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August 17, 2007
"Eat Like Me" Blog on Self.com
Just found the "Eat Like Me" blog on the Self.com website. Reading it just makes me want to eat high calorie, low nutrient foods. It seems like this person eats bread or potatoes with every meal. If I ate like that, I'd be a lot heavier than I am. Oh wait, I did used to eat like that! Back before I discovered that filling my tummy with bagels and bread didn't give me much satisfaction -- no wonder, as they're nutrionally almost worthless -- and left me hungry just a few hours later.
If that works for her, great. But I wouldn't offer it as advice to people wanting to lose weight or maintain weight loss. I do, however, agree with the Rudd Center entry on the topic that says there's no one size fits all for weight loss or maintaining. That is definitely the case. Sometimes I think there's no one size fits me, as I adapt my CR practice over time and change.
I do like the fact that she occasionally eats pizza and such. People can't handle the idea of "giving up" anything, whether it's pizza, sugar, eating out, or watching Big Cat Rescue videos. In general, I think that's a failing in our culture. There are some things that make sense to give up, not out of some sense of punishing yourself, but out of a reasoned decision that the items or behaviors don't serve you well. That your life would be better if you didn't have them. Nobody minds (well, a few people mind, but they don't talk about it) when a person marries and gives up having sex with other people. Nobody minds when an alcoholic gives up drinking. But if you admit publically to removing a food from your diet, OH NO YOU MUST HAVE AN EATING DISORDER! So I think that anyone who is going to give advice on diet has to have a few public displays of eating gak. That makes people feel comfortable. And I happen to like pizza a lot. Had a piece last night at negotiations (when I walked out without my food and negotiations went late... oooops!) It was yummy, and I still didn't go over my calorie target for the day. But my real food would have been more nutritious.
I have to hand it to this blogging girl... the very public act of eating in any way that can be remotely considered healthy is a dangerous thing these days, and she's brave to open herself up to criticism. Sounds like a nice, fun girl, with great pictures of her food. I don't think I'll check the site too often though... if I want to experience lust, I'd rather be looking at pictures of Keith Olbermann than pictures of bagels.
Posted by april at August 17, 2007 4:29 AM
Comments
I find it interesting that she eats wholewheat bread rather than something more solid. Obviously wholewheat is better than white, but I've found that if you're going to eat bread (which I do, myself), rye bread (especially rye bread with seeds in) or sourdough bread are much, much better for avoiding blood sugar spikes & keeping yourself not-hungry for longer. The once in a while that I do eat white or wholemeal bread (even the good proper bakery stuff!), I really notice the difference.
Posted by: Juliet at August 17, 2007 9:34 AM
If I remember correctly, the pre-AA recovery model for alcoholics was, in fact, a return to social drinking. It used to be that people who refused to drink in social situations faced considerable opprobrium. The culture had to, and did, change. Maybe someday, people will be just as accepting about food choices as they've learned to be about non-alcoholic-beverage choices.
On the other hand, I absolutely believe that most people, whatever their own weight, *want* people with weight problems to stay the same. I have seen this in my own family, unfortunately--I've got a normal-weight, in-shape family member who tirelessly berates another family member for being overweight, then starts bringing them donuts (and saying "Aw, c'mon, one won't hurt") whenever they go on a diet. Family Member A absolutely wants Family Member B to be overweight so A can feel superior to B. Naturally, therefore, every time B decides to do something about it, A sabotages her so A doesn't lose his favorite ego-boost.
I think people like A are actually part of the reason that CR-type people get so much animus. I think that if you looked at a lot of the people who are hostile to CR bloggers, you'll find that those people have been scarred to a greater or lesser extent by people like Family Member A--people who take care of themselves as a competitive, angry act designed to shore up their ego. For those who have been wounded by people like this, a lot of the innocently-meant posts on the CR blogs can sound smug and judgmental.
Posted by: Yvonne at August 17, 2007 3:09 PM
I can agree qwith what Yvonne says here:
"I think that if you looked at a lot of the people who are hostile to CR bloggers, you'll find that those people have been scarred to a greater or lesser extent by people like Family Member A--people who take care of themselves as a competitive, angry act designed to shore up their ego. For those who have been wounded by people like this, a lot of the innocently-meant posts on the CR blogs can sound smug and judgmental."
I find this to be the case, many times when reading on the CR lists - I'm see the 'smugness' and judgmental aspects of posters.
Peg
Posted by: Peg at August 17, 2007 4:57 PM
I think that no one minds if an alcoholic gives up drinking is that alcoholics don't stop at just one drink.
Similarly, if someone cannot stop at a reasonable serving of pizza and instead eats, say, the WHOLE DARN THING, that person needs help and does indeed have a form of eating dissorder.
But to give up an enjoyed food entirely because it isn't a 'perfect' food? Oh boy. No way.
Glad you enjoyed your pizza treat! :)
Posted by: Christina at August 18, 2007 2:43 PM
If you actually followed her blog for more than a few days you would realize that she doesn't eat bread, bagels, or potatoes with every meal. In fact, she never eats white potatoes, but sweet potatoes (yams) which are much more healthy. When she does eat bread, she eats whole grains typically which don't produce a spike in blood sugar. It is not BREAD and carbs that make you fat, it is often what people eat with these foods that pack on the calories.
Posted by: Angela at August 21, 2007 8:55 PM
Angela, if you did some research, you'd find that the whole grain bread that is used in studies supporting the consumption of whole grain is actually much, much denser than any whole grain bread available on the market. "Whole grain" as we know it absolutely DOES produce a spike in blood sugar, just as much as a banana or a scoop of ice cream will.
If you want a bread that won't cause a blood sugar spike, make it from flaxseed meal.
Posted by: Emma at August 22, 2007 7:40 PM