Incapable of moderating sweets
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good because it was almost ridiculus. did any of you had a hard time keeping a conversation? i swear at times i was like a granny going off track ....0
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For me, it's not about any particular trigger food, it's about life's situations I might have a difficult time dealing with that can trigger me to eat too much. However, I don't have any problem (anymore) keeping snack foods around the house because, for me, it's not about the food but what might be going on with me and my life.0
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Glad to hear I am not alone in this. I am actually fine not eating any sweets. I have done it for the last 8 months (no cookies, cakes, candy, icecream, etc...). Before I had the protein bar I would have told you that sweets no longer have a pull on me because I can sit in front of a plate of cookies and not be tempted. I never even think about eating sweets anymore because it is second nature. But then I ate the protein bar and now I'm craving more. Plus it has thrown my hunger levels all out of whack so I am feeling hungrier than normal. I guess for me moderation of sweets just isn't going to work.
Weird thing is, salty foods like chips have no major sway over me. I could have them in the house and I wouldn't even think to touch them but I had to make my husband take the protein bars to work with him so that I wouldn't eat a bunch.Glad to hear I am not alone in this. I am actually fine not eating any sweets. I have done it for the last 8 months (no cookies, cakes, candy, icecream, etc...). Before I had the protein bar I would have told you that sweets no longer have a pull on me because I can sit in front of a plate of cookies and not be tempted. I never even think about eating sweets anymore because it is second nature. But then I ate the protein bar and now I'm craving more. Plus it has thrown my hunger levels all out of whack so I am feeling hungrier than normal. I guess for me moderation of sweets just isn't going to work.
Weird thing is, salty foods like chips have no major sway over me. I could have them in the house and I wouldn't even think to touch them but I had to make my husband take the protein bars to work with him so that I wouldn't eat a bunch.
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I have a terrible time. I have to go all in or all out. Some people like to claim, "OH that's because you deprived yourself! That's why you can't step away from the Ben and Jerry's!" Well, I have certainly not deprived myself, yet I just cannot stop once I start. Then I hear, "You should exercise some self discipline so you can have sweets in moderation!" What? Does it not take discipline to abstain from that which I cannot get enough of? We don't tell alcoholics to go to a bar and just have one beer do we? Nope! Many people refuse to understand that is a serious problem. Some of us just can't have a little and walk away. I would love to be one of those people who had it in them to just have some reasonable serving of whatever it may be. I'm smart enough to know that I am not that person. Good luck!5
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I do much better with elimination too. Some foods lead to craving more or just thinking about food more in general. I know some people who moderate foods say they can have a bit and they feel satisfied whereas I feel satisfied before ever having the problem foods but after I've had some I think about food a ridiculous amount, and the physical sensations that come with those foods are unpleasant yet lead to wanting more.
I am much happier and healthier skipping certain foods.3 -
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I keep chocolate out of the house because I can't moderate with that kind of access.
Instead, I buy a pack or mini bar (or occasionally, large bar of dark sea salt) of chocolate when I intend to eat it. What size I buy depends on how much I'm planning to eat, because I will have the whole thing in one sitting. Last night, I went to the movies and smuggled in my own single serving 49g pack of peanut M&Ms. I would otherwise have bought the huge theatre pack that's 3x the size and eaten the whole thing.
I think this is just the mindset we are trying to train ourselves into. Track your food, do your exercise, and plan ahead. You were smart to bring your own bag. I am the same way. I found I have to really tell myself, "when I go to dinner I'm going to have this, or "I am going to cook this" or "I'm going to Dairy Queen for a back to school treat with the kids, how many calories do I have and what will fit into that?" Lol...I'm laughing because that last one happened tonight. I had a hot fudge sundae and I still have 500 calories to spare. And no, I cannot have a sundae every night but, I can every once in a while. So I do believe in moderation but I also believe your mind has to be in the right mindset control what you are taking in.1 -
The mindset is important. "Mindful" eating and being aware and cognizant to plan in treats is very key to keeping weight off.
