Are there any foods that are banned in your head?

PaulaWallaDingDong

No banned foods. Plenty of "not today" foods, but no banned ones.

cwolfman13

No...I eat a lot less of certain things and my diet overall is pretty on point...but no, food doesn't make me feel guilty and I haven't banned any foods. Pasta seems like a weird one to me...there's absolutely nothing remotely wrong with pasta.

thatdesertgirl777

I tend to avoid things when I'm out to eat that are hard to estimate (French fries at a sit down restaurant, for example)... Since I only have 1400 calories to work with, there are several things I love but don't eat because they just aren't worth the splurge to me.

meshashesha2012

only ones i hate like eggplant and tofu

thenananator

Yes, I have to forbid chips and salsa because I cannot control those binge impulses yet with that particular food. I went to lunch with a friend last weekend and I counted out 14 chips and used the green salsa and that wsa OK but it was so hard it was almost not worth it. Boo

cross2bear

None banned, but as others have said, sometimes I do think twice about the calorie cost, and whether the item is worth busting the budget for - usually its not. Its like the difference between croissants from a bakery in Paris and ones from the supermarket. One I may indulge in if I want, the other - no.

kenyainez

Nothing banned. There are foods I don't frequent but not banned, per se. I used to think if I banned them then I'd stay away but that just raised the temptation and increased the guilt when I indulged so it totally defeated my purpose. Now I just have foods I frequent more than others and some I enjoy on occasion. Nothing is off limits and I see more success that way.

gothchiq

Yep, things that I could only afford to have like 1/4 cup of it due to the high calories, I just ixnay the whole thing. not worth it when 1200 cal has to last all day. Soda, juice, shakes, Ice cream, cheesecake, cookies, cake, pasta, pastries, candy other than the 20 cal hard ones, fast food, Mexican, Chinese, sausage, bacon, fried anything. Off limits completely. It's much easier than being tortured with miniscule portions. I notice I didn't even count potato chips because I don't like them lol. but yeah any sort of junk food is a big ol' no.

deluxmary2000

Not "banned" per se, but I avoid Mexican restaurants because chips/salsa are my kryptonite.

Cintirich

AlabasterVerve wrote: »

Turkey as a replacement for beef (ground, hamburgers, hotdogs, bacon etc.), brown rice, whole wheat whatever, quinoa, flax seeds, low fat, low sugar... the list goes on. Any "healthy" food or food products like that I shy away from. I fell for all of that healthy-this-healthy-that nonsense hook, line and sinker and feel foolish now eating any of that stuff.

Can someone explain the above? I started 9 days ago on my journey to losing 50+ lbs and I've been actively excercising and have completely changed my diet. I have been eating "healthy" since then, including brown rice (small portions to avoid too many carbs) instead of white, Brownberry Oatnut bread instead of the white bread that the rest of my family loves. Low fat mayo instead of my beloved Hellman's, ect... No fast food at all and no unhealthy snacks like cookies, ice cream, cheese and crackers ect.

I'm down 6 or so lbs and almost an inch and a half, so it's working so far, but I'm still curious about the comment above, Thanks!

MARILYNENA

I have banned buffets! When I go to a restaurant when I first get my plate I divide it up, saving half to take out for a later meal. To drink I have iced water and since I don't really like desserts I often don't order any.

Gisel2015

Yes, and they are foods that I don't like, don't care for, are not worthy the calories (for me), can live without them, don't crave them, and/or they make me sick or give me an unpleasant reaction of any kind when I eat them.

I have no problem with moderation and I can have any type of food in the house, but if it fits the above mentioned criteria most likely that it will eventually end in the garbage full of mold. So that is another good reason not to buy them.

AnnPT77

I don't ban any foods (well, sort of: I've been ovo-lacto vegetarian for 42 years. ) To me, to think of particular foods as "sin" is to bring an undesirable level of emotion to my eating. The only emotion I want to admit to my dining room is pleasure.

But while I was losing weight, I did review my diary regularly, and replace or reduce foods that, to my personal taste, "cost" too many calories for the satiation, tastiness, or nutrition they gave me. It had nothing to do with what I read about them someplace, and everything to do with how they fit into my personal way of eating.

