For some reason the OP title made me think this was a thread about condoms.
I agree 100% jessondair. And congrats on your weight loss, btw.
I eat more veggies in a day now than I used to eat most entire months and I love them. Once I’ve lost weight and reached a healthy level, I intend to enjoy all kinds of foods, just in proper quantities. I still won’t eat pasta or potatoes, though. It’s just something I don’t mind giving up.
For the record, at no time during the past three years have I actually attempted to lose weight. The 40 pounds came off as the result of following a limited-carb diet (100-120g of carbs per day) in order to control my blood sugar levels. It was actually kind of a pleasant surprise. Sort of the silver lining to the massive ugly cloud of not being able to eat whatever I want to anymore.
And as far as “turning the corner” and realizing that eating healthy foods feels better than pigging out on crappy foods… well, maybe. I mean, I agree that physically I do feel better, more energetic, more alert, etc. But emotionally it kind of sucks. There’s really no emotional substitute for sitting down in front of the TV with a bowl full of nacho chips and peach salsa, washing it down with a Cherry Coke, and finishing it off with a bowl of high-fat ice cream.
Basically, if I hadn’t developed diabetes, I think I would have continued my trend of gaining 5-10 pounds per year until I reached some sort of plateau, which I think probably would have been pretty huge, just because I honestly love food and nothing except the prospect of a terminal disease would have stopped me from eating it. (ALL of it. I have a truly insatiable appetite.)
Sigh.
I could be wrong on this, but I’m not.
The only way to lose weight over the long haul is to significantly up your caloric expenditure. Dieting and denial rarely work, unless you go live off the wilderness miles from any convenience stores.
I’ve eaten huge amounts of so-called bad food–usually very high in fat–and lost weight. It’s a question of output moreso than input. I’m going to eat what I eat, with some changes around the margins possible. For example, drinking calories is an area where I’ve been able to make healthy changes. I buy limes and drink water. Every soda I don’t drink is a huge caloric benefit when I sit down to eat. I eat more veggies. I eat less sugary cereal about half the time. I use less sugar in my coffee. Little stuff I can hack.
OTOH, yes, I will have the ribeye and the bananas foster. Then I’ll go lift weights and walk the dogs.
I agree, this is a major bullshit statement.
I think that being able to enjoy your food is as important to your mental health as not carrying around very excessive amounts of weight is to your physical health.
I also believe that most people would not be seriously overweight if they took the time to enjoy the food they ate, and only ate food they truly enjoyed (well, add in veggies there - I don’t usually enjoy those, but they are very necessary) It’s the grabbing a candy bar because you’re bored, or sitting on the sofa eating a bag of chips all evening every evening, or eating a quart of ice cream because you’re depressed and you get this depressed several times a month that makes people overweight. I’m sure I would weigh less if I didn’t stress eat. This year I’ve made a serious effort to either not stress eat(helped in part by going on an anti-depressant), or choose low-calorie items that I enjoy (like milk) instead of high-calorie snacks or choosing very small portions. And I’ve started to seriously exercise. I’ve lost nearly ten pounds, and that is with eating food that I always enjoy.
What really bothers me about this statement is that it focuses on looks. What is thin? It’s the size you wear, and that there aren’t unflattering fat rolls. It has nothing to say about how much you exercise, how well you eat or even how your body is made (I will never be thin - you’d have to shave bone off my hips to get me into a size 10)
This is why we have such a problem with anorexia
After all, if thin feels good, then more thin feels better, right? And if nothing tastes as good as thin, then if it takes eating nothing to get there, that’s good, right?
I have to point out: the correct wording of the saying is “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.” There’s a difference between that and “Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.”
Nothing is as good as four slices of pizza and two pieces of cheesecake while being thin tastes and feels.
My friends really hate that.
See, that’s why I run so much…not because I love it…or because I think I’ll be able to get into a damn size 32 pair of jeans, but just so that I can enjoy those foods. I run between 3 to 5 miles just about every day. I’m down to around 198lbs, and that’s good enough for me. Now I can eat almost what I want, and not balloon up. But it is hard. I figure not only can I eat what I want, but I’ll admit that exercise probably is better for me than sitting on my rear. Now…I’m off to have some Jalepeno Cruncher chips now.
See, I think that’s exactly it. I’ve given up on trying to give up the foods I love.
