Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all the input. It's true that part of what makes me uncomfortable is the impact of this on my own eating behaviors and outlook. I know for myself that a part of what triggered by eating disorder was witnessing a roommate who was bulimic, even though I judged her eating habits to be dangerous and unhealthy. For me, any extreme focus on food runs the risk of causing me to obsess about it. I have found a way to not think about food all the time in my life now, but when I had an eating disorder, it seemed impossible to ever be able to not be thinking about food all the time. This seems like a trigger to cause me to think more about food and makes me a little nervous as a result.
But I'm honestly not trying to control his eating and am happy for him to eat how he wants. My concern is more that this is a really drastic change in how he typically eats and how he verbalizes his interest in eating, and frankly, it sounds to me like what I experienced with an eating disorder. I don't think he actually has an eating disorder, but I do think his approach to food is disordered. I also think most Americans have a pretty disordered view of food and eating. If his sudden approach to food was "more veggies! I'm going to eat a salad for lunch every day," I would be completely on board because I feel like the goal of it is health. But this just doesn't feel the same to me.
I also worry about the message this is sending to my kids. It's pretty obvious when Dad suddenly isn't eating lunch anymore. He's typically a person who really loves food and enjoys food as a hobby -- eating out, talking about different cuisines, etc.
But I agree that I probably can't do much productive at the moment, so I'll let it play out. Based on his personality, whether this is healthy or not (and I strongly think it's NOT), I don't foresee it having any long-term traction. And the PP who said maybe this is healthy because once he loses 20-40 pounds in a few weeks, he'll stop is completely off base. You don't put on that kind of weight in a few weeks, and you shouldn't be taking it off that fast either. A moderate approach is better to losing weight.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I drink coffee until 5 pm. Two years, quite sustainable. Only eat during the day on Saturdays. Daytime intake gives me an uncomfortable feeling of fullness and makes me cranky. My life is so much better when I eat less. I am happier and healthier.
This is classic disordered thinking. You have an eating disorder, and I hope you can get the medical and mental health assistance you need.
Peace to you.
No it isn’t. What OP’s DH does and what the above poster does are a variation of intermittent fasting. Americans have normalized obesity inducing diets that anything less or different is considered disordered eating.
Italians usually have an espresso for breakfast, a small lunch, and a large dinner. The concept of a big breakfast comes from the old days when most people farmed and did a lot of physical labor very early in the morning. And even then the very early morning breakfast was small; the second breakfast after morning farm chores was the big breakfast many Americans now eat (eggs and bacon and toast and milk etc) that they think is healthy but is not. Yo know because they are lazy - they aren’t doing farm work and most aren’t exercising either.
I’ve been on a ketogenic paleo diet for years. I usually have only coffee in the morning because I’m not hungry, and I don’t really get hungry until 2. My body has adapted to have the capability of metabolizing fat efficiently. Most Americans think eating 3 meals plus snacking in between is a good idea because they are actually addicted to sugar and their bodies cannot metabolize fat efficiently. (Which means that their bodies don’t access fat stores in the body for energy). That is why they are fat, and that is disordered eating.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Small meals throughout the day keep insulin levels high, and will make you fat.
Sounds like 16/8 fasting which holds some promise to improve health and reduce diabetes risk
This! You are kind and loving to be concerned. I suggest you should do some research yourself on intermittent fasting and encourage him to meet with a nutritionist. I realize it can be hard for you because of your sensitivity re your own ED but there is much evidence that IF is healthy if done correctly. There is a 5/2 plan or 16hr/8 hr. It sounds like he is not doing either which may be fine but it may be more effective or healthy to follow an established IF diet. If he did 16/8 he would eat breakfast and big lunch and then fast until next morning and maybe decide to have 1 cheat day weekly.
Except he's having a 1,000 calorie smoothie in the morning. I mean, really.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Small meals throughout the day keep insulin levels high, and will make you fat.
Sounds like 16/8 fasting which holds some promise to improve health and reduce diabetes risk
This! You are kind and loving to be concerned. I suggest you should do some research yourself on intermittent fasting and encourage him to meet with a nutritionist. I realize it can be hard for you because of your sensitivity re your own ED but there is much evidence that IF is healthy if done correctly. There is a 5/2 plan or 16hr/8 hr. It sounds like he is not doing either which may be fine but it may be more effective or healthy to follow an established IF diet. If he did 16/8 he would eat breakfast and big lunch and then fast until next morning and maybe decide to have 1 cheat day weekly.
. He wakes up in the morning and has a smoothie packed with peanut butter, protein powder, veggies, fruit, etc., and then he drinks tea all day until dinnertime. He eats a normal amount at dinner (sometimes tries to have smallish portions but nothing extreme) and then sometimes will have a small dessert afterwards (usually not but sometimes).