I Haven't Eaten...

2

Replies

  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    I eat sweets 7 days a week and havent gained a pound in 4 months. (Technically, I havent gained a pound in over a year and a half but 4 months has been how long sine I increased my calorie intake.) There is no reason to give them up. You just need to control what you put in your mouth. Just dont pig out or binge.

    If a serving size of cake or pie says something like a 6th of pie or 2oz then thats all I eat. If chips say 28grams then I eat 28grams. If ice cream is a 1/2 cup serving...etc...When I have the extra calories I will double up the serving size. On the rare occasion I have the urge to consume more than that but since I know its not because I am actually hungry I just resist it. It would be a lot harder to resist pigging out if I wasnt allowed to eat it at all.

    For the first time in my entire life last Saturday, I found out what 1 serving of Doritos looked like and that I have been doing it wrong for 27 years.

    Also, I realized that 1 serving was totally enough. And very delicious.

    This. I had chips for the first time in months and weighed those bad boys out very carefully, thinking I'd want ever since bit of the 2ozs I could have and...well, as it turns out 2ozs is a lot. Like more than a handful. I didn't manage to eat them all.
  • Fitnin6280
    Fitnin6280 Posts: 618 Member
    Having all or nothing mentality is what made a lot of us fat in the first place. I know I don't want to be the one encouraging that mind set.

    Well for me having an "all" mentality is what made me fat... Cutting out trigger foods entirely doesn't work for everyone, but it does work for me. If it doesn't work for the OP, then yes, I think she should try something els. To each their own. :flowerforyou:
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    Ill have ice cream several times I week I normally have plenty of caloires and fat to spare at the end of the day the trick for me is not to hit that 2nd bowl.
  • Kristy7418
    Kristy7418 Posts: 85
    I've been using better alternates for chocolate to have when i want chocolate. I have found suger free fudge popsicles aren't too bad and some low fat chocolate frozen yogurt is pretty damn good! When i eat the frozen yogurt I use these tiny bowls I bought for my toddler. So it only fits a couple scoops and that is all i eat.
  • mizzie1980
    mizzie1980 Posts: 379 Member
    She responded with, "Imagine if you didn't have that ice cream how many more pounds you would've lost".

    Dear lord, how much ice cream did she think you ate?!? In order for you have lost more "pounds" (plural) without it, you would have had to have eaten at least 7000 calories (2 pounds) worth. Since your average full fat ice cream tends to be around 140 calories for a half cup serving, you would have had to have eaten at least 25 cups (1.5 gallons!!!) of ice cream to cancel out two pounds lost. As you stand, if you eat one serving of ice cream, you are only cancelling out 0.04 pounds, or 4% of one pound.

    Think I can live with that! :wink:

    Going back to the OP, if you don't feel you can eat the sweets in moderation, without binging, then keep going as you are. But if you can stop at one serving and you have the calories left for it, there is no reason at all to completely stop all sweets. I eat chips, chocolate, ice cream, pizza, etc and I've lost 66 pounds. I just keep them to occasional, small treats.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Yea, not everyone can do "everything in moderation". For some of us, one small piece of cake turns into the whole flippin thing. No offence, but that logic just doesn't work for everyone.

    But if the goal is to be "normal" and normal people eat in moderation, shouldn't we be practicing? I'm not saying I'm always perfect. There are days when I eat too much. But, it's gotten better the more I've worked at it. And I'm to the point where I can say "No Thanks" to anything that I don't really want or to a second serving. Isn't that the goal?

    You only get good at something by working at it, not by avoiding it.
  • rose228822
    rose228822 Posts: 186 Member
    Have you tried eating fruits like mango or kiwi for their sweetness? I will treat myself to jello sugar free chocolate pudding once in a while since it has only 60 calories. What about 100% real fruit bars...I absolutely love those!
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    If it's so hard to stay on the wagon, what's the point of being so restrictive?

    Why not just do "everything in moderation"?

    Some people are like addicts, they can't stop once they start. No such thing as one piece of cake...
  • alibambolina
    alibambolina Posts: 2 Member
    It's 'cause white sugar's like straight up CRACK.

    If you stay off of it for a few days, the cravings subside. The hardest part are those first couple days. When it is me and I imbibe again, it's like I can't stop thinking about more carbs and more sugar (even when eaten in moderation). It is a dangerous spiral:{
  • Ashshell
    Ashshell Posts: 185
    Yea, not everyone can do "everything in moderation". For some of us, one small piece of cake turns into the whole flippin thing. No offence, but that logic just doesn't work for everyone.

