How to fit in "off plan" food choices without derailing?
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Don't go 'off plan'.
That's not to say you can't eat other foods or be flexible but it all needs to be part of the plan. There's nothing anywhere that says that the treats and foods you want to eat can't be a part of your plan.
Think of it in terms of budgeting money. If you were going to go on a bit of a shopping spree on the weekend you'd still have a spending limit. You might be treating yourself and buying stuff that you normally wouldn't buy so strictly speaking you'd be going 'off plan' as far as your usual spending goes but you wouldn't just rack up tens of thousands of dollars just because you were 'off plan' spending like a lunatic with no restrictions.6 -
In listening to an interview on a podcast with Yoni Freedhoff someone with diabetes had asked him about wanting to have an occasional piece of cake. After giving the appropriate disclaimers about monitoring blood sugar and listening to your own doctors advice specific to your situation. He also said that for some people it’s unrealistic to NEVER have the cake since too much restriction can sometimes lead to binging, etc. He indicated that there are a couple things to ask yourself about the specific food/situation before indulging. 1) Is it worth it? 2) What is the smallest amount I can eat and be satisfied.
I think these guidelines help me distinguish between the daily “I want cake” vs. “My best friend is having a birthday and I’d like to share a piece of cake with her”. To me cake is not worth it as a daily indulgence (ice cream is). But under some circumstances (special occasions) I wouldn’t want to miss out on cake. Planning ahead let’s me decide on the portion size. Once I choose my portion size, I serve it an leave the room with it. Leaving the room is important for me to keep me away from additional portions.2 -
emmamcgarity wrote: »In listening to an interview on a podcast with Yoni Freedhoff someone with diabetes had asked him about wanting to have an occasional piece of cake. After giving the appropriate disclaimers about monitoring blood sugar and listening to your own doctors advice specific to your situation. He also said that for some people it’s unrealistic to NEVER have the cake since too much restriction can sometimes lead to binging, etc. He indicated that there are a couple things to ask yourself about the specific food/situation before indulging. 1) Is it worth it? 2) What is the smallest amount I can eat and be satisfied.
I think these guidelines help me distinguish between the daily “I want cake” vs. “My best friend is having a birthday and I’d like to share a piece of cake with her”. To me cake is not worth it as a daily indulgence (ice cream is). But under some circumstances (special occasions) I wouldn’t want to miss out on cake. Planning ahead let’s me decide on the portion size. Once I choose my portion size, I serve it an leave the room with it. Leaving the room is important for me to keep me away from additional portions.
I’m type 2. For me, most kinds of cake are not an option as a single piece will spike me into unacceptable levels - I can handle about 45g carbs as part of a mixed meal, only about 30g if it’s just cake, and most pieces of birthday cake have upwards of 60g. However, I can be social and have a couple of bites of cake while eating something else I have provided or drinking black coffee if we are at a restaurant, for example. For my own birthdays I arrange for keto cakes.
For me at least, eating something anyway which I know will spike me is never an option. I won’t deliberately damage my health for the sake of being social, and no reasonable friend would expect me to. And no food is worth it - food goes in your mouth and then the fun’s over, while I have to live with only one body for the rest of my life.
That doesn’t mean I have to be miserable. It does mean that I have to work out what foods I can manage within known restrictions, just as I have to figure out what I can afford due to the money I have. Do I sometimes buy frivolous things with my money? Yes, but not if it means my electricity gets cut off because I can’t pay the bill. Indulging in food treats, same thing, I enjoy what I can afford to enjoy and then stop.4 -
rheddmobile wrote: »emmamcgarity wrote: »In listening to an interview on a podcast with Yoni Freedhoff someone with diabetes had asked him about wanting to have an occasional piece of cake. After giving the appropriate disclaimers about monitoring blood sugar and listening to your own doctors advice specific to your situation. He also said that for some people it’s unrealistic to NEVER have the cake since too much restriction can sometimes lead to binging, etc. He indicated that there are a couple things to ask yourself about the specific food/situation before indulging. 1) Is it worth it? 2) What is the smallest amount I can eat and be satisfied.
