there is no winning

sino19

I have a very unhealthy relationship with carbs(particularly bread & biscuits). it started last year when I labelled them as the devil...I stopped eating rice,pasta,bread,sugar. it was easy to quit the pasta & rice because I am not a fan anyway, but I got addicted to bread, biscuits and chocolate...by addicted I mean, I eat 20slices of bread in 1 go:embarassed: . I know it's because of the restriction, which is why I've given bread 3 chances since joining mfp but I cannot stop at four slices (meaning I've had 60slices of bread in a month). The taste of bread has of course left me wanting more bread, which is why I am here trying to distract myself.

Has anyone had any luck with portion control over something you had -100 self-control over?

segovm

I'm pretty sure most of us are on here because we at one point or another gave into just eating a bunch of whatever we liked. Cutting out a specific food probably isn't a good long term answer, most people are not going to live long healthy lives if they just go around dropping things like carbs, proteins or fats.

If bread is something you are just out of control with I would drop the bread for a while. For me, I find keeping myself full on healthy non-binge food (lean protein and tons of veggies) makes it so I don't feel the need to cram a bunch of food that I consider junk into my mouth.

If you haven't done it already, try your best to set up a predictable schedule for eating that gets you through the day without being hungry and you'll likely find it becomes a lot easier to control the binges.

I absolutely love McDonalds for instance and could do 2000 calories there without even trying but if I have 300 calories of turkey and broccoli in my belly it's not even a little bit tempting for me.

I know it sounds silly but give it a go and find some healthy food to fill you up and I suspect you'll be able to stare down even the warmest fresh loaf of bread eventually!

sino19

thank you. I have been contemplating pre-planning meals for quite some time, and have some lunchboxes lying around. I will try it and see how that goes. I've been thinking eating the carbs I don't like much like rice might help my body get a grip on bread, but then again I don't wanna set myself up.

willdob3

Sino19, it sounds to me like you might have a food sensitivity to grains, possibly wheat.

I found portion control impossible with certain foods. It has nothing to do with self-control when you have a food sensitivity. It can cause addictive responses. I tried eliminating grains completely & the constant cravings disappeared. I also used to eat bread the way you describe.

I now avoid any foods that cause me to eat them in huge amounts. That is a red flag of food sensitivities. No medical testing needed. I have no problems eating regular foods - I can eat one portion and stop. I've lost over 100 lbs since eliminating those red flag foods that made me eat out of control. I don't crave them anymore & feel great.

Just eliminate those foods completely - eating less does not work. Try it & see how you do.

ponycyndi

There are a few foods that I ate until the while package was gone. So I stopped buying them. When I had a craving, I'd either try to find a small package, or find someone to share. The less I ate those things, the less the cravings are.

Keepcalmanddontblink

thank you. I have been contemplating pre-planning meals for quite some time, and have some lunchboxes lying around. I will try it and see how that goes. I've been thinking eating the carbs I don't like much like rice might help my body get a grip on bread, but then again I don't wanna set myself up.

I am a total riceaholic and cannot control myself if I make a large pot of it. I mean in days past, I could cook up 3 cups of rice, drench it in butter and eat that all day! I find that controlling the amount in the house and what I make helps. I will get the boil in a bag kinds, that are two servings. So if I lose control, at max, I've only had 2 servings of rice.

I wonder if you could do that with bread? Maybe keep it frozen and only thaw what you need at the time? Or maybe buy dough rolls and bake what you need and no more? I'd hate to tell you to cut the bread out, but you have to do whatever it takes to help you along right?

segovm

Yeah it takes a while to sort of find foods that work. When I started logging just a month ago I was eating about 2500 calories a day and I REALLY thought I was eating good at that point.

I'm down to about 1700-1900 most days now and I actually get up and move instead of just sitting on my butt all day.

Honestly I don't have any bread in my day to day diet and I really don't miss it. For the carbs, I loved rice at first but I've dropped that too just because the veggies actually leave me feeling a lot fuller so I would rather spend the calories on them.

I think you'll find it's a lot easier to stay in charge of the food once you start bringing it along. At first, bring a little more than you need just to get used to having enough with you. Lots of people think if they pack a light lunch they will eat light... normally that just makes them grab a bag of chips and a soda.

Hope you find something that works well for you.

sino19

avoidance is what I've been using but then I see "moderation & portion control" being hammered as gold standard in these forums, so I buy the trigger having convinced myself I will have control this time.NOPE

sino19

thank you everyone for your input:flowerforyou: ...I just discovered the search function so I've been reading previous similar posts.

cheripugh1

thank you everyone for your input:flowerforyou: ...I just discovered the search function so I've been reading previous similar posts.

good idea get ideas from others... I have a weakness for cake so I do not buy birthday cakes anymore (or cakes) I go out and have 1 slice otherwise I'll eat that cake until it's gone!

