Should I treat myself a little everyday?

Chadomaniac

Yes

CurlySue8403

I agree that it fosters an unhealthy relationship with food to use it as a treat. I treat my dog for good behavior, not myself. That being said, I very much believe in a balanced diet. If you are not getting the nutrients you need by cutting too many foods from your diet then you're going to slow or halt your progress in addition to feeling like crap and having bad cravings. There are healthy choices you can make to still have things like chocolate. Choose a chocolate bar that is maybe 90% cacao (not a crappy hershey's bar), it will be much richer and a small amount will satisfy your craving. There are also numerous health benefits to eating cacao. Greek yogurt is great to mix with fruit and freeze to make a healthy yummy snack. Also be sure you are getting enough protein in your diet, you will feel fuller and more satisfied through the day if you do this. Remember that you need healthy fats in your diet as well, things like coconut oils (its amazing to cook in) and avocados are great for this and super good for you. Best of luck!

fbmandy55

When we try keeping desserts out of the house, I end up making something terrible from scratch

I do that sometimes too!

I dont' need a treat every day. I think that's excessive, but once a week, a few times a week? Fine. Just try to pick something satisfying. Like, a small piece of dark chocolate works really well when I have a chocolate craving (or if I'm going really crazy, dark chocolate pot de creme or moose).

Quantity of calories is all that matters, not quality. 1200 = 1200. So either you have some sort of metabolic disorder or you are going over your calories with the sugar.

You're forgetting the importance of nutrients and satiation. Is the OP eating any fat or protein? That might be the problem right there. Add in some protein and fat and the occasional bit of dark chocolate or the really occasional croissant or donut or what have you and you'll probably feel better.

I agree, but my response wasn't to the OP but the poster who said they stop losing weight anytime they consume sugar. Which is just silly. :laugh:

BlueBombers

Just fit it into your daily allowance. Why not??

FindingAmy77

I treat myself everyday... I am having a yummy fresh fruit smoothie with flaxseed right now. Yes, find yourself things you like to do or eat that is good for you and enjoyable and do it. Don't restrict yourself, just make good choices

1capybara

i gotta agree with everyone else who sez, u need protein, afaik 2.5 oz = 70 grams/day of protein

Hellbent_Heidi

You should do what works for you. Not everyone can do "everything in moderation", so for example, if eating a little bit of chocolate every day makes you just want a LOT of chocolate every day, or you just can't open a bag of chips without eating all of them...then you might want to continue to be more restrictive.

If you're able to moderate and stop after just having a little bit of junk food though....it probably won't hinder your progress much at all to keep having little 'treats' (if that makes you happy).

cadaverousbones

If it fits into your nutrition goals, go for it! Try to find treats that are "all natural" though instead of processed crap, cause if its all natural frozen yogurt youre eating thats not really all too bad for you, it just has a lot of sugar. Also pizza and stuff like that can be made at home and then its more healthy. I LOVE pizza and I definitely didn't give it up, I just know I cannot pig out on 4 slices of pizza when I get it. Also order thin crust or veggie to save cals, or veggie with chicken on top. You can look at my diary for food suggestions if you like


Also if you make your diary public we would be able to give you better advice.

xxghost

If you restrict it will ultimately lead to binging and the end of your diet.

This should be a sustainable lifestyle change. If it fits in your daily allowance eat anything you want!

You want extra pizza or some chocolate? Go work for it to earn extra calories!

Couldn't agree more. Don't tell yourself anything is off-limits. Tell yourself that you can have anything if you work it off.

jasmineruth

Eating broth, salad, fruit, and Greek yogurt only does not sound like a sustainable diet. Like others have said I hope you are getting enough protien! If you are not getting enough sodium, protien, carbs etc it is possible that your cravings are worse because your not giving your body what it needs. I'm not sure if that is the case, but your description of your diet sounds incredibly restrictive!

seltzermint555

I have to have a dessert with dinner, like every night. When we try keeping desserts out of the house, I end up making something terrible from scratch and binging.

I am kind of like this too. I don't have to have it every night - but definitely a few times per week, either with lunch (I come home from work for my lunch break) or dinner. I live alone 4 days per week, so it's even "worse" for me to bake or create desserts myself
;-) For this reason I've always got Z bars (Kids Clif bars, 100-130 cals and decent) and some higher quality chocolate chips on hand, along with nuts and horrible-for-you marshmallow crème. I never binge on these things but some nights, 1 TBSP of the crème, 2 almonds, and 9 chocolate chips keeps me from going out for a Snickers bar or sundae...so far so good.

Francl27

I have treats every day. I try to eat 1400 calories of good food (I put noodles in there, honestly, although I mostly buy whole grains anyway), and the rest is 'junk'. I would probably have given up months ago if I couldn't have any...

DopeItUp

Of course you should. I allow myself approximately 500 calories in treats every day. Invariably I choose beer for said treat. It's been 2.5 years and counting...

simplybe13

I'm not a guru on this topic, hence I need to lose so much weight.......however........I know that total deprivation ends up with me craving everything and then binging....then feel like crap. So, I now just add things to my calorie allowance occasionally.......my guilty pleasure is a 2 finger Kit Kat (107 calories) with a cup of Earl Grey tea (milk from my daily allowance which I account for in my calories)........it's about balance I guess. Which is hard after a life time of extreme!Good luck!

jofjltncb6

There are two very popular approaches to this question: 1) yes, enjoy a treat every day so you won't feel deprived, and 2) no, make treats rare if at all to eliminate cravings. I've tried both ways and each has merit. I'd suggest you try one way for a month or two (because it can take a while to really know) and see which way works for you. If you find yourself slipping hard because of cravings from daily treats, then try cutting them entirely out for a while. This is probably a personality/character thing more than anything else.

Most importantly, regardless of which approach you take, make give careful thought to your total calories. Too large of a deficit can easily undermine either approach (while too little of a deficit will result in little results).

Good luck.

Matt24442

I give myself a treat every night and I'm still doing just dandy

JoanieGirl2013

Our office goes out to lunch together once a week...That's when I allow myself a treat...It gives me something to look forward...Good luck!!

cmcollins001

I'm going to disagree with most of the advice here but only becuase this is what I found works for me. It very well might not work for you so please do what you will. For me a little treat everyday hampers my progress or adds weight even when I am under my calorie goals. That's because I'm very sensitive to sugar. If I have a little sugar everyday it pretty much stops my weight loss or has me start gaining.

However what I've found that if I do a "cheat" day when I am really craving this stops the cravings and makes it easy for me to return to healty eating. I only do this when I find myself craving for several days. Usually it's once every 3 to 4 weeks.

This is what has worked for me but totally get it if it's not for everyone.

Good Luck!

If you have some sort of medical issue with sugar, and the OP does not, then this doesn't apply.

Many of the users of MFP eat chocolate, cookies, donuts, cake, fast food, and all the "bad" food, and still lose weight, such as myself and Ed (as previously posted above) without any issues or hindrance on weight loss.

Eat what you want, stay within your calorie goals and macros and don't worry about every little pound that goes up or down. The scale won't give accurate information daily so you'll have to be patient and make adjustments over time. If you keep restricting yourself, you'll end up giving in and most people who restrict their diet normally don't last long enough to see any real progress, or if they do, they don't learn how to eat regularly when they reach their goal.

Look at what you eat now, is that the way you want to eat forever? If it's not, you may want to adjust your thinking for long term, not for just right now. Everyone wants to drop the weight today....but that's not the way it works.