Which is your favorite way of eating ?

Eat to live. Live to eat.

Well, I have to elaborate on this. My son is into fitness and how can I stand by and not be touched. For a long while, I just ate what was convenient, accompanied by lots of cups of coffee. Get through the day. Work on a project. Drive the car to destination, food "fast food" through the window. Now that I don't have to work anymore, there is no excuse not to eat right and to eat good.

In comes some effort to change course. There is the food pyramid that the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has established. Nice, really good, at least I have something to look at. But, better still is the same pyramid for the Mediterranean Diet. Italian food has pleased my palate best for as long as I can remember. So, cut out the canoli and the sweets, and focus on fish, with lots of vegetables, and a little pasta. A blown-up poster of the Mediterranean Diet is pasted on the kitchen cabinet. As a reminder of what to shop and what to put into your mouth. Into your body, as is said "your kingdom".

For the last 4 days, it worked. To make it work, I keep records. Not really counting calories, but portion sizes. 3 full meals during the day, an afternoon snack.

All this is just the beginning, hence the new found enthusiasm. When I was pregnant, I did it for the baby. Now, well ... just to stay healthy. It feels good ...

There may be other diets or eating patterns that work. To keep the weight down and to promote health.

Your stories ?

Ah...well, as you may know (unless it is forgotten), I'm on a perfume diet. Trying to replace lust for (naughty) food with a lust for fragrances.

I've probably been a bit up to quite a bit overweight all of my life since age 18 (BMI of 27 up to 34) with actually a high of 34 just 7 months after the best sports performance ever.. so as an aside, fitness =/= leanness, but generally speaking yes it does.

The conclusion is easy: mouth/eyes being bigger than the metabolism warrants. So what do you do to keep your weight stable and improve health?
Eat satiating foods and satiating meals. Currently the stupidity of 'eat many meals to stoke your fire' or '3 square meals and 2-3 snacks" is finally ebbing away , the opposite seems to happen. The new hype is 'intermittent fasting' with everyone following the leader like sheep saying (bleeting?) : "it doesn't matter when you eat your first meal.. postpone it and your weight will fall off".

Well, sorry.. I did that often and that was when I succumbed to the worst kinds of foods. Tried again but now consciously after all the publications (Fast till 5 is a famous one by Brad Pilon, with fitness dudes and dudettes going after alcoholic Martin Berkhan saying 'iifym') .. and guess what, same thing happens.
What works for me is 3 meals a day spaced as widely apart as possible with 2 large meals at breakfast (1hr after getting up) and the very last meal of the day (1 hr before bed time) and a 3rd lighter meal at around 6-8pm , mostly a salad.

The type of meal is nearly always the same: omelette for breakfast, a protein-rich salad as 2nd meal and either a protein-rich soup or stir-fry at night. With starches thrown in on workout days.. plus about 1 free meals (eat whatever you want) once or twice a week. This means: having something with gluten or ice cream since gluten & me are enemies.

But it still doesn't always work.. what used to work brilliantly was trying to hit both calorie & macro targets within 'spitting distance' and seeing it as a game. For now, the interest in perfumes has won ... plus that menopause is coming and maintenance has dropped from a nice and humming 2300kcal/day to just around 1700ish kcal. NO fun at all!

ETA, when asking what 'type' or 'style' of eating has preference, Asian is preferred or maybe what Americans like to say "fusion". There are so many interesting foods in the world and yet, so little time. I like eating, but don't like spending hours upon hours to cook,so elaborate meals are not my style. It has to be tasty and easily prepared (fast is not always requires, a timer on a stove or microwave-oven is). I just wrote down how I try to manage calorie-intake: high satiety meals due to volume (salad/soup) and high protein content (meat/eggs/fish/some dairy some legumes esp easily digested ones like lentils)

Thanks for sharing, DutchSniffer. Well, you have a plan and use perfumes as a distraction, in order to keep thinking about food.

Distraction works. The principle of Natural Childbirth works like that. The brain processes certain things, one at a time. So labor pains are mitigated with focusing on something else, a song, and with skillful breathing techniques, the body has it easier. Painless it is not, I can assure you that, but here I digress ...

Well, driving requires a lot of concentration and effort, the fight or flight adrenaline is flowing in the adrenaline direction and I cannot imagine enjoying a meal while driving. Or while typing on this here keyboard. The grey matter brain cells take over, the stimulus of any good piece of food in the mouth is lost. Or watching the TV, the food is barely tasted. Mindless eating. Munching popcorn.

I just don't get it how exactly you are using the enthusiasm and the penchant for perfumes as an actual distraction from mindless eating. Do you sniff and sit down to write about it all day long ? Then, you are actually typing and wordprocessing.

How exactly does the sensory input from perfume replace the sensory input from food ?

