Moderation

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likitisplit
likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
in Food and Nutrition
In a recent thread, the question of moderation was debated. The following are some techniques that people might use to control their consumption of a specific food (I will use Doritos as an example):

* Buying a large bag of Doritos and having a single serving snack each night (after meeting macro and micro targets)
* Buying a box of single serving bags of Doritos and eating one as a snack each night
* Buying a single serving bag as a part of lunch every Friday
* Not eating Doritos unless they are offered at a party and then enjoying a portion or two
* "Saving up" calories for a month and then splurging on four or five portions at a time
* Avoiding Doritos all together

Which of these examples would you include in your definition of moderation and why?
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Replies

  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
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    One more example that I missed:

    * Not eating Doritos regularly, but indulging in a single serving bag when the mood strikes.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Moderation is just what they tell you to keep you coming back for their addictive crap.
  • ZombieEarhart
    ZombieEarhart Posts: 320 Member
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    Option #1. It's cheaper than individual bags, I can weigh the portions myself and put them in baggies, so I know for sure how much I'm eating. And it's a deliberate choice to go get a second bag, rather than "just grabbing a few more."

    Plus, this way I'll be sick of Doritos in a week or two and they won't be such a big deal anymore.
  • ZombieEarhart
    ZombieEarhart Posts: 320 Member
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    Moderation is just what they tell you to keep you coming back for their addictive crap.

    Nope. Moderation is what let me lose 85 pounds without obsessing over food or labeling it "good" or "bad." I also hit my micronutrients for the week, get plenty of protein to preserve muscle, and feel and look great, btw.

    ETA: I'm not addicted to food, it does not control me. Sorry if you feel like it controls you, that sucks.
  • krystalrfletcher
    krystalrfletcher Posts: 13 Member
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    To me moderation means cutting out the crap 90% of the time. If doritos are something you really crave maybe start small with a pack a day and then reduce it to a pack a week. I try to eliminate anything processed except for a treat maybe once or twice a week. I find I feel alot better and I dont crave other junk when I do!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    For me it's just having a reasonable amount at a time, like a serving (or 2), and not eat the whole bag.
  • McKenzieLeigh
    McKenzieLeigh Posts: 113 Member
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    I am getting better now and I could probably buy a big bag and choose to just eat a serving, but when I first started 100 calorie packs, etc really helped me because I could eat what was in the bag and no more. It helped me to figure out what fits in my day and how much I really should be eating.
    Now, I often can buy *a whole box of girl scout cookies * and eat 4 of them once in a while at my desk at work when the mood strikes and make the box last. I still have to buy 90 calorie brownies though because if I made a whole pan, I would eat the whole pan, and lick the spoon and the bowl, etc.

    You just have to do what you have to do to make it work for you!
  • judyde
    judyde Posts: 401 Member
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    I do enjoy chips, but I've just been in the habit of not buying them from my "dieting" days of restriction.

    But I still don't buy them since, when I look at the calories vs the nutrition they provide (e.g. protein), I have a hard time fitting them into my day. I will rearrange my diary to fit in a cupcake or wine, but not chips. :-)

    So, to recap, I do this:

    * Not eating Doritos unless they are offered at a party and then enjoying a portion or two
  • FreshKrisKreash
    FreshKrisKreash Posts: 444 Member
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    Buying a single serving bag as a part of lunch every Friday.

    I like Doritos. :D
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    For me it'd be buying a big bag to have a little each night. But for me doritos would be Talenti :laugh:
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
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    Some things I cannot resist so well... If I buy a tray of butter tarts, I will eat a LOT of butter tarts until the tray is gone. I know I will.
    So if I want a butter tart, I will often pay a bit more so that I can have that treat, but reduce my exposure.

    Sometimes, I will allow myself to go nuts. But most times, I just avoid the temptation.


    Doritos, I LOVE DORITOS... but now that I know how many calories they are, I am WAY better about not eating the whole bag. I will have a bag and will pull some out and snack, and then put it away. But I am aware that if I haven't forgotten about them, I am more inclined to eat them.

    For me... the best bet is to either have a very small stash of treats at my disposal, or purchase them as I choose to allow them into my day.

    Ice cream, I can leave it in my freezer for months, and only from time to time do I get a craving.

    So for me... nothing is off limits, but I DO need to be smart about what I make readily available!
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    I'm not a big fan of chips, but if we were talking moderation of GS cookies or Talenti then I buy it, eat what I can fit in my day, and repeat the next day.
  • redversustheblue
    redversustheblue Posts: 1,216 Member
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    For me it's several of those things. There are some foods that I can buy a big bag of just eat a serving at a time because I don't like them that much (chips for me, I'm not a chip person). But there are some foods I cannot buy a box of and not immediately eat the entire box. If I choose to buy my favorite cookies for example, then I've already accepted the fact that I'm going to eat them all in one day. So for foods like that, I try to stay away completely until I feel like I can indulge in them a little.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    All of the above.

    I have done all of these at some point or another with various foods.
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
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    I don't like doritos, but most snacks I just eat as part of my macros, buying a big bag and weighing out a portion. I guess I am in the 80/20 camp, without actually knowing what that was in the first place
  • Amandawith3kids
    Amandawith3kids Posts: 367 Member
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    For me... the best bet is to either have a very small stash of treats at my disposal, or purchase them as I choose to allow them into my day.



    So for me... nothing is off limits, but I DO need to be smart about what I make readily available!


    ^^^^^ yes. if its something i can binge on, i make it as inconvenient as possible to get. that usually means not keeping it in the house, and buying small (more expensive) portions, and driving to go get it every single time. in the dead of winter, when i have to go out into the cold and spend money i dont really have on stuff i probably shouldnt have, makes it SO much less appealing. even if stewarts is only 1.5 miles away. van doesnt even get warm that close to home.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    * Buying a large bag of Doritos and having a single serving snack each night (after meeting macro and micro targets)

    This is the tough choice because the whole bag is available, but it also makes more economic sense. I try to look at my food stuff through the $$$ lens as well.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    I must say but we do seem to be having too many moderation threads at the moment!
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    Moderation is just what they tell you to keep you coming back for their addictive crap.

    This is also how certain individuals set themselves up for the all but unavoidable binge that comes post severe restriction. Then they call it an "addiction" and thus begins the cycle.

    I moderate by eating mostly whole real food at a slight deficit during the week which leaves me enough flexibility to eat what I like on the weekends.

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