Treats - Mother May I?

trejon

How often do you allow yourself a treat/cheat? I am a big rules person and my desire is to let myself have a treat. However I am so scared that one will lead to 3500 as in my past. I know many healthy treats but there are some really bad ones that I just plain miss having (REAL: fried chicken, sweet tea, Blue Bell, margaritas. :drinker:

Michellerw1

If I am at home and wanting a glass of wine or a piece of chocolate or a mint chocolate cookie that my EVIL chef BF makes, I make sure it will fit into my daily calorie allowance. Which usually means I have to excercise a bit more. Or leave the cheese off of my sandwich. I still track everything.

For big indulgences (margaritas, happy hour, etc) I try to make sure there is a reason I am indulging. If it is a friend's bday or there is a big event I won't deny myself. BUT I track everything and keep within my maintenance calories, and always excercise a ton when I know I am going out.

I personally am just not willing to give up indulgences because I know eating healthy 95% of the time and compensating with exercise is still okay. Everyone needs to find out what works for them. Tracking every little bite (even if I go way over) is what works for me. It holds me accountable and lets me see how often or how little I am indulging.

canstey

It totally depends on the person. If you eat a pleasure food that then turns into a binge, depression, and then giving up because you "failed to control yourself so what is the point?" then no, don't have it. If on the other hand you can have a reasonable portion and it doesn't lead to overeating then go ahead.

I got to where I was because I ate for the pleasure the food and taste brought me. Being full do not stop it. I am where I am now because I stopped doing that. I am trying to not eat for pleasure because whenever I eat something for pleasure like ice cream, I hear the voice saying "That was good. Why not have some more and feel really good?"

trejon

That is me I just love food. It is one of life's pleasures. Just something about that awesome first bite and sometimes the last bite. I know that moderation is the key but I have gotten to the point of fearing the fun of eating and this worries me. I love the persons comment about eating healthy 95% of the time. I have reach my goal weight so why not live huh?

Michellerw1

My philosophy is this:

What is the point of living a very long and healthy life if you do not ENJOY yourself. Isn't that WHY we want to get healthy and be around for a while.

I am with you about food. It is a joy and an amazing part of life. Why do you think the food network is so popular! :laugh:

PS good job reaching your goal!!!

angela75022

If you want that piece of "real" fried chicken, or that marguerita... have it

Just plan ahead... add it into your food diary in the morning... so you'll know how much more exercise to do throughout the day.
I love to bake... I love cookies and cupcakes... and if I'm going to make them, I make sure I limit myself (very difficult) and add it to diary.

Denying yourself is the biggest reason that "diets" fail... don't deny, just do it wisely:flowerforyou:

Cytherea

What everyone said. You can't give up everything. Denying yourself is not the best way to live. If you want that piece of fried chicken, eat it! But plan your whole day around it. If I know that I'm going out for dinner, or I reallllly want to have something, I put that in my diary that morning or even the night before. Then, I can see how many calories, fat, protein, carbs (etc.) that is going to take up, and I literally plan my entire day around that. And sometimes that means that I eat barely anything throughout the day, but if it is worth it, it is worth it.

What I like to do is if I'm indulging in something but don't want to eat only one meal a day, I'll add a little bit of it to the next day. That way, I can still eat something small but substantial for lunch, my indulgent dinner, and then I eat smaller meals the next day to make up for it. Day by day isn't as important as the whole week's totals, so this really works for me. I don't mind sacrificing a bit today and tomorrow to eat something I really want!

canstey

I want and do enjoy the foods I eat. Fried chicken may not be the healthiest choice but it is still a reasonable choice. Even fast food in moderation and picking the best available does have nutritional value. The danger lies in the foods that are eaten for pure pleasure and have almost no nutritional value like soda, candy, cake, chips, cookies, ice cream, and some kinds of crackers. All those things can be had on occasion but are trigger foods for some people.

I'm just saying: Know your personal trigger foods.

The actual fat weight gain from a bad day or even weekend is really almost nothing but it can be very challenging mentally to let it go and move on.