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I don't buy a big container of Goldfish crackers or cheese puffs anymore. I have a hard time moderating those kinds of salty cheesy foods. Not my food of choice anymore and I haven't eaten them for quite awhile but if someone put a big bowl of them in front of me I would have a hard time eating an appropriate serving. If I just bought a single serving I'd probably be fine.
I can walk away from sweets all day long but salty foods are more difficult for me. I watch my sodium intake and try to make choices that won't be too crazy high most days.0 -
Well you stopped sweets for 8 months, so it's not really a shock that it's hard to moderate now that you've reintroduced them... that's why banning a food type is never really a good idea.
What I'd do in this case is not keep it in the house, but if you really crave something, make room for it and go buy ONE serving.0 -
Meh. Moderation is overrated. If someone find it works best for them great. If you find abstaining from certain foods serves you better, do that. No one ever died from a chocolate deficiency.7
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i buy energy bars for my cycle rides, but i have to keep them next door in sons house with strict instructions that i am only allowed when out on bike !!0
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I sympathise. There are a lot of people around who are incapable of moderating. Sometimes they learn, sometimes they stop trying, and sometimes they just keep muddling on.2
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Well you stopped sweets for 8 months, so it's not really a shock that it's hard to moderate now that you've reintroduced them... that's why banning a food type is never really a good idea.
What I'd do in this case is not keep it in the house, but if you really crave something, make room for it and go buy ONE serving.
I was like this before I dropped the sugar as well. I've never been able to moderate because even if I eat just a little I get crazy cravings and it throws off my blood sugar and makes me more hungry than I would have been otherwise. If I didn't eat sugar in the moment I would overeat other foods for the rest of the day to compensate. This is the first time I have found controlling my food intake easy and that is because I had to take sugar out of the equation.
I dropped sugar for 8 months due to it being a trigger for post partum panic disorder(I.e. It causes me to have panic attacks out of the blue). I actually don't plan on reintroducing it in the near future because I feel much better without it. Plus, I wouldn't really consider it a food group as it has no nutritional value and serves no purpose. I can get my sweet fix from fruit and that causes me no problems with my mental health which is doing awesome at the moment.
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In reading the numerous threads that pop up constantly on this very topic (abstaining vs moderating) it seems there are two groups of people. Those who do best with moderation tend to be the "forbidden fruit" type of people - tell them not to eat something, they want it all the more and pine away for it, increasing the chances that if they do indulge, they end up over consuming it. So, yes they are better off working in a moderate portion regularly. Then there are those who do better abstaining - these are the people for whom that moderate portion seems a paltry tastebud tease. The small portion they can work in only serves to make them wish they could have more and they pine away for it because they can't have more than that small amount. They are better off not indulging at all (or very, very rarely) because regularly having small amounts leads to feelings of deprivation making them more likely to overindulge, defeating the purpose of moderation in the first place.
Neither is the "correct" or "superior" method. You have to do what works best for you. Sometimes it's moderation, sometimes it's abstaining, sometimes it's a hybrid of the two. There is no right or wrong here.8 -
tlflag1620 wrote: »Those who do best with moderation tend to be the "forbidden fruit" type of people - tell them not to eat something, they want it all the more and pine away for it, increasing the chances that if they do indulge, they end up over consuming it.
Um.....no
From what I've read here, learned from others in real life who choose moderation, and from what I've experienced, those who choose moderation tend to not demonize food (via "forbidden fruit" as you call it.
) and choose to eat all things in moderation. There is no food type deprivation, hence overindulgence of calories is kept to a minimum.
