Why Would You Eat Something if it Makes You Feel Like Crap?

My cousin said those words to me one week ago when we were talking about diets and food allergies. She recently found out she is allergic to many different foods. She has been avoiding those foods for the last two months, and while we were talking she made the comment that food should not make you feel nauseas, bloated, or icky. When you are done eating you should feel the same, just not hungry.

This conversation has been in the back of my mind for the last week. It makes sense. Why would you eat something knowing you are going to feel crummy after eating it? How many times have we went somewhere and ate something high in fat/calories and we were miserable the rest of the night? (Hello pizza!) Well, today the WHY was reinforced in my mind. Sometimes, obligation is greater than your willpower. Here is where living with FFGS comes in. Today I felt OBLIGATED to eat food that I knew my stomach would not like, and I have been sick all day. Every month at our staff meeting, the company buys us lunch. Today, it was sandwiches from a local pizza joint. You know the kind, pizza crust as bread and all kinds of unhealthy meats. So, I had a small conversation in my head. If I DO NOT eat, everyone is going to be looking at me wondering why I am turning my nose up at this yummy meal that the fat chick in me would have scarfed down without thinking twice. Or, I eat it and be miserable. Well, you can guess what I chose. I looked over my options, made the best choice possible, and ate half a sandwich. Not 5 minutes later I was nauseas and sick to my stomach, and here I am 8 hours later still feeling the gut bomb. I doubt any of my coworkers would have noticed if I skipped over the sandwich and just ate items I had packed from home. So, the ANXIETY of "what will my coworkers think?" is what pushed me into this meal. Next time I will deal with the judgmental stares (if anyone notices) and tell my FFGS anxiety that nobody will notice.

Since I have become obsessed, yes obsessed, with what I am feeding my body, I have become almost hyper-aware of everyones food choices. I do not do it on purpose, but it happens. I know not everyone does this. It is my obsession, and I would venture to guess most ladies who have lost a lot of weight do the same. We spend so much time obsessing about what enters our body, it translates to other people. Like this lady at a wedding I was at a couple days ago, she went back three times and FILLED her plate each time. I was not watching her specifically, but I was watching the people walking away from the buffet line. I noticed a few people go back several times.

While we are on the topic of food,  the US is so messed up.  Consumers are lead to believe that items are healthy because companies put "LOW-FAT" on the label. Processed foods are so much cheaper than whole foods that families have to make it a priority in their budget to eat well. When we moved to a healthier diet, our grocery budget doubled. Why would a person choose an apple when they can get a frozen meal for the same price? Why does a bottled water cost more when you buy a meal at a huge fast food chain? Why can you get a double cheese burger for $1,49 (or a slice of pizza for $1.99) and a salad costs $4.99? What is wrong with our society? I was reading an article today talking about the introduction of processed foods after WW1. They were introduced as convenience foods and they cost more. Now, they are the cheapest food options. Oh how the times have changed. I wish we could go back to a society where junk food costs more, and healthy foods were cheaper. I would like to think that it would end our obesity epidemic, but I know it would not. Families would either eat less overall, or the increased cost would be detrimental to their budgets. We are so accustomed to convenience items, there is no turning back. Similar to smoking. When cigarettes went over $5.00 a pack I thought most people would quit smoking. WRONG. people still spend the money, no matter the cost.  Wow, this ended up being a rather large vent. Sorry about that!

So, now that I have vented about something semi-related, but not really, I end the way I started. Why would YOU eat something if it makes you feel like crap?

-Just Me