I think these guidelines help me distinguish between the daily “I want cake” vs. “My best friend is having a birthday and I’d like to share a piece of cake with her”. To me cake is not worth it as a daily indulgence (ice cream is). But under some circumstances (special occasions) I wouldn’t want to miss out on cake. Planning ahead let’s me decide on the portion size. Once I choose my portion size, I serve it an leave the room with it. Leaving the room is important for me to keep me away from additional portions.
I’m type 2. For me, most kinds of cake are not an option as a single piece will spike me into unacceptable levels - I can handle about 45g carbs as part of a mixed meal, only about 30g if it’s just cake, and most pieces of birthday cake have upwards of 60g. However, I can be social and have a couple of bites of cake while eating something else I have provided or drinking black coffee if we are at a restaurant, for example. For my own birthdays I arrange for keto cakes.
For me at least, eating something anyway which I know will spike me is never an option. I won’t deliberately damage my health for the sake of being social, and no reasonable friend would expect me to. And no food is worth it - food goes in your mouth and then the fun’s over, while I have to live with only one body for the rest of my life.
That doesn’t mean I have to be miserable. It does mean that I have to work out what foods I can manage within known restrictions, just as I have to figure out what I can afford due to the money I have. Do I sometimes buy frivolous things with my money? Yes, but not if it means my electricity gets cut off because I can’t pay the bill. Indulging in food treats, same thing, I enjoy what I can afford to enjoy and then stop.
I really like the way you described your strategies specific to your health. It occurred me me after reading your response that I wasn’t clear about something in my post. The interview referenced a diabetic person who asked Dr Freedhoff the question. However I do not have diabetes. I just thought his response of the questions to ask yourself before indulging were helpful to me prior to making decisions about foods that are off my plan. I think knowing how your body will react (i.e. blood sugar spikes, other health consequences) definitely play into the “is it worth it” question. There are definitely some foods I won’t have simply because I don’t have the self control to stop myself at an even moderately reasonable serving size. And that’s not worth it to me.
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »journey2zen wrote: »Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. I appreciate it. I don't have much faith in doctors due to a host of bad experiences, and it doesn't help that most don't get much training in nutrition. I feel pretty confident that I am making the right food choices for my default diet, just struggle with derailment. I'll try purposefully planning it in advance rather than allow for spur of the moment impulses.
I just went out for lunch and was tempted to eat a cookie. I looked at my calories and saw that I could, theoretically fit it in. But since it wasn't planned and it'd really reduce what's left for dinner, I decided not to get it.
Can you clarify what you meant in the original post about having to have a strict diet for your health, because you're getting two different types of responses depending on how people are interpreting it? Are these self-imposed food restrictions based on what you think is healthy in general, or are these specific foods you need to avoid because they are counterindicated for specific medical conditions you have?
I have to avoid them because of medical issues. Don't really want to go into details about the medical aspect of it for privacy reasons. So basically I DO have to eat the way I do most of the time, but not necessarily 100% of the time.3 -
journey2zen wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »journey2zen wrote: »Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. I appreciate it. I don't have much faith in doctors due to a host of bad experiences, and it doesn't help that most don't get much training in nutrition. I feel pretty confident that I am making the right food choices for my default diet, just struggle with derailment. I'll try purposefully planning it in advance rather than allow for spur of the moment impulses.
I just went out for lunch and was tempted to eat a cookie. I looked at my calories and saw that I could, theoretically fit it in. But since it wasn't planned and it'd really reduce what's left for dinner, I decided not to get it.
Can you clarify what you meant in the original post about having to have a strict diet for your health, because you're getting two different types of responses depending on how people are interpreting it? Are these self-imposed food restrictions based on what you think is healthy in general, or are these specific foods you need to avoid because they are counterindicated for specific medical conditions you have?
