How to eat moderately to avoid gluttony?

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How is gluttony defined? Is it merely out of pleasure? Say if I feel hungry and I want to eat some ice-cream that my dad bought me but I now it won’t fill my empty stomach that much, should I eat it out of charity (because my dad bought it for the family)? What if I only wanted to choose ice-cream because it tastes better, not out of its nutrition value? Or is this not gluttony at all?

Besides, I am very confused over when I should eat. I seem to be starving myself so that I can absolutely sure I"m not over eating but I think my stomach is starting to become irritated by this. Irritated meaning that it doesn’t feel comfortable, but I have no idea is that because I"ve stuffed too much stuff inside in a certain period of time because I was so hungry or is it because I didn’t have enough food.
 
I am pretty sure that eating solely for pleasure is gluttony, as is eating to excess where it interferes with your physical or spiritual well-being. But, enjoying the food you eat because you are hungry, that’s all not a sin, thank God.
 
I don’t think God would be offended if we enjoy a dish of ice cream (unless we are grossly overweight or diabetic, in which case it could be harmful). If we eat an entire container of ice cream, however, to the point of feeling sick, then that might be considered gluttony. There are days when I don’t eat as well as I should or choose sweets over vegetables or fruit, and that may be a venial sin b/c we are to take care of our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. But in general, if we eat when we are hungry and then only to the point of where our hunger is satisfied and we feel comfortable, not stuffed or sick, then I think we are okay. There’s an old saying: Eat to live, don’t live to eat. Based on the information you have given us, I think you’re okay.
 
Reason…the virtue of temperance…

One would be going in the wrong way to “starve oneself” …not a good thing.

In stat virtu media --in the middle stands virtue.

PS there can be reasonable reasons to enjoy icecream etc other than nutrition…social reasons or recreation etc.

(and note too–while we ought to avoid venial sins too–it is important to note that individual acts of intemperance usually fall into the venial area…something we struggle during the whole course of our life (complete drunkeness --to the point of loosing ones reason is an example of grave intemperance) --ones confessor can assist one in this matter).
 
I think this is something much neglected. I believe it is one of those “buried” sins that is ignored.

I was looking at people in the Mall the other day and couldn’t get over the number of people who are obeese not just over weight. All of these people could not possibly have dna problems. I know that fast food is the reason for much of it.

Americans have really gone overboard in this area.

I was just recently at a hotel which provided breakfast. I watched what people were eating what. And I noticed that the big people ate biscuits and gravy, and the nomal weight people were eating cereal or fruit.

One moring we ate at a breakfast place. A family sat down not far from us. The 12 year old girl had a big plate of food, and beside this plate sat another plate of pancakes covered in peanut butter and chocolate. And the poor girl was already way over weight.

I’ve come to the conclusion that if a person ate only good food and none of the fast bad food,
they would eventually regain a healthy weight.

Weight problems cause not only damage to our organs, but our bones, skin, and other tissue, not to mention the laziness and the bad self image it promotes.

I believe the morality of it is largely overlooked.

Just some reflections.
 
I don’t know if this helps or not.

My son spent a summer teaching deprived youth in the South Bronx in a school operated by Opus Dei. There were instructions in academic subjects and sports, but the real thrust of the program was development of character.

Opus Dei is very much into character and virtue, so here’s how they would eat.

My son lived in an Opus Dei house where nearly everybody there was Opus Dei. Their meals were, he said, very good, excellent, and often included dessert. But, he said, there was just enough to satisfy hunger, but not a morsel more. When you were finished eating, you weren’t quite hungry still, but you weren’t “full” either. Early on, he felt mildly deprived. But you adjusted fairly quickly so that you got to where you didn’t feel deprived. But always there was that sense that you could eat more and would sort of like to. But it wasn’t there.

They were that way about drinking too. In the evening after dinner, people would go to a kind of large living room with comfortable chairs and couches. They would socialize and some brilliant person or other would give a talk on some subject: philosophy, theology, physics, literature, medicine, even business. There would be beer and wine. You could drink one…just one.

I’m not trying to sell Opus Dei here, but as I said, they’re very big into character and virtue and I think they have probably figured the thing out.

And I guess it’s healthier too.
 
Thanks guys for the advice! There are still some points I want to clarify.

social reasons include like your parents telling you to eat ice-cream because they bought it, or it’s father’s day and your eating to celebrate are exceptions, right?

