abstainer or moderation

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13

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  • ddslowly
    ddslowly Posts: 46 Member
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    can we drink yet?

    were we supposed to wait for something to start?

    i had started to post that i prefer moderation but then i realized that, due to food allergies (chicken, chicken eggs) and my stomach's natural preference to not properly digest most meats and really sugary/greasy/fatty/salty foods, i've pretty much eliminated most of the foods that pop up on peoples' trigger/naughty/do not eat food lists.
    i do french fries and potato chips in moderation. i guess i like a combination or moderate/abstain?
  • btsinmd
    btsinmd Posts: 921 Member
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    I have to go with the both too. I do moderation with 99% of the foods that I deal with, but I cannot drink Pepsi or really any cola and not crave it for days and weeks afterward, even if it made me sick at the time I drank it. After trying for many years, I decided that I will never drink another cola again, and have not had one for three years now. Once it was fully out of my system I have no trouble resisting it, but for 20 years, trying to moderate it always failed.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    I've just convinced myself I don't LIKE rich, greasy, sugary things! That way I can eat around people having chicken fried steak, donuts, ice cream. . . Nothing tastes as good as being a size 6!!!
    pauly-cake.gif

    This explains the people who go "Cheeseburgers? GROSS!" On my newsfeed. I always read those like yeah,and? Why are you trying to act like you don't like cheeseburgers like everyone else does. OR pizza, or brownies, or etc. I KNEW you people were trying some kind of jedi mind trick on yourselves. Just KNEW it! Glad one of you finally escaped the asylum to admit it!

    Please, though, when you use this tactic if it works for you, just keep it to yourself and don't proclaim "Cheeseburgers Gross!" out loud when I'm biting into my drippy juicy A1 sauce and mayonnaise laden piece of heaven because this counting cals is what's working for me and I may have been looking forward to that meaty monstrosity all day and won't take kindly to any attempts at caulkblocking.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
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    I had to learn moderation. When I first started to lose, there were things I had to cut out. Most things I have worked back in, but it took time.
  • ferocityturbine
    ferocityturbine Posts: 110 Member
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    I have a chocolate truffle every day. My partner keeps them on top of the kitchen cupboard and gives me one after dinner each night (he's a lot taller than me!).

    I eat it in little bites and let each one melt and it's heavenly. I just really appreciate it and it's totally enough. I taste it so much more than if I had free reign and the box.

    Moderation works for me as long as I don't have access to excess (see what I did there?). Psychological health is as important as physical health and deprivation is no fun for me.
  • DatsDonna
    DatsDonna Posts: 14 Member
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    Abstainer or Moderation? For me, it depends on the food. It seems that certain foods will get me into trouble (pork dishes, pasta) even if I eat very moderate portions of them. I tried cutting some relatively non-essential foods, and I began to lose weight and inches. I suspect I may have food allergies that need to be checked on. Others I just out and out abstain from, like sugary, creamy desserts.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    I do moderation. I think its better that I have everything once in a while rather than some things exclusively so I don't crave anything. Now I know there are probably some people that once they get a taste can't stop but I have never been like that.
  • maybeazure
    maybeazure Posts: 301 Member
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    I like to know that I can eat anything, even really horribly unhealthy things once in awhile. I have always loved food, and to think that I can't have something ever again, would make me sad. I do sometimes delay things and reason myself out of spending my calories on something "expensive" like chocolate. But eventually I will have a day when I'm well under my calories, and then I'll splurge.
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
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    So what do you think is best for you? Are you able to eat things in moderation or are you like me and need to abstain from the "bad" foods?

    Moderation works for me. I am the kind of person who can have one or two cookies and walk away from the bag.
  • Jxnsmma
    Jxnsmma Posts: 919 Member
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    Moderation and abstaining both lead to bingeing
    i eat what i want and exercise it off
    it w orks ggod for me- 27 pounds gone., 10 percent of body w eight a nd 2 inches off waist

    Not a very good mindset of having to burn off everything you eat. And both moderation and abstaining lead to binging?

