I have posted and ranted and raved about healthful eating, I was missing out on a key point that plays just as big of a part in eating as does nutrition: PLEASURE. Enjoying your food is so important. How many times I have sat in the corner at work birthday parties or been anti-social at parties with family and friends because I refused to celebrate with cake and ice cream... how many dinner invitations I have turned down because I didn't want to face "tempting" food... how many times I've quickly stuffed myself with fruit or veggies for a snack (because I thought that's what I SHOULD be eating) when what I really wanted was a little peice of candy or chocolate. I have missed out on the pleasure of eating for a couple years now, and I never realized it until this week. One book is all it took to change my thinking... "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole. I recovered from anorexia (still recovering!) this past year, and I could've progressed so much more quickly had I read this book sooner. I have made more progress this past week than I have with years of treatment. This book talks about restricting yourself, and how flavor and enjoyment are just as important as nutrition itself. I didn't realize how many foods I was eating that I don't really love. Fortunately, I tend to naturally lean towards more healthful foods, no red meat, and don't like grease or stuff like that, but my gosh, if I want a peice of cake I should be able to have it with no feelings of guilt. I think a lot of times we get to where we eat things b/c we think we should, when we really don't want it. That's when the feelings of deprivation start to add up. This book says that when you work through the steps it talks about, eating a peice of chocolate will feel the same as eating a peach, in the sense that you won't feel guilty. We deserve to eat what we like as long as we HONOR OUR HUNGER and HONOR OUR FULLNESS. I have gotten so hung up on eating at certain times of day, only being allowed to eat this much or that much, making up for "forbidden" foods by cutting cals elsewhere. I think nutrition is important, and healthy foods taste great to me... I'm a regular herbivore, love my lean meats and fruits and veggies... but if I want some cake for a snack, I'm not gonna eat a pear just cause I think I should anymore. Life is too short. And I can't bear to count my calories anymore. I will listen to my body, give it what it needs, continue to exercise regularly, and be happy with my life. I know not many people suffer from the problems I have dealt with, at least not to the extreme that I did... but I think we can all remind ourselves to EAT TO LIVE, not LIVE TO EAT (the right thing!). You'll be better off in the end sharing that pizza with friends and laughing and having a good time that you would be feasting on grilled chicken and sprouts at home alone. Just a thought, and my two cents. Happy, healthy, and ENJOYABLE eating and living to all!
 
Well, you just made me feel better about the McDonald's I plan to have tonight :)
For me, I can turn down cake, cookies, sweets any day, but I've had a love affair with McDonald's since I was 6 months old (some habits die hard!)and I feel guilty sometimes, will even do an extra day cardio to try and compensate, but tonight, I'll enjoy and think about your words. :)
Thanks,
Donna
 
:0) Glad I could help. I value my health and nutrition, don't get me wrong. I love the way eating right and exercising regularly make me feel! But when you start missing out on the little pleasures in life, and don't let yourself have what you really want sometimes, it can backfire in a major way. I think we all need to find that healthy balance between healthy ALL the time, where it's the most important thing and interferes with other areas of your life, and not caring about health at all. It's true: EVERYTHING IN MODERATION, and that goes for worrying about your health, too! Enjoy your McDonalds! Savor every bite, and don't think twice about it. :0)

*sara*
 
sara, you are so right. I had anorexia as a teenager, no relapses in 15 years. :) I still, though, have to watch my relationship with food. Your post shows you are doing phenominal in your battle, congratulations!
It hit home the other day when my roommate's 3 year old made a comment. They eat late: about 8 pm. I came home from the gym at 8:30 pm, and they were having dessert. Grandma was pressuring me to partake of dessert (never have been a dessert person) and the baby says, "are you kidding me? aunt kris never never never never eats that stuff! are you crazy? It's dark out, too. She never eats when it's dark out." Wow. Kinda made me realize how rigid I am about food. :) keep that healthy attitude, it's the right one and the one that will keep you well and healthy.
 