What about buffets?
 
starrygirl said:
Thanks guys for the advice! There are still some points I want to clarify.

social reasons include like your parents telling you to eat ice-cream because they bought it, or it’s father’s day and your eating to celebrate are exceptions, right?

What about buffets?
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There can be various good reasons… including celebrations…and receiving to please another…

As to buffets – if one finds oneself as such --my suggestion --one can take a little of this and of that …and then go back according to reason and virtue…too much gets wasted for example otherwise --or one eats too much…
 
starrygirl said:
How is gluttony defined? Is it merely out of pleasure? Say if I feel hungry and I want to eat some ice-cream that my dad bought me but I now it won’t fill my empty stomach that much, should I eat it out of charity (because my dad bought it for the family)? What if I only wanted to choose ice-cream because it tastes better, not out of its nutrition value? Or is this not gluttony at all?

Besides, I am very confused over when I should eat. I seem to be starving myself so that I can absolutely sure I"m not over eating but I think my stomach is starting to become irritated by this. Irritated meaning that it doesn’t feel comfortable, but I have no idea is that because I"ve stuffed too much stuff inside in a certain period of time because I was so hungry or is it because I didn’t have enough food.
Click to expand...
Modern Catholic Dictionary:

GLUTTONY. Inordinate desire for the pleasure connected with food or drink. This desire may become sinful in various ways: by eating or drinking far more than a person needs to maintain bodily strength; by glutting one’s taste for certain kinds of food with known detriment to health; by indulging the appetite for exquisite food or drink, especially when these are beyond one’s ability to afford a luxurious diet; by eating or drinking too avidly, i.e., ravenously; by consuming alcoholic beverages to the point of losing full control of one’s reasoning powers. Intoxication that ends in complete loss of reason is a mortal sin if brought on without justification, e.g., for medical reasons. (Etym. Latin glutire, to devour.)
 
thistle said:
Modern Catholic Dictionary:

GLUTTONY. Inordinate desire for the pleasure connected with food or drink. This desire may become sinful in various ways: by eating or drinking far more than a person needs to maintain bodily strength; by glutting one’s taste for certain kinds of food with known detriment to health; by indulging the appetite for exquisite food or drink, especially when these are beyond one’s ability to afford a luxurious diet; by eating or drinking too avidly, i.e., ravenously; by consuming alcoholic beverages to the point of losing full control of one’s reasoning powers. Intoxication that ends in complete loss of reason is a mortal sin if brought on without justification, e.g., for medical reasons. (Etym. Latin glutire, to devour.)
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Okay, so according to that definition, if I eat an ice-cream/dessert as a snack once in a while and I have my nutrients under check, that’s okay?
 
Like anything else, it’s just not abusing food. Respecting your body enough to eat well and try to gain some nutritional value from anything you eat. Eating something for pleasure should not be a problem, as long it’s not abused.

The overweight statistics in America are staggering. This is both from bad diet, bad culture and food abuse. It is a glutton nation. The temptations are there and especially when most people are abusing themselves by becoming grossly overweight and not caring enough to respect themselves and God’s law and guidance.

Your conscience and heart does you no wrong on many issue’s if you’re right with God.
 
Posters on this thread need to be aware of the extreme level of scrupulosity the OP has in all areas of her life. The OP is truly unable to properly discern what is normal.

Th OP really needs to be under professional care, starving oneself in fear of gluttony is very extreme and dangerous.

OP, PLEASE get help from your priest.
 
I did not know that. I apologize if I have added anything that is not helpful. I hope she gets better.
 
Ridgerunner said:
I don’t know if this helps or not.

My son spent a summer teaching deprived youth in the South Bronx in a school operated by Opus Dei. There were instructions in academic subjects and sports, but the real thrust of the program was development of character.

Opus Dei is very much into character and virtue, so here’s how they would eat.

My son lived in an Opus Dei house where nearly everybody there was Opus Dei. Their meals were, he said, very good, excellent, and often included dessert. But, he said, there was just enough to satisfy hunger, but not a morsel more. When you were finished eating, you weren’t quite hungry still, but you weren’t “full” either. Early on, he felt mildly deprived. But you adjusted fairly quickly so that you got to where you didn’t feel deprived. But always there was that sense that you could eat more and would sort of like to. But it wasn’t there.

