A Little of What You Fancy?

[mabubba]

I tend to eat what I want when I want it. I do watch my portion sizes because I find that I am satisfied well before my body says I am full. So I try to eat lots of small meals thoughout the day. Exercising is important for me though. If I don't exercise I gain weight. I also try to balance my 'bad' foods (fast food, processed food, sweets) with 'good' ones (salad, fish, wholemeal, fiber).

Calories in, calories out...

[HuntingTigers]

I eat a full Scottish breakfast each and every day.

For those not familiar with a North West Scottish breakfast this is how it goes.
Start off with 3, perhaps 4, full strength cigarettes washed down with a pint mug of sweetened tea, [3 spoonfuls of sugar]. Next, 4oz deep fried haggis, 2 fried eggs, 4 fried rashers of smoked untrimmed bacon, [i.e. none of that lean unsmoked crap], 2 deep fried mushrooms, baked beans and 3 potato hash brownies.

After that I usually finish the meal off with another half dozen fags, [cigarettes], 2 bottles of Carlsberg Special Brew and maybe a half bottle of Buckfast, [monk blessed wine for the foreigners amongst you].

Then, it's off to the bookies to get the 'early prices' by which time the pubs are opening so that's where I go for lunch.

I've been doing this for the past 55 years and you can't whack it for being a top notch healthy life style.

[Spitfire]

Ha ha, you'll be giving MrP palpitations with that one HT.

[STEVE G]

...and maybe a half bottle of Buckfast,

It must be something beneficial in the tonic wine that keeps you going!

[Jaime]

I eat a full Scottish breakfast each and every day.

For those not familiar with a North West Scottish breakfast this is how it goes.
Start off with 3, perhaps 4, full strength cigarettes washed down with a pint mug of sweetened tea, [3 spoonfuls of sugar]. Next, 4oz deep fried haggis, 2 fried eggs, 4 fried rashers of smoked untrimmed bacon, [i.e. none of that lean unsmoked crap], 2 deep fried mushrooms, baked beans and 3 potato hash brownies.

Scottish breakfast? No lorn sausage?

[Big Boy]

3 potato hash brownies

Potato scones surely in a Scottish breakfast Although I'd have a hash brown any day rather than a tasteless potato scone.

[STEVE G]

I thought they just ate porridge with nails in it for breakfast up that far North.

[Big Boy]

half bottle of Buckfast, [monk blessed wine for the foreigners amongst you]

Hmmmm ........... another Scottish anomaly - this brew comes from God's own country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckfast_Tonic_Wine

Probably introduced to North West Scotland by the Green Army on a mercenary mission.

[Edit]

Probably time to get this off of Janner/American style Scottish breakfasts, and back to Mr Plum's original question/poll - A Little of What You Fancy?

[margaretcarnes]

I can't eat huge meals, but do like all meats, including a steak running with blood. And crispy fat on pork. My butcher always throws in an extra chunk of beef fat with a joint (of beef!) and I hate the fact we can't get pork chops with the kidney in any more in the UK.
Love offal products like haslet and saveloys. But it's all a balance - I have plenty of veggies too.
No milk (don't like the stuff) No sugar in coffee or tea. No white bread. Butter only - no margerine. Chips about once a week. A packet of crisps once a month at the most. But all these are simply personal preferences, and I think if the overall diet is balanced it is OK.
Unfortunately my balance is easily tipped by chocolate and fudge!

Mr P asks what we think about childhood obesity though, and this does worry me. It is certainly a 'big' problem in the West, and spreading in Asian countries too. There is little worse than seeing a young child literally waddling - struggling to walk properly - due to their weight.
I do take note of these kids, and they are often with obese parents.
It is a popular myth that childhood obesity is a result of poverty IMO. Parents are paying much more for junk food - the Macs etc - than it would cost them to cook healthier food at home. Fact is many parents can't - won't - or simply don't want - to cook these days. They can't be bothered. It is much easier to stuff burgers and chips into a child on demand, and it doesn't seem to matter when or where that demand occurs.
In fact now it often isn't the child demanding a snack - it's the parent forcing junk food into them. And accompanied of course by a fizzy drink.
Last week it was announced that the most popular take-away food in the UK is now the regular Pizza. A dough and salt rich product with a smear of tomato paste (containing more salt) and processed cheese (yet more salt.) It amazes me that people can sit and eat a whole boring pizza to themselves. But they are now the biggest selling ready meal in some supermarkets as well.
Along with that Mums won't walk anywhere with their kids now. I see children still in pushchairs who could easily be walking. Mums who wait and wait at bus stops until a bus comes by which they can get the pushchair onto.
Exercise is an issue in other ways - parents say they daren't let their children go out to play in the street. Children prefer to stay home and play with their Nintendos. But overall I place the blame for childhood obesity now on lazy stupid parents who can't be bothered with their children, and don't care what happens to them in the future.

[poosmate]

HHAD has made me healthier! I used to spend many hours reading some of the long running threads.This increased my coffee intake and my craving for snacks.
Not any more. Thank you HHAD. You have changed my life.

[migrant]

Hi, I'm migrant and I like food.....

Actually I like pretty much all foods. When I was younger I tried to stay within the basic food groups, alcohol, grease, fat and sugar (I guess you could just say fast foods), but with age have moderated.

When younger, if I felt I was getting too big, I would just have boiled chicken and peas (yes I liked that also) for a week and the extra weight just dropped off.

Now, however, I can gain weight on boiled chicken and peas. My metabolism has sure dropped as the years passed 50. I also do not excercise as much and as a previous poster pointed out, calories in must equal, at least, calories out to maintain weight.

I generally eat well, and since I like to cook can use more natural ingredients. I do eat fast foods due to scheduling sometimes, but eschew the McDonalds of the world and try to stick with the multitude of independents floating around Southern California. I find they are small and use less processed ingredients that are also fresher.

But I like food. On the plane to Thailand I can't wait for that cart to get to me even though I know my steamed meats and boiled vegies aren't awe inspiring. I still get sick of my self if I put on too much weight, so diet, and self control, has gotten more important.

When my kids were young they lived with me and I cooked dinner pretty much every night, always providing plenty of fresh veggies, salads and meat or fish. I also liked cooking many types of cuisine. The result is my kids like veggies, salads and always willing to try different things. We also kept busy, and played lots of sports so the kids, now in their twenties, have body fat contents of basically zero.

I didn't vote in the poll since I didn't really agree with the way the choices are worded, but would say I eat what I want in moderation. Not as thin as I want, but I think a happy balance

BTW I'm watching a cook prepare shrimp and sausage etouffee as I type this so I think today will be a diet "cheat" day....