Changing lifestyle= more cooking interest? for losing weight

[Kathi]

I used to stay away when I first started my fitness journey 3.5 years or so ago. I now attend but I bring my own food - especially for staff birthday parties. Occasionally I make them cookies since they love them so much - feels odd to make something I won't eat but if it is a pitch-in/potluck I typically take something that I will eat.

Question, for those of you who take food items that meet your dietary requirements, do you tell others what the ingredients are? I'm asking this because my friend didn't tell me the pudding in her dessert had Splenda in it. She knows I don't eat "fake" sugars, but seemed miffed at me when I asked if there was Splenda in the recipe. Had I known I wouldn't have taken the dessert.

[Catrin]

Question, for those of you who take food items that meet your dietary requirements, do you tell others what the ingredients are? I'm asking this because my friend didn't tell me the pudding in her dessert had Splenda in it. She knows I don't eat "fake" sugars, but seemed miffed at me when I asked if there was Splenda in the recipe. Had I known I wouldn't have taken the dessert.

No, but I wouldn't take a dessert unless I relented and made cookies. My recipes use no processed foods or added sugar - natural or man-made. I WILL mention something if it contains nuts as so many people are allergic to one form or another.

[Kathi]

No, but I wouldn't take a dessert unless I relented and made cookies. My recipes use no processed foods or added sugar - natural or man-made. I WILL mention something if it contains nuts as so many people are allergic to one form or another.

I suspect I'm allergic (if there is such a thing) to Splenda, etc. as I tend to not feel well after eating foods that contain it. Splenda also leaves a bad taste in my mouth, that's how I detected it in the dessert. I typically don't eat dessert but when I do it's a small amount. I know my friend was trying to make the dessert healthier but I think there were better choices. Even though I don't eat a lot of sugary foods and don't have a weight problem I'm starting to take a look at the processed foods we do eat and reduce the number.

[OakLeaf]

If I'm eating anything I didn't prepare myself, I figure it's my responsibility to either find out what's in it or decide ahead of time that I'm going to eat it regardless. That goes for chemical sensitivities, food allergies (both the lethal kind and the kind that are just uncomfortable), religious laws, ethical choices, and stuff we just choose not to eat for whatever reason.

If someone is offended by someone else asking what's in the dish they brought, that's their own problem. I'm not going to post an ingredient list next to anything I bring to a potluck, but I'm not going to have any problem telling someone who asks, either.

I suppose it would be different if there are going to be people there who can't be relied on to make decisions for themselves - children old enough to fill their own plates but too young to do it wisely, e.g. But if it's just adults at work, they're on their own, and so am I.

[Kathi]

If I'm eating anything I didn't prepare myself, I figure it's my responsibility to either find out what's in it or decide ahead of time that I'm going to eat it regardless. That goes for chemical sensitivities, food allergies (both the lethal kind and the kind that are just uncomfortable), religious laws, ethical choices, and stuff we just choose not to eat for whatever reason.

If someone is offended by someone else asking what's in the dish they brought, that's their own problem. I'm not going to post an ingredient list next to anything I bring to a potluck, but I'm not going to have any problem telling someone who asks, either.

I suppose it would be different if there are going to be people there who can't be relied on to make decisions for themselves - children old enough to fill their own plates but too young to do it wisely, e.g. But if it's just adults at work, they're on their own, and so am I.

You're right but I don't make desserts and didn't realize you could use Splenda in a recipe so I didn't give it a thought. This woman bragged so much about how this dessert "was to die for" and since I don't feel a need to turn down at least a small portion I went ahead and tried some.

I'm also in a weird situation with this woman. If I had passed the up the dessert she would have been displeased and the response would have been "I just knew SHE (meaning me) wouldn't eat that!" and made a big issue of it. Last year she invited us to dinner, it was a very ordinary dinner, nothing unhealthy and she commented, "Wow, SHE ate everything I made, I didn't think SHE'D eat anything". Because I'm small and have maintained my weight all the years I've known these people, there seems to be the belief that I don't eat or I'm a picky eater. I'm not, I just eat sensibly and don't over eat.

Most of the time I pay no attention to what this woman says as I only see these friends once or twice a year. I also make no judgements about what she eats or her weight. I stay out of the weight loss discussions because I have no advice, she (and the others) makes the choices as to what she puts in her body or how much she exercises.

[OakLeaf]

So she's going to be offended if you don't eat it and offended if you want to know what's in it? Totally her problem ...

[skhill]

Thanks for the thread. It's in the supermarket when I'm constantly reminding myself not to judge others, when I see all the processed stuff and soft drinks in an heavy person's cart. I may sometimes feel the urge to evangelize about cooking from scratch, but I don't. Just because I got down to a healthy weight by learning to cook, using only traditional/ "real" ingredients (no splenda or margarine or low-fat anything) doesn't give me the right to judge others or give them advice. Still want to sometimes, though...

My BIL is in weight watchers, and it's been great for him. He really packed on the pounds after his Celiac diagnosis-- it's amazing how much junk food is gluten free. And he's remarked several times on some of the others at meetings who really don't understand that beverages count, whether it's alcohol or soft drinks or juice. It's a revelation to them that liquids can have calories! BIL is still a bit overweight, but he's dropped about 50 pounds in the past year and a half, and looks and feels great.

[tealtreak]

This thread is super interesting and makes me realize I am VERY blessed with my circle of friends and neighbors that I socialize with......I am vegetarian/healthfood/close to vegan... and have NEVER been judged or hassled by the fact that I have a plate of veggies and hummus and they are eating ham biscuits and brownies! I guess we focus on conversation and since we always do buffet....no one notices?...

[shootingstar]

I do get semi-jokes from co-workers over the years about my weight (skinny) and meals (hardly eats lunches), etc. I just don't bother listening to the stuff. But other than that, I've never been in social circles where we were critiqued for our at the table food choices. Often we're too busy catching up on news/life in conversation.

Did I come from a family that did occasionally judge food choices amongst ourselves? You bet. How else does a child at home, learn about nutrition, good food choices,etc.? We weren't punished. We were just limited to certain sweets, etc. ..for special occasions. It wasn't a big deal. And that's the best way for children to learn..... richer, sweeter, fattier foods were just enjoyed occasonally..without making such a big deal of it.

As for people who have admirably lost weight or maintained healthy weight or doing everything they can to reach a healthier weight, even though one may still hate cooking, I dare say that at least one has to have some interest /awareness of what type of foods are healthier than others --in general. That was part of my original comment at start of thread.

In the past I used to enjoy preparing an interesting dish, a dessert for workplace potluck luncheon. Maybe it's because I've worked for several different employers that my sense of bonding isn't quite there any more. So I bring in an pkg. of interesting crackers. Last time I made a stir-fried squash for a workplace potluck and told everyone there was no sugar in it. I said this because some squash dishes tend to use sugar. But anyway....only one third of it was eaten. Shrug. Probably if I brought a sun-dried tomato and mushroom couscous, it'll still get the same level of interest. I guess people tend to like "familiar" foods which I still haven't really figured out for a group of 14 people, of which some people do have exploratory palates. In this area, I tend to overestimate people's capacity to try "new", "unfamiliar" dishes.

At home, the only dessert I make is a fresh fruit focaccia. I eat whatever desserts outside of home. I used to enjoy making a cake, brownies several times per year for special occasions. But I've become lazy. Dearie gladly loves making the chocolate ganache, his fresh fruit compotes, etc.