I have to avoid them because of medical issues. Don't really want to go into details about the medical aspect of it for privacy reasons. So basically I DO have to eat the way I do most of the time, but not necessarily 100% of the time.
That makes it simple, then. If you have to avoid them for legitimate medical issues then no, you can't work them into your plan. It's the same as someone with celiac not being able to have gluten.6 -
Planning is the best thing you can do in this scenario. Allow yourself ONE cheat meal per week and plan for it. Go to a nice restaurant, maybe grab some friends and let yourself have whatever you want to. That's really the best way of dealing with wanting "the bad foods" is to just let yourself have it once a week and work it into your food plan. Like for example, I'm going out Friday night for pizza with a friend, so I'll eat mostly fruits and vegetables during the day, make sure I really stay hydrated and do extra cardio. If you plan accordingly, you'll be fine. Just make a plan, really think about what you want, and stick to it.0
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I have some dietary restrictions due to a digestive condition and I usually have to decide if the indulgence is worth the consequences. Deviating too far off my routine generally leaves me bloated and nauseated, with a good amount of discomfort and indigestion-type symptoms that can last up to a week. I admit, sometimes I do want old favorites enough to accept those consequences (popcorn!). Generally though, I just try to find a “close enough” alternative.1
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journey2zen wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »journey2zen wrote: »Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. I appreciate it. I don't have much faith in doctors due to a host of bad experiences, and it doesn't help that most don't get much training in nutrition. I feel pretty confident that I am making the right food choices for my default diet, just struggle with derailment. I'll try purposefully planning it in advance rather than allow for spur of the moment impulses.
I just went out for lunch and was tempted to eat a cookie. I looked at my calories and saw that I could, theoretically fit it in. But since it wasn't planned and it'd really reduce what's left for dinner, I decided not to get it.
Can you clarify what you meant in the original post about having to have a strict diet for your health, because you're getting two different types of responses depending on how people are interpreting it? Are these self-imposed food restrictions based on what you think is healthy in general, or are these specific foods you need to avoid because they are counterindicated for specific medical conditions you have?
I have to avoid them because of medical issues. Don't really want to go into details about the medical aspect of it for privacy reasons. So basically I DO have to eat the way I do most of the time, but not necessarily 100% of the time.
Without disclosing anything personal can you tell us what "most of the time" means? Is it a percentage of the time or is it more like a certain number of servings per week1 -
I’d physically be fine with a few meals a week, maybe 3, being indulgent. Spread out.0
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Commander_Keen wrote: »journey2zen wrote: »Let me preface this with saying I'm not suggesting any specific food SHOULD be off limits. However, due to health issues I personally have to eat a fairly strict diet most of the time.
My concern is burnout. I want to be able to go off my personal plan once or twice a week for a meal or a snack or a dessert, without it becoming like the floodgates have opened and my mind--subconsciously or not--gives in to the point that the meal becomes two meals, the snacks become two snacks, the desert becomes a whole bag of cookies, and so on.
I am wondering what you all do to rein yourself in without having to be always on plan.
For what it's worth, I'll share my normal diet here:
I eat veggies, fruits, nuts, beans, tofu, eggs, seeds a lot.
I will slowly be adding back whole grains like rice, oatmeal, and the like.
I have very small amounts of dairy, but most days none at all.
I do not eat meat.
I avoid sugar and flour.
So when I say off plan, I am talking about, for example, having a cookie or having a tortilla, maybe a sandwich, now and then.
I'd like to be able to do that once or twice a week and then have no problem going right back to my norm. But in the past, anytime I'm not strict, I've either quickly or gradually gone back to overdoing the sugar and the flour and the dairy. And then I'd gain weight and feel physically horrible. Recently I was in the hospital as a result of those choices. On plan, I lose weight weight and start to feel good, but deprived at times.
What do you do to fit in the things you don't normally have without messing it all up?
