Do You Live to Eat or Eat to Live?

Introduction

Women are not only passionate about food-they actually prefer food to passion. That's one of the startling responses we received to a recent lhj.com survey on dining and dieting. The women in our poll also confessed that they love eating so much that they think about it almost all the time. Yet, for all their gourmandizing tendencies, they're honest about how much they weigh, and if they absolutely had to choose, they'd rather be richer than thinner. Here's what else they had to say:

In our fast-food nation, it's very hard not to resist temptation, but most of those polled do try to maintain some sort of balance. Forty-two percent say that unhealthy foods make up between 10 to 25 percent of their daily diet; 26 percent say their menus are less than 10 percent junk. The bad news: Twenty-two percent say junk makes up a quarter to one half of their meals, and 9 percent admit to filling up on empty calories 50 to 75 percent of the time.

Though we may not like to admit it, we still harbor personal biases against obese people. Asked what would be their reaction to seeing a very overweight woman, 43 percent hope they never get that fat themselves. Another 19 percent would wonder how she could "let herself go like that," and 17 percent would assume the obesity was a medical problem. On the other hand, 21 percent say they would know exactly how the heavy woman felt.

Food may be a source of joy, but it doesn't beat a little extra in the bank account. Given the choice, 64 percent of women would rather win $1,000 than lose 10 pounds. When asked whether they'd rather have a great restaurant meal or great sex, 56 percent would go gourmet and 44 percent would hit the sheets.

True, it's a touchy subject, but the majority (53 percent) of respondents say they never lie about their weight! A less honest 31 percent admit to fudging all the time. Nine percent confess they shave off pounds when they're among friends who are thinner than they are.

Nearly two thirds of those polled -- 73 percent -- consider food to be one of life's greatest pleasures. The rest say food is nothing but sustenance.