i never crave pizza or chocolate...

chanstriste13

but that's because i eat pizza every week - sometimes more than once! - and chocolate everyday. i know it sounds like a pretty screwed up tactic, but this totally works for me. you know the age old advice - "if you don't buy it and keep it in your house, you won't eat it"? well, that does *not* work for me. if i have a craving for something, i will totally go to the grocery store at 3 in the morning in my pajamas to go and get it! i know, i know...i have no pride. or no shame.

i do want to lose weight, and i want to be healthier. as of yet, i have no interest in adopting a completely 'clean' diet - i dig my cheez-its and cadbury eggs too much! and the occassional dr. pepper, though i'm pretty much a water drinker now. i'm sure my outlook could change, but for now, you will not find me eating baked chicken breast and broccoli every night for dinner. now, if you want to bbq that chicken up, then i'll be interested!

my point is, i feel like i've found a pretty good balance that i can work with forever. i never feel deprived, and i rarely cave in to a bingeing streak (which used to be a very common occurence). sometimes i will find myself sitting on the couch with a good book and potato chips and lemon bars. like yesterday. :blushing: but that's the first time i've just sat and ate a ton of junk in months!

sure, i'm probably losing weight slower than a lot of people, but i'm almost up to 30 pounds lost, it has been about 8 months, and i feel absolutely *no* sense of burnout. which is really quite lovely.

anyone else out there have their cake and eat it too?

EmpressOfJudgment

You're doing great. And you're doing it the way that works for you. You've got a great attitude and that's why you will be successful. Keep on truckin'!

Melis25Fit

I love those both too, and sometimes moderation is the key. there are also days where I could eat the whole pizza or bag of chocolate. Really depends on my mood and the day!

I can't give em up. Moderation, moderation! )

HelenTheKitchen

This is how I eat. I don't feel like I'm on a diet, yet I lose weight. Everything in moderation. Rock on! I really think this is the key to weight loss and maintenance forever. It's worked for me too!

godroxmysox

It's all about moderation Good luck!

melissa0001

I agree! I eat everything i want in moderation and with some advance planing on calorie count. As i tell my family i do not want to diet, i want to be healthy and enjoy life.

So far its working just fine for me!

denise980

It is always good to treat yourself and to not deprive yourself of food that you crave. If you crave it enough, then you will really go off the bandwagon and have a horrible day. But, if you reward yourself with something periodically, then you will have more success!

bethrs

I plan for it, but yeah, I eat something if it really really want it. I've not cut anything completely out (other than meat, but tha's for different reasons.)

joilet

great post!

something to definitely think about for me

i also am one of those people that will drive to the store in my pjs for a Baby Ruth if the mood strikes me

Kirsty_UK

Thank you! I also think there's no way I will ever eat totally clean. I dont have the time for that. I try to eat better, and I eat some decent homemade meals, but half the time, it's an oven cooked frozen fish with fresh veg instead, or a pizza, and sometimes it's crisps instead of fruit with my lunch, but that's ok, as long as it's not all the time. This is a lifestyle change, not a short term purity fest.

ShellyMacchi

i have both pizza and chocolate whenever i want it as well.. i just make my own pizza now with healthier choices (and we've found it just plain tastes better *L*).. and when i have chocolate i only have a lil bit and only the best quality dark chocolate... if i am going to have it it has to be awesome.

i am not dieting.. i have simply made a choice for a healthier life, and that life icludes the foods i love, but now i have them with planning a smart choices *S*

i've lost 47.5 pounds doing this, since Nov 2010.. so i am well pleased by the results too *S*

dlaplume2

I do the same thing.

I have pizza every week. I have chocolate almost everyday. I balance things out.

chanstriste13

I plan for it, but yeah, I eat something if it really really want it.

yes, agreed! that's my rule too. there are actually 3 rules i have for non-healthy food:

1. plan for it
2. log it and be accountable for it
3. enjoy it - if you've covered steps 1 and 2, there's no reason to feel guilty about it!

LorinaLynn

Same here! I eat just about all the same foods as I did before and I'm happy with my progress. And if nothing is off limits, here's no way I can feel like I failed! :laugh:

charityateet

Everything in moderation. Awesome!

herky

that is exactly how you should do it, because you can stick to those eating habits for the rest of your life... i need to start doing that!

rrgrove

i agree it makes it easier if i dont get my cravings out i will eat anything and everyting instead so for me it is better just to eat whatever it it like chocolate is one of my favorites

KristyF08

:drinker: I'm soooo with you on this! I eat whatever I want as long as I am within my calories .Last night I ate a whole totino's pizza with 4 tbs of ranch and was HAPPY! It was still in my calories You can only eat the bland foods for so long before you burn out. This is a lifestyle change and you have to enjoy it or it will never work... and let me be honest, I love my bud light :blushing: ! Congrats to you on your loss, I love your outlook!

skbruewer

I love this! I was literally just beating myself up for having one Hershey Kiss here at work. For the love of all things bright and beautiful, it's just a freakin' Hershey Kiss, not a vat of lard! This thread helped to remind me of this. I've found that when I say diet, I mean FAIL... It's really got to be all about a healthier way of living, and remembering that moderation is key. Okay, so maybe I'll only lose 1 pound in a week instead of 2, but I'll be happier and it'll be easier to stick with!

