When is it okay to have a "treat"?
luvsubrooke
Posts: 85 Member
This may go down as the most stupid question ever asked on here, but when is it okay to have a treat such as chocolate, cupcake, or a cookie? Can you have one every day as long as you stay within your calorie goals? I'm burning nearly 1000 calories per day with exercise alone. When it's that dreaded time of the month for us women, I crave something sweet every day! Lately it's been a cup cake every day! Lol still staying within my calorie goals, I'm just typically anal about what I eat and I'm wondering if this will stall Weightloss simply bc it's a cupcake and full of sugar.
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I eat something sweet every day. Just fit it in and hit your macros.
That being said, I would reevaluate your calorie burns from exercise as 1000 calories per day is pretty dramatic and highly unlikely.0 -
I eat desert pretty much every night...0
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quote="Hornsby;32331727"]I eat something sweet every day. Just fit it in and hit your macros.
That being said, I would reevaluate your calorie burns from exercise as 1000 calories per day is pretty dramatic and highly unlikely. [/quote]
I'm a runner. I run 7-10 miles a day and lift every evening. It doesn't take much for me to burn through 1000 calories especially with all of the cardio.
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Yes. You can have anything you want and lose weight if you stay in your calorie goal.luvsubrooke wrote: »Can you have one every day as long as you stay within your calorie goals?
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Yes. You can have anything you want and lose weight if you stay in your calorie goal.luvsubrooke wrote: »Can you have one every day as long as you stay within your calorie goals?
So if a giant salad and a little cupcake have the same amount of calories, you can eat the cupcake instead and still lose the same amount of weight if you would've eaten the salad?0 -
[/quote]
So if a giant salad and a little cupcake have the same amount of calories, you can eat the cupcake instead and still lose the same amount of weight if you would've eaten the salad? [/quote]
Yes. A pound of feathers and a pound of bricks is still a pound, right?
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You can "treat" everyday if you're staying within calorie goals. CICO wins.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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luvsubrooke wrote: »
Yes. You can have anything you want and lose weight if you stay in your calorie goal.luvsubrooke wrote: »Can you have one every day as long as you stay within your calorie goals?
So if a giant salad and a little cupcake have the same amount of calories, you can eat the cupcake instead and still lose the same amount of weight if you would've eaten the salad?
Yes.
Of course, everyone should consider eating their veggies for the vitamins and minerals they provide, but if the rest of your day's food is providing enough nutrition then there's no reason a treat or sweets can't be included as part of your diet.0 -
luvsubrooke wrote: »
Yes. You can have anything you want and lose weight if you stay in your calorie goal.luvsubrooke wrote: »Can you have one every day as long as you stay within your calorie goals?
So if a giant salad and a little cupcake have the same amount of calories, you can eat the cupcake instead and still lose the same amount of weight if you would've eaten the salad?
Weightloss is about energy balance, not what food you're eating...the source of your calories impacts your overall nutrition, satiety, etc...but weight control is simply about energy balance.
A calorie is a unit of energy...like a watt or jewel...that's it. Your body is a machine that requires energy for basic functions like pumping your heart, making your lungs work, making your kidneys function, etc...then more energy (calories) are required to go beyond just existing...energy is required for crawling out of bed, brushing your teeth, driving your car, typing on internet forums, etc. And then more energy is required to move your *kitten*...either deliberate exercise or just general activity.
When you consume energy in appropriate amounts as to optimally perform all of those things, you maintain weight...when you consume more energy than is required to do all of those things, that surplus of energy is stored as body fat...your energy reserves. When you consume less energy than your body requires to do all of those things, you have an energy (calorie) deficit...to make up for that deficit, you burn stored energy...i.e. you burn fat.
That's it...no need to complicate what is not really all that complicated.0 -
luvsubrooke wrote: »
Yes. You can have anything you want and lose weight if you stay in your calorie goal.luvsubrooke wrote: »Can you have one every day as long as you stay within your calorie goals?
So if a giant salad and a little cupcake have the same amount of calories, you can eat the cupcake instead and still lose the same amount of weight if you would've eaten the salad?
You can for losing weight, but if you eat all your calories in cupcakes you'll probably be hungry a lot and possibly malnourished. Balance and moderation - fit both into your calories and you're doing much better. I personally eat chocolate almost every day. Was so sad last night I didn't have the 50 calories I needed for my evening chocolate square.0 -
Dark chocolate smidges from Gertrude Hawk are only 115 calories for 2. I have 2 every day as long as the box lasts.0
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I have wine almost every single day, and something sweet most days as well. Some days that might just be a square of dark chocolate, some days it is gelato.
Read into IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) for some suggestions on how to set up your targets so that you are focusing on hitting the important nutritional macros (protein, fat, carbs - usually in that order) and once you have hit those targets, you can eat other "treats" that still fit within your calorie budget.
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Is that a current profile picture of you? Your profile says you've lost 55 lbs and have 25 still to go, is that correct? What is your calorie goal set at and are you eating back those exercise calories that you burn during running? Plus you lift every day as well?0
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I make room for my dark chocolate and nut butters every day
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luvsubrooke wrote: »
Yes. You can have anything you want and lose weight if you stay in your calorie goal.luvsubrooke wrote: »Can you have one every day as long as you stay within your calorie goals?