I haven't banned anything I like forever, though some things become rare. (I had a lovely blueberry bread pudding with caramel sauce last week, for example. ).

Some people do have "trigger foods" that they can't stop eating once they start; I can understand banning foods in that scenario. But the strategies that work for weight loss will vary from one person to another, and we each have to find our own best approach by experimenting, I think.

(edited to fix that nonsense where MFP cuts off a post if I forget and insert an emoticon).

geneticsteacher

The ONE food I have found that I cannot eat in moderation.

lthames0810

I ban in my head the foods I consider to be disappointing in some way. My calories are precious and I only spend them on foods that please me and that are served in a place that pleases me.

So banned are "diet" foods and drinks and sugar or fat free anything. Fast food is banned except in desperation because the food isn't that good and the "ambiance" is awful. Trendy restaurants and coffee shops are banned because I won't wait in a line for food.

kristen6350

There are foods I try not to eat because once I have one I can't stop. Lays potato chips, Tortilla chips, pita chips. If it's crunchy and salty I can eat the WHOLE bag.

grinning_chick

tbullucks2006 wrote: »

However there are some foods that I heard along the way that were really bad so I don't touch them. For instance - pasta. I love love love pasta. With dieting though, I feel like i have committed a sin eating it. Even when I am not dieting I avoid Alfredo sauce because somewhere I've heard it's one of the worst things in life you can eat. I also no longer eat bagels for breakfast because I heard they are just empty calories for breakfast.

But you're not actually eating what you want...your word selections indicate you've very clearly moralized foods that in the past you liked to eat. There's nothing "sinful" about flour, water, and perhaps a bit of egg rolled out and cut into thin strips. There is nothing really, really, really "bad" about cream, butter, parmesan cheese, and perhaps a bit of garlic heated until it forms an emulsion. Bagels are not exactly calorie bombs above and beyond other leavened breads...until you pile on the butter/ cream cheese and toppings. If you eat them without accompanying protein and fat, sure, you could be the type that feels hungry again two hours after eating one as the blood glucose spike created by a plain bagel starts to come down.

Meanwhile, I'll be eating spaghetti with regular pasta noodles all this week since it's just food, not some 8th Sin I was unaware of until now. And again for the last week of the month. Because a serving (56 grams) of spaghetti with a cup of my homemade meat spaghetti sauce run through the recipe builder by weight and verifying every ingredient against USDA, comes out to 547 calories. Which with desert I've selected is a near-perfect 697 calories for the meal, for me. (I shoot for 6-700 calories per the two meals I eat to leave a couple-three hundred calories for an evening snack)

I ate homemade Alfredo sauce over a serving of fettuccine pasta with veg and meat for 'brunch' (my breakfast/lunch combined meal) quiet a bit this past spring when I was consistently losing a pound a week. Will be doing so again either next month or the one after that, depending on how the food planning goes. And I'm looking forward to it as I want to try making Alfredo sauce with sodium citrate and a portion of water to see if I can cut down the amount of cream to end up with larger portion sizes with the same taste for fewer calories and the emulsion doesn't break after being reheated more than once.

robininfl

geneticsteacher wrote: »

The ONE food I have found that I cannot eat in moderation.

Funny but yes, this is the junkiest, least healthy, salty and irresistable snack. Only the pretzel/cheese ones. Not sure how something so far away from being food can be so good. Thankfully they are also outrageously priced, so easy to not buy.

The other things I eat immoderately are popcorn and watermelon, and no I do not limit those, when we have them I eat a lot of them, very large servings, but they aren't high calorie.

kermax39

Cintirich wrote: »

AlabasterVerve wrote: »

Turkey as a replacement for beef (ground, hamburgers, hotdogs, bacon etc.), brown rice, whole wheat whatever, quinoa, flax seeds, low fat, low sugar... the list goes on. Any "healthy" food or food products like that I shy away from. I fell for all of that healthy-this-healthy-that nonsense hook, line and sinker and feel foolish now eating any of that stuff.

