In moderation?

ChelseaHawkins7379
ChelseaHawkins7379 Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Like the title says- I am trying to figure out what the phrase “in moderation” means to me. So I am changing the way I eat- I have cut out a ton of sugar from my diet as well as cutting out a lot of processed food. I have not had fast food in two months. My question is- how often do you allow yourself a treat? Once a week? Once a month? I think it’s unrealistic to think I will never eat something that isn’t healthy- but I want to establish some guidelines for myself going forward. Thanks for your help!

Replies

  • ChelseaHawkins7379
    ChelseaHawkins7379 Posts: 2 Member
    Thank you all for the replies!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    For me moderation generally means one of two things:
    1. Any day or time I want if I can have it in amounts small enough to fit my calories and still feel satisfied. Example: ice cream, I can have one scoop and be okay so I have it whenever the desire strikes. Sometimes I have it daily for a while like during hot summer days, other times I don't have it at all because I don't feel like ice cream in the winter.
    2. Every now and then if I need larger amounts to feel satisfied. Often enough to scratch the itch but not often enough to struggle with my calories. Example: moussaka. I can't just have a small slice and having it more than once a week would make my calorie allowance too uncomfortable. I don't have it every week because there other also other things I like that can't fit my calories neatly on a daily basis, so about once or twice a week I have the high-calorie thing I want the most that week. Some weeks I don't particularly have anything.

    In general, there isn't a real system to it. Some foods I have more often, others I go months without having. It just happens and works itself out somehow. It's more of a single moment's decision for me. "I want this, but is it worth the calories today?" if yes, I re-arrange the rest of my calories to fit, if no, I either plan it for later or decide I don't want it enough to go through the trouble of restricting the calories of my other meals. I let "the easiest path to take" dictate my food decisions.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    However often you think you can/should have it. For some people that’s every day, for others it’s once a week, once a month, etc.

    I fall into the “every day” category. I focus on hitting my nutrients throughout the day but have ice cream for dessert, within my calories.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    I don’t follow a schedule of any kind, I just consider how my eating has been recently (quality and quantity) vs how much I want this treat. I would say it works out to three or four times a month.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited March 2018
    It really depends on what you consider a treat. I'd consider something like cheese a treat and yet I tend to fit it into meals regularly, just in smaller amounts than I used to consume (well, I'm not eating cheese during Lent, but at other times). You could do the same with plenty of other foods that add to taste but are not especially high nutrient for the calories -- for me there's not a really hard and fast distinction between treat and not treat (is adding some olive oil for taste a treat?, adding a small piece of bacon to some collard greens?), so I'd say that because I focus on nutrition as well as taste I probably have treats daily (but if treat=delicious, plenty of foods that are high nutrient are also treat foods, one reason I don't like the distinction).

    I might think of something like pulled pork (which has way more calories than a pork chop) a treat, but consume it every few weeks or so, no specific pattern. I'd just have to have less fat elsewhere in my diet that day.

    I like nice restaurants, so go out once or twice a week and just am reasonable about what I order (the issue here is calories, nutrients are fine) or work around it.

    I like something like fish and chips a lot but find them tough to fit in (fried foods in general, which I don't have a lot), so there maybe every couple of months there? But it would be more if there weren't plenty of other things I enjoy that are higher cal.

    I'm not huge into sweets so have them more rarely, but if I wanted to have them more there are options ranging from 50-200 cal (depending on your calories) that would be easy to fit in even daily. If I drank I'd put something like a glass of wine or cocktail or beer in the same category.

    I don't like fast food so don't consider it a treat but I think it would be easy enough to fit in.

