Do you ever look at other people`s food choices and just think..

.."I can`t believe that was me not so long ago!"

This obese lady in front of me at the supermarket today was buying a large chocolate coconut cake. First two ingredients: sugar, hydrogenated vegetable fat.

UGH. >_< I would have totally bought something like that myself, only because it looked good. Probably would have finished it in a day or two also.

If you have any "I can`t believe that used to be me" moments, please do share.

I never look at other people's plates- nor what people are buying for themselves - was taught that it is far too rude.

(except when fajitas float by - but then everyone that orders fajitas, wants to be noticed - it's the noisiest food on the planet. :) )

For the record it is also extraordinarily rude to comment on what someone is eating, to take food from their plate, or make suggestions about what they should eat, unless they ask for your advice.

^^^agree

I do kinda the opposite. I tend only to comment on someone's cart when we are in the fruit and veggy section of the grocery store. I was never really into any veggies other than carrots, peppers, and cucumbers before, but my grocery store has a really diverse selection of exotic veggies. So, when I see someone with a strange looking veggy I have never tried before, I will ask them how they are going to eat it, what it tastes like, etc.

I have gotten some really good recipes out of random people I have "attacked" at the grocery store. (I mean, cactus soup??? Quite delicious really)   :) 

betz,  I love to look at the alcohol.  I tend to wonder how much, how often,  If I see a guy buying alcohol, with a box of pasta, bottle of ragu, bagged salad, and single flower, I wonder what date he is on.  Then I check for the wedding band, and wonder if he is cooking for the wife or????  I have a kind of deranged mind at times.  Good thing no one kind read it while standing at the check out counter.  I could be completelty screwed if so.

I agree with se129, I do that more often that I look in other's carts.

Original Post by andie-joe:

^^ ha ha ha! I was being judged when I was checking out one day with tampons, loo roll, pain killers and a very large bar of chocolate....seriously 

 You should have seen the look on my cashier's face when I checked out with a pregnancy test and a bottle of vodka.  I swear, the preggo test wasn't for me though.

Food-wise, yeah, sometimes I check out other people's baskets.  It's easy to judge, but I try to remember that I don't know their story.

ha ha ha peaches....that is class 

Original Post by kathygator:

For the record it is also extraordinarily rude to comment on what someone is eating, to take food from their plate, or make suggestions about what they should eat, unless they ask for your advice.

What if all you want to do is ask about it?  I remember once being very tempted to ask the lady behind me what her almond milk tasted like.  (I didn't 'cause I thought it might sound funny.)  The stuff's too expensive for me to buy a whole carton as a "just to see".

I think that more collaborative than judgemental. The source of the ettiquette is to avoid judging others, I think. :)

i don't comment; i do notice, and i do judge.  but for every time i look and think, "yuck, that's gross," there are probably three times when i think, "that's why i should be getting."

This is a very interesting thread.  I was a commissary (grocery) store manager for several years and I've seen things in carts that were pretty strange.   We had a very diverse population and many foods that I'd never heard about, let alone tried.  I found then, that most people don't seem to mind answering questions, as long as they are asked politely.

Of course it was part of my job to know about what we sold, and to answer questions, so I had an excuse to ask them, or so I told myself, when I saw something interesting or different from my Southern American background.  Most everyone was able, and even happy, to talk about the foods they loved.  Of course, I didn't make a point of picking out the pudgiest patrons, prettiest, or the stringiest.  Honest and respectful curiosity didn't seem to hurt anyone.  Whose got the time to judge others anyway?  Usually, we're too busy beating up ourselves about our own choices.  If you can learn from others, please do so - but politely, and you'll be fine!

I will admit that I do this also. I was at wal-mart yesterday getting some Easter decorations and cards for my grama/friends and there were a few people behind me that had carts FULL of ramen, chips, macaroni and cheese, hostess products, etc. etc. I was more overwhelmed by the sheer amount of sodium in that cart! The woman purchasing it wasn't horribly obese, but I'm just glad I know better how to shop now. The thought of all that processed food made me feel sick to my stomach!

could be that she buys that stuff strictly at Wal Mart and shops elsewhere for fresh fruit, veggies and meats. That stuff might last her family an entire month.

Oh dear. :3 I don`t like the way everyone is interpreting my posts, sorry, but I must try to clarify again. The whole point is not looking down on others and their choices, but looking up to the person you have become and how much you have changed. It`s like other people are a reflection of how you used to be. And identifying with someone hardly makes me able to judge in the first place, it hurts because it`s like I`m being harsh to my own old self, in some odd way.

And just for the record, I have the same thought, regardless of how skinny the person is or not. But I admit that seeing a truly slender person eat a huge amount of junk makes me wonder how they do it. (except if the person is a teenage boy, of course xD)

The only time I seem to notice is after I read a thread like this one.

I love shopping for supplies, am always rocking a new recipe or two adding several previously unknown ingredients to incorporate into meals I have yet to imagine. I am more interested in those carts brimming with yummy wholesome foods and spices as fertile ground to mine for ideas.

Processed foods bore me and thus a wagon load of the crap is equally boring. I would rather light my hair on fire and have it put out with a tire iron than diminish my shopping experience by rubbernecking the carts of culinary hazard.

love new ideas and new ingredients, as well. Am usually so preoccupied with thinking about what I really feel like, it doesn't occur to me to glance around. I rarely buy prepared or processed because I dig cooking and baking and am certain I can make just about anything more healthy simply by making it myself.

...even with real butter, real sugar and dark chocolate. :D

Original Post by kaufmkk:

Checking out what others eat or buy at a grocery store?  You betcha!  Right or wrong, I've even made it a psychological part of my weight loss journey.

When at a grocery store, I don't want people to see me with junk in my cart (I'm still slightly overweight).  I challenge myself to have a food selection I'd be proud of if I happened to bump into a gym-mate at the store. 

Hah me too....I don't notice other people's stuff so much as I am aware that others look at mine. People are curious, whatever. And I also challenge myself to have a basket I am proud of! Now I love it when others notice and even comment on my purchases...I feel so cool buying quinoa and kale and flax seeds, please do comment! But when I buy that jumbo bar of dark chocolate (it lasts several months, I swear) please just pretend you don't see ;) 

a little chocolate now and then is good for the soul V-girl. :)

Whenever I eat fast food like bk or micky d's I always watch what both the skinnier and the fatter group of people get.  Like large shakes, large fries, double cheese burgers....

Oh yes me and my soul agree upon the goodness of chocolate :). Also bacon. And I am very very proud that I have learned that moderation is the key. I just prefer the "I'm so cool" feeling when people look at my quinoa to the "Aw geez I know what they are thinking, those bastards" feeling when they look at my chocolate!