So if a giant salad and a little cupcake have the same amount of calories, you can eat the cupcake instead and still lose the same amount of weight if you would've eaten the salad?
Yes. If you only eat cupcakes you probably will not get enough nutrition and may feel unsatisfied but you will still lose weight as long as you eat less calories than you burn that day.
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I eat a little something sweet every day! I have switched though, from cookies and milk chocolate, to little dark chocolate squares. I try to eat "healthier" versions of my favorite sweets, but if one day you want a frikkin cupcake, eat it, log it and move on! Don't deprive! 0
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luvsubrooke wrote: »This may go down as the most stupid question ever asked on here, but when is it okay to have a treat such as chocolate, cupcake, or a cookie? Can you have one every day as long as you stay within your calorie goals? I'm burning nearly 1000 calories per day with exercise alone. When it's that dreaded time of the month for us women, I crave something sweet every day! Lately it's been a cup cake every day! Lol still staying within my calorie goals, I'm just typically anal about what I eat and I'm wondering if this will stall Weightloss simply bc it's a cupcake and full of sugar.
Yep
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luvsubrooke wrote: »
Yes. You can have anything you want and lose weight if you stay in your calorie goal.luvsubrooke wrote: »Can you have one every day as long as you stay within your calorie goals?
So if a giant salad and a little cupcake have the same amount of calories, you can eat the cupcake instead and still lose the same amount of weight if you would've eaten the salad?
Yes. Now, the large salad will probably keep you feeling fuller for longer, but that's a separate issue (different foods have different satiety levels). Weight loss, weight gain and weight maintenance comes down to calories and math. Personally-I prefer to have the salad AND the cupcake
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luvsubrooke wrote: »This may go down as the most stupid question ever asked on here, but when is it okay to have a treat such as chocolate, cupcake, or a cookie? Can you have one every day as long as you stay within your calorie goals? I'm burning nearly 1000 calories per day with exercise alone. When it's that dreaded time of the month for us women, I crave something sweet every day! Lately it's been a cup cake every day! Lol still staying within my calorie goals, I'm just typically anal about what I eat and I'm wondering if this will stall Weightloss simply bc it's a cupcake and full of sugar.
Yes.
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I have Malteasers every day and I'm doing just fine.0
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A thousand still seems really high. I'm almost twice your size and if I do a five - seven mile run and lift weights, I get a little over half that, but that doesn't really matter. In terms of weight loss, it doesn't matter what your calories come from, as long as the total is right. If you are worried about health, then you may have other goals for how much or how little sugar you consume.
I do think people forget what the definition of "treat," is on this website. There are a lot of people who get very into the idea of a regular treat. I have a little junk food every day, but the idea of a "regular treat" is slightly oxymoronic.0 -
Do what works for you.
For me, labeling any food as "bad" or a "treat I could have only if . . ." set me up for obsessing about it and being anxious/grumpy/mad at myself (or some combination of the three) whether I had that food or not. My ex was a "food cop", always asking if a certain food was "allowed".
Now ....
I go out for fancy tea every month.
I have small pieces of candy many days.
If I happen (unexpectedly) to be at a fabulous restaurant, I have what I want.
My "rule", to the extent I have one, is "make every calorie count". If an energy dense food takes up, for example, 10% of my calories, I expect it to "pay off" with a lot of pleasure for having eaten it.
I have also found a lot of nutrient dense foods that also bring me a lot of pleasure. For me, fresh berries are *amazing*. Just on their own. That's a (roughly) 70 calorie/cup nutrient dense awesome that still serves as a "treat".
Your mileage may vary.0 -
every day if it fits in your calorie range and if you go over your calorie range forget it and make a better choice the next day.0
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luvsubrooke wrote: »
Yes. You can have anything you want and lose weight if you stay in your calorie goal.luvsubrooke wrote: »Can you have one every day as long as you stay within your calorie goals?
So if a giant salad and a little cupcake have the same amount of calories, you can eat the cupcake instead and still lose the same amount of weight if you would've eaten the salad?
Yes, but they will have different nutritional values. For weight loss you just need to keep to the math.
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Whenever it fits in your calorie goals, and sometimes even when it doesn't.0
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Justins dark chocolate pb cups, just saying.0
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bIs that a current profile picture of you? Your profile says you've lost 55 lbs and have 25 still to go, is that correct? What is your calorie goal set at and are you eating back those exercise calories that you burn during running? Plus you lift every day as well?
I'm 5'10 and 169lbs. I'll get yelled at for this but I usually do 1200-1500 calories per day. I eat mostly a raw diet so it's hard to get a ton of calories in without over stuffing myself! I eat a ton of almonds for extra calories though if my exercise for the day is crazy. I don't always lift every night but I do my pushups, pull ups, squats, lunges, etc every single night. On top of my cardio which is usually 4-5 miles every morning and evening.
And yes, that picture was taken yesterday lol
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