I don't think one can. Once you rationalize that its o.k to have that one cookie, then why not two, or three.
By the 3rd cookie one can say, eh..I will go back on the diet tomorrow. Now once you say that, that stops you from having Ice cream the rest of the day?
I think for me, its just mind over matter until I hit "My goal"/ "My weight"
You could reward your self for every 10 lbs that you lose. Right so, you lost 10lbs, ate multiple cookies, your weight fluctuates 2 lbs, so now that is a "loss" of 8 lbs. Not enough to discourage you,
It would take 7000 calories of cookies to gain 2 pounds of fat from just the cookies. Anything else is temporary water gain which comes and goes even if you don't eat the cookies.
What stops me is that I never go off my plan. Eating more food on occasion is part of my plan. Unlike the OP I do not have dietary restrictions though. The more I tell myself I can't have a cookie the more I want it. If I crave it I find a way to make it fit in my plan.
Lets take Oreo Cookies. -- Three cookies
160 Cal
7 G fat
25 G - Carbs
Who has three.? I don't..
3 in the morning.
3 as a snack.
3 w/lunch
3 w/ dinner
3 before bed.
That's 800 calories on top of what ever I just ate.
So to answer another person's question is no.. I stopped eating it, because I have no control.
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Commander_Keen wrote: »journey2zen wrote: »Let me preface this with saying I'm not suggesting any specific food SHOULD be off limits. However, due to health issues I personally have to eat a fairly strict diet most of the time.
My concern is burnout. I want to be able to go off my personal plan once or twice a week for a meal or a snack or a dessert, without it becoming like the floodgates have opened and my mind--subconsciously or not--gives in to the point that the meal becomes two meals, the snacks become two snacks, the desert becomes a whole bag of cookies, and so on.
I am wondering what you all do to rein yourself in without having to be always on plan.
For what it's worth, I'll share my normal diet here:
I eat veggies, fruits, nuts, beans, tofu, eggs, seeds a lot.
I will slowly be adding back whole grains like rice, oatmeal, and the like.
I have very small amounts of dairy, but most days none at all.
I do not eat meat.
I avoid sugar and flour.
So when I say off plan, I am talking about, for example, having a cookie or having a tortilla, maybe a sandwich, now and then.
I'd like to be able to do that once or twice a week and then have no problem going right back to my norm. But in the past, anytime I'm not strict, I've either quickly or gradually gone back to overdoing the sugar and the flour and the dairy. And then I'd gain weight and feel physically horrible. Recently I was in the hospital as a result of those choices. On plan, I lose weight weight and start to feel good, but deprived at times.
What do you do to fit in the things you don't normally have without messing it all up?
I don't think one can. Once you rationalize that its o.k to have that one cookie, then why not two, or three.
By the 3rd cookie one can say, eh..I will go back on the diet tomorrow. Now once you say that, that stops you from having Ice cream the rest of the day?
I think for me, its just mind over matter until I hit "My goal"/ "My weight"
You could reward your self for every 10 lbs that you lose. Right so, you lost 10lbs, ate multiple cookies, your weight fluctuates 2 lbs, so now that is a "loss" of 8 lbs. Not enough to discourage you,
That's not necessarily true. Some people may struggle with self control once they cross that barrier, and others are able to stop themselves and get right back on track. Some individuals, if they give in to anything, they've lost absolutely all control for the day and binge. It can sometimes take a few days or even weeks to get back on track. Other people, myself being one of them, are able to allow themselves one cookie, or two even, and not beat themselves up over it. And I'm also able to feel satisfied from those one or two cookies, and get back on track immediately. Not even the next day.
I used to be one of those people that binges after one little slip up. It would take me days to get back on track. Something changed. I don't know what it is, exactly, but I have way more control but also am way more gentle with myself at the same time.
I think a big part of it is reminding yourself that its not going to be perfect. You can have cookies here and there. Its okay.