But I’ve also started exercising a LOT. I do step aerobics and toning twice a week. I do another intense cardio class at least one other day a week, and usually toning one other day a week too, with some light cardio the same day. Since I’ve started this schedule of exercise, I feel better, more energetic, and more importantly I feel stronger, and as an added benefit I get my chunky bleu cheese dressing while getting less chunky.
Jess
For the record… I hate it too! 
I have so many friends who are workout-fiends, and pick and poke at their dinners - NO DESSERT please… Ugh. Then I feel so guilty for having a cookie…
BUT - I believe in enjoying good (read: fattening) food in moderation, and never having to feel guilty. I eat healthy food most of the week, abeit food I like… and when I do want those fries or candy bar, I won’t spend 3 hours at the gym in a freak-induced workout. I have maintained my weight (size 8/10) for 9 years and it rarely fluctuates, but I’ll be damned if I’ll give up good food. Life is too short not to enjoy food to some extent, but being able to do it responsibly and somewhat in moderation… that’s the key.
Sometimes I read the lowcarbfriends.com message board, and so many of those people are freaks. They never eat “fake” foods (meaning low carb bars, cookies, ice cream, etc). Some of those people consider a treat to be a diet Coke. They scream at anyone who dares to drink less than their body weight in water (slight exaggeration).
I can’t live like that. I eat sugar-free chocolates, cookies and ice cream, regularly drink diet Pepsi, and some days I don’t even eat vegetables. Sure those days are rare, because I want to eat healthy, but some times I just want to eat pizza, drink diet sodas and follow it with some chocolate and ice cream. I’ll spend the extra money for some low carb bread mix and make homemade bread slathered with fresh butter.
I’m of the belief that food should be an enjoyable part of life, not merely sustenance. My problem (and the growing obesity epidemic in this country means it’s others’ too) was that I wasn’t just enjoying it. I was using it for a substitute for other things.
Beagle, you’re absolutely right…But you already knew that 
There is no “secret” or “special pill” (well ya, but not for the long haul). It’s all a matter of physics and burning off more than you’re consuming. But the physics of it change dramatically between 20-30-40-50 years old. It really becomes difficult. I run 4 miles a day. So I really figured that 1200-1500 calories a day would be okay. Right now it seems to be too much.
Then you can also throw the other major wrench in there and if you’re female you get to suffer from water weight gain every four weeks, sometimes as much as 8 pounds of it and you’re stuck sloshing around in it. It goes away when it’s ready. Dieting doesn’t get rid of it, exercise doesn’t either. Right now I feel like I could fill a bath tub. Pretty tricky science for a girl that can’t balance her check book…
Bah, Don’t believe it for a minute.
I taste WAY better than thin feels.
Well, it worked for me. I like this saying, even though I don’t take it literally.
I think of it occasionally, pondering each bite with “Does this taste better than being thin feels?” then if the answer is yes, I take the bite, otherwise no cake.
Being thin feels great. Not having a roll of fat hang over my waistband like it used to is much better than the taste of many things. I can pass up chips because of this saying. But I don’t go without cheesecake ALL the time.
Another saying I really like:
“If you’re not hungry at breakfast, then you’ve eaten too much at supper.”
It actually feels good to go to bed a little hungry. And it’s so nice to satisfy that morning hunger with a big juicy orange or a nice crunchy bowl of cereal. Nobody should ever skip breakfast. Eat while you’re active and burning the calories.
Oh gods. Can I please have your recipe?
plaintively I’ll be your biiiiiiiiiiiitch…
Heh, that saying would be meaningless for me…I’m hungry all the time no matter how much I eat. And I eat breakfast maybe twice a month. I’ve never been a big fan of waking up before I have to…
–meenie7, currently sucking on a Golden Drop cane sugar candy, which is nothing but carbs, hee.
I certainly don’t think that’s true. I usually eat what I want when I want and just try to maintain a balance (ie not eat bags of chips and soda every day and such like that) I really don’t know what I’m doing but I’m at my best weight right now (which is ironic because I am pregnant and I need to gain weight) and I haven’t done anything different beyond eating what I like and trying to be healthy about it.
Of course I’ll never be anything less than a size 16, but for me that’s a great size considering I’m 6’ tall and big boned. When I was younger I was often considered fat, but I found that when I hit my true height it didn’t matter. It all balanced out in the end and though I may not look like a model I look fairly darn good for not following any special diets or anything.
Mmmmm…nothing tastes as good as thin feels except for my Mom’s homemade pierogies.
And my dad’s homemade cheesecake.