How many food contacts did you have today?

Now she includes wine.



Chai, if this is a food contacts survey, give us a chart to respond to.

osso...how about reading the freaking posts.....mame said she would include the wine she drank, I was asking Her what her total would be then.

I personally have no opinion if people would include their occassions of drinking wine or any other alcohol. I don't personally consider alcohol food, or rather, I think of it as junk food.

You want a chart from me? WTF are you talking about exactly? No wait, don't answer that, I really don't care, and it'll just be more nonsense.

Seriously, don't answer.

If you're having such a difficult time understanding this, I really can't help you.

I really can't handle you tonight osso. If you can't make sense of this, just read along.

I didn't see Mame's answer.

You are such a lovely thread hostess.

This is sloppy.

Funny you say this



I remember going to a dr appointment and the midwife said to me normally I don't say this but it is ok to occassionally have a glass of wine or beer. I don't normally say that because to some people they would think it meant have one every day where it means once in a great while like once a month or so. But you seem reasonable.

I think I was scared that she thought I was reasonable.

I think it stirred things up because sitting down (or standing) 20 different times to eat seems so improbable.

I guess that is why I questioned what is meant by contact. I can't imagine having 20 different episodes of some sort of eating. Even my teen as much as that skinny rail can eat - doesn't have 20 episodes of separate eating.

love it.

just yesterday I was talking to someone about something personal going on in my life, and she said "I think you're so amazing to be handling this in this manner"

amazing? me?

ha...ha...ha...

anyway...yeah, isn't it fun watching your teen eat? wowza.

After I had brain surgery, I was put on a very powerful steroid. I never had such hunger. Never ate so much or so often. Twenty food contacts in a day would not have been unreasonable then. I told myself that I couldn't possibly be hungry. Didn't matter. I FELT hungry. It's powerful. When I ran low on food (often), paint chips and a few houseplants started to look appetizing to me. I resisted.

When I am busy working, and my attention is completely focused on what I'm doing, I never think about eating because I am so engrossed in what I am doing. After a significant amount of time (like hours) since a meal, I may suddenly be aware my stomach is nudging me with growls.

I don't know if it's the amount we eat, or the nutritional composition of what we eat, or both, that determines whether we feel satisfied, and satisfied enough to not think about food until the next real meal.

If I eat just the right balance, for me, of protein, and carbs, and calories, for breakfast, I'm rarely even hungry at lunchtime, and most often don't eat anything again until I crave a mid-afternoon snack or cup of coffee. If I just have the same amount of protein for breakfast, but without enough carbs to boost my calorie intake high enough, I'm going to get hungry sooner, and I'm going to feel less satisfied. The same is true if I have a high carb/high fat breakfast (which is pretty much never) that has plenty of calories (like a donut), but it lacks at least 15 grams of protein, I'm also going to feel hungry sooner, and to feel less satisfied sooner. So, I know I need both a good amount of protein, and sufficient carbs, for both bulk in the tummy and caloric energy, to leave me feeling satisfied and not looking to snack between meals. And I eat the same breakfast every day because I've hit on the perfect food combo for me, and I don't seem to get bored with it.

Boredom. That's one reason with me. I definitely snack more when I'm at home and not fully occupied or engrossed with what I'm doing. And the availability of things to snack on is greater when I'm home. So a lot of that kind of snacking, when I'm at home all day, has nothing to do with hunger, it's satisfying some other mental or emotional need. I can eat a perfectly satisfying dinner, but still crave ice cream two hours later because I know it's in the freezer and it tastes so damn good. Or I'll suddenly remember the new cookies I bought yesterday, and I'll want to try one.

Or, if you work in an office, where there are cookies or cake next to the coffee machine, you may take some just because it looks so appealing, and because it's right there and available, even if you hadn't been thinking about eating 5 minutes before, and even if you aren't hungry.

The more we are surrounded by food, particularly visible food, whether it's actual food in whatever environment we're in, or food in TV ads, the more we are prompted to eat and snack and that encourages more "food contacts". Shopping malls tempt people with some kind of food every few feet.

I know it's disastrous for me to go shopping in a supermarket when I'm feeling hungry, like just before dinner time. I buy more "snack" stuff--potato chips, pretzels, cookies, flavored popcorn, etc. than I would at any other time. And then it's available to me when I'm home and bored or whatever. When I'm not hungry when I shop, I buy much less that's not intended for regular meals, and less in the way of junk snacks. But, when I am hungry, the mere sight of certain bags of snacks in the supermarket sets off all sorts of "food contact" needs, and breaks down both will power and judgment on my part, even though those aren't the sorts of things I even want to eat at that moment, because I really do want to go home and eat a real meal, and I do go home and eat a real meal. Go figure.

Food has some mysterious powers.