Monday, May 16, 2005

Is it time to eat yet?

Image hosted by Photobucket.comDo you eat to live or live to eat?

That is the question my dad used to ask us. Well, dad, it depends on what I'm eating. If it's a giant bowl of pasta with butter and salt, a cold spaghetti sandwich, or a big helping of tuna casserole you can bet your ass I am living to eat. If it's a piece of sushi, an apple, granola or some yogurt... I guess at that point I am eating to live and mighty grouchily, I might add.

Do you eat when you're hungry or because the clock says it's 'time' to eat?

Here's another kicker. I was raised to eat what was put in front of me, no matter what time it was. So, if you put food in front of me after I've just eaten, chances are, I probably could force myself to eat that too. I am trying so hard not to do this to Hannah. If we are eating and she says she's full, it's ok. I don't tell her she has to finish what's on her plate. I want her to listen to what her body says.

What would you like to change about the way you eat?

I would like to be able to eat only when my stomach tells me to. Not because I have to feed other people. I would like to be able to fix Hannah something to eat and not worry about what others think if I am not eating. We all don't have to be hungry at the same time do we? I would prefer to eat smaller portions more times throughout the day, with the majority of my food coming in the morning. Big breakfast, semi-big lunch and a very light dinner. Unfortunately, this is flip-flopped from the rest of my family's thinking. sigh

8 comments:

Sue said...

I agree with you wholeheartedly about the whole food thing, I have never told my kids what to eat, how much, or any of that. They both seem to be pretty healthy even though they have totally different eating styles and likes. Ariel eats 3 square a day and pretty much no snacking, she likes healthy and ethnic foods mainly. Martha grazes all day long, and mostly junk. She loves breakfast, though, and wants it immediately when she awakes. Ej is the same as Martha, a grazer, though he prefers more healthy things like raisins and nuts. I am more the 3 a day type. Ej and Martha both have fluctuating blood sugar, which I think makes is why they like to eat all the time, to keep their sugar levels equal. And we've really never made meals very social in our house, I think it comes from having the restaurant. Food is more of a pain in the ass than enjoyable, really. I do like getting together with other people to eat, like with you guys. But in our family its pretty much just inhale and swallow, so not too much of a fun event. It's interesting how everyone is different, isn't it?

LadyLinoleum said...

I am still trying to tell myself that food is NOT my friend...LOL

Jules said...

My Dad (a Depression era child) ate everything on his plate, then finished ours. Yes, he had a weight problem.

It's a great thing to let your kid eat until full and no more. You'll save yourself and her a bunch of problems later, not just because she'll grow up to have a healthy habit surrounding her appetite, but she'll be less likely to shovel food in in exchange for emotional balance.

I have a friend who asked me if I liked mussels, and I said (bravely) "not really". Then she said she was thinking of having a "warm salad" with mussels when I came for lunch.

WARM SALAD? WHAT THE???!!!!!!!!!!

I asked what it was, and then found out that if you steam spinich til it wilts then throw stuff on it, it's a "warm salad".

EW.

I figure I'll eat it if it's in front of me, but if we're still in the planning stages for a lunch date and she ASKS me, I better be honest. So I gently suggested something else. Oh how we all eat so differently. I'm no avante garde eater...I like my Lutheran meat and potatoes upbringing...I've just learned to add salads -- cold ones, mind you.

LOL

Sandi said...

I know where you are coming from, I was raised with food as a substitute for emotion and conversation. I still don't like very many veggies, but put a hambuger and fries in front of me and I am set.
One day I hope to moderate more what I put in my mouth.

Kim said...

Well... if it's a full on seafood buffet, I'm livin' to eat....

Melody said...

All these questions are topics in WW all the time. If I could just eat to live and stop eating when I'm full, I wouldn't be fat. But, like you, I was taught to eat everything on my plate...when it was put in front of me. My dad spaghetti sauce was, and still is, the best in the world...and probably the worst for you....It's a good thing that I only eat it a couple of times a year. I try to make sure that there is plenty of food in the house, healthy at much as possible but I also keep small amounts of "junk" food, I tell myself that it's for the kids....Who am I fooling?

Unknown said...

I have some of the same issues with food. You know, 'eat all the food on your plate - there are starving kids in China!' syndrome. I am trying so hard not to pass on my food issues to my kids. It's such a hard thing to un-learn that I don't want them to go thru the same things I have.

Tammy said...

Well, I was put on a diet when I was 10 (and not fat, looking back on it now). I do believe that started my issues with my weight and eating lots for fear I won't ever get any more.

I am learning to consider myself someone living with a food addiction. To know that I AM my kind of "normal" even when I can't always eat what everyone else is eating has been very freeing. If I take control and make the right choice, I can control what I eat and therefore, my weight. It has also been empowering to learn to "feed" my emotions with other things, namely writing, exercise and well, just about anything else I can think of besides stuffing my face.

((((Hugs)))) why do so many of us have issues with food???