UpEarly

ME ME ME!

I agree with your eating philosophy *completely*! The first two weeks I've been doing MFP, I've had pizza, cheeseburgers, donuts, cake, champagne, chocolate, cookies, etc. But, I've kept portions reasonable and have not been eating the 'heavier' foods at every meal. I'm also adding more fruits and veggies and passing on most processed foods.

I don't feel deprived. I don't feel hungry. I don't feel any different than any other person who's not on a diet. It's worked out great so far. I lost 8 pounds in my first two weeks, and while I don't weigh in until next Wednesday, I am certain I have lost more. The pants don't lie, and they're definitely getting looser. :-)

I've lost weight in the past by following strict, calorie-reduced, fat-reduced diets. They worked great for taking the weight off, but I *always* gained it back. I'm hoping that if I make better choices all around and don't think of this as a 'diet', maybe I can have permanent success.

jdm_taco

my point is, i feel like i've found a pretty good balance that i can work with forever.

Congratualtions, that is the secret to success!

Yes, yes it is awesome. I have had icecream EVERY night for the last two weeks. :bigsmile:
Its all about meeting your caloric goals and proper level of macronutrients.

zoebea33

Totally agree with you all, i allow myself a small bag of quavers most days because if i didn't come the weekend i'd want a huge bag

Vick_MN

I have the same mindset that you do. I have cleaned up a TON out of my diet but if I want pizza (or something else bad), I eat it. I very seldom go over my calories-probably once or twice a month only. This balance works for me and I don't feel at all like I am dieting. I have been losing 1 pound to 1.5 pound a week and am down 26 pounds since I started at the end of January. I will never stick to any program if I can't eat what I like to eat. I can honestly say that the only thing that I have "given up" is pop and that was a personal choice that I made back when I started this. I feel that I can continue on with this program for a long time because I have been able to develope new habits without feeling deprived or like I am missing out on something.

chanstriste13

i'm glad to see so many like-minded people! it makes me so sad when i see someone completely stressing over whether they should take 2 bites of a mini-snickers. if that were me, in another 3 or 4 weeks i'd be eating 2 bags of mini-snickers and washing to down with root beer, easy!

veganempress

I suggest reading this book called Skinny *****, by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. It will explain the reason for craving addictions. She also promotes veganism but if you skip to chapter 10 it will explain why we have these addictions and how it hinders own weight loss goals. Good luck

chanstriste13

I suggest reading this book called Skinny *****, by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. It will explain the reason for craving addictions. She also promotes veganism but if you skip to chapter 10 it will explain why we have these addictions and how it hinders own weight loss goals.

i've read that book - it was interesting, but most of what was in there was not for me.

jnite

Totally me!!!!!:bigsmile: I eat the same as I did before only in smaller portions. I only have 15-20 lbs to lose and so far have lost 12 since February. This is something I want to be able to stick with so I decided to just cut my portions and eat the same stuff. Last night I had my 12" meatball sub, almost all of my cals for the day, so I did go over by about 400 cals, but I also find if I don't have one large meal and go over my cals at least once a week I end up not losing. Works great for me too!!!
GOTTA DO SOMETHING YOU CAN STICK WITH!!!!!

MeekMeals

I plan for it, but yeah, I eat something if it really really want it.

yes, agreed! that's my rule too. there are actually 3 rules i have for non-healthy food:

1. plan for it
2. log it and be accountable for it
3. enjoy it - if you've covered steps 1 and 2, there's no reason to feel guilty about it!

LUV THIS!!! I do that too! If you look at my food diary "yes its embaraasingly public", you'll see one week where i had a dark chocolate bar EVERYDAY! oop! you also will see moscato some days, ciroc... I'm trying to do the "Clean as possible" thing now. But I workout like a HAWK!! But yes moderation is essential. And do what works for you!!! Thats my motto! We should make a "eat in moderation" club/group!!!!

chanstriste13

We should make a "eat in moderation" club/group!!!!

dig this.

perrytyra

I still eat most of the stuff I did before, except Debbie snacks, Hostess, stuff like that. Way too many empty calories. Usually even more than candybars. Which I also stay away from, but gave in because of Easter.

mlh612

I suggest reading this book called Skinny *****, by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. It will explain the reason for craving addictions. She also promotes veganism but if you skip to chapter 10 it will explain why we have these addictions and how it hinders own weight loss goals. Good luck

Love that book.. Read it and own it! It's one of the reasons I quit soda cold turkey and I have cut out most of my caffeine (there are a few days where caffeine is still a must or snoozing at my desk I go)....