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Sugar cravings can often be a sign of a need for more protein. Catch 22 when you're craving the sweetness of a protein bar? Yes... But, my recommendation would be to ditch the protein bar all together and seek out more natural sources of protein. Replacing the highly processed sweet bar with more natural sources (slices of meat, eggs, nuts, seeds, cheese etc...) may help give your body the protein it needs to moderate the sugar craving without stimulating the craving with, you guessed it, sugar. You can compliment the natural protein with fiber rich carbs such as berries and fruit (though dried fruit may stimulate your cravings more). For example: apple with peanut butter, a few nuts and fresh berries, slice of cheese and some pear. Giving your body whole foods in place of processed sugary ones helps our brain and body get what it needs. Also make sure you have plenty of protein at each meal and snack... Good luck! (Source: Registered Dietitian)0
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I decided to teach myself moderation, because life without beer, wine, and ice cream seemed sad. It took a lot of time, patience, awareness that I would have some challenges, and very conscious decisions on what to bring into my house, how much, and how often. It was a deliberate process of learning.
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tlflag1620 wrote: »In reading the numerous threads that pop up constantly on this very topic (abstaining vs moderating) it seems there are two groups of people. Those who do best with moderation tend to be the "forbidden fruit" type of people - tell them not to eat something, they want it all the more and pine away for it, increasing the chances that if they do indulge, they end up over consuming it. So, yes they are better off working in a moderate portion regularly. Then there are those who do better abstaining - these are the people for whom that moderate portion seems a paltry tastebud tease. The small portion they can work in only serves to make them wish they could have more and they pine away for it because they can't have more than that small amount. They are better off not indulging at all (or very, very rarely) because regularly having small amounts leads to feelings of deprivation making them more likely to overindulge, defeating the purpose of moderation in the first place.
Neither is the "correct" or "superior" method. You have to do what works best for you. Sometimes it's moderation, sometimes it's abstaining, sometimes it's a hybrid of the two. There is no right or wrong here.
I'm definitely in the bolded group. If i can only have a 'serving' of ice cream or cereal or chocolate, I'd rather not bother at all! It's annoyingly small and non satisfying.
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I like chocolate too much to ever cut it out. Sometimes exercising portion control is hard - though I tend to think of portion control as what will fit into my calories rather than the label serving size. 25g chocolate? No. Make it 70g. - but I would find it harder to avoid it completely.
That said, I cannot have large sharing size bags of potato chips/crisps in the house. Because I will eat them all. I ALMOST bought a big bag of cheese puffs because I kept telling myself I'd portion them out into reasonable serving sizes but then I got real with myself and acknowledged that no, I'd eat the whole bag in one sitting. So now, when I do buy those kinds of things, I get the multipack of individual servings which for some bizarre reason have less of a mental hold on me. There's still 7 individual serving bags in the cupboard out of 10 that were bought a few weeks ago. There's also 4 sharing size bars of chocolate that have been there for a week or so and I hadn't paid them any attention.
Actually, now that I think about it, there are some things I haven't been buying because I know if I have them in the house I'll eat the lot. Peperami sticks for one. Sliced salami is another. And donuts. I haven't made cupcakes for a while because I know in a couple of days the entire dozen will be gone. And pork sausages. Hmm. Weird. I hadn't even realised I was avoiding certain things until just now.
But chocolate has to stay. Always and forever.
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tlflag1620 wrote: »Those who do best with moderation tend to be the "forbidden fruit" type of people - tell them not to eat something, they want it all the more and pine away for it, increasing the chances that if they do indulge, they end up over consuming it.
Um.....no
From what I've read here, learned from others in real life who choose moderation, and from what I've experienced, those who choose moderation tend to not demonize food (via "forbidden fruit" as you call it.) and choose to eat all things in moderation. There is no food type deprivation, hence overindulgence of calories is kept to a minimum.
I think maybe you misunderstood me. I meant for some people, abstaining from certain foods would result in the "forbidden fruit" phenomenon (not everyone experiences this, btw). IOW, if they were to cut out certain foods, they would fixate on those foods and want them all the more. For those people, moderation makes sense; nothing is "forbidden" so they don't fixate on anything. For other, like myself, moderation means needing to limit portions, often to sizes that are a "tease". IOW moderation leads to feelings of deprivation. It's easier for me to skip the ice cream altogether than it is to try and be satisfied with a crummy little half cup.
