How often do you eat treats?

srecupid

Every day. But for the most part it's at the end of the day after I've done pretty well with my main courses. I budget 1500 for my 3 meals 4000/500/600 and have 2160 calories to work with. I sometimes only eat 250-300 for breakfast so snacks actually make up the majority of my food. I hear that isn't good but I like it.

llbrixon

Throughout my weight loss journey, I have had ice-cream everyday. I eat out at least once or twice a week.

kgirlhart

I fit treats in daily. I basically eat whatever I want as long as it fits my goals.

diannethegeek

I suppose I don't think of a lot of the things I eat as "treats." They're just what happened to fit in my goals for the day. These are some of the things I ate this week:

*I had pancakes twice this week (I eat mine with Greek yogurt instead of syrup).
*I add a serving (15 grams) of chocolate chips to my Greek yogurt 3 or 4 times a week. Raspberry Greek yogurt and chocolate chips makes an excellent dessert.
*I've been trying to keep ice cream out of the house because I'm having a harder time than usual moderating it, but I had some last night (and have some left for tonight).
*I had frozen pizza last night because I skipped lunch and couldn't be bothered to cook.
*I have a protein bar every afternoon as my 3pm snack and purposefully choose the chocolatey flavors.
*I put flavored coffee creamer in my coffee in the mornings and choose the sweeter, more dessertier flavors.
*I had Starbucks and a chocolate chip cookie on Thursday with my writing group.

kommodevaran

I don't feel the "need" to eat "junk" anymore - I don't deny myself anything I want, but I don't want the small amounts of "junk" I could otherwise make fit into my daily diet - I treat myself every day though - everything I eat is something I like very much. This is my new "normal" and I feel that the food fight days are over for good.

jeepinshawn

I have some sort of a treat everyday. Often time at night I eat a bunch of nachos with real cheddar cheese, helps with protein goal. On other nights I have a peanut butter sandwich. Throughout the day I might have a jolly rancher or two, sometimes half a donut at work if someone brings them in, or some popcorn if someone makes some.

This morning for breakfast I had 2 pancakes with a table spoon of peanut butter on them and 3 eggs. Typically though I have either 4 eggs by themselves or 4 eggs and a serving of oat meal.

ninerbuff

Daily.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

katiebean

Every day

gothchiq

Almost never. I only get 1200 cal a day and if I spent any of that on treats I would end up going hungry.

Timshel_

As often as I like, but moderated. Some days I might splurge and then cut them out for a few days after. You get the feel for it by weighing in every few weeks.

DKG28

i guess it depends on what qualifies as a treat. For me, one oreo, or sugar-free pudding serving is nothing but sadness. I'll happily forgo those every day of the month in order to eat one whole pastry from a local bakery with a cappuccino in a real mug once a month, or a big steak on the grill, or those coconut banana pancakes with syrup I had last month on a Saturday morning. But you have to figure out what purpose a treat serves for you. Is it so you can occasionally eat something luxurious and calorific? Is it so you get one taste of something sweet or greasy every day? It depends on your needs and goals.

Nads36

Yes daily for me too...although if I know I am having meals which are high in calories I skip the treats!

rankinsect

Daily, although the treats might be something like cereal, or cheese, or summer sausage, or a fiber one or oat bar. I do also have ice cream, etc. when I feel like it. I leave 200-400 calories open for what I feel like.

michelleepotter

I'm kind of a picky eater. Sort of. I like lots of different foods, and I'm willing to try new things, but if I don't really like something and I eat it anyway, I just still feel hungry and go crazy until I eat something else. So I pretty much eat something enjoyable at every single meal. Not necessarily something "bad" for me, I consider fruit a real treat, but I couldn't go a whole day without eating something really yummy! I always keep fruit and kettle corn on hand to eat pretty much daily; I plan to have frozen taquitos, hot pockets, or similar for lunch a couple times a week; I occasionally buy myself a candy bar in the evenings. I drink diet soda pretty much any time I feel like it. I have a McDonald's right by my house -- literally within walking distance, and I pass it almost every time I leave the house -- and I eat there too often. As long as these things fit in my calories, I have them! And I'm still a few pounds away from maintenance. When I get there, I will have even more calories than I do now!

x_Vicky_x_86

I have one every day, maybe more than one, so long as I keep within calories, makes it so much more fun/easier when you aren't totally strict.