Please share in more detail, if you want to.

On an empty stomach, fragrance can cause nausea. Vice versa, fragrance can be a perfect end to a good meal and then make your nose happy for the many hours following that meal.

So, ideally a fragrance follows the meal. This means mostly in the morning when drinking the coffee and then after the lighter meal when sending out emails to clients.

Very occasionally there will be a bedtime frangrace which of course once again, follows the last meal of the day, but generally those would be really simple fragrances that require little processing time.

Speaking of processing time, the other day I read a fascinating article about selling your house (or just anything) successfully: it was not the complex scents that made people buy most/that house but simple linear scents, because they gave a 'feel-good' feeling but required little processing time so people would not try to pick their minds about what this particular scent was, but feel happier and buy that house!

Back to the food thing: I really believe that beautiful scents can keep me away from eating foods I don't need. Staying busy with tasks you like very much helps! Having to do boring or frustrating tasks don't.

The perfume diet is an expression coined by one of the contributors to Oprah magazine:
www.oprah.com/spirit/The-Perfume-Diet-Guilty-I ndulgences#ixzz1jpvEhA3y
Perfume diet: "The result was not a diet so much as an invasion—the infiltration of perfume into nearly every aspect of my life touched by food."
That person used to spend every free moment to read about food. Over time she started getting interested in fragrances and switched passions.. lo & behold, most of her surplus weight just fell off.

Oh.. finally while eating too little may make the nose overly sensitive, eating too much might have the reverse effect. This made me wonder how /when 'noses' eat. Do they like spicy foods, do they want bland foods? I remember reading Serge Lutens only eats one meal a day at night. Now I know he's not the nose behind his scents that has little significance but it intrigued me.

I just eat what I want, which is not always the best way. Oftentimes, I crave fruits and veggies so my body doesn't want junk food really. I eat until I'm satisfied, not stuffed. I eat takeout or go out for dinner once a week. I make my own coffee since Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and McDonald's pack corn syrup or sugar. I'm by no means skinny, but I have the energy to do my work.

I eat on the run often and sometimes my choices are limited. I tend treat junk all day but healthier meals very late at night for dinner.

Sometimes I think to stop counting calories, but then I remind myself how hard it is to hit sufficient amounts of protein w/o it.. 100g of protein/day is the minimum (aiming for 150g on workout days). Not easy when you are 'just eating whatever you fancy' and very hard when you try to maximize protein and minimize calories.

Fortunately there is always fragrance.. and what better choice today than to wear something of which the only reviewer on the German side writes it is like "Apfelmus aus dem Schlaraffenland". It sure sounded good even w/o knowing what it was. Just looked it up and it seems to translate like "apple sauce in Cockaigne".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockaigne

I do too, when I am on the run. When I get home, I fit in as many veggies as I can and some lean cuts of meat.

I eat my main meal of the day, at lunch time. And a very light whatever for evening meal. When I am working, this also applies, as work in a hotel, so can still follow this regime. When at home, I have a very light breakfast, cooked lunch, and very light supper. When working..the same, but a bit more fruit at breakfast. I can't work properly, or think, unless I have good food. I don't eat junk food...well...maybe pizza (which I make) once a month. I am not as thin as I used to be...(age thing), and would like to lose perhaps 3 or 4 kilo's...which I could probably do, if I cut out my wine in the evenings. I always have a wine with my light supper. No other alcohol, just wine). I try very hard to limit sweets as well. But I am a bit of a cheat, and can't resist chocolates etc.

The fifth day now on the "Mediterranean Diet" I slack off. I was keeping records: AM, noon, afternoon snack, dinner. According to the colorful chart on the wall, with the food group pyramid saying: eat this, eat that, it was fairly easy to put the plate together. It requires more cooking as the fresh vegetables have to be cut up and assembled, and then add a small portion of meat - half a fist? And so on, and so on.
My son then comes home and a big fuss starts in the kitchen, fresh food is prepared and it really looks and tastes good. Sink full of dirty dishes, food splattered over the stove, for me - who else? to clean up.
With this diet, it is amazing that I am not really hungry as the system is full of bulky fiber from the vegetables.
But, but ... where is my coffee ? I was used to drinking coffee plus sandwich to even the intake. This much faster for modern life !

The box ran out of characters to type my utterly boring story. Dieting IS boring as such, as there is structure and repeat, repeat.

Those caught up in modern life, who have to go somewhere and actually work, produce and earn a paycheck ... Diet ? What ? Just give me a "Slenderizing Wondershake" in a can with a straw and I shall watch my calories. Then, trouble to go to the bathroom and a pill to alleviate that.