Weightloss does not need to be on a timeline. If you have a few cookies, its not going to set you back. As long as you stay consistent and pick back up right away, you will get there.
I saw FASTER results when I threw my goal timeline out the window and decided to make this a slow, sustainable thing. Once I turned it into a lifestyle, not a diet, it became not only easier but I lost weight faster because I wasn't struggling with it mentally as much.
Let yourself have a few cookies here and there. Life is far too short. You were not born to just lose weight.2 -
Commander_Keen wrote: »Commander_Keen wrote: »journey2zen wrote: »Let me preface this with saying I'm not suggesting any specific food SHOULD be off limits. However, due to health issues I personally have to eat a fairly strict diet most of the time.
My concern is burnout. I want to be able to go off my personal plan once or twice a week for a meal or a snack or a dessert, without it becoming like the floodgates have opened and my mind--subconsciously or not--gives in to the point that the meal becomes two meals, the snacks become two snacks, the desert becomes a whole bag of cookies, and so on.
I am wondering what you all do to rein yourself in without having to be always on plan.
For what it's worth, I'll share my normal diet here:
I eat veggies, fruits, nuts, beans, tofu, eggs, seeds a lot.
I will slowly be adding back whole grains like rice, oatmeal, and the like.
I have very small amounts of dairy, but most days none at all.
I do not eat meat.
I avoid sugar and flour.
So when I say off plan, I am talking about, for example, having a cookie or having a tortilla, maybe a sandwich, now and then.
I'd like to be able to do that once or twice a week and then have no problem going right back to my norm. But in the past, anytime I'm not strict, I've either quickly or gradually gone back to overdoing the sugar and the flour and the dairy. And then I'd gain weight and feel physically horrible. Recently I was in the hospital as a result of those choices. On plan, I lose weight weight and start to feel good, but deprived at times.
What do you do to fit in the things you don't normally have without messing it all up?
I don't think one can. Once you rationalize that its o.k to have that one cookie, then why not two, or three.
By the 3rd cookie one can say, eh..I will go back on the diet tomorrow. Now once you say that, that stops you from having Ice cream the rest of the day?
I think for me, its just mind over matter until I hit "My goal"/ "My weight"
You could reward your self for every 10 lbs that you lose. Right so, you lost 10lbs, ate multiple cookies, your weight fluctuates 2 lbs, so now that is a "loss" of 8 lbs. Not enough to discourage you,
It would take 7000 calories of cookies to gain 2 pounds of fat from just the cookies. Anything else is temporary water gain which comes and goes even if you don't eat the cookies.
What stops me is that I never go off my plan. Eating more food on occasion is part of my plan. Unlike the OP I do not have dietary restrictions though. The more I tell myself I can't have a cookie the more I want it. If I crave it I find a way to make it fit in my plan.
Lets take Oreo Cookies. -- Three cookies
160 Cal
7 G fat
25 G - Carbs
Who has three.? I don't..
3 in the morning.
3 as a snack.
3 w/lunch
3 w/ dinner
3 before bed.
That's 800 calories on top of what ever I just ate.
So to answer another person's question is no.. I stopped eating it, because I have no control.
I can eat 3. I can eat 1. That is the point I was trying to make. We are not all you and you gave advice as if everyone would do exactly what you do. If you really enjoy oreos I hope there comes a day where you feel comfortable moderating them.
Also you suggested that it would result in a 2 pound gain which is impossible with 800 calories worth of cookies.5 -
Commander_Keen wrote: »Commander_Keen wrote: »journey2zen wrote: »Let me preface this with saying I'm not suggesting any specific food SHOULD be off limits. However, due to health issues I personally have to eat a fairly strict diet most of the time.
My concern is burnout. I want to be able to go off my personal plan once or twice a week for a meal or a snack or a dessert, without it becoming like the floodgates have opened and my mind--subconsciously or not--gives in to the point that the meal becomes two meals, the snacks become two snacks, the desert becomes a whole bag of cookies, and so on.
