Logging only indulgences?

jakki_brown

Has anyone ever thought of only logging things that you should really eat in moderation and setting a goal of so few calories?

I have been logging for awhile now and I'm struggling with keeping more sweets or restaurant foods limited. I'm just curious if anyone else has tried to fix the psych in a similar manner?

themeaningofthemorning

You need to eat everything in moderation. This type of logging would just allow you to overeat foods that are "healthy". You can gain weight eating too many avocados. You can gain weight eating too much chicken. You can gain weight eating too many mangoes. You can gain weight eating too many beans.

Just because something doesn't feel like an indulgence, doesn't mean it's impossible to overeat it.

You need to log everything you put in your mouth if you want to be successful.

EDIT: What I'm trying to say is this method you've proposed would actually create a much worse mindset, which is that there are any foods at all which you can eat to excess, which is simply not true. Just because something doesn't have frosting or isn't deep fried, doesn't mean you can eat it with abandon.

kjo9692

Do you mean only logging treats but not logging other stuff you eat? Well, I don't think this is convenient cause every thing you eat counts. Have treats and restaurant foods, just stay at a reasonable deficit and you'll lose weight. If you don't log the rest of the meals you eat during the day you won't keep track of them and will probably go over your net calories.

jakki_brown

I understand that over eating anything is bad. My focus is more gear towards stopping the unnecessary eats like desserts and candy. Moderation is important in all aspects, but my point is that I don't have a problem with moderation usually unless it comes to sweet.

I'm interested to know if anyone has ever approached it this way or done something similar. I wouldn't expect it to be a full time change of logging. Sometimes when you have a problem, it's best to focus on it for a little while to get it under control.

Iwishyouwell

You need to eat everything in moderation.

False. A person needs to find what works for them. For some it's "everything in moderation", but that is hardly universal. Entire societies don't even have access to, or a desire to eat, "everything".

You need to log everything you put in your mouth if you want to be successful..

Again, false. You do not "need" to log calories to be successful. We've been losing weight for thousands of years before anybody knew what a calorie was.

Iwishyouwell

Moderation is important in all aspects, but my point is that I don't have a problem with moderation usually unless it comes to sweet.

I am in your same boat. Over the years I've managed to wrest an incredible amount of control over my eating, and I thankfully don't have problems with any other foods...save sweet-fatty desserts. In particular ice cream, cake, and cookies are my weaknesses and historically have triggered me to overeat.

I do not log calories, but I will tell you what's finally worked for me after many years of failing, falling, and gaining over 100lbs in the process.

I realized that the driving force behind me getting out of control, and staying out of control for weeks, months, and YEARS at a time, was stemming from my always thinking that this latest splurge would be the "last", the final splurge before I was perfect. Well perfection seldom arrived. But finally deciding to stop shaming myself over my choices, to own everything I put in my mouth WITHOUT guilt, or remorse, freed me up to just go "OK. Eat as much as you like. You can have this stuff whenever you want." Changed everything I tell you. By owning my choices, and giving myself total liberty, it clicked that there didn't need to be anymore "start tomorrow" moments. If I have a pint (or more) of ice cream today, with some lemon pound cake, I enjoy it knowing full well that I can have it again anytime I like, because it's my choice. And since I can have it anytime I want, I can NOT have it anytime I want too. As a result I've finally learned to not say "no", but just "later".

So that mean that sometimes I'll have my trigger foods, ice cream, cookies, or cake, for a day and not eat much else. Then I'll have it again in a week or a couple weeks. Sometimes I get it out of my system for a week or two, and then go months without. I just trust myself now, which is a miracle and a blessing.

In order to break free I needed to become free.

arabianhorselover

My problem for most of my life was that I kicked myself for what I ate. I was unusual in that I never really dieted or restricted any foods. I ate what I wanted, when I wanted, and as much as I wanted. And then I felt guilty and worried about my health.

During the last months I have managed to stay within my calorie goals, but I still want the goodies. I find myself saving calories for those rather than eating vegetables or fruits or other "healthy" foods. I do eat a lot of decent things, but way too many of my calories are used up on sweet and sometimes salty. I am always over on sugar and sodium, and I do worry about it, but for me it is a miracle that I'm doing as well as I am.