The body needs fiber. We eat convenience food which is processed for long shelf life and should have a pretty color and a nice taste - and in case there have been vitamins before all this processing, well, throw some back in and advertise that on the label. Junk is junk and remains junk, but yours truly is just as guilty as the rest, because it has so much become a habit in the 21at century to just eat fast, as life is fast and that will not change. We cannot turn back the wheel of history.

- Station Break - (I have to go and munch something ...)

Pre-cut/washed fresh veggies may be more expensive, but they save time. Frozen veggies don't have that disadvantage, they are even cheaper and fresher than fresh veggies.
Timer on the cooker is my best friend! The type of meals also don't need to vary very much, just the actual veggies/fruits/meats being used.

The only thing that can barely be avoided is having to wash the dishes, but one can minimize by using the same plate for breakfast and 'lunch'.

I am fighting with my excessive pounds - not (yet) really bad but undoubtably something to be dealt with.

Although I try to cook as often as I can this does not necessarily result in low-cal meals

Since 3 weeks or so I have started being a "Boycotarian" as I call it : an ovo-lacto vegetarian with the aim to become a better human being. I actually love the smell and taste of meat meals / products but I watched a documentary showing horrific cruelty to animals, that was the point when I started "boycotting" this industry.

I do not know how long it will last or even if my health will improve at all but it is an interesting experiment to me and surely worth a try.
Well, losing some weight might be a more than welcome side-effect. I hope.

The absence of meat / meat products in my diet surely has helped my intestines. Used to have bowel issues but that has really improved.

Fast food tastes good - sometimes but I have come to appreciate the merits of freshly cooked dishes, the taste is no comparison.
I am just too lazy in the evening when I come home from work.

I watched a documentary the other day that scared me into reading food labels. Past 2 days I have been avoiding corn syrup and aspartame.It's really hard! There's even aspartame and corn syrup in my yogurt and cereal.

I don't like milk unless it is flavored, and when adding chocolate powder, more calories would go in. I don't like low-fat anything. When I pick yogurt, it is Dannon regular plain yogurt. Dannon also makes Greek yogurt. Absolutely delicious, such creamy texture. Reading that label, there is zero fat in there, but it tastes fatty by the consistency. Some fruit (uh oh sugar !!) is at the bottom.

So, girls, here is my recipe for Muesli.

Boil in hot water oatmeal flakes. Let stand. Cut up a banana, an apple, add grapes, strawberries, blue berries and a handful of nuts ("Trailmix"). Dish out a portion in a small bowl. Garnish with a topping of plain yogurt and/or Greek fruit-flavored yogurt.

Yum !

It's good to have a coach. My son, that is. He is into fitness and takes a course, at night, about health and nutrition. So, I have done my best to break old habits, like coffee and sandwich, and same, and same ...
The course has a Chapter - MY PLATE. On that plate should be half of vegetables, crisp and raw, with a touch of olive oil, one quarter carbs in grainy stuff, one quarter protein piece.
So he comes home and checks my record, what did you eat ? and then, yells, you are not really trying !!!!
Army style - "I will make men out of you poor buggers" at least, that what it sounded like.
This morning - while typing - I am grazing from "my plate".
....
I would be motivated if there were an actual weight loss. The bathroom scale showed a meager result of one pound. Oy ...

First off, depending on how you want to measure, you should track weight consistently and then compare 1 month apart. I'm a bit OCD and weigh every day. There's lots of blips up & down with weight gains losses that amount to 3+lbs in a day (~1.5kg) and large people can fluctuate up and down 3-4 kg or even more due to
- hormones (twice a cycle for me)
- salt (far less/more than usual)
- exercise (with sore muscles you hold onto more fluids)
etc..

In the long run, when you're absolutely sure that 1lbs was fat and not just water, 1 lbs a month is an excellent goal. The older a person gets, the slower metabolism. It is not unheard of that a female will only need 1600kcal/day. A young whippersnapper like your son who is exercising may need 3000 kcal a day (or more?)
To lose 1lbs, you need to cut around 3500kcal
For losing 1lbs in a month that's still over 100kcal less to eat on average. This means that in general, most diet days are a 200kcal cut.
Going faster is possible but that means cutting out more foods you cherish to eat.

Where is this about? Health or fat loss? Both?
Maybe focus first on changing one habit at the time and then the rest should follow. Drastic changes may go well for a week or so and then persons give up because it was too much at once.
Keeping weight off is about making permanent changes.. forever.

This makes me realize that after years and years of careful eating, I'm still a junkfood lover at heart. I know that. Which is why I try to replace the habit to reward with food with scent rewards. Not yet working very well.

I wish you luck. Maybe you would want to read a book a friend wrote. It has a crazy title but it is not what you would think it is: "Man on top" by Roland Denzel. It is for both men and women. He very much emphasizes taking 1 step at the time. Another book that is well worth reading is more scientific : "Guide to flexible Dieting" by Lyle McDonald. Check both of them out.. they are very good. Both also stress the importance of exercise. Pay attention

I see my fellow perfumistas have also discovered a link between food, diets and fragrance.

