Define "ocassional treat" please.
rouhnaz
Posts: 62 Member
Hi!
What's everyone's take on a occasional indulgence? Do you say 1x per week? 2x per month? And what makes this an indulgence?
Is sugar something you have daily so long as you're within caloric allowances?
I can manage quite a bit of sugar every day from various fruits and treats, but also fit in my veggies and proteins and Whole Foods. Still, a fair bit of sugar is in there and I just wondered what you all do for your approach.
This is really just to see how different folks approach meeting calorie needs and how they treat the concept of treats.
Thanks in advance for sharing.
What's everyone's take on a occasional indulgence? Do you say 1x per week? 2x per month? And what makes this an indulgence?
Is sugar something you have daily so long as you're within caloric allowances?
I can manage quite a bit of sugar every day from various fruits and treats, but also fit in my veggies and proteins and Whole Foods. Still, a fair bit of sugar is in there and I just wondered what you all do for your approach.
This is really just to see how different folks approach meeting calorie needs and how they treat the concept of treats.
Thanks in advance for sharing.
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Replies
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I eat cookies, candy (usually Skittles), chocolate, ice cream, etc. somewhere in the day EVERYDAY. But I LIMIT what I eat. That way I don't use up too many calories on treats.
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I usually spend around 150 calories a day on something that I eat purely for pleasure and without any real nutritional expectations.8
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I eat whatever I want every single day ... as long as it fits within my calorie allowance.
Happily, exercise gives me quite a bit of flexibility in my calorie allowance ... especially on weekends, when I exercise a lot.
I also do not have a fear of sugar so I absolutely eat sugar every day.
But as for "occasional treat" ...
That would be something like the chocolate lava cake I made for my birthday. So incredibly rich and delicious. Probably the richest thing I've ever had in my life. Possibly the most delicious as well. I mean, WOW, it was good. But definitely not something I'd want every day ... or every week ... or even every month. Something like that is meant to be enjoyed occasionally.10 -
But as for "occasional treat" ...
That would be something like the chocolate lava cake I made for my birthday. So incredibly rich and delicious. Probably the richest thing I've ever had in my life. Possibly the most delicious as well. I mean, WOW, it was good. But definitely not something I'd want every day ... or every week ... or even every month. Something like that is meant to be enjoyed occasionally.
Lol... you *really* enjoyed that cake!
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For me it's a single piece of Brach's Milk Chocolate Peanut Clusters, which runs about 60 calories. I have the bag hidden in my bedroom upstairs. It has to be real special for me to go up there and get it, then bring it back down and weigh it and log it. So, yeah, very occasional.2
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I eat what I like when I like. But that happens to be loads of whole foods, minimally processed, most of the time. Sundays are my high/refeed days when I have carbs to spend more frivolously.... So I do,or I'd burst from overconsumption of vegetables.1
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Yes, you can have sugar within your calorie allowance. Too much will probably impact your feelings of satiety, so you'll find yourself hungry again quickly, but if you're asking, "Can I have a piece of cake for dessert at supper and maybe a couple of squares of chocolate for a snack at some point in the day?" the answer is, 'Yes, you should be fine'. (Assuming no medical issues that require you watch your sugar anyway.)
Saturday after synagogue services, there's a stand-up buffet with kugel, cholent, fruit, veggies, and cakes and pastries. I budget for 2 pieces of kugel and a frosted shortbread cookie. The couple of times when those cookies haven't been there, I've subbed something else, but that's my go-to.
So far, we're typical. I have a low-calorie dessert until it's gone. I have one small full-fat dessert in a week, plus a moderated amount of oily starchy joy.
1. Told my husband, "Don't ask me if I want any of this. If there's something I really want to have, I'll tell you. Otherwise, help yourself." (I only said this about a ready-to-eat tossed salad and a homemade roll.)
2. If I had no way of estimating the calories, say for homemade cookies that might or might not have had chocolate chunks, nuts, etc... went into Hubby's lunch.
3. I allocated some of the calories that would have gone on healthier snacks like string cheese tp mini-chocolate bars, saltwater taffy or piece of fruit leather.
All told, over the last three weeks, about 100-300 calories most days have gone on treats. BUT I have not gone over my calories. No grazing, no mindless nibbling. If I haven't had the calories for what I wanted, I either didn't have it, had less, or exercised more. And most of that stuff is gone now. We're pretty much down to fruit taffy (which I dislike), large-chocolate bars (which I can resist until someone opens one), and jams, teas, and other non-"junk".
