Cutting out tea (sugar), white bread

louise_gets_lean

Hi all, so I'm a re-starter. No shame in it. Bit I think the reason I have failed so many times is because when I start I cut out things I enjoy eg. Tea (because I take it with 2 sugars 🙄) and white bread. Do you think it's best to go cold turkey with things like this or to gradually cut it out?

nutmegoreo

Or learn to fit it into your calorie goals, or have it once or twice a week. I failed every time I tried to cut out something I enjoyed. For me, giving myself permission to have these things was the best thing I could. Some stuff I couldn't keep in the house (ice cream), but if I wanted it, I would buy a single serving and have it. It really made the process more sustainable.

wilson10102018

A packet of sugar has what? 15 calories? Is this really a problem?

moonangel12

I agree with @nutmegoreo - don’t cut them out, just “budget” for them... or find ways to cut back the calories. I like a bagel with egg and cheese, but they pack a punch so I actually cut them into quarters rather than halves. I still get the taste and sensory satisfaction, but it definitely helps cut the calories. You could find thinner sliced bread, or eat an open faced sandwich with just one slice.

louise_gets_lean

Thank you! I think I just want to be so streamlined to start off....and I end up craving them and throwing the towel completely. (Overdramatic I know 🤣🤷) but those are good ideas. I'm gonna go with them

apullum

louise_gets_lean wrote: »

Thank you! I think I just want to be so streamlined to start off....and I end up craving them and throwing the towel completely. (Overdramatic I know 🤣🤷) but those are good ideas. I'm gonna go with them

Weight management is not about cutting specific foods. It is 100% dependent on how many calories you eat and how many calories your body burns. As far as weight loss is concerned, the specific foods you eat don’t matter; all that matters is consistently being in a calorie deficit.

MikePTY

You don't need to cut anything completely out of your diet to lose weight. You just need to eat less calories than your body burns.

If you find that you are overeating certain things, and that's causing difficulty hitting your goal, then you can reduce them, but you don't need to fully cut them out.

I haven't cut out a single food I enjoy during my weight loss journey. Not one. I've reduced the amount of times I've eaten certain foods, I've added others, and I move more. But I've most almost 45 pounds by just focusing on my calories.

paperpudding

Could you try artificial sweeteners in your tea or reducing tthe amount of sugar - If you drink several cups per day that would help reduce your calories.

gallicinvasion

If you’re not willing to cut it out for your entire life, you should not cut it out during weight loss. If the habit you’re creating is only sustainable for a shortened period of time, you’ll lose progress and gain back when you switch to trying to maintain your weight (because you haven’t yet figured out how to fit in the foods you love into your long-term way of eating).

wilson10102018

I think that the only way to eliminate particular foods is to substitute a better choice. I am eating fresh raspberries, strawberries and blackberries as a snack instead of peanuts. Different, but not heinous. On the dinner menu, I have found lump crab meat, frozen lobster and shrimp an OK substitute for beef, even though I still eat beef. And, low calorie (70) flour tortilla instead of bread for sandwiches. (I put them direct on the gas burner until toasted on both sides). Having said that, most everything else is as it was, just less of it.

My last year:

ReenieHJ

paperpudding wrote: »

Could you try artificial sweeteners in your tea or reducing tthe amount of sugar - If you drink several cups per day that would help reduce your calories.

I'm trying to do that with my 2 c. of daily coffee, therefore substituting 2 tsp. of sugar. Artificial sweeteners just don't taste as good to me, in this capacity. I can use them in other ways but for some reason coffee just isn't the same. Is there 1 sweetener that tastes less fake than others? And the white bread thing....my dh buys an Italian bread that I love(too much) but as was suggested already, if I do cave I only have 1 slice of it.
So I guess my advice is to try and modify your way of eating to include what you like so you don't feel like you're depriving yourself.
I've also seen where a person uses 1 day a week to have some of their favorite foods(without going way off the mark), then hang tough again for the other 6 days.
Good luck to you!! It's definitely a mind over matter journey.

sgt1372

Many here will disagree but I believe that there"s nothing wrong w/cutting out "cold turkey" anything thatyou fon't need to eat and thst contributes to any difficulty that you have in controlling your wt

For me, it was sodas, sugar based drink powders, pizza and hamburgers. I haven't had any of these things in over 4 yrs and eliminating them immediately helped me to lise 40#in just 6 months.

Canned beer that I stocked by the case in the frig was also a problem for me because I would drink it like water. Still drink a pint of draft (only 1 at a time) when eating out but I no longer stock beervin the frig which allows me to better control my cal intake

Othwrwise, I agree w/what others say about just needing to control your food intake to control your wt. However, I still believe, based on my experience, that eliminating food triggers or problem foods "cold turkey" will help immensely to jump start anyone's wt loss effort.

kimny72

There has been much discussion here about how some people are abstainers and some are moderators. In other words, some people do better trying to moderate higher cal foods they like, while others do better cutting certain things out.

I personally believe many folks need different strategies for different foods. For example, I learned to drink my coffee with a splash of milk and no sweetener by slowly cutting back week to week, and I can weigh out a portion of ice cream and be satisfied with one serving. But I am incapable of opening a bag of chips or cheese crackers without hoovering down the whole bag. So you'll find ice cream in my freezer, but no chips anywhere ever 😃

Since cold turkey hasn't worked for you in the past, why not try serving control? Log what you're going to have before you serve yourself and play with the serving size that will fit your cals. See if you can get used to less sugar in your tea. Mindfully have a reasonable serving of bread. And if there are some things you can't control, or that having less just makes you miserable, cut them out except for special occasions and see if you can find better ways to scratch that itch. Good luck!

Katmary71

I'd either keep drinking it with sugar, slowly cut back to one, or switch to an alternative sweetener like stevia or monkfruit. I'm trying to cut back on stevia and have found it easier except for iced tea and coffee, but in hot teas it's easier. I drink a lot of tea of various varieties. My favorite cheap tea that doesn't need sweetener is Good Earth sweet and spicy. There's black and decaf. It makes great iced tea too, way better than Lipton. I don't like sweetener with herbal mint tea either like peppermint.

fdlewenstein

I love Good Earth tea, both hot and cold! I don't need any sweetener. Try cutting back in small amounts. Bread is a different issue. However, if you are staying within your allowed macros it shouldn't be an issue. You are sacrificing carbs in the bread with less carbs elsewhere. Explore a lower carb alternative. Don't be afraid to try new foods and/or brands. You might find an alternative you like. Most of all...measure, weigh, and log your food. Be consistent, but flexible.

extra_medium

There's no need to punish yourself or cut out specific foods. Eat the food you like. Just make sure you track your calories to make sure the calories in stay lower than the calories out. You'll lose weight.