"Eat everything in moderation" VENT!

creative1981

Give me a biscuit and I'll want to eat the whole packet. At the moment I just can't bear the cravings so I steer well clear of anything that I know I'll find hard to stick to 'just one'. I'm not sure whether this will ever change. I'm kinda hoping I'll lose my sweet tooth!

HonkyTonks

"Eat everything in moderation" is a weak-minded person's way of saying "it's ok if I eat alot of high trans fat food, sweets, sodas and all the other crap processed food as long as I don't eat alot of it"

Sheesh - I am NOT weak-minded at all and I believe whole-heartedly in 'everything in moderation'! First, for the record, I rarely drink soda or consume a lot of trans-fats and processed food. To me, 'everything in moderation' means I lose weight without doing anything special or following a rigorous plan. Everything in moderation means I eat like my naturally thin friends who don't have long lists of food rules and hang-ups.

Eating in moderation means that I get to enjoy my awesome homemade pizza with fresh tomato sauce and crust I made myself. I also eat cake, cookies and ice cream when I want them - just not in gaping portions and not at every single meal. I make almost everything I eat at home with fresh ingredients - and almost nothing I make is 'diet food'. I watch my portions. I track my calories. I exercise. I don't label foods as 'good' or 'bad'. I don't believe in deprivation or saying 'I will never eat THAT again in my life'. I refuse to diet... period. It doesn't work for me.

I think people need to respect differences and accept that what works for one person, might not work for another. 'Everything in Moderation' is working for me. I've lost 25 pounds in 3 months - easily and happily, with no hunger or cravings. Calling people who don't agree with you 'weak-minded' just seems rude. Your post just really rubbed me the wrong way.

^^ this

I can see the OP's point, if it's difficult for you to eat some foods in moderation it's best to steer clear of them at least until you can learn to have a better relationship. I eat cookies, icecream, chips, and basically whatever I want when I want them, but I also try and eat other more nutritious foods as well. I've lost a lot of weight doing this.

Smiler106

Amazing how many people in this thread believe they have a food addiction. "Boohoo I'm an addict so I can't help it. If only I was addicted to crack so I could give it up." Perhaps if you stopped with the victim mindset you might actually have the self control to eat in moderation!



PS I'm also obese so therefor I must be a food addict. Damn cadbury for making delicious chocolate, I think I might sue.

AntWrig

"Eat everything in moderation" is a weak-minded person's way of saying "it's ok if I eat alot of high trans fat food, sweets, sodas and all the other crap processed food as long as I don't eat alot of it"

Nonsense.

You could eat things in moderation, go over your calorie intake limit and gain weight.

So yea I agree, it's a bull**** term.

You think your so "hard core", cause you're eating clean. The jokes on you.

douglasmobbs

I am an all or nothing person there is no way I could restrict myself to just a little of this or that. I really wish I could and I hope that I change in the future.

I have to focus on the weight loss and getting fit process at the moment, when I get somewhere near my goal I will look at how on earth I will manage to maintain as I cannot remember if I have ever maintained a weight.

creative1981

I am an all or nothing person there is no way I could restrict myself to just a little of this or that. I really wish I could and I hope that I change in the future.

I have to focus on the weight loss and getting fit process at the moment, when I get somewhere near my goal I will look at how on earth I will manage to maintain as I cannot remember if I have ever maintained a weight.

^^ This!

I've never maintained my weight. I can't wait to get there though!

Chairless

ohnuts14

People who say this really don't understand what it is to have a legit addiction to food. There are certain trigger foods that we should avoid as much as possible. However, AS a food addict, it can be very counter-productive if you remove ALLLLLL of the foods you like from your diet, all at once. Being constantly surrounded by bad food, something you can't really avoid, you're going to increase your chance of a major break down binge. If you restrict yourself TOO much, you will lose it. Anyone with a binging disorder can confirm this.

