Moral dissonance

~ MaryG

What is one way you have grown this year?

I’ve grown physically fatter this year. I’m not saying I’m fat, but I’m not thin.

The year started out with a very upsetting situation caused by my family of origin. I lost weight over it. Some people might call that the upside (I wouldn’t), but I didn’t mind being down five pounds.

Now it’s all back – and a little more.

I’ve thought about trying those new weight loss drugs, but I hear they take away your appetite and that doesn’t appeal to me at all. I love food, especially dessert.

So, I’m trying to cut back on portion size and eat more salads. I’ve also been swimming laps almost every day, now that the outdoor pool is open for the season.

I always feel guilty complaining about eating too much when hundreds of millions of people, including tens of millions of children, around the world don’t have enough food.

What’s the name for that feeling?

Food guilt…privilege guilt…moral dissonance?

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She is one of the good ones.

30 thoughts on “Moral dissonance”

  1. My husband is on a GLP1 shot for his diabetes. He lost weight, but unfortunately most of his muscle mass as well. Didn’t affect his appetite one iota though. He still eats like a teenager.
    🥴

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  2. I hear you Mary, i’m on the slim down wagon myself, au naturel. I cut out almost all sugar (i was badly addicted) and started walking more, also this week started strength training again, we need it for bone strength even more than the muscle itself.
    I’m also happy to have a good appetite as it is a sign of health and yeah, food is so damn good!

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    1. Good for you!! My husband is so into strength training, but I don’t like gyms or lifting heavy objects, lol. I’m hoping yoga will help with the bone density. I need to start taking calcium again too.

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      1. I just do mine at home, downstairs i have a small collection of free weights, no actual equipment. Luckily i always preferred a weight workout to cardio so i actually really love it! Yes yoga definitely should help, you’re holding up the weight of your body!

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  4. I shouldn’t know who Miss Rachel is, but do because she’s been so unfairly dealt with. What a weird and upside down time we live in.

    I’m about to try glp1s, Mary, and I’ll let you know how it feels. A good friend of mine is back to being really active and playing tennis, after going through a cycle of getting heavier and heavier, so that’s convinced me to give it a go. I’m worried about the same things you are, but also that when people go off of them they gain the weight again. I’ll do my best to change my habits too, because I don’t want to be on them forever.

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    1. Absolutely true. Sometimes those cycles can happen with life changes. Mine for instance was toe surgeries, losing my dog of 16 years, and a job change. All of those together andi gained weight.
      Now im finally getting back into eating better and getting more exercise. It’s taken awhile to get over the slump.

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      1. I do think the ‘bounce back rate’ slows as we age. We can go through things when younger and quickly get back to our norms, but it takes more effort now. I’ve been in a habit of gaining weight every year for the last ten, and only recently saw that whole pattern picture.

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    2. I ignore anything negative about Rachel, but I’m sure she gets some haters (just like Fred Rogers did). Sad.

      And yes, please keep me posted on your GLP1 journey! Since I’m retired, I feel like I’ve got all day long to improve my habits/eating. It’s harder for working people to do that.

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      1. Definitely. The laps sound great! I’m often saving my effort for work, and then recovering physically when not working.

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      4. I will, yes. I haven’t started yet, so I’ll let you know about that part too! 🙂 I was just approved yesterday, so this is early days. It’s funny that I almost wrote about it yesterday, then decided to wait until I had something more to report. I’m glad you mentioned it.

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      6. You need to be over a certain weight or have a medical reason for insurance to cover it, and I don’t fall into that category. For the micro-dosing, it’s a matter of ruling out conditions and making sure it would be of benefit. There are lab tests, etc. I don’t think it would be approved for a person already at a good weight for their height, but otherwise it seems to be more about the dosage than there being a high bar for approval.

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  5. I, ahem, am carrying a few more pounds than I should be. Like you, I have no interest in weight-loss drugs for the same reason. Once I had a dream that I was a vampire. Guess what I minded the most? Not being able to eat solid food. Somehow, a blood diet didn’t appeal to me. 😉

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    1. That’s a WILD dream Laurie! I’m with you though…I have no interest in protein shakes or anything like that…I think about what I’m going to eat for dinner all day long. Solid food all the way!

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  6. The weight loss jabs are rife over here. Whilst they are suppose to be prescribed by your GP, more n more people are ordering them and paying for them on the internet.

    The way they work is they change the thought patterns of your brain so they “ lower the level of food noise in your head”, thus you basically don’t think about eating.

    They also suppress your appetite. Most people on it only eat one meal a day .

    It’s all a bit unnatural to me but “ horses for courses” . My concern is that people still need to learn to eat a healthy diet where calories in are less than calories out so what happens when they stop taking the drug?

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    1. Horses for courses! (Never heard that but I get it) And I agree, what happens when you stop taking the drug? I’m retired so I’ve got all day to eat right exercise. I feel like I should really try that first. I think it’s harder for busy working people.

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      1. I’m glad I’ve introduced you to a fairly common idiom used over here😊.

        I also have to work at wright control ☹️and I definitely feel it’s harder to lose weight once you turn 40. If I had known this I might have tried harder earlier in life! But as you quite rightly say life was much busier back then for me n tbh I probably didn’t have enough time to focus

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