How often do people have treats

davert123

PS if you like hi cal food - start exercising -Put the exercise (truthfully) into MFP and it will adjust your calories so you can eat more :-)

teamAmelia

It's okay to have treats. What I watch out for when eating treats is the sugar.

misskaela206

I'm not sure if this was mentioned already, I didn't read through both pages. I personally have modified my food tracker to show sugars instead of vitamin C, because I have a bad habit of eating too many sugars throughout the day. Not to mention I'm extremely paranoid about diabetes, even though I'm not considerably overweight. I go with the same theory as most people if it fits within my limits I give myself a treat, but many times just eating food throughout the day will boost your sugars over the allowance.

LiftAllThePizzas

These "treats" are designed to be physically addictive. Most people on this site will disagree with me, but i view those items the same way a recovering alcoholic views whiskey. One is too many, and a thousand is never enough.

I prefer to view them as a grownup views treats. I hit my goals, I enjoy my treats, I get and stay healthy.

crazie4lulu

every damned day!!!!

sarahrbraun

Hi everyone, I've been using MFP for 2 weeks and lost 3 pounds. I added a post last week because I felt that it was going slow and I had headaches and dizzy spells but since putting my goal back to 1lb a week putting my calories up to 1390 and eating back some of my exercise calories I feel much better and actually enjoying it. My diet before this was quite unhealthy eating take away and junkies of the week and doing very little exercise. In the last two weeks I haven't had take away but I have had some weight watchers low cal treats and rich tea biscuits in the evening as a treat and have stayed within my calorie goal. I think I need to take these treats occasionally as I was so used to take sugary snacks so often and feel that if I cut it out I will give in and gorge.

So what do people think? Is it ok to have these treats as long as it's in the calorie goal or I'll I stop my weight loss.

The treats taste so much better now that I've cut way down and I look forward to it and feel that I've earned it which I never thought would happen with chocolate haha

Thanks any opinions would be appreciated.

I think it depends on the person, and their personality. Right now I am at a place in my life that I have had the same bag of milky way minis in my van for about a month now. Every few days I remember they are there and have 1 or 2. The halloween candy is locked up in a cabinet with my poptarts, etc. I tend to be an emotional eater, and am going through an emotional time ( dad is in hospice and might not last long). Last week I had a rough evening, and I had 10 mini reeses cups (like 450 calories).

UnicornBaconsEsq

These "treats" are designed to be physically addictive. Most people on this site will disagree with me, but i view those items the same way a recovering alcoholic views whiskey. One is too many, and a thousand is never enough.

As a recovering alcoholic - no. Just no.

I'm not sure what's so objectionable about this idea. Not everyone has the same problem, but I find stopping a carb or sugar binge nearly impossible once I start. Eating those kinds of foods actually triggers the reward and pleasure receptors in your brain.

For some people who struggle with addictive food behavior, avoiding foods like this is key to avoiding binge eating and succeeding at losing weight. For people who have recovered from eating disorders that involve binging, staying away from trigger foods is really important. I will probably never be able to eat certain things that set off problem eating for me, not even in small quantities.

(I don't really want to go into a big sob story about my life out on the open boards, but if you really want to know why I feel so strongly about this you can always PM me and I'd be happy to explain in more detail.)

MysteriousMerlin

As long as it fits into my daily calories budget, I eat whatever I want. IMO having foods that are forever and always forbidden is counterproductive. I don't want to feel deprived or punished.

I agree for the most part, but there are certain ingredients that I avoid as much as possible, like excess sodium, MSG (because I think I may have a reaction to it), partially hydrogenated oils, etc. I think I make better choices now by restricting and/or cutting out a few MINOR things here and there, and for the most part I don't feel deprived or crave certain things now.

nathalier71

At first, I didn't have treats too often. After a while, I ate treats from time to time. Now, I eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted - as long as burn more calories than I eat.

bethanp

I have treats whenever they fit into my daily calories, especially on gym days. I think its important for me to not have any "no foods" because that's what could trigger a binge for me. If I want a treat, I work for it, even if its just a square of dark chocolate. Yesterday, I knew we were going out for Mexican food and I really wanted a margarita, so I literally spent 3 hours cleaning the house up and down, scrubbing, vacuuming, taking out the recycling with multiple trips up and down the three flights of stairs to make room for it in my calorie budget.

Even when treats don't fit into the calorie budget, I find another way to treat myself, whether that's a manicure or face mask. As Tom and Donna of Parks and Recreation say, Treat. Yo. Self:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsABTmT1_M0

tigersword

These "treats" are designed to be physically addictive. Most people on this site will disagree with me, but i view those items the same way a recovering alcoholic views whiskey. One is too many, and a thousand is never enough.

As a recovering alcoholic - no. Just no.

