re: lack of food discipline

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It's almost exclusively good advice for gen pop who aren't going to take the time to read an ingredient label but can keep their calories in check

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The opposite seems way more realistic to me.

From your post it sounds like you have a mindset that would benefit from the book atomic habits. It’s like four or five techniques used to start or stop a habit, and you probably have employed them previously. It’s a short, yet quintessential self-help book.

For me, it’s a coping mechanism. We live in a world that doesn’t promote the development of healthy coping mechanisms. Bored, sad, mad, happy- eat this, buy this, achieve this. There are some healthier coping mechanisms like exercise, but even it can get out of control. The best thing to do is just sit with the emotion, feel the discomfort, and get comfortable with the discomfort.

The thing is, we wan’t different things at different times. We do exactly what we want to do, it would be crazy to think otherwise. The idea would be to harmonize the different versions of yourself, your present self, and future self. Write a letter to each other.

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so your opinion is we should just take away whole food groups from people in hopes they dont overeat or get the munchies for a donut?

so people can never have dessert again? cant have sushi? no Italian? no Mexican? no rice and gravy, no cajun food? no alcohol? never eat a sandwich again

i mean does the above sound reasonable? seems to me would be way more reasonable to teach people to check calories and protein...just track those things. try and eat clean 80-85% of the time.

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My opinion is that it's easier to tell people to watch out for soybean oil in everything than to just eat less.

I lost 80lbs and have kept it off a decade and this was a big turning point. It’s all just food with calories. I make sure I get protein for the day and then let the remaining calories after dinner fill in where they may. If I want a couple Reese’s minis then I eat them.

(no message)

I’ve accepted at this point in my life I’m a snacker. If I eat higher protein at breakfast it’s not as bad so I try to make sure I do that. And drink plenty of water. Then I fill my kitchen with healthier snacks like apples, pretzels crisps, sweet peppers with yogurt dip, etc.

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I think the disconnect here is that for someone who has an issue with food, putting down 800 calories of pasta will do nothing for them. I'm gonna want at least twice that if I'me eating pasta, along with some bread, possibly wine.

And if I do it once, the rationalization begins. I did it last week and I felt fine (because it was the first time I had caved in 6 weeks), I can do it again this week. Hmm, I still feel okay, I know I went out and had pasta on Monday, but it's Thursday, close to the weekend, I can go out to this mexican restaurant and then go to a dessert place.

And yeah, the obvious line of thought is "have some discipline." and my retort is I do have discipline. So much disicipline that I find it easier to abstain from those foods entirely than experience what I know will happen if I eat.

I'm not talking personally anymore, as I was able to form a healthier relationship with food. As in I'm able to tell when I'm full and stop eating. But for years, even when I was losing weight, having access to certain foods would have sent me spiraling.

I know it isn't the life you feel is worth living, but for some people the inevitability, shame, and regret of a binge outweighs the good feeling that moderately eating mexican and italian food would give them. That's totally reasonable for those people.

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and i get that as i prefer to be extremely discplined, at least during the week ....but the notion that somehow if you ever have soybean oil or seed oils or carbs...and thats going to solve everythign is plainly false. in the end its calories and protein that matter. everything else is just the style of dieting you like.

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unhealthy habit of labeling foods as healthy and unhealthy

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Man I want to look better, but i kind of like having blood work that's perfect

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From your post it sounds like you have a mindset that would benefit from the book atomic habits. It’s like four or five techniques used to start or stop a habit, and you probably have employed them previously. It’s a short, yet quintessential self-help book.

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I was going to suggest the same thing. Atomic Habits is rad. I was having an issue with stuffing trail mix (with m&ms) into my face almost unconsciously. I realized I was probably stuffing way more calories than intended with these quick little "cheats." Read that book and realized that the trail mix was placed in our walk-in pantry as the absolute FIRST THING I SEE when looking into the pantry. Like..it should have had spotlights on it and a halo around it with signs saying, "EAT ME!" I moved it to the inside shelf after you walk into the pantry where it's out of sight. I haven't compulsively eaten a handful of trail mix in months since doing that.

My son, who is also pretty into Goggins and self-optimization, thinks it's hilarious to move the trail mix back into the "spotlight" to see if it messes with me.

Anyway, there are so many awesome hacks in that book. Definitely a good one. I'll likely read it again soon to see what else filters in.