    Breathing leads to binging for me...
  • Andrea419
    Andrea419 Posts: 83 Member
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    I personally do better with moderation. If I want a treat, I fit it into my diet and eat a small portion. I find moderation helps me to stay on track. When I try to abstain, I end up overeating forbidden foods because I feel like I'm depriving myself. It's such a personal thing, and obviously abstaining works for some, it's just a matter of finding what works best for you.
  • ecmorales
    ecmorales Posts: 33 Member
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    ...it sounds like you know yourself pretty well, being insulin resistant. abstaining from refined sugars makes food management much more manageable and pleasant for us. Eating more than a bite starts a cycle of insulin peaks and valleys, cravings and crashes....it makes me cringe to even write about it. I've been there, and willingly, and then I kick myself. I'm a lover of ice cream, and an abstainer of ice cream. it is not my friend; one bite is too much and a gallon is not enough
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    I've just convinced myself I don't LIKE rich, greasy, sugary things! That way I can eat around people having chicken fried steak, donuts, ice cream. . . Nothing tastes as good as being a size 6!!!
    pauly-cake.gif

    This explains the people who go "Cheeseburgers? GROSS!" On my newsfeed. I always read those like yeah,and? Why are you trying to act like you don't like cheeseburgers like everyone else does. OR pizza, or brownies, or etc. I KNEW you people were trying some kind of jedi mind trick on yourselves. Just KNEW it! Glad one of you finally escaped the asylum to admit it!

    Please, though, when you use this tactic if it works for you, just keep it to yourself and don't proclaim "Cheeseburgers Gross!" out loud when I'm biting into my drippy juicy A1 sauce and mayonnaise laden piece of heaven because this counting cals is what's working for me and I may have been looking forward to that meaty monstrosity all day and won't take kindly to any attempts at caulkblocking.

    Yep. The failure to respect others food choices is why so many threads fall apart around here. LOL!
  • WifeofPJ
    WifeofPJ Posts: 312
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    ...it sounds like you know yourself pretty well, being insulin resistant. abstaining from refined sugars makes food management much more manageable and pleasant for us. Eating more than a bite starts a cycle of insulin peaks and valleys, cravings and crashes....it makes me cringe to even write about it. I've been there, and willingly, and then I kick myself. I'm a lover of ice cream, and an abstainer of ice cream. it is not my friend; one bite is too much and a gallon is not enough

    I'm the same way one bite too much and a gallon or the entire bag of what ever it is, is not enough. I just learned this January that I was insulin Resistant and it explained a whole lot. If I could do this past week again I will still not worry on the wedding day like I did, but I would make sure I did not go out to eat at all during the week, especially to a place that we would order such horrible (But delicious!) appetizers because I really feel that it was the tuesday night appetizers that really did me in for the week. I got back to this feeling of being extreemly hungry (and it can't be satisfied) but at the same time experience indigestion. Found that even Metformin does not keep away the cravings if I eat the processed simple carbs.

    To the guy who said that people tell him Ewwe Gross about eating a cheese burger. They are just jelous that you were able to eat a cheese burger. I will eat burgers with everything on it but the bun. I try to stay away from all processed grains even whole wheat bread. But this is all due to my IR and infertility issues.
  • pjp1125
    pjp1125 Posts: 313
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    I choose a Hybrid approach. I abstain from booze and junk food during the week, then use moderation on weekends. It works for me.
  • ruwise
    ruwise Posts: 265 Member
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    I find it best to abstain for about 4-6 weeks and then try and re-introduce foods and learn to be moderate. It is something I am still learning and I'm not always successful but I have to keep trying as it is normal to eat both good and bad foods.
  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
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    I abstain from things that affect my health and eat in moderation things that I enjoy and don't bother me.
  • nilbogger
    nilbogger Posts: 870 Member
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    I wouldn't say I abstain from anything. There are some foods I haven't eaten in awhile, but the fact is there are some things you just can't fit in on a regular basis: Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, donut burgers, Bloomin' Onions, big ice cream sundaes, red velvet pancakes, etc.

    There are also things I won't buy in large portions unless there's a special occasion. I don't need a whole cake in my house or a big bag of chips.

    I can't think of anything that I would never, ever eat again. It just has to be less often or in smaller portions.
  • peggy_polenta
    peggy_polenta Posts: 325 Member
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    abtain...moderation is like telling an alcholic its ok to have one drink. most of us are food addicts...it will only be moderation for so long before we are back into full blown addiction.
  • GormanGhaste
    GormanGhaste Posts: 430 Member
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    I pretty much have three food categories.

    1. Stuff I keep on hand most of the time, which is the largest category by far. I have a container of cookies right next to my desk that are probably too stale to eat at this point.

    2. Food I only eat at parties or when I buy a single-serving package. Examples would be chips and soda.

    3. Foods I don't eat. The main one is cheese. I crave it, but it truly does not agree with me.

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