I'm not sure what's so objectionable about this idea. Not everyone has the same problem, but I find stopping a carb or sugar binge nearly impossible once I start. Eating those kinds of foods actually triggers the reward and pleasure receptors in your brain.

For some people who struggle with addictive food behavior, avoiding foods like this is key to avoiding binge eating and succeeding at losing weight. For people who have recovered from eating disorders that involve binging, staying away from trigger foods is really important. I will probably never be able to eat certain things that set off problem eating for me, not even in small quantities.

(I don't really want to go into a big sob story about my life out on the open boards, but if you really want to know why I feel so strongly about this you can always PM me and I'd be happy to explain in more detail.)

ALL foods trigger the reward and pleasure centers of your brain, not just treats. Eating keeps you alive, when you do something that keeps you alive, your brain rewards you with a shot of dopamine to condition you to continue that behavior. People with binge eating disorder binge on all kinds of foods, not just sugar.

liloldDee

These "treats" are designed to be physically addictive. Most people on this site will disagree with me, but i view those items the same way a recovering alcoholic views whiskey. One is too many, and a thousand is never enough.

As a recovering alcoholic - no. Just no.

I'm not sure what's so objectionable about this idea. Not everyone has the same problem, but I find stopping a carb or sugar binge nearly impossible once I start. Eating those kinds of foods actually triggers the reward and pleasure receptors in your brain.

For some people who struggle with addictive food behavior, avoiding foods like this is key to avoiding binge eating and succeeding at losing weight. For people who have recovered from eating disorders that involve binging, staying away from trigger foods is really important. I will probably never be able to eat certain things that set off problem eating for me, not even in small quantities.

(I don't really want to go into a big sob story about my life out on the open boards, but if you really want to know why I feel so strongly about this you can always PM me and I'd be happy to explain in more detail.)

Treats to me are mainly full of sugar and they send me crazy. I've gained and lost stones a couple of times and each time I had a treat at least once or twice a week and often way more at weekends. Yes I lost weight but I didn't " solve" what causes me to gain weight. On the whole my meals are very healthy and portions on the small side, I struggle to eat big meals and am rarely hungry. But I always have cravings, for unrefined carbs, often when I ate a treat I realised after I didn't particularly enjoy eating it and I always felt unwell after. The bigger the portion the more unwell I felt.
Since the start of the year I've been playing around with low carb. I've removed most carbs from my diet and I have almost no cravings. It's taken me most of the year to accept that low carb is probably the diet that suits me most, I've no bloating and don't feel tired after meals anymore.

I do plan on increasing my carbs in the future to include healthy carbs and allow myself a day every few weeks where I will enjoy some of the unrefined carbs I do actually like and miss, but I will stay within my daily calories. Long term I hope to view different foods as treats, foods I actually enjoy eating and which do not have a negative reaction in my body.

I think it's important to get to know your own body, and to figure what's right for it. I can honestly say that having daily treats was the reason I put on weight again and again, simply because my chosen treats generated cravings in my body. I'm not saying everyone is the same but I think if like me you lose weight only to pile it back on, then you need to start rethinking things.

I hate the mantra " a little of what you fancy" , you wouldn't tell someone struggling with cigarettes/alcohol/drugs/ or with allergies to certain foods to have a little of their vice. Sugar addiction is an issue and needs to be understood more.

catfive1

I don't categorize food as "good" or "bad" so I have "treats" whenever. I have calorie goals and macro goals and I hit those...how I hit those is irrelevant so long as I'm getting proper nutrition. If all of my nutritional needs have been met, I don't get extra credit for more broccoli and I don't get dinged for having a handful of jelly beans.

^^this

^^^This

LosingItForGood13

I have a treat at least twice a week nothing outrageous but you do not have to give up your treats myself I do not eat the frozen treats like weight watchers or anything else I try to make mine usually.

Irenaekl

I think it's important to get to know your own body, and to figure what's right for it. I can honestly say that having daily treats was the reason I put on weight again and again, simply because my chosen treats generated cravings in my body. I'm not saying everyone is the same but I think if like me you lose weight only to pile it back on, then you need to start rethinking things.

I hate the mantra " a little of what you fancy" , you wouldn't tell someone struggling with cigarettes/alcohol/drugs/ or with allergies to certain foods to have a little of their vice. Sugar addiction is an issue and needs to be understood more.

No-one is telling cigarette/alcohol/ drug or any other kind of addicts to indulge in their fancies.

Not everyone is an addict and for those of us who are not and who can eat 'treats' then of course 'a LITTLE of what we fancy' will not do us any harm.