Can someone explain the above? I started 9 days ago on my journey to losing 50+ lbs and I've been actively excercising and have completely changed my diet. I have been eating "healthy" since then, including brown rice (small portions to avoid too many carbs) instead of white, Brownberry Oatnut bread instead of the white bread that the rest of my family loves. Low fat mayo instead of my beloved Hellman's, ect... No fast food at all and no unhealthy snacks like cookies, ice cream, cheese and crackers ect.

I'm down 6 or so lbs and almost an inch and a half, so it's working so far, but I'm still curious about the comment above, Thanks!

I think the poster is saying he doesnt buy into food marketed as diet food. I agree to an extent. Your doing nothing wrong though, your reducing your fat but as u go along you might find real mayo is fine and worth the extra calories. I eat white bread but prefer reduced fat mayo. Its all about choice and as long as your macros are ok and not over your calories then u dont need to choose lower fat, lower sugar etc. Well done on your loss thats a great start.

jebr76

Donuts and Entenmanns coffee cake. It's a gateway for me. At some point I hope it won't be a gateway, but since I'm only halfway through my journey I'd rather not risk it.

cerise_noir

Nope.

Only foods I don't like.

punkrockgoth

I don't have "banned" foods, but I do have foods that I don't eat much of anymore because doing so makes it really hard to stay within my goals. For example:

1. Perogies
2. Pizza
3. Pasta (especially tortellini)
4. Pecan pie
5. Frozen yogurt from those self serve pay by weight places (Mmmm Menchie's)
6. The majority of restaurant meals
7. Pancakes/Waffles
8. bannock

I do my best to cut back on the portion, add in some exercise and cut back my other meals. However, with some of these the day is pretty much a write off, move on to the next. I am getting better at exercising self control and fitting in more of these things. With pancakes and waffles, I've improved my recipe drastically so the macros are better and it's slightly lower calorie than standard. Sometimes fitting it into my day is not worth it. (4 perogies, no bacon or kielbasa? Screw that!)

kellyiris6

Like others mentioned, not necessarily ban, but more avoid. I know I can have these in moderation. Bacon, egg and cheese bagel from McDonald's, pizza, sugared drinks, donuts, deep fried food

kommodevaran

robininfl wrote: »

geneticsteacher wrote: »

The ONE food I have found that I cannot eat in moderation.

Funny but yes, this is the junkiest, least healthy, salty and irresistable snack. Only the pretzel/cheese ones. Not sure how something so far away from being food can be so good. Thankfully they are also outrageously priced, so easy to not buy.

The other things I eat immoderately are popcorn and watermelon, and no I do not limit those, when we have them I eat a lot of them, very large servings, but they aren't high calorie.

If you are interested in finding out, read (about) the book "The Dorito Effect" by Mark Schatzker.

TR0berts

Artichokes. Because they're disgusting.

Francl27

Only what isn't worth the calories to me.

jgnatca

I weep for the bagels, the pastas, and the luxurious sauces whose only purpose is to be consumed and enjoyed.

How about half a bagel at breakfast with cream cheese and berries?

I avoid Red Robins and Poutine. I judiciously measure my butter with measuring spoons rather than eating it sliced like cheese.

SophieSmall95

Peanut butter.I love it, but it is so calorie dense there is no point. A single "serving" is so tiny and already clocks about 200 calories. I'm in the camp of if you can't enjoy it properly what's the point in having it at all?

I'll still eat ice cream though. I can quite happily sit down and watch a film and eat half a 500ml tub because I can fit it into my calories for the day if I really want to.

jessiferrrb

pasta has been unfairly demonized so i see why so many people feel badly about eating it. even recently my grandpa told me to stay away from pasta right before a trip to italy. i went, i ate pasta every day, and i walked a ton and lost. part of that is portion control, servings were smaller than may come on a plate at the cheesecake factory or olive garden or than i used to make for myself. i used to think that half a box of fettuccine was totally reasonable even though i called the recipe 'fat girl pasta' in my head. but 'fat girl pasta' is my favorite comfort food, so i reduced the quantity, weigh each ingredient and plan ahead for it to make sure that it fits in my goals.

genpopadopolous

Doritos and M&Ms.

Most things I'm perfectly capable of weighing out a serving and being content, but if a bag of either one of those is in my house I eat until it's gone.