Getting used to eating "Fear foods"

Its_Tina_Betch

Hey!
For me, when I was losing weight I completely cut out any food that I couldn't accurately count, I know that this probably wasn't the smartest thing to do but to be honest I found it pretty easy and it helped me lose weight.
Well While losing weight I told myself that when I lost it I'd be able to eat that food again, but now I find myself afraid to eat it because I only ever ate it when I was overweight.

Last night for dinner we had shepherds pie which was my favorite food when I was overweight. I found it incredibly difficult to eat, even though I did manage a little bowl of it.
However, I just wondering what some of you fear foods are and, now that you're maintaining, do you find it easier, harder, or no difference in letting yourself eat them c=

sandhusaab16

Hey There,

I am facing same problem right now...i havnt eaten my fav food from last 10 months


You talk about pies? i even fear eating bread once a day...coz when i was on weight loss..i used to skip bread sometimes..i know i was not the smartest but it helped me losing weight..

laineybz

I don't think there's any food i fear, just food that i don't think are worth the calories anymore. I cut out chocolate initially but i eat it now....in moderation and i'm fine.

chezjuan

I don't think there's any food i fear, just food that i don't think are worth the calories anymore.

^^ This.

Interestingly, getting fit has actually taught me to not fear foods. Spending my formative years in the 80s hammered in the "fat is bad" mindset, which led the overweight me to avoid bacon, drink skim milk, etc. I now realize that I can be healthy and eat the so-called "bad" foods of my youth (in moderation within my goals, of course).

Arnegard

I am not the best eater. I realize that I exercise so that I can eat the comfort foods that I want. I also have small kids so I am not about to switch their meals to something that is more diet friendly. I have to maintain my weight in the real world, so I might as well learn to lose weight in the real world as well.

editorgrrl

All the calorie counts are estimates. Some database entries are more accurate than others, but they're all just estimates. You can eat anything in moderation—any thing.

Eat "good" or "clean" or "healthy" (whatever those words mean to you) 80% of the time. Fit yummy, portion-controlled treats into your calorie goal. Deprivation can lead to binges.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants

LauraBest2013

I have to maintain my weight in the real world, so I might as well learn to lose weight in the real world as well.

Spot on. This is what irritates me most when friends ask me advice on losing weight and keeping it off. They complain about sticking to a diet, and then putting any weight they've managed to lose right back on again because a diet isn't a long term fix.
I always say that it's a lifestyle change, not a diet.

x

mccindy72

Hey!
For me, when I was losing weight I completely cut out any food that I couldn't accurately count, I know that this probably wasn't the smartest thing to do but to be honest I found it pretty easy and it helped me lose weight.
Well While losing weight I told myself that when I lost it I'd be able to eat that food again, but now I find myself afraid to eat it because I only ever ate it when I was overweight.

Last night for dinner we had shepherds pie which was my favorite food when I was overweight. I found it incredibly difficult to eat, even though I did manage a little bowl of it.
However, I just wondering what some of you fear foods are and, now that you're maintaining, do you find it easier, harder, or no difference in letting yourself eat them c=

If you are carefully tracking, let the number of calories at the end of your day, showing that you are under your calorie goal, be your guide. Let yourself know that it's okay that you ate that food, because you know that you have enjoyed your food and still kept your calories under your goal for the day.

zapampnmp

hmmmm I have had shepherds pie but what I do is measure everything as I am cooking, put the information in the recipe builder part of diary, then portion everything out before serving anybody. That is if the recipe makes 6 servings then I actually cut it into 6 and set aside the ones not being eaten now for lunch or dinners later in week. That way I know how many calories and nutrients I am getting. If the recipe builder tells me something is very high in sodium or fat or carbs or calories or whatever it is I might change how many servings it makes and just give my husband 2 so that he has more and I still stay within my numbers

I am losing not maintaining but the topic caught my eye and I hope it is okay to chime in... esp since I am scared of eating a lot of salt and getting all water retention just before weigh day. Tomorrow is weigh in day for me and I am really anticipating having salty buttery popcorn. 0.o

awildernesslife

This concept was revolutionary to me: http://ellynsatterinstitute.org/hte/eatingcompetence.php

Eating competence -- not fearing food, realizing and being comfortable with the social element of eating, learning to trust (or help heal) my body's self-regulating impulses -- is so important, even (especially?) for folks who are "dieting." It's about COMPETENCE, long-term, not restriction.