I am wondering what you all do to rein yourself in without having to be always on plan.
For what it's worth, I'll share my normal diet here:
I eat veggies, fruits, nuts, beans, tofu, eggs, seeds a lot.
I will slowly be adding back whole grains like rice, oatmeal, and the like.
I have very small amounts of dairy, but most days none at all.
I do not eat meat.
I avoid sugar and flour.
So when I say off plan, I am talking about, for example, having a cookie or having a tortilla, maybe a sandwich, now and then.
I'd like to be able to do that once or twice a week and then have no problem going right back to my norm. But in the past, anytime I'm not strict, I've either quickly or gradually gone back to overdoing the sugar and the flour and the dairy. And then I'd gain weight and feel physically horrible. Recently I was in the hospital as a result of those choices. On plan, I lose weight weight and start to feel good, but deprived at times.
What do you do to fit in the things you don't normally have without messing it all up?
I don't think one can. Once you rationalize that its o.k to have that one cookie, then why not two, or three.
By the 3rd cookie one can say, eh..I will go back on the diet tomorrow. Now once you say that, that stops you from having Ice cream the rest of the day?
I think for me, its just mind over matter until I hit "My goal"/ "My weight"
You could reward your self for every 10 lbs that you lose. Right so, you lost 10lbs, ate multiple cookies, your weight fluctuates 2 lbs, so now that is a "loss" of 8 lbs. Not enough to discourage you,
It would take 7000 calories of cookies to gain 2 pounds of fat from just the cookies. Anything else is temporary water gain which comes and goes even if you don't eat the cookies.
What stops me is that I never go off my plan. Eating more food on occasion is part of my plan. Unlike the OP I do not have dietary restrictions though. The more I tell myself I can't have a cookie the more I want it. If I crave it I find a way to make it fit in my plan.
Lets take Oreo Cookies. -- Three cookies
160 Cal
7 G fat
25 G - Carbs
Who has three.? I don't..
3 in the morning.
3 as a snack.
3 w/lunch
3 w/ dinner
3 before bed.
That's 800 calories on top of what ever I just ate.
So to answer another person's question is no.. I stopped eating it, because I have no control.
I’m that way with certain foods. My solution is to eat things which are similar, but not quite as tempting to lose control over. For example I can’t moderate Mint Milano cookies, but I can eat half a piece of banana bread. I like banana bread, but I don’t love it so much that I can’t have it in the house without eating all of it.
Maybe in time you will gain some ability to moderate your favorite foods. The last time I ate an Oreo it was disappointing and not as good as I remembered- problem solved.0 -
journey2zen wrote: »I’d physically be fine with a few meals a week, maybe 3, being indulgent. Spread out.
If it's a health issue, I'd focus more on learning to make indulgent feeling meals that aren't problematic from a health perspective, given your issues. One thing people sometimes fall into is a dichotomy between "healthy" or "diet" foods, which they think of as bland or eat basically the same things, and then "indulgent" foods, which they then go overboard on.
I'm typically more of a moderator (within the context of my personal ideas about nutrition, which are kind of strict as a personal preference), but for someone with genuine health condition reasons to be more restrictive, I think there are different considerations. So instead of trying to figure out how to order your favorite pizza and not go off plan, learn to make a pizza that fits your dietary restrictions. Instead of having meat 3x a week if you don't want meat, find other indulgent meals that feel special but don't involve it (Ethiopian, Indian, various other Asian, so on).
Or if it is simply a "not too much" thing, use that and take it seriously as your reason not to exceed -- tell yourself I cannot, I've had X grams of added sugar or sat fat (or whatever it is, I didn't look back), and that's my max for the day/week, I can have it next week instead.
Just some ideas.3 -
If I were to eat oreos, it would have to be the double stuff ones lol (and I would eat the whole bag probably in 2 sittings)1
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journey2zen wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »journey2zen wrote: »Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. I appreciate it. I don't have much faith in doctors due to a host of bad experiences, and it doesn't help that most don't get much training in nutrition. I feel pretty confident that I am making the right food choices for my default diet, just struggle with derailment. I'll try purposefully planning it in advance rather than allow for spur of the moment impulses.