Thanks for the support! It is still hard and I'm just taking things day by day. My new words to live by are:
HONOR YOUR HUNGER (eat when you're hungry, no matter if it's 3 a.m. or 3 p.m.- just make sure you really are hungry!)
ENJOY YOUR FOOD (eat what you want, eat what sounds good to you- if you don't love it, don't eat it, and if you love it, savor it! That's from the book that has changed my life, "INTUITIVE EATING" by Evelyn Tribole)
EVERYTHING IN MODERATION (and that includes worrying about everything you eat! Health, nutrition, flavor, and enjoyment go hand in hand if you let it!)

Happy and healthy eating and living to all,
Sara
 
Hi Sara, your words were an inspiration to me, & I will be looking for that book today. Thanks for reminding us to enjoy living...we should never forget how lucky we are.
I've always said women can turn absolutely anything into a guilt fest. (Including me.) Why is that???
Anyway, I will think about your words & try to enjoy each moment.
Ruth
:)
p.s. Big Mac all the way!
 
Eat,eat,eat,eat,eat....I can't stop! What's worse is I don't feel guilty at all! Big extra...sausage egg mc muffin combos...white hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles...krispy cream doughnuts and brownies...yummmy korean food...heaven!
 
Hey! Sheesh, talk about satisfaction from eating! That's awesome! I am slowly getting there. And the more I eat my "forbidden" foods, the easier it is to eat them in moderation, the easier it is to enjoy them fully, and the less guilty I feel. I read a post in the other forum about clean eating. It's good to eat clean, healthy food... I can't imagine going a day without eating a salad or fruit, or whole grain! But I also can't imagine spending another birthday party hiding in the corner to avoid the cake, or sitting in my room feeling bad because I "cheated". Life's too short to care so much! EAT WHAT YOU LOVE, SAVOR IT, AND EAT TO LIVE. I guess I'm lucky that I love healthy foods and not so healthy foods, and I am slowly learning how to balance the two worlds of food. Healhy regards to all! AND DO get the book "Intuitive Eating". It can work for those of us who need to gain (like me) and those of us who want to lose. It's all about getting in touch with your body and your inner eating cues to reach a healthy NATURAL weight. It has changed my life. It can change (or at least touch) yours, too!
 
Well said again girl!!

As someone who is dealing with the ongoing battle of anorexia as I type, I just want all of you (especially you Sara) to know what an inspiration you are to me!! I am just beginning to fight my battle to win this, and am finding that it's far more difficult than I ever imagined! I still struggle with my daily 'weigh-ins', monitoring my measurements, restricting my foods, and still at times, eating 'by the clock' at my pre-programmed times. Upon Sara's recommendation to me last week, I've ordered the book from my local Barnes and Noble, and am flying out the door immediately after I post this, to pick it up, soak in it's words, and pray that it will have the same mental impact on me. I'm tired of living a life that's so alienating and restrictive, all because I don't want to put myself in a situation of being faced with my own list of 'forbidden foods'... we need to all come together and flip the finger to our off-limit-food-syndrome, and start living the life that we were all meant to, free from food hell!!

LOVE TO ALL! :)
~ Nicole
 
Hey! I've been working hard this week, trying not to let those restrictive thoughts back into my life! I always hear them but now I ignore them, and they are slowly fading and getting more subtle every day. I have to remind myself to EAT when I'm hungry, that I don't have to wait until it's "time"... and that I can eat whatever I want... there are so many choices! And I do feel best when I choose more healthful foods... I tried a doughnut the other day for the first time in nearly 2 years and not only was it NOT THAT GOOD, it made my tummy hurt a bit. :( But I also enjoyed birthday cake this week without any thoughts of restriction or extra exercise to "make up" for it afterwards. That's progress for me! So anyway, the challenge continues but I'm getting it more each day. Soon it'll come naturally, I hope! Happy eating and living to all!
Sara
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top