I only have treats within my daily calories. I know some people do well with cheat days or cheat meals. I'm not one of them. For me, recognizing that a treat doesn't need to be a cheat works well for me. Hope that helps!8 -
Lately, I've been having one package of two Justin's Organic Peanut Butter Cups nearly every day. Much better chocolate (and peanut butter) than Reeses, and well worth the 200 calories. Especially when I run and have an extra 800+ to eat.1
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It highly depends. My occasional foods are usually foods that I don't have often, by definition. Some because I just don't think to have them often, others are too high in calories to fit often. How "occasional" works for me varies: it could be something I only have seasonally like condensed milk cookies, something I have every few months like movie popcorn, something I have maybe once every week or two like potato chips and chocolate, or something I go on having every day for a while then falls out of favor for a few weeks/months like cookies or soda then back to daily consumption for a while, and then there are foods that I actively try not to expose myself to in an uncontrolled manner like nuts.
I don't have a set schedule for treats, they just happen when they happen, when I deem them to be worth the calories more than an extra sandwich, for example. As a rule of thumb, I try to eat my base calories in nutrient rich foods, then spend my exercise calories on whatever I feel like having, be it a snack or a bigger portion of a meal I like. Indulgences are the same. They happen at random intervals and are mostly in a social setting, but I do occasionally feel like taking a maintenance day just because. Basically my food intake follows my whims.
I don't track sugar, but I'm sure I get plenty of it every day from fruits and vegetables regardless.2 -
Awesome feedback! I feel great about fitting Halo top into my daily intake now.
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You guys are great. Thanks for all this feedback. 2
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But as for "occasional treat" ...
That would be something like the chocolate lava cake I made for my birthday. So incredibly rich and delicious. Probably the richest thing I've ever had in my life. Possibly the most delicious as well. I mean, WOW, it was good. But definitely not something I'd want every day ... or every week ... or even every month. Something like that is meant to be enjoyed occasionally.
Lol... you *really* enjoyed that cake!
I certainly did.
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I'm not sure if this is what you meant, but i have dessert every single night, usually between 250-400 calories.1
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An occasional treat is something I would not have on a regular basis before, during, or after weight loss.
It is a food that is too expensive, ie: lobster, or too rich, ie: @Machka9's decadent desert, or too seasonal, ie: asparagus to make it part of my daily weekly or sometimes monthly diet.
Everything else is just food to be eaten as fancy takes me.
Cheers, h.0 -
This is interesting, and both easy and difficult to answer.
I have a set of simple, flexible, non-restrictive "eating rules":
Eat real food.
Eat regular meals, and only at meals.
Eat when hungry.
And one rule to rule them all: Make exceptions when needed, but not so often that the exceptions start to become rules.
This means that I have a structure to stick to but I also use judgement. This means that I can't go wrong. It means that I'm in charge of my own eating. It means that I can control my weight. I'm in maintenance and I'm not counting calories anymore - but I did that as I was losing. I'm still kinda strict, but I had to be more strict while losing weight.
I eat food I like every day, for every meal, and I eat anything I want, I just need to make room for it. There is no real clear-cut division between everyday food and indulgences - if I want a treat on a Tuesday, I'll have it, if I feel I have room for it. I may look back and see how long ago I had one, and than say "OK" or "not now". I eat sugar for every meal, it's unavoidable and not a problem.2 -
For me an occasional treat is something I have maybe twice a month. Cocktails with a friend; dinner AND dessert eating out. It's the sort of thing that just isn't worth having any more frequently, and I'll "save up" calories a few days beforehand to allow myself to indulge.
But I have things that others might consider treats more regularly. I have a flavoured latte up to 4 times a week, chocolates or ice cream probably the same frequency. I just don't have them if they'll take me over my daily calories or if they'll replace a nutritious meal. If after 2-3meals are logged I have the calories left, I'll have a couple of luxury chocs, or a mini tub (or half a big tub!) of Ben and Jerrys.
I plan to eat the same way in maintenance - eat slightly below maintenance most of the time so that a couple of times a month (or I might up it to once a week) I can have a treat with friends or family.0 -
if i have reached most of my macro goals and i still have calories left, i'll have a treat. It can happen every day for a week, or it can only be once a week.Sometimes it will be weeks without any treats.It all depends on how my protein, fat and carb goals look.Sometimes i'll have the occassional "birthday of a colleague" treat.This one is quite annoying because it had not been anticipated and i have to change my whole plan.But in the end it works out.0
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A treat is something that you really enjoy eating, but have to make it work to fit it into your calories. Maybe you decide that it's worth it to go over your calorie goal--rarely. It has to be worth it to you. That's an individual call.1
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I fit in something everyday like cookies, ice cream or some M&M's. Not a lot of it, but some. Then about once a week or so I will get a big dessert or something like donuts or a piece of cake. My son has been home from the Middle East for three weeks where his diet has been not so good food, our family has basically feasted for three weeks. I have probably gained five pounds and I could not care less. He leaves today to go back and I won't see him for a year. Back on the horse tomorrow and it will melt back off at about half a pound per week.1
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Whatever fits in my calories without leaving me hungry. So it can be a small piece of chocolate or a 800 calorie cinnamon roll.