    EXACTLY!!!! That is why when I want chips I have to find a 50 cent bag. Because I am eating the whole thing. I don't do well if I buy say "Special K" chips. I will eat the whole box.

    That is just the way I am!

    I do agree that everyone is different, but I used to be like you. It is a habit that you can break and I think it's important to face the issue and conquer it instead of just avoiding the foods that cause you to binge.
  • runningagainstmyself
    runningagainstmyself Posts: 616 Member
    If it's so hard to stay on the wagon, what's the point of being so restrictive?

    Why not just do "everything in moderation"?

    logic

    Because some foods trigger binge behaviour, so for the sake of mental health of some of us, we avoid them completely, with the exception of special occasions or a routine (in my case weekly) "cheat meal".
  • marywilsoncline
    marywilsoncline Posts: 301 Member
    Why not? As long as its in your calorie goal if you want a treat, have one:smile:
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    If it's so hard to stay on the wagon, what's the point of being so restrictive?

    Why not just do "everything in moderation"?

    Some people are like addicts, they can't stop once they start. No such thing as one piece of cake...

    Food is not an addictive substance. The compulsion to eat is entirely psychological. If deprivation leads to a binge, then you have to learn restraint.
  • LexiAtel
    LexiAtel Posts: 228 Member
    Try increasing your protein. Ever since, I don't have cravings. I have not had any junk food in almost a week, and I only had some last week because I was out of state and knew I wouldn't get to go to Braum's for a LONG time (but I wasn't craving it).

    Sure, I WANT something, but it's not KILLING me that I don't have it.. I have chocolate in the freezer, and even a doughnut and some cookies. I know it's there, but I haven't touched it!

    Aim for 45g of protein a day, see what happens. If you already have that, then maybe you do need a little treat every day... a piece of chocolate or something.
    Have you ever gone to a bakery and the smell of baked good smells so good when you approach and when you walk through the door. However, after you have been there a few minutes, you don't even notice the smell anymore. The same is true for taste. The first few bites, you really can taste the flavor. As you eat, the flavor is less dominant and you are just finishing what is on your plate.

    With that first bite of cake, or a good steak, or pasta, you get that look on your face and you say, "Ah this is sooooo good!" (If you are having a conversation with someone, you don't register that thought again.) After the last bite, you say "I am so full," usually not "That was soooo good."

    As obese people or former obese people, we practically "inhale" our desserts because we want them gone from the plate as quickly as possible so no one looks to see this overweight person having a piece of cheesecake. We never actually savor the flavor.

    It takes a few minutes for a Hershey Kiss to dissolve in your mouth and many more minutes before the flavor dissipates. The key is to let it slowly dissolve and savor every bit of that flavor. This is true with anything, especially sweets. Don't eat the second one, or take a second bite until the flavor from the first is gone. It takes time to get into the habit, because we want to bite and chew everything, but learning to savor is well worth it. You will noticce how much less of something you eat.

    Best advice here.. This is what I do when I have a sweet. I have ALWAYS been this way though. even as a kid... I am overweight, but it's because I would eat a TON of bad stuff throughout the day, and then not have any exercise...
  • AmykinsCatfood
    AmykinsCatfood Posts: 599 Member
    Have you ever gone to a bakery and the smell of baked good smells so good when you approach and when you walk through the door. However, after you have been there a few minutes, you don't even notice the smell anymore. The same is true for taste. The first few bites, you really can taste the flavor. As you eat, the flavor is less dominant and you are just finishing what is on your plate.

    With that first bite of cake, or a good steak, or pasta, you get that look on your face and you say, "Ah this is sooooo good!" (If you are having a conversation with someone, you don't register that thought again.) After the last bite, you say "I am so full," usually not "That was soooo good."

    As obese people or former obese people, we practically "inhale" our desserts because we want them gone from the plate as quickly as possible so no one looks to see this overweight person having a piece of cheesecake. We never actually savor the flavor.

    It takes a few minutes for a Hershey Kiss to dissolve in your mouth and many more minutes before the flavor dissipates. The key is to let it slowly dissolve and savor every bit of that flavor. This is true with anything, especially sweets. Don't eat the second one, or take a second bite until the flavor from the first is gone. It takes time to get into the habit, because we want to bite and chew everything, but learning to savor is well worth it. You will noticce how much less of something you eat.