For example - my youngest child's birthday was a few days ago. I made her a chocolate cake. Now I ordinarily don't eat cake (I abstain). I did decide to have a small slice on her birthday. Then I had to white knuckle it for a couple days while dealing with cravings and feeling like I wanted more, more, more. Finally that passed. I'm not in a big hurry to eat cake again. When I am abstaining, I'm not thinking about cake, even the quarter of a cake that's still in the fridge. It's only when I try to incorporate a "moderate" amount that I suffer. For me "everything in moderation" means endless suffering. Making certain foods off limits means I don't eat it, so then I don't think about it. I understand that if you are a forbidden fruit type person, you may find this very difficult to understand, just as I never understood the forbidden fruit thing very well (who are you rebelling against in that scenario, exactly?). If someone tells me not to do something, especially if *I* tell myself not to do something, it doesn't suddenly become irresistible. But I guess for some people, it does. Those people should moderate. Hope that clears it up!
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tlflag1620 wrote: »tlflag1620 wrote: »Those who do best with moderation tend to be the "forbidden fruit" type of people - tell them not to eat something, they want it all the more and pine away for it, increasing the chances that if they do indulge, they end up over consuming it.
Um.....no
From what I've read here, learned from others in real life who choose moderation, and from what I've experienced, those who choose moderation tend to not demonize food (via "forbidden fruit" as you call it.) and choose to eat all things in moderation. There is no food type deprivation, hence overindulgence of calories is kept to a minimum.
I think maybe you misunderstood me. I meant for some people, abstaining from certain foods would result in the "forbidden fruit" phenomenon (not everyone experiences this, btw). IOW, if they were to cut out certain foods, they would fixate on those foods and want them all the more. For those people, moderation makes sense; nothing is "forbidden" so they don't fixate on anything. For other, like myself, moderation means needing to limit portions, often to sizes that are a "tease". IOW moderation leads to feelings of deprivation. It's easier for me to skip the ice cream altogether than it is to try and be satisfied with a crummy little half cup.
For example - my youngest child's birthday was a few days ago. I made her a chocolate cake. Now I ordinarily don't eat cake (I abstain). I did decide to have a small slice on her birthday. Then I had to white knuckle it for a couple days while dealing with cravings and feeling like I wanted more, more, more. Finally that passed. I'm not in a big hurry to eat cake again. When I am abstaining, I'm not thinking about cake, even the quarter of a cake that's still in the fridge. It's only when I try to incorporate a "moderate" amount that I suffer. For me "everything in moderation" means endless suffering. Making certain foods off limits means I don't eat it, so then I don't think about it. I understand that if you are a forbidden fruit type person, you may find this very difficult to understand, just as I never understood the forbidden fruit thing very well (who are you rebelling against in that scenario, exactly?). If someone tells me not to do something, especially if *I* tell myself not to do something, it doesn't suddenly become irresistible. But I guess for some people, it does. Those people should moderate. Hope that clears it up!
Maan i could have written this, but you explained it far better than i could. I'm in 100000% agreement with you.1 -
yes, very well put, tlflag1620!0
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I have a Food Safe for totally irresistible items... I tend to avoid buying those items, but if I do I eat a serving and then lock them up.
http://www.thekitchensafe.com/1 -
When I lived alone I just wouldn't buy the foods I couldn't control myself around, or leave enough calories for a full packet or tub.
Living with my partner has been difficult, I could take a picture of his desk last night where he had mint sweets, Starburst and Hobnobs. I think I am getting better though, I keep some low calorie jelly in the fridge if I want a sweet hit. I freeze grapes as well for sweet hits.
My proud moment though, I bought a bag of mint Aero bubbles on Monday, a third of the packet is still sat on top of the fridge! I find if I keep it out of my eyeline then it helps a lot. Also I will weigh a portion out in a bowl rather than eat from the packet.0 -
tlflag1620 wrote: »tlflag1620 wrote: »Those who do best with moderation tend to be the "forbidden fruit" type of people - tell them not to eat something, they want it all the more and pine away for it, increasing the chances that if they do indulge, they end up over consuming it.