I count calories, but it's because I have goals, one of which is to help retrain my body's natural on and off switch, which has been severely damaged by out-of-control eating. I will not count calories for the rest of my life (though I may have a "booster shot" now and then if I feel too bingey), because I trust that my body is not permanently broken, just in need of a reset.

einzweidrei

No fear. My diet is really not the best right now either. (When you work nights, you do things like eat pizza for breakfast.)

I eat everything I love. I don't say NO to anything.

What do I say no to?
-I say no to eating it EVERYDAY. I love you salt n' vinegar chips but I cannot eat you everyday. (I still have you more than once a week though.) I have one day where I eat like a bird.
-I say no to overindulging all of the time. (Instead of eating two bowls of cereal post-dinner, how about just a light snack? Or how about just one bowl of cereal for breakfast? Or how about a small bag of salt n vinegar instead of a huge one with a giant Arizona iced tea for lunch?)

I don't avoid. I know it will just inevitably lead to me eating everything around me. And then I won't stop. I love food too much to say no. Just take it slowly---reintroduce the things you love in small portions that fit into your calories for the day.

stuffinmuffin

I used to fear fat when I was losing weight and pretty much completely wiped it out of my diet. Big mistake as it is needed for the body!!!

Now I'm maintaining I have loved incorporating good fats into my diet - frying food in butter and like today eating a whole avocado (which would have been completely unheard of a year or so ago).

I did however get a bit squeamish when faced with a toasted cheese sandwich at a motorway services at the weekend and had to scrape some of the abundance of oil oozing cheddar out! Also I will probably never eat Domino's pizza again or McCoys crisps are realising that they really are just full of cr@p.

iRun_Butterfly

I'm apprehensive eating pretty much anything that I haven't prepared myself. Most recipies I make I can accurately figure out with help of the recipe builder, but I get a little twitchy when someone else cooks for me. I'm working on getting over this, its hard to let go of that control sometimes. But I realize its part of real life and I need to adapt to it.

ndj1979

< does not have any fear foods..I try to eat whatever it is that I want/like for that day and say within my macros and hit a calorie deficit or maintenance deepening on what my goals are…

OP - you can eat what you want just try to stay in a deficit or maintenance. I find that the 80/20 rule helps..80% healthy and 20% whatever you want...

freddi11e

BUMP

ken_m

I would say that I'm afraid most to eat a bear or some other wild animal that would, while tasting delicious and be more enjoyable for the thrill of the hunt, possibly kill and eat me instead.

That seems like the scariest food I can think of but pie is scary too

rabblerabble

Nuts (almonds, pistachios, cashews, brazils, etc) are my kryptonite. Healthy in small portions, but loaded in calories. I just buy the occasional snack sized bag (1.5 oz or so) when I want some. Bigger bags get wiped out far too fast.

dnawalsh

Nuts are my fear food too! I never ate them when I was on weight watchers because they had such a high point value. But after doing research, I realize they are way too good for me (and so delicious too!) that I SHOULD be eating them, not avoiding them. Now, I measure out an ounce a day and incorporate into my calorie counting. They are a pretty filling snack so I have been successful so far in eating them and not going over my calories!

piRsquare

I now have a morbid fear of potato chips (crisps). This is probably a good thing.

jfauci

The only food that I truly fear now is trail mix. It's the only food that I am unable to just eat just one servicn of. I will go through 1000 calories if you let me. Trail mix is now a no-no for me.

milf4k

For me the "fear" in my "fear foods" is not that I won't be able to accurately count the calories, but, that it's a binge, or trigger food for me, and that I won't be able to stop after the right portion. I'm sure that some day I'll tackle eating these foods in moderation but, for now, I've just cut them out and am not looking back.