They were that way about drinking too. In the evening after dinner, people would go to a kind of large living room with comfortable chairs and couches. They would socialize and some brilliant person or other would give a talk on some subject: philosophy, theology, physics, literature, medicine, even business. There would be beer and wine. You could drink one…just one.

I’m not trying to sell Opus Dei here, but as I said, they’re very big into character and virtue and I think they have probably figured the thing out.

And I guess it’s healthier too.
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This is very helpful. Thanks.
 
1ke said:
Posters on this thread need to be aware of the extreme level of scrupulosity the OP has in all areas of her life. The OP is truly unable to properly discern what is normal.

Th OP really needs to be under professional care, starving oneself in fear of gluttony is very extreme and dangerous.

OP, PLEASE get help from your priest.
Click to expand...
Yeah, when I saw the OP bring up buffets, I knew she had a big issue of scrupulosity. In her eyes, eating yourself into a turkey induced coma on Thanksgiving and/or Christmas (which I do), is a sin.
 
starrygirl said:
How is gluttony defined? Is it merely out of pleasure?
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No, it is not merely out of pleasure…it is inordinate pleasure, as per the definition provided by thistle:
thistle said:
Modern Catholic Dictionary:

GLUTTONY. Inordinate desire for the pleasure connected with food or drink. This desire may become sinful in various ways: by eating or drinking far more than a person needs to maintain bodily strength; by glutting one’s taste for certain kinds of food with known detriment to health; by indulging the appetite for exquisite food or drink, especially when these are beyond one’s ability to afford a luxurious diet; by eating or drinking too avidly, i.e., ravenously; by consuming alcoholic beverages to the point of losing full control of one’s reasoning powers. Intoxication that ends in complete loss of reason is a mortal sin if brought on without justification, e.g., for medical reasons. (Etym. Latin glutire, to devour.)
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Note then that if gluttony is “inordinate desire” for pleaure from eating/drinking, it follows that there is such a thing as proper desire for pleasure from food.

Note also that ice cream certainly has nutritional value, within context. Overweight people, diabetics, people with high cholesterol, etc, may do well to avoid or minimise it, but for otherwise healthy people, a bowl of ice cream every now and then can be part of a healthy, balanced diet. The fact that it is enjoyable reflects its nutritional value, rather than contradicts it. Caloric intake is essential; we cannot survive without consuming calories, and our tastes are designed towards consumption of calorie dense foods (sugars, fats, protien). It is only excessive calories that are the problem, not calories per se.
 
starrygirl said:
How is gluttony defined? Is it merely out of pleasure? Say if I feel hungry and I want to eat some ice-cream that my dad bought me but I now it won’t fill my empty stomach that much, should I eat it out of charity (because my dad bought it for the family)? What if I only wanted to choose ice-cream because it tastes better, not out of its nutrition value? Or is this not gluttony at all?

Besides, I am very confused over when I should eat. I seem to be starving myself so that I can absolutely sure I"m not over eating but I think my stomach is starting to become irritated by this. Irritated meaning that it doesn’t feel comfortable, but I have no idea is that because I"ve stuffed too much stuff inside in a certain period of time because I was so hungry or is it because I didn’t have enough food.
Click to expand...
To me, your post reads like a yo-yo dieter, one who doesn’t eat for long periods of time (“I am very confused over when I should eat. I seem to be starving myself”) and then getting to a point of binging because you’re so hungry (" I"ve stuffed too much stuff inside in a certain period of time because I was so hungry or is it because I didn’t have enough food")

Ideally, you should eat three meals a day, with snacks that are separated throughout so that you’re not without some food for longer than 3 hours. In this way, you keep your glucose levels even and are less likely to binge. Believe me, if you wait to eat until you’re famished, you will binge, anyone would. Try following the standard food pyramid with FDA recommended portion sizes, and nutrient dense snacks. You won’t be so consumed with food if you know you’re going to eat 🙂 if you make sure you snack on small, nutrient dense little things (like an apple and a cheesestick, or celery with peanut butter, or a handful of nuts) you won’t be as hungry when you sit down to eat a meal.

BTW, ice cream can be a snack too…provided you have a cup or a half cup, and not 5 cups, and not drown it in syrup and chocolate chips, etc. A small scoop of vanilla ice cream and a handful of berries sounds awesome to me right now 😉
 
Wow guys thanks for all your concern 🙂

Well, don’t worry, I eat whenever I feel like I need food so I’m not starving myself anymore. An ice cream certainly feels like a great thing to me right now…
 
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