Everyone on these forums just loves to take things out of context and twist other posters words to wave their own banners

amyk225

i have treats everyday .... just stay withen ur calories goal:)

Rocbola

These "treats" are designed to be physically addictive. Most people on this site will disagree with me, but i view those items the same way a recovering alcoholic views whiskey. One is too many, and a thousand is never enough.

As a recovering alcoholic - no. Just no.

I'm not sure what's so objectionable about this idea. Not everyone has the same problem, but I find stopping a carb or sugar binge nearly impossible once I start. Eating those kinds of foods actually triggers the reward and pleasure receptors in your brain.

For some people who struggle with addictive food behavior, avoiding foods like this is key to avoiding binge eating and succeeding at losing weight. For people who have recovered from eating disorders that involve binging, staying away from trigger foods is really important. I will probably never be able to eat certain things that set off problem eating for me, not even in small quantities.

(I don't really want to go into a big sob story about my life out on the open boards, but if you really want to know why I feel so strongly about this you can always PM me and I'd be happy to explain in more detail.)

ALL foods trigger the reward and pleasure centers of your brain, not just treats. Eating keeps you alive, when you do something that keeps you alive, your brain rewards you with a shot of dopamine to condition you to continue that behavior. People with binge eating disorder binge on all kinds of foods, not just sugar.

Artificially concentrated foods give you a bigger dopamine hit than natural foods. The point is to reach for a piece of fruit when you are craving a "treat" as opposed to grabbing something refined. People don't binge on mangoes, bananas and cantaloupe, they binge on chocolate cake, donuts, candy bars, etc.

tigersword

These "treats" are designed to be physically addictive. Most people on this site will disagree with me, but i view those items the same way a recovering alcoholic views whiskey. One is too many, and a thousand is never enough.

As a recovering alcoholic - no. Just no.

I'm not sure what's so objectionable about this idea. Not everyone has the same problem, but I find stopping a carb or sugar binge nearly impossible once I start. Eating those kinds of foods actually triggers the reward and pleasure receptors in your brain.

For some people who struggle with addictive food behavior, avoiding foods like this is key to avoiding binge eating and succeeding at losing weight. For people who have recovered from eating disorders that involve binging, staying away from trigger foods is really important. I will probably never be able to eat certain things that set off problem eating for me, not even in small quantities.

(I don't really want to go into a big sob story about my life out on the open boards, but if you really want to know why I feel so strongly about this you can always PM me and I'd be happy to explain in more detail.)

ALL foods trigger the reward and pleasure centers of your brain, not just treats. Eating keeps you alive, when you do something that keeps you alive, your brain rewards you with a shot of dopamine to condition you to continue that behavior. People with binge eating disorder binge on all kinds of foods, not just sugar.

Artificially concentrated foods give you a bigger dopamine hit than natural foods. The point is to reach for a piece of fruit when you are craving a "treat" as opposed to grabbing something refined. People don't binge on mangoes, bananas and cantaloupe, they binge on chocolate cake, donuts, candy bars, etc.

False and presumptive. People binge on all foods.

Rocbola

These "treats" are designed to be physically addictive. Most people on this site will disagree with me, but i view those items the same way a recovering alcoholic views whiskey. One is too many, and a thousand is never enough.

As a recovering alcoholic - no. Just no.

I'm not sure what's so objectionable about this idea. Not everyone has the same problem, but I find stopping a carb or sugar binge nearly impossible once I start. Eating those kinds of foods actually triggers the reward and pleasure receptors in your brain.

For some people who struggle with addictive food behavior, avoiding foods like this is key to avoiding binge eating and succeeding at losing weight. For people who have recovered from eating disorders that involve binging, staying away from trigger foods is really important. I will probably never be able to eat certain things that set off problem eating for me, not even in small quantities.

(I don't really want to go into a big sob story about my life out on the open boards, but if you really want to know why I feel so strongly about this you can always PM me and I'd be happy to explain in more detail.)

ALL foods trigger the reward and pleasure centers of your brain, not just treats. Eating keeps you alive, when you do something that keeps you alive, your brain rewards you with a shot of dopamine to condition you to continue that behavior. People with binge eating disorder binge on all kinds of foods, not just sugar.

Artificially concentrated foods give you a bigger dopamine hit than natural foods. The point is to reach for a piece of fruit when you are craving a "treat" as opposed to grabbing something refined. People don't binge on mangoes, bananas and cantaloupe, they binge on chocolate cake, donuts, candy bars, etc.

False and presumptive. People binge on all foods.

I doubt that is right, but i posted a new topic, so we will see. I would bet that the highly concentrated foods get voted as the most binge-worthy. I highly doubt most people will come back with "OH MY GOD, BROCCOLI KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT"
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1142088-poll-what-do-you-binge-on

Rocbola

Yep, tigersword, over 40 responses. The results are in; exactly the foods i thought people would say. Check out the thread.