Alluminati

I actually eat dessert now most nights than I ever have when I was fat.

Gamliela

Most of the time pretty much everything I eat is a treat. I won't use calories up on uninteresting. bland, boring tastless food.

STEVE142142

In my opinion you have to relook at the way you're approaching this for this to be successful you can't deny stuff that you like cuz eventually going to Crave it and you're going to fail. As long as it fits within my caloric daily goal I eat it

I still have Wendy's hamburgers beer and pizza. If I had to give up the things I enjoy I don't think I could have succeeded the way I did over the past 8 months

Teresa_Yvette

Daily BUT I've found replacements for most things I see as treats. For example ice cream = frozen fruit topped and plain greek yogurt flavored with vanilla and sweetened with equal, etc.

markrgeary1

Have something. A 40 calorie piece of dark chocolate, or 300 calories of Ben and Jerry’s. Depending on what fits, at first it's 40 calories.

_piaffe

Teresa_Yvette wrote: »

Daily BUT I've found replacements for most things I see as treats. For example ice cream = frozen fruit topped and plain greek yogurt flavored with vanilla and sweetened with equal, etc.

Ditto.

"Treats" for me have changed. And they are smaller - like 1/2 a dark sea salt chocolate bar, not a large movie theatre bag of peanut M&Ms (although I can always be talked into splitting one, or a single-serving pack). I'm much pickier about baked goods, too. It's got to be fully worth it.

I'm currently into a daily goodpops premium sea salt "fudgesicle". I pre-log it each morning, which really helps - it's budgeted for and something I know I can look forward to. It can help keep me on track because if I don't stick to my macros as planned, it may get the axe.

LivingtheLeanDream

300-400 calories of my 2100 maintenance calories go on treats every single day
chocolate/pastries/desserts.... or whatever I jolly well fancy

nickisa28

Pretty much every day I have a small chocolate bar (less than 200cals) and small packet of crisps (potato chips for US guys) which will be less than 100 calories. Possibly even a cookie or brownie if it's a workout day and I have extra calories. On my Sunday cheat day I will have a dessert after my meal but most the time I'll still manage to stay under my calories for the day.

mommarnurse

Every day, in some form. At of the time though I will have just a small bite of someone else's treat here and there, haha . 99% of the time it's my kids treats

goldthistime

I have a sweet protein bar most days (Clif Builder Bars), I have a heaping teaspoon of sugar in my tea/coffee, and I have sweetened yogurt. I haven't bought them in a while but I was having a Fibre One product most days too. Sometimes a square or two of dark chocolate. Beyond that it is occasion specific, once or twice a month.

laur371

Multiple times a day (and I stick strictly to 1100-1200 calories a day). Every day consists of ice cream (120 cals), cheese (100 cals), sometimes a chocolate ball (75 cals). I just budget it in! My meals are all lean meats and veggies without grains/pasta, so I leave many calories for snacks. Down 40 lbs at a rate of 2lbs per week.

vingogly

Don't worry -- the Dessert Demon won't haul you away to Diet Hell if you have a treat. I've lightened up on lunch and snacks during the day so I'll have more calories later for dessert.

jrwms714

I think everyone has to work it out for themselves, as these posts demonstrate. It is rare that a day goes by that I don't have some kind of treat and it always fits into my calories. However, the longer I am in maintenance, the less those treats are really sugary or really fatty. I can't eat that way any more. So my treats tend to be maybe a kind of bread or popcorn or something that isn't all that nutritious, but satisfies the urge.

apullum

I have a little dark chocolate (50-75 calories) nearly every evening.

rainbow198

Everyday. In maintenance and while I was losing 80 pounds.

Gourmet pizza every Friday, ice cream, sorbet, a lolly/popsicle or two, a square or two of rich dark chocolate, homemade caramel popcorn, some jello or something homemade like a mug cake or a small individual apple crisp.

When I tried losing weight in the past I would go hardcore and cut things out and then binge on whatever I was missing sometime later.

Once I learned I can fit treats in just be aware of the calorie count made all of the difference for me.