    ^ This. I eat one square of Lindt coconut dark chocolate very slowly so I can savor the flavor of it. After that one square is gone, I'm satisfied and don't need to eat another one. A single bar lasts me weeks. I pretty much eat whatever I want as long as it fits in my calories. If I'm craving something, I either sacrifice something for it, or I work my butt off.
  • cicisiam
    cicisiam Posts: 491 Member
    Find some of your favorite fruits to replace that sugar fix..less calories and much more healthy.
  • fooninie
    fooninie Posts: 291 Member
    if you are trying to break a sugar addiction then cold turkey may be the best way to go...(I agree with trying to dark, low sugar chocolate)
    In a couple weeks you will feel awesome! just keep it up a little longer. Then its ok to have a sweet occasionally...(although I find the less I eat the less I crave...)

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS!! I have had the same experience! Headaches and such usually last 3 days or so. But it feels so good when you are out of that haze! Also agree that the less I eat the less I crave.
  • tlab827
    tlab827 Posts: 155 Member
    I get it. If you're anything like me there is not such thing as "everything in moderation". One hand full of potato chips = the entire bag. One cookie and i'm sitting in front of the fridge with a spoon grazing on everything. I'm sure that theory works for a lot of people but for myself I can't just have one serving, one cookie, one chip of the "bad stuff".
  • dnunny70
    dnunny70 Posts: 411 Member
    OP-For you to post that, kudos! That means that you must really like those things and you feel like you accomplished a goal.

    My weakness is fast food; especially breakfast---fast food isn't my problem...it is my poor lack of planning--plus $3-4/day adds up! Today I was proud of myself for not caving and going to McD's. If I had some extra money on me....I might have, though. We all have our weaknesses.

    I found that I don't like eating cakes and donuts. It has to do with the flour/sugar. This has only been in the past 6 years--when I was pregnant with my younger son. Pies and cheesecake---that's a different story.

    You'll find that you can still eat those treats---just in moderation.
  • salladeve
    salladeve Posts: 1,053 Member
    My aunt and I had a bit of a dispute on a group text message this morning. I told her I had ice cream yesterday. She responded with, "Imagine if you didn't have that ice cream how many more pounds you would've lost". My response was, "I probably would've been upset being the only person in the office not getting free ice cream, and I would've felt bad about myself. Besides, I read the nutrition label and I measured out one serving of the ice cream. Even though it was reduced-fat, I didn't eat the whole container. That way, I got the satisfaction I needed from eating what I wanted to eat, without spending all my calories on it."

    My aunt was an extreme grapefruit dieter back when I was a kid and cut everything fun out of her daily diet. She was my second mom growing up, and it pained me to know she would stop visiting and hanging out with me because we were surrounded by "bad foods" that would tempt her. Throughout my childhood she was a yo-yo dieter, and I was always like, "Why does it have to be like this?" Now I know thanks to MFP and other resources this does not have to be the case.

    Fast forward 15 years, and I am on my first "diet". But rather than focus on deprivation, I work on making better choices throughout my day. I love meat and sweets, so why stop them completely? Craving them in the long run just makes me more suceptible to binge on them when I'm feeling weak. I walk 3-5 miles a day, eat way less than I used to, more importantly, eat BETTER than I used to. I pay attention to portion sizes and how they fit into my daily routine. This week, I have had barbequed pork, ice cream, and beer, and I have not felt hungry once while eating on a deficit. The vast majority of my days include lean protein and are mostly vegetarian. Today though, I wanted a delicious sausage, egg and cheese on a brioche, and you know what I did? I ate half of it and saved the rest, and now I'm munching on green beans. That way, even impulsive-me can do my best to not fall off the wagon, get the nutrients I need, but eat what I want in moderation.


    For those of us that have been yo yo dieting for 30 or 40 years, it is a really hard concept to believe that we can lose weight by still eating all the foods we love, even in moderation. We have spent most of our adult life on some very restrictive fad diets. Of course they worked because of the restrictive nature of the diets, but they never lasted and when you gained it all back it was usually with an added 20 lbs.

    This has been the hardest concept for me to understand, and it has really taken me about 6 weeks to feel comfortable eating this many calories (I'm at 1450). I have had to see every time that I get on the scale that I'm still losing, I have been expecting to see a gain EVERY single time, but I haven't. So I am finally relaxing into it, and enjoying fixing meals (the same meal for the whole family), and eating what I want. I am already feeling better and have more energy after just 15lbs, as opposed to when I have dieted in the past, I would feel awful the whole time.