Um.....no
From what I've read here, learned from others in real life who choose moderation, and from what I've experienced, those who choose moderation tend to not demonize food (via "forbidden fruit" as you call it.) and choose to eat all things in moderation. There is no food type deprivation, hence overindulgence of calories is kept to a minimum.
I think maybe you misunderstood me. I meant for some people, abstaining from certain foods would result in the "forbidden fruit" phenomenon (not everyone experiences this, btw). IOW, if they were to cut out certain foods, they would fixate on those foods and want them all the more. For those people, moderation makes sense; nothing is "forbidden" so they don't fixate on anything. For other, like myself, moderation means needing to limit portions, often to sizes that are a "tease". IOW moderation leads to feelings of deprivation. It's easier for me to skip the ice cream altogether than it is to try and be satisfied with a crummy little half cup.
For example - my youngest child's birthday was a few days ago. I made her a chocolate cake. Now I ordinarily don't eat cake (I abstain). I did decide to have a small slice on her birthday. Then I had to white knuckle it for a couple days while dealing with cravings and feeling like I wanted more, more, more. Finally that passed. I'm not in a big hurry to eat cake again. When I am abstaining, I'm not thinking about cake, even the quarter of a cake that's still in the fridge. It's only when I try to incorporate a "moderate" amount that I suffer. For me "everything in moderation" means endless suffering. Making certain foods off limits means I don't eat it, so then I don't think about it. I understand that if you are a forbidden fruit type person, you may find this very difficult to understand, just as I never understood the forbidden fruit thing very well (who are you rebelling against in that scenario, exactly?). If someone tells me not to do something, especially if *I* tell myself not to do something, it doesn't suddenly become irresistible. But I guess for some people, it does. Those people should moderate. Hope that clears it up!
Eh. I just said I couldn't have something too, and didn't for 4 months... then my sister brought me my favorite chocolates and I ate the whole box.
I can't really see how it's a long term solution for everyone. I can't imagine NEVER eating that stuff again because, well, I love food, food makes me happy, and I love sweets, and life's too short not to enjoy chocolate. And I'm definitely not one of those people who will stop thinking about cake just because I don't have any.. quite the opposite actually. I keep thinking about something, then the day I have it, the craving is gone, and I might not crave anything else sweet for a couple weeks.
So all I'm saying that this logic is not going to work for everyone. I guess people have to figure out what works for them. But I do get the 'serving size so little that it's not satisfying' thing. I laugh at people who are happy with one bite of dessert or a mini danish (seriously, WTF?). I can say though that now I'm satisfied with less too... but I'm more likely to eat less a week to fit a 600 calorie dessert than just try to fit in a 100 calorie portion, because yes, that's just sad.0 -
Elimination for me is what I have had to do. However it took until all of those foods were making me super nauseous and sick after eating them to stop. My doctor advised going gluten free and I feel like a brand new person. I still eat some chocolate though but I only buy a single serving. I buy GF cookie mixes occasionally but not that often. Mostly I make flourless muffins and that helps my cravings.0
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ibamosaserreinas wrote: »I have a Food Safe for totally irresistible items... I tend to avoid buying those items, but if I do I eat a serving and then lock them up.
http://www.thekitchensafe.com/
Do you also have the key? It seems weird to lock food away but then be the keeper of the key. Or is it just an outta sight outta mind thing?0 -
ibamosaserreinas wrote: »I have a Food Safe for totally irresistible items... I tend to avoid buying those items, but if I do I eat a serving and then lock them up.
http://www.thekitchensafe.com/
Do you also have the key? It seems weird to lock food away but then be the keeper of the key. Or is it just an outta sight outta mind thing?
I don't think it has a key. It's a timer lock.2
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