However, a detox might not be the worst thing either. Teach your body that it really doesn't need these foods. You HAVE to do this step by step. You cannot cut it out all at once. Try clean eating for a week. Then, at the end of the week, treat yourself to one thing. Perhaps the thing you've been craving the most. Do this again for another week or two, until you find it wasn't too bad. Then you increase this process to two weeks. Get through two weeks, then treat yourself to whatever you were craving most. If a whole week at first, is too hard for you, if you're like me and you binged almost everyday, try getting through three days at a time, then increase it by two more days, then a week, then a week and a half, and so on and so forth. I mean, if say you're craving... I don't know, chips, don't go and buy the full size bag, buy the small one. You know? Never buy things to keep around the house. Whatever it is you get, make sure you don't have more for later, because you know if you have it, you're going to eat it. -- I did this process with all of my biggest trigger foods. Soda was a major problem of mine. First I limited to twice a day for a week. Then once a day for a week. Then once every other day. Then once a week for like three weeks. And then I cut it out completely, allowing myself one cheat day a month. I eventually found I no longer cared if I had the soda or not. It took, I think, around 6 months before I got to that point, but this is what I did with all of my biggest problem foods; chocolate, chips, baked goods. This worked for me, I can tell you that much. I finally got to a point that I didn't feel I needed these foods anymore, foods I once felt I couldn't live without, even for a day.

With specific trigger foods though, you can cut them out completely. For example, entemans ****s were a big problem for me. I'd buy it, and couldn't control myself. I would eat the whole thing in a sitting. I don't buy entemans anymore. I absolutely had to cut that out completely. No 'weening off' that one, I just couldn't have it AT ALL. If you have more than one MAJOR problem food like this though, don't try to cut them all out all at the same time.

Another trick that worked for me, was learning to LOVE food. I always thought I loved food, but the truth is, I loved EATING. Food addiction, like any other addiction, is an emotional problem, and I was using it to solve all of lifes problems. Anyway, by learning to love food, I could no longer eat the way I used to. I started analyzing my food, tasting for flavors, seasonings, quality, freshness, etc. It got to a point where, if my food wasn't quality, I wouldn't eat it, I wouldn't want to. I didn't want to eat something that wasn't worth it. That was a major step for me, because I would always eat everything in front of me, even if I wasn't hungry, even if I didn't like it. Because I just wanted to eat. But teaching myself to love food, it was like... I respected it too much to just scarf it down. That alone didn't SOLVE my binging disorder, but it certainly helped, A LOT.

All in all, it's important to know yourself, and to find tricks that will work for you, and this happens through trial and error. Unfortunately, there is no magic answer, and there is no easy way out. It takes time, and determination. What do you think will work for you? What strategy do you think you need to prevent a binge? Try one thing out, and if you find that doesn't work for you, try another strategy. If you want to try going completely cold turkey all at once, give it a try, if that's what you want to do. This doesn't work for most food addicts, but everyone is different. It sucks, but you can do it, and you just have to remember that! You can do it!

Another INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TIP for binge eating; do not... beat yourself up if you have a back slide. Back slides are GOING to happen, they're inevitable. But if and when they do, you need to learn to forigve yourself, because if you beat yourself up over it, you will start to give up on yourself, and you will trigger those very same negative emotions that trigger the binge eating in the first place. You're human, and you make mistakes. If you start binge eating, it's okay. It happened, and it's in the past. All that matters... is what you do next.

yesthistime

I am so glad that the OP posted this. I can drink whiskey in moderation and smoke in moderation, but if you ask me to eat Oreos in moderation you're out of your mind. Total food addict here.

qwills2cats

I am not a food addict
There will always be a fat person inside me trying to get out
I don't overeat because the food tastes good... but because of that wonderful satiated, almost obscene feeling I get after I gorge on carbs.
So I can eat many things in moderation... but not carbs.
I have accepted that this will never change.

maidentl

Amazing how many people in this thread believe they have a food addiction. "Boohoo I'm an addict so I can't help it. If only I was addicted to crack so I could give it up." Perhaps if you stopped with the victim mindset you might actually have the self control to eat in moderation!