I love, and I mean LOVE good bread so nope not at my house, I know when I go say to the steakhouse I can have yummy home-style bread while I'm there, I just do not bring it home.

I know of no other way, I try to bring home bread and only eat X amt. and later I have "1 more slice"... so nope I have to save it for when I am out and have it with my meal and enjoy it then.

annex79

For me, moderation and portion control works with a lot of things. Olive oil, nuts, avocados, sour cream.

It does not work on cookies. It does not work on protein bars. I can seriously eat thousands of calories worth of both in one go. It doesn't really work on mashed potatoes or pizza, either, because ditto.

I think that ultimately, you have to do what's best for you. Don't treat all food like the enemy, but choose which foods are your friends and align yourself with them. If you can't moderate your bread consumption, stop allowing it into your life entirely. Ditto any other food that causes you to binge. There is no rule that says you have to be able to eat moderate amounts of all foods to be healthy.

LoupGarouTFTs

What if you took loaf cake slices or cookie servings, wrapped them individually, and put them in the freezer? Ultimately, though, no matter what tricks you use to make it more difficult to eat a lot of sweets, it still comes down to self-control when eating foods you like so much.

FlaxMilk

I haven't found it worth it to keep foods around that take more of my self-control than I feel like dealing with. You can go by the gold standard for the forums, but you're the one that has to live your life. I don't mean that you have to continue thinking of carbs as devils, but is keeping the bread around worth the effort? (It might be for you, if you really love it.)

MscGray

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MscGray

I cut out my hard core binge foods (pasta and potatos....and all other carbs) for a period of about 4-5 weeks. It sucks, but I personally feel like it reduced my cravings. I feel like now I can sit down and manage a cup of either and not require the whole pan. I always hear on here that there is no need to cut out the foods that you love, just to enjoy them in moderation......for me, at least, it took cutting them out completely to be able to eventually enjoy them in moderation.

beccadaniixox

For foods I want lots of (Carbsss and candy) I make my seriving size. I put it on a plate or in a bowl and I seal up what I'm not eating and put it away.

I then must LEAVE the kitchen area. VERY IMPORTANT. If you're standing over the box of cereal while eating it, you'll just reach for more once you finish. I know.

Once eaten, depending on if I'm home or at work/school.. I'll either brush my teeth or chew mint gum.

Patrick0321

I'm now in week 3 of eating a reduced carb diet. I would normally eat pasta or potato with every evening meal, bread with every lunch meal and bread for breakfast at the weekends. I've had to make sure I make my own lunch to bring to work as I know I would end up buying something based around bread and crisps. I plan what I'm going to have for dinner at the weekend, mainly so I can do the food shopping, but also so I don't just have pasta or something with potato as I don't know what to have.

cwoyto123

If you're NOT eating 800+ carbs a day, say good bye to your gains.

Iwishyouwell

avoidance is what I've been using but then I see "moderation & portion control" being hammered as gold standard in these forums, so I buy the trigger having convinced myself I will have control this time.NOPE

It's very important to disregard any kind of dieting advice that works counter to your strengths and plays into your weaknesses.

Be true to self. That bull**** you read around here that everyone should be eating everything "in moderation" is just that, BS. It works for some, but not for others. I use to have an enormous problem with certain sweet desserts and eating even a little almost always led to consume far, far too much. Learning to abstain from them was what, once upon a time, worked really well for me.

Now I don't restrict anything, but my definition of moderation still isn't "eat two oreos a night". Now I allow myself those old trigger foods, but give myself the freedom to eat as much as I want. I just make sure that I don't eat them every day, or every week. Through trial and error, and a lot of failure, I've just gotten strong enough that I can go weeks and even months without those old foods. But it took a LONG time for me to get to this place. Cutting them out, learning that I could do that and eventually the cravings would die, was a lesson I needed to learn.

Find your own definition of "moderation". And if you have trigger foods that are tripping you up badly now, and you're having real trouble only sticking to a single serving of bread, then it's perfectly OK to cut the bread out until such a time as you're strong enough to let it back in on your own terms.

sms9497

The only way I can control the same sort of thing is to NOT have them in the house.

That said, I do still find occasions to eat them elsewhere. As you said, part of the problem is labeling things as evil. Enjoy occasionally when you are out or at a friends.

Best of eating to you!