    So be gentle with your aunt, I'm sure she is just speaking from her experience and what she has thought was true her whole life. You will be a great example for her as you go along, and may end up helping her to see that "diet" does not mean restrictive and unhealthy. Good luck :)
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    I think people should do what works for them. I chose to go cold turkey when it came to sweets, which was my weakness. Now when I do eat sweets, its something that I really want, not just because its there. I never feel tempted when there are sweets around. It wasn't easy, especially since I love to bake.
  • Fitnin6280
    Fitnin6280 Posts: 618 Member
    Yea, not everyone can do "everything in moderation". For some of us, one small piece of cake turns into the whole flippin thing. No offence, but that logic just doesn't work for everyone.

    But if the goal is to be "normal" and normal people eat in moderation, shouldn't we be practicing? I'm not saying I'm always perfect. There are days when I eat too much. But, it's gotten better the more I've worked at it. And I'm to the point where I can say "No Thanks" to anything that I don't really want or to a second serving. Isn't that the goal?

    You only get good at something by working at it, not by avoiding it.

    Would you tell an alcoholic it is okay for them to have a drink once in a while...? Just something to think about.
  • Sedna_51
    Sedna_51 Posts: 277 Member
    Personally, my advice would be to buy a small single serving of one of these foods and enjoy it as a delicious treat (my local 7-11 sells individual Ghiradelli squares). That might address your craving without blowing a whole bunch of calories. I do the same thing with potato chips and Cheetos- <3 u, single-serve bags!

    Can you tell me what your goal is in avoiding all these foods? Would you like to not eat them for a set period of time? If so, how long is that time period? Will you never eat chocolate, candy, or cakes again?
  • Treadmillmom1st
    Treadmillmom1st Posts: 579 Member
    If it's so hard to stay on the wagon, what's the point of being so restrictive?

    Why not just do "everything in moderation"?

    That's my problem I can't do moderation.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    Yea, not everyone can do "everything in moderation". For some of us, one small piece of cake turns into the whole flippin thing. No offence, but that logic just doesn't work for everyone.

    usually when one small piece of cake turns into a whole flippin thing is when you are depriving yourself too much.

    hEBD7A000
  • Treadmillmom1st
    Treadmillmom1st Posts: 579 Member
    I'm going to take a wild stab and say you're doing 1200 cals a day, right?

    Don't be sarcastic, it doesn't suit you....2000 actually.
  • Treadmillmom1st
    Treadmillmom1st Posts: 579 Member
    Have you ever gone to a bakery and the smell of baked good smells so good when you approach and when you walk through the door. However, after you have been there a few minutes, you don't even notice the smell anymore. The same is true for taste. The first few bites, you really can taste the flavor. As you eat, the flavor is less dominant and you are just finishing what is on your plate.

    With that first bite of cake, or a good steak, or pasta, you get that look on your face and you say, "Ah this is sooooo good!" (If you are having a conversation with someone, you don't register that thought again.) After the last bite, you say "I am so full," usually not "That was soooo good."

    As obese people or former obese people, we practically "inhale" our desserts because we want them gone from the plate as quickly as possible so no one looks to see this overweight person having a piece of cheesecake. We never actually savor the flavor.

    It takes a few minutes for a Hershey Kiss to dissolve in your mouth and many more minutes before the flavor dissipates. The key is to let it slowly dissolve and savor every bit of that flavor. This is true with anything, especially sweets. Don't eat the second one, or take a second bite until the flavor from the first is gone. It takes time to get into the habit, because we want to bite and chew everything, but learning to savor is well worth it. You will noticce how much less of something you eat.

    I like.
  • salladeve
    salladeve Posts: 1,053 Member
    This is making me hungry I'm going to have a snack..... Carry on!
  • Treadmillmom1st
    Treadmillmom1st Posts: 579 Member
    If it's so hard to stay on the wagon, what's the point of being so restrictive?

    Why not just do "everything in moderation"?

    logic

    Because some foods trigger binge behaviour, so for the sake of mental health of some of us, we avoid them completely, with the exception of special occasions or a routine (in my case weekly) "cheat meal".

    Exactly.
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
    You should let yourself enjoy treats. Just make sure you stay under your calorie goal, hit or exceed your target protein/fat numbers and there's no reason to avoid sweets.