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What are your strategies to avoid feeling deprived?

Anon2018
Anon2018 Posts: 139 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
My SO pointed out to me that when I'm dieting he feels like he eats better, which got me thinking to strategies.

So, a big weakness for me is eating out. I love getting takeout during the week and kind of consider myself a foodie. My go-tos are thai, pho, and sushi. I know, I know I can fit it in if I want to, and I do but try to save it for weekends and date nights, not casual "eh what should we eat" random nights. SO my strategy to keep the take-out bug at bay is that I cook food that feels like a treat, not because it's calorific, but because it's expensive. So, when i'm dieting I eat more shrimp, smoked salmon, proscuitto, raspberries, etc. And it works! I get excited about my decadent meals and don't have to think twice about my calories.

Got me thinking, what are your strategies to get yourself mentally in the diet mode? Is it substitute desserts like halo top, a weekly treat meal to look forward to, etc?

Replies

  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    I move more to increase my TDEE and I set a lower calorie deficit. Both give me more calories to work with so I don't feel hungry or like I'm missing out on anything I want to eat.
  • Sunnybrooke99
    Sunnybrooke99 Posts: 369 Member
    If I don’t really care that much, I opt for something low calorie, and bank the deficit for another time.
  • changeconsumeme
    changeconsumeme Posts: 229 Member
    I don't think of it as a diet or a temporary way of eating. I eat the food I like, just less of it and stay in a calorie deficit.
  • whosshe
    whosshe Posts: 597 Member
    edited October 2017
    I eat pretty much whatever I feel like eating I just fit it in. Or if I'm really craving something high-calorie I'll only eat that that day. Not the greatest but it keeps me on track and not gaining.

    I think the biggest thing is not being hard on myself. I've lost a lot of weight so far so sometimes I'll say "what's a 1lb gain when you've lost 70" but I never gain that 1lb I'm just ready to. If I do gain the lb I'll be expecting it, if not then woohoo! lol
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    I don't think of it as a diet or a temporary way of eating. I eat the food I like, just less of it and stay in a calorie deficit.

    This. That's how I lost 80 lbs, and I have kept it off for 18 months eating what I feel like while staying in a caloric balance.
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
    Anon2018 wrote: »
    My SO pointed out to me that when I'm dieting he feels like he eats better, which got me thinking to strategies.

    So, a big weakness for me is eating out. I love getting takeout during the week and kind of consider myself a foodie. My go-tos are thai, pho, and sushi. I know, I know I can fit it in if I want to, and I do but try to save it for weekends and date nights, not casual "eh what should we eat" random nights. SO my strategy to keep the take-out bug at bay is that I cook food that feels like a treat, not because it's calorific, but because it's expensive. So, when i'm dieting I eat more shrimp, smoked salmon, proscuitto, raspberries, etc. And it works! I get excited about my decadent meals and don't have to think twice about my calories.

    Got me thinking, what are your strategies to get yourself mentally in the diet mode? Is it substitute desserts like halo top, a weekly treat meal to look forward to, etc?

    I do IF so that I can enjoy big meals. Exercise a lot more too so you can eat more!
This discussion has been closed.