What you've had to unlearn from childhood.

Replies to current topics typically fuel new ones for me, so if you're getting bored with me, ignore me for a bit until my focus strays further.

We all had different environments growing up. And habits learned as a child can be some of the most challenging to overcome (even if you logically know they are incorrect). So what did you learn as a child that has been a hindrance to your weight goals? How have you changed it?

My childhood 'lessons' that I no longer follow:
- I have to clean my plate

- Diets are a few miserable cranky months to get ready for swimsuit season

- After a long day, the fastest appropriate meal is pasta from a box

-The first step to dieting is getting rid of everything unhealthy and stop socializing anywhere that involves food. You can not resist it.

- Exercise is work

- Diet foods are gross.

- A tablespoon of vegetables on your plate equals a balanced meal

EDIT: DISCLAIMER (how did I forget this): I am in no way blaming my, or anyone elses parents for my/their obesity. I am not stating my(or anyone else's) parents were 'bad.' Just that some of habits I (and I assume others) learned in childhood have required undoing in the quest for a healthier lifestyle.

Original Post by dkenworthy:

I do think that habits formed in childhood are the hardest to change, any "stress" tends to send me right back to my "comfort zone" habits

...

The good news is that the good habits from childhood are just as strong as the bad ones!  Honesty, hard work, love of learning, humor are just a few of the great habits my parents instilled in me.  So, it's not just the love of good food that stuck.

WISE words, thanks!

Definitely the 'clean your plate' rule! Mom would let me have a snack before dinner and then when I would get dinner she would make me eat it all!! She told me later on that she was sorry that she made me over stuff myself!

;

I love jmm's post - I think I want to print it and put it on my fridge!

My mom and dad gave me the best backround - My dad used to make up a big pot of fruit salad most weekends to last most of the week.  We used to stand up and eat cherries over the trash can and spt seeds right in.  I one time literally made myself SICK eating I think a pound of grapes in one sitting - never did that with cake or candy!  We never had chips except for a birthday party.  We ate dinner together at the table every night, and every one of us had a salad. 

I'm even more of a food fanatic with my kids.  They are only 3 and 5 and they love to go to the farmers market with me, they know that mac and cheese is healthy if mommy makes it (whole wheat pasta, 1% milk, lowfat cheese and puree of carrots and sweet potato hidden in there!)  but not if they eat it at a restaurant.  Show them any food and they can both tell you if it is healthy food or junk food.  And I love when the little one says "but its ok to have junk food only sometimes!!" lol. 

I think my kids will grow up with the right attitude about food - but I fully expect they will go off the rails in college or whatever.  I think that it won't be too hard for them to find their way back though once they realize that, as always, mama knows best :)

I was mulling over how many people here attribute many lessons to growing up poor (myself included). Actually, while we didn't eat 'healthy' because it was expensive, we weren't horrible. I think the worst lesson was that junk food was treat food, and something we could never afford. Chips and dip were for parties, steaks were for special occasions, as were cake, ice cream, pizza, meals at a restaurant. Hell, even little debbies were typically outside of our budget. When any of this found its way in the house, we took it out overnight.

Then I went off and got a job, and as soon as I was doing well, I wanted all the foods we couldn't get growing up. All the non-poor foods. Because I could afford them! Get that chips and dip. Go out to dinner when I feel like it. Keep ice cream in the house.

Turns out I rebounded a bit too strong... : )

I'm think tonight I'll start another thread about the good lessons from childhood, I have a few of those too.

Its so weird that you say that, minda.   In my house the un-poor food was fruits and vegetables.  Ice cream, little debbies, frozen pizzas were all we ate for years.  Its interesting to hear about everyone's childhood differences.

We didn't have much money but everything we ate was fresh, fruit and veg, healthy. Junk was only for treats. I think this made me more into it because it wasn't readily available. When I did get it I just ate it all immediately as much as I could get!

Original Post by minda_spk:

I was mulling over how many people here attribute many lessons to growing up poor (myself included). Actually, while we didn't eat 'healthy' because it was expensive, we weren't horrible. I think the worst lesson was that junk food was treat food, and something we could never afford. Chips and dip were for parties, steaks were for special occasions, as were cake, ice cream, pizza, meals at a restaurant. Hell, even little debbies were typically outside of our budget. When any of this found its way in the house, we took it out overnight.

Then I went off and got a job, and as soon as I was doing well, I wanted all the foods we couldn't get growing up. All the non-poor foods. Because I could afford them! Get that chips and dip. Go out to dinner when I feel like it. Keep ice cream in the house.

Turns out I rebounded a bit too strong... : )

I'm think tonight I'll start another thread about the good lessons from childhood, I have a few of those too.

heheh :-) i understand.

grew up in europe so i have no idea what little debbies are but i had a similar thing when i grew up: suddenly i could have alomost any food in any amount i desired. bring on the chocolate, chips etc:)

My grandmother had dessert on the table before we were done with dinner which in turn I had to learn not to think about the next meal while eating the current one.

In my family food was never the issue.  It was all about body image.  As a child my mom always worried about her weight even though she was 5'3 and 115 she always called herself fat.  Now that she is in her 60s she struggles with age in the same heartbreaking way.  I am trying to learn how to be confident no matter what. 

I don't think its possible to unlearn base responses to food.  Its set into neural pathways during childhood and those really don't change much as adults barring a need to adapt to brain trauma.  I think as an adult the only way to change unhealthy habits is to contantly force a conscious decision to do things that are inherently unnatural.

Both of my parents worked so from an early age i was largely responsible for preparing my own meals.  Vegetables were an oddity and fruit basically nonexistent.  If there's one factual piece of information i've had to "unlearn" its that corn doesn't count as a vegetable.  I really don't like any real fruit/vegetable today and there's nothing other than deluding myself that could change that.  I simply accept that i have to force myself to eat as many of them as i can and to try to mitigate the unpleasantness as much as possible (i still can't give up salt as its the one thing that can cover the taste of vegetables).

At least i got lucky on the other front for dieting: i played every sport known to man (or known to southerners i suppose...not much opportunity to take up bobsledding in the deep south).  I don't really enjoy running but it comes pretty naturally and its not some sort of epic struggle like making myself eat a salad for dinner every night.