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Kardamom's avatar

Would you be able to restrain yourself from eating too much?

Asked by Kardamom (33481points) May 21st, 2015

What if suddenly, your favorite food, a food that’s currently known for being high in calories, carbs, or fat, or all of the above (like cheese or chocolate or linguini Alfredo, or Scotch) would now have the opposite effect on your weight? If you ate too much of it, you would lose dangerous amounts of weight, and ultimately, if you ate one bite too much of this food, it could kill you. Would you still eat too much of it like you do now (if you already eat too much of it now) or would you try to cut back on it, or even eliminate this food from your diet?

Would the amount of this food that you eat change, if you knew it to cause dramatic and dangerous weight loss, as opposed to it causing dramatic weight gain, like it most likely does now, and the possibility of eating it leading to an untimely death?

Of course this is all hypothetical, because as far as I know, there aren’t any nachos or Funnyons out there, right now, that are going to cause dramatic weight loss.

The only thing I can think of that is somewhat similar, is when they introduced Olestra, which was supposed to keep you from absorbing as much of the fat in certain snack foods like potato chips, but then when they found out that some of the side effects included abdominal cramps, loose stools, and anal leakage, the product lost its appeal. I’m guessing that there were a few people who still gorged themselves on the Olestra infused chips, even when they found out about the possible side effects.

Would you be able to change your eating habits if you knew that your favorite treat could cause you a potentially life threatening weight loss?

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11 Answers

zenvelo's avatar

I have been able to restrain myself from eating not only too much, but whole categories of food for extended periods. So the idea of a food that could cause a bit of weight loss by eating a small amount would not be hard to control.

Many people do that with foods that are tasty and even beneficial in small amounts, like a person who is working on weight control having a small piece of dark chocolate once or twice a week.

filmfann's avatar

Last year, I was told I have type 2 diabetes. I have since stopped eating a lot of things I enjoy.
It was fairly easy, since I know people with diabetes who have had their feet removed because of it.
I like having feet.

FireMadeFlesh's avatar

Yes, there are times I go without food for up to two days. I usually exercise and eat a lot, which I fear reduces my resilience. So I go without food for a while to give my digestive system a rest, and to develop the mental fortitude to be productive with barely any energy.

Pachy's avatar

On doctor’s advice and equally so because I want to, I’ve been sticking to an extremely healthy eating regimen for the past four months and now find it quite easy to resist urges to go off it. However, I’ve lost a lot of weight, so when occasionally I do feel like splurging on something not so healthy, like a hamburger, Tex-Mex or a sweet dessert, I do so without guilt.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Yes. I do it all the time. My husband is bad about picking up dessert when he goes to the store. He’ll come home with Angel food cake, or brownies or lemon bread. If I do eat any of it, it will be in lieu of my regular breakfast or lunch or dinner. Mostly though, I just ignore it. I throw a towel over it so I can’t even see it.

Dutchess_III's avatar

@FireMadeFlesh Thank you for posting that. It was refreshing. I’ve gone without eating for a day or two in the past, when I was younger. I get so tired of people yelling that you HAVE to eat breakfast, you HAVE to eat this, that. Well, no, ya don’t. It isn’t going to hurt you going a day without food.

fluthernutter's avatar

@FireMadeFlesh and @Dutchess_III I’ve skipped meals pretty often in college. Sometimes because of money. Other times because of time. But just because you can do something without keeling over, doesn’t mean you should do it. Skipping meals affects your metabolism, blood sugar and who knows what else.

Dutchess_III's avatar

In college, often the only meal I would have is a bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy at lunch time. Over all, people eat much more than they really need. Just take a look around.

FireMadeFlesh's avatar

@Dutchess_III That’s it. Most of us in the West eat too many foods that are difficult to digest, because they aren’t what our guts are evolved for. Your bowels need a break every now and then.

@fluthernutter I’m lucky, in that I’ve never skipped a meal for financial reasons. I also get pretty severe headaches if I don’t eat when I need to. Normally, I eat about twice what an average person does, because my physical and mental activity is really quite high – I’m one of those people that doesn’t do “rest” well. That said, I believe Western diets aren’t terribly friendly to the digestive system. We eat too many things that we’re not well adapted for (and some things that just aren’t food at all), and over time that wears down the bowel.

The bowel completely replaces its lining every few days, and sometimes it just needs a period of not eating to get back on top. It’s giving the lining of the bowel time to regrow to full maturity, and giving the good bacterial cultures time to increase their populations. When you start eating again, your digestive system can once again work at its peak. It’s also a good mental exercise, to push past physical limitations. I’m not advocating fasting on a regular basis, or saying it is suitable for everyone. But once every couple of months, it does me a world of good.

fluthernutter's avatar

@FireMadeFlesh Ahhh…more of a cleanse than skipping meals. Gotcha.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Been up since 7, eating for the first time now at 12:43. Hot, warm, fresh home made banana bread dripping with butter! And a glass of milk.

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