PS I'm also obese so therefor I must be a food addict. Damn cadbury for making delicious chocolate, I think I might sue.

Those caramel eggs are sort of like crack.

HotAshMess

100 calorie packs are the devil!

christibam

I'm currently "in remission" from Binge Eating Disorder and bulimia. I say in remission because, apparently, it's something that always has the possibility of coming back. But I guess you could say that I'm a recovering food addict too, for all intents and purposes.

I used to be like you. Now I believe firmly in everything in moderation. Why? Because it takes more control to have a tiny bit and then stop.

Practice self control when you are comfortable with it. Avoid your triggers until that point. You're not going to stay away from cake the rest of your life and you need to prepare yourself for that. Don't allow yourself to have a large portion of ANYTHING. Ever. If you want cake, make a mug cake or have a tiny tiny slice. If you want fries, bake some potato wedges with olive oil. If you want a fast food burger, make a turkey burger or use a very lean meat and put it on a flat bread.

Eventually your tastes will change but you really need to stop telling yourself that you cannot go without binge eating if you have a tiny bit of a trigger. You are perfectly capable of self control but you have to dedicate yourself to practicing that self control on a daily basis.

SoDamnHungry

I think that "eat everything in moderation" isn't necessarily a bad way of thinking. But the problem is when people talk about how they have 3 M&M's a day and stuff. Who can eat 3? Especially food lovers and addicts. You want to eat the whole giant bag. It's better to think of it in broader terms. When you go to the bakery, don't buy 6 cupcakes to have one each day for the week, buy 1 and eat it. Enjoy yourself when you go out to Olive Garden...but don't go to Olive Garden every single week. Things like that.

When you love food so much, it's hard not to go crazy over it. Moderation is in planning, not self control when you sit there looking at a delicious pie.

echoica

Bump for later

capricorn0120

We're all in some way addicted to food. Otherwise would we be here trying to lose weight?

I eat in moderation. If I really want a chocolate bar I will cut it in 3 or four pieces. I eat one piece and save the rest to have the rest of the week. I've always found that if I really want something and I think I can't have it, it'll always be on my mind and it'll drive me crazy and at some point i'll break down. If I don't deprive myself and have just a bit of what I crave then I'm ok.

Everyone's different. You have to find what works for you.

christibam

I think that "eat everything in moderation" isn't necessarily a bad way of thinking. But the problem is when people talk about how they have 3 M&M's a day and stuff. Who can eat 3? Especially food lovers and addicts. You want to eat the whole giant bag. It's better to think of it in broader terms. When you go to the bakery, don't buy 6 cupcakes to have one each day for the week, buy 1 and eat it. Enjoy yourself when you go out to Olive Garden...but don't go to Olive Garden every single week. Things like that.

When you love food so much, it's hard not to go crazy over it. Moderation is in planning, not self control when you sit there looking at a delicious pie.

I can eat only three and be done. It takes me a couple minutes to eat those three though lol.

I do agree that moderation is in planning but that it is also when you sit there looking at a delicious pie. You can't plan for every event in life and there's no guarantee that someone won't walk into your office some day and say, "Hey, it's so and so's birthday. HAVE SOME DELICIOUS CAKE!!!!" when you weren't expecting it. Practicing and planning moderation leads to self control when temptation is staring at you in the face hole.

Sl1ghtly

There's a difference between lack of self control, and addiction.

hollyeverhart

"Eat everything in moderation" is a weak-minded person's way of saying "it's ok if I eat alot of high trans fat food, sweets, sodas and all the other crap processed food as long as I don't eat alot of it"

Nonsense.

You could eat things in moderation, go over your calorie intake limit and gain weight.

So yea I agree, it's a bull**** term.

Oh really... I didn't know I was weak minded.. thanks for letting me know!

I think being able to control your eating & have food you enjoy but keep it in moderation makes you a STRONGER person.. You make no sense & come off very rude. Just because you can't do something doesn't mean other people can't, maybe your the weak one!