From skwigg's journal:
I have a general policy of not explaining or promoting any way of eating to anyone. Not even my best friend has received the spiel about the wonders of happy eating. I'm through trying to inform, enlighten, and convert people to however I happen to be eating. I'm sure everyone around me is grateful. I used to be quite the evangelist.
I do think it's really freeing to be less self-conscious about what you eat. What a huge relief to realize that nobody cares. I used to think everybody in the room was watching me closely, and either impressed or disappointed with my choices. Delusional much? Even if someone does notice or comment, it's usually a casual observation and not a judgement. If someone does judge your food choices, realize that it says more about them than you. I try to remember that what other people think is none of my business.
Now that I've chilled out, I have no problem sitting down in front of people with a pint of ice cream and a spoon, or eating my chicken and strawberries at work when everyone else is having sheet cake. I eat whatever feels best and makes me happiest at the time. It's a massive relief to have "what I want" as the guiding factor and not "what they might think." If what you eat is influenced by what you imagine other people are thinking, it creates all kinds of weird fallout and delayed resentment.
This is kind of related to what I posted above.
A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in the control room at work eating my dinner. Because I'm weird, I tend to get one thing out of my lunch bag and finish that before getting the next thing. I was eating my 3-4 big carrots when the little cleaning man who barely speaks any English walked in. He smiled and pointed at me and said, "Carrots like rabbit!"
Hahah! Yes, carrots like rabbit.
Thankfully, I didn't have any urge to explain to him that I was eating more than just carrots, or that I'm not on a diet, or anything about my food choices. It used to be that when anyone commented on what I was eating, my brain would melt and I'd go into blabber mode, trying to, I don't even know what. Justify or explain or clafify my choices so that the other person would understand and approve of what I was eating. Why?!?! How crazy and pointless. Nobody cares!
Discussing what other people think reminded me of that. I used to worry so much. I'd have been freaking out for hours if someone had commented on my carrots (or my cupcake, or my salad). I think that when your identity is tangled up in your food choices, anybody who comments is threatening your identity. That's why the emotional reaction can be so strong.
Anyway, it was cute and funny. Now I say "carrots like rabbit" every time I eat them. :-)