    Basically, I focus on getting a certain number of calories and within those calories adequate nutrients (lots of servings of veg, enough protein, some healthy fat, plenty of fiber), and within those requirements it's not hard to fit in some things I think of as treats. In terms of a day where I just don't hit goals, it depends on how well you do on other days and what you are comfortable with -- I try to hit goals most days but if I don't every once and a while no biggie.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    I mostly go on how I am feeling in that moment, and try to keep it in my calorie goals. But tgere are some things I do not personally think I should have on a regular basis. I have sort of slotted things into my own version of frequency based on my version of perceived nutrition.

    For me dessert and pastries are 1-2x a week. Pizza is 1-2x a month (I do not feel great eating it often, usually has way too much cheese for me). White carbs are once a day. Large amounts of added sugar - 1x a week. A teaspoon or two ofsugar jn coffee is a few times a week (I do not always have coffee daily). I may have a little bit of chocolate a few times in a week. Fast food for me is not a common indulgence for me, so I guess it is at pizza frequency.

    I feel better when I have more veggies, fruits, and legumes more often. And I lead with fruit for dessert. If that isn’t enough I might grab some chocolate. Fruit usually works most days of the week.

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    In moderation to me means the bulk of your daily calorie intake should be nutritious foods that meet your needs.
    A healthy diet is not a specific list of food but everything you consume working together to meet your body's needs. You need to look at nutrients of foods you eat and how they fit your whole day. There are a lot of ways to "eat healthy".
    A food from a fast food place can have as much nutrients as a food prepared at home.

    I don't have a personal rule about how often I will have certain foods or view things as treats. I log every day. I look at calories first and then protein. If I am meeting those goals I am generally not exceeding the recommended carbs/sugar. I look at sodium and try not to go overboard. I try to get several servings of fruits or vegetables a day. I eat one meal out a week and the rest are home prepared. I did not grow up having a lot of restaurant food, soda pop, packaged snacks or desserts daily so it is not really my habit to have a lot of that kind of stuff.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    ChelseaHawkins7379 wrote: »
    Like the title says- I am trying to figure out what the phrase “in moderation” means to me. So I am changing the way I eat- I have cut out a ton of sugar from my diet as well as cutting out a lot of processed food. I have not had fast food in two months. My question is- how often do you allow yourself a treat? Once a week? Once a month? I think it’s unrealistic to think I will never eat something that isn’t healthy- but I want to establish some guidelines for myself going forward. Thanks for your help!

    I took at the totality of my diet...it's much better than drowning in the minutia of individual food items or individual meals in isolation. I meet my nutritional needs and eat very well for the most part...but I don't get extra credit for more broccoli when my nutritional needs are met.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I roughly follow the 80/20 idea, and try to be flexible. I have a completely different standard for myself on Saturdays as Sunday-Friday. It's not "anything goes"...I wouldn't even call it a cheat day...but I try to get tons of extra exercise and then indulge in whatever's been on my mind recently whether that's chocolate chip cookies or Thai food or whatever.

    The biggest help for me over the past several years is cutting out things that I am not crazy about. I never eat chips for example, but I still eat chocolate. I don't really like chips, popcorn, etc, I just ate it before because it was served and now I don't. When I eat a meal that is potluck style, I don't feel obligated to try a little of nearly everything but I approach it in such a way that I'm gonna get a portion of the 1 thing that looks the best to me (even if it's rich or sweet or fried) and then fill out the plate with vegetables and protein...I'm not a low carb person but in situations like that my choices will go that way.
  • lois1231
    lois1231 Posts: 330 Member
    edited March 2018
    If it fits in your calorie allotment you can have it pretty much. Some days i crave peanut butter and chocolate so I will buy a reeses and eat it if it fits in my calories. If it doesn't then I will find a less calorie replacement like a fiber one bar or share half with someone. I can keep a lot of junk in my house and not go crazy but not peanut butter and chocolate so I only buy one. One thing that helps me is buying single serving size bags. That way I know exactly what I am eating. If i bought a big bag of chips I would probably graze on it until it is gone. You know what foods are your trigger foods and what foods you can eat in moderation. Try and not keep trigger foods around.

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