But yeah, I'm totally taking a 20 minutes walk to burn one cookie if I have to, no problem, totally worth it, it's better than sitting on my couch anyway.
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It depends. If I am dieting; the treat is likely lower calorie and less frequent. If I'm maintaining/recomping/gaining then they may be higher calorie and more frequent.
Ultimately it comes down to your calorie intake and goals.1 -
An occasional treat to me would be something difficult to fit in and so something I have more rarely, so usually something like a larger dessert (I usually like smaller desserts, so that's not a huge issue for me, but like if I wanted a piece of pie that would be an occasional treat, as I'd go out to get it or bake a pie for a holiday or dinner party). More commonly, a nice restaurant meal (1x/week or so). Sometimes some kind of special treat homemade meal that is tough to fit in, but usually when making stuff at home it's easy to make it fit without problem.
I use a certain number of calories per day for just taste or extras -- this could mean having slightly higher than usual meals in general, having some good cheese for dessert, having pulled pork (which tends to be higher cal) for dinner, having ice cream after dinner, having some good chocolate, on the weekends maybe having bacon and pancakes (and vegetables) as a bigger than usual breakfast, a variety of things. Since I don't do any of these every day they are all, kind of, occasional treats, but the idea of having some calories to devote to things that are mainly just for taste is more regular. (If I still drank a glass of wine would be in this category too.)1 -
I believe in daily dessert. Some days it is more caloric than others, it all depends on what I can fit in my day.1
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I eat cookies, candy (usually Skittles), chocolate, ice cream, etc. somewhere in the day EVERYDAY. But I LIMIT what I eat. That way I don't use up too many calories on treats.
On the flip side, I have this type of thing once every couple of weeks or so. I prefer being able to have more in one sitting than a little bit every day. A daily stream of treats keeps them on my mind too much.
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I find if I don't have something after dinner every night (usually fruit and frozen yogurt) I spend a lot of time obsessing over eating garbage. That bit of a treat is enough to keep me from eating junk all of the time. Otherwise I feel deprived and tend to eat things I would rather not.1
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I may have a Ghirardelli 70-calorie chocolate square a few days a week. I don't consider that an occasional treat. I consider that making life worth living
I have a 600-calorie Snickers blast from Sonic once, maybe twice a year. THAT is an occasional treat to me. 4 -
I eat them when they fit my calories. Lately I've been putting a serving of Halo Top in an ice cream cone (only 20 calories!!) and it's dreamy. Some days, my dinner is too big in calories to afford dessert, so I skip it or fit in some extra exercise to afford it (most often I'll skip it because I am lazy).
Every few months on special occasions (like birthday, holidays, etc.) I will have a balls-to-the-wall eat fest where I don't track a big meal (mostly because it's complicated on social occasions). I'll have one serving of everything, and then just get back to normal the next day.
For example, this weekend is hubby's birthday and we're having family over for a potluck style meal. I'm preparing the main meat dish and dessert, but I have no idea how many calories are in the scalloped potatoes and salad my in-laws are bringing over. I'll have a serving (based on my eyeballing of previous foods) of everything that goes with the meal and a reasonable portion of the dessert (I'm making a cake which is probably 500 calories a slice!). Did I mention the appetizers? I'll eat some of those, too! I'll eat it, log everything based on close approximations in the database, and just get back at it the next day.
In the big picture of things, a meal like that will mean so little in the overall progress I'm making, that I'd rather enjoy the social moment and live a little than try and restrict myself in the face of so many yummy things.2 -
Sugar was a problem food for me so I limit my added sugars. Luckily after going cold turkey for a couple of weeks to reset myself I don't have the cravings anymore and am very happy with a square of good dark chocolate, date roll, or a single serving of Arctic Zero or Halo top every day or so. I bought some chocolate-flavored teas and with a tiny squirt of monk fruit concentrate they keep me very happy.
If it fits in your calories and you have no reason to monitor your sugar intake have what you want.1 -
220 cals every day on 3oz bourbon.3
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