I just went out for lunch and was tempted to eat a cookie. I looked at my calories and saw that I could, theoretically fit it in. But since it wasn't planned and it'd really reduce what's left for dinner, I decided not to get it.
Can you clarify what you meant in the original post about having to have a strict diet for your health, because you're getting two different types of responses depending on how people are interpreting it? Are these self-imposed food restrictions based on what you think is healthy in general, or are these specific foods you need to avoid because they are counterindicated for specific medical conditions you have?
I have to avoid them because of medical issues. Don't really want to go into details about the medical aspect of it for privacy reasons. So basically I DO have to eat the way I do most of the time, but not necessarily 100% of the time.
I wasn't asking for medical details, just clarity on whether there was a medical necessity to avoid these things. When you said in your OP that you "can't" eat certain things, it sounded to me like something you should avoid 100% of the time (allergy, celiac disease, etc.). But apparently that's not what you meant. If it's something it's OK for you to eat occasionally, then go ahead and eat it occasionally.3 -
journey2zen wrote: »I’d physically be fine with a few meals a week, maybe 3, being indulgent. Spread out.
so health issues aside, you want to fit in these foods and "can" a few times a week without repercussions.
so schedule that in your diary/plan ahead. Enter the quantity you plan to eat calorie wise. make it fit in your daily or weekly calories. it's not rocket science. How to manage more specifically depends what works FOR YOU (we are all different) and may take some trial and error.
Ex: some foods i "schedule in" I know i may over eat - so I buy one portion (I have even been known to throw out if i cannot buy small enough or ship it off at the office/friends fast enough). This way i can't over eat short of going to the store. Others i can moderate myself as long as i am logging them. Some foods I started with one portion only (ex: bar of lindt dark chocolate) but with time was able to moderate on my own (now can have a lindt bar in cupboard for months before it's eaten).
Some foods I only eat out of hte house. usually more craving type stuff (fish and chips for example).
some people need to not eat some specific foods (foods, not food groups) without derailing at least at first. so yes, for those very specific foods best to avoid altogether. after some months in you can try to test small portion and see (ex: if chips are on the no eating list without derailing, you can at one point test a snack size bag and see). Personally i find if I say "i cannot have this food" i tend to want it more and that causes more issues. Everyone is different.
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If I go over my calories (not just by a few) I stop myself going off the deep end by telling myself it's all good as long as I don't go over maintenance calories. I try to plan all my food in advance but if I'm going out for the day that might not be possible but I just tell myself as long as I'm under maintenance over the week, I'm still gonna lose1
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Caveat all the below with me not knowing your specific medical condition. I eat in a similar way to you, although my dairy intake is pretty high. My blood sugar spikes wildly and while I am not officially in any diabetic category I know with my personal and family medical history it is a possibility.
I choose to keep my sugars pretty low, under 20g most days. I generally do not do flour containing items and I aim for no sugar. My long term goal is to be able to enjoy small quantities of treats on ocaission, without flood gates opening and sugar binges. Personally for me I need to abstain completely from said items for 2-3 months before the cravings go away. I can now add in some breads on ocaission. I choose high fiber and lower carb option. Trader joes low car tortilla for example is 45cal and hits the spot once a month when I think I want something bready. I have been at this about 4 month now and am finding myself capable of having a small cookie, or even half a cookie or a single bite of my husbands dessert. I enjoy the flavor and I am good.
For me, moderation is important for long term success, but I know I will not be able to moderate if I have these things regularly. A burger bun of a full slice of bread is rarely worth it for me anymore. If you want a small exception, keep it small. Have one slice of bread on a half sandwich. Have a single taco and the rest in salad for etc. Have a piece of a cookie instead of the full one.2
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