Personally, when I wear perfume - especially a strong and intense one - I tend to have less appetite. The reason seems clear to me: taste and smell are not so far apart.

I don't think one should deliberately misuse perfume as a replacement for snacks and sweets. One could probably create a "perfume diet" in order to loose weight, but dieting this way would probably ruin any healthy way to enjoy food as well as fragrance.

I think using perfume regularly might generally help to keep in shape - beyond dieting.

As soon as I can track something and make it scientific, I am more inspired. First, I started with the so-called Mediterranean Diet, pasted the Mediterranean Food Pyramid at the kitchen furniture, and lost measly 2 lbs. - but it was encouraging.

Because the Americans are known to be bad eaters and stuff themselves on the run, the government has programs to promote healthy eating.
It is all there, inside the computer. This morning I was busy discovering. Part of that website is www.ChooseMyPlate.gov which I have bookmarked.
www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/downloads/Te nTips/DGTipsheet2AddMoreVegetables.pdf

Okay, speeches are made on family-style cooking videos, see this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=phO2gKG6dJA&feature=yo utu.be

All this is well and good. Old habits are difficult to break. I am not sure whether this dieting/healthy eating effort will get the same commitment as the perfume discovery trail, but ... time will tell.

www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/downloads/Te nTips/DGTipsheet1ChooseMyPlate.pdf

Without exercise, loosing weight is not enough. That is another story.

So, I am still stuffing myself with vegetables - but RAW.

Instead of cooking them, our daily food fare is a big salad with everything crunchy in it: cauliflower, broccoli in their raw state; carrots, celery, mushrooms, onions, cherry tomatoes, tiny cucumbers, kale instead of lettuce. Topped off with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, dry basil flakes, plus a generous throw of Feta cheese crumbles.

The actual portions of carbohydrates: pasta, rice, potatoes have shrunk.

The actual portion of meat has shrunk.

Plenty of water (I am getting tired of it.)

Just for motivation, my son pointed out a documentary where a guy stuffed himself with McDonald's food fare and lived to tell about his experiment.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Size_Me

Don't get me wrong: I am myself prone to grab a quick burger, or especially in the morning a sausage muffin deal, but I can see the value of going towards preparing your own food and you know what goes into it.

I drink coffee in the morning, eat candy and junk throughout the day, for dinner I normally eat salad and everything else I can find that's convenient.

I like healthy food but its not always convenient. During the day at work I don't have time to stop so I just carry snacks and junk to hold me until dinner.

I normally eat real food on Sundays but sometimes not.

Well, DiginDirt, that's life. Theory is one thing, and practical consideration is another.

While I was working, I had lined up in the refrigerator 3 lunch bags with Kentucky Fried chicken pieces, an apple, a roll. Three times, the same thing. The boys used to kid me about it, how can you do that, are you not tired of the same old thing ? Well, I just had to hit the train. This was a part-time job - three days in a row.
In the off days, I tried to feed them healthy food fare. But kids don't stop to eat what's good for them, they are always in a hurry and on the go. They did feed them rather good school lunches. I suppose the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture had something to do with that.

People who travel a lot have it even worse. What can you get that is good in an airport ? Nothing much. The choice is better in a Food Court inside a shopping mall. There I have enjoyed stopping during perfume hunting, and free little tasty food samples are stretched out towards you, especially at lunch time.

I drink too much coffee. Who doesn't ?

@ Pipette : I watched Supersize Me and really felt sorry for Morgan Spurlock doing such an experiment with himself.
After all his doctor seriously recommended him to stop eating those greasy burgers and fries.

I admit : I like fastfood and also like burgers (even though I cannot eat them anymore due to my veggie regimen) but only once or twice a year.

For sure I am not the the one to point the finger at those "bad bad foods" that are said to kill us way ahead of our time by diabetes, strokes, liver failure or whatnot.
But I have noticed that during my new way of eating (much more vegetables and soy products regularly) I am inclined of saying that I feel much better physically. Often I was terribly tired in the afternoon but that has changed for the better. Besides, my migraines have reduced significantly. I am still trying to find out if only the absence of meat is the cause for that or if a regular dosis of soy helped me with those headaches.

However, I frankly admit that I sometimes want a piece of meat *sigh* ... do I feel like a "better" human being now by ignoring meat products ? Hmmm....no, I´m afraid not.

Well, we are built to be omnivores, so I'm not surprised. I'm making a wild, unproven theory here; but I'm guessing that humans are the only ones who choose what to eat whereas other mammals and species eat out of necessity/availability--hence why we choose the be vegan, vegetarian, and what have you.