Lighten the **** up!

I1ahunt

I have said this a million billion times.....Listen to your body, it will tell you what you need to know.....we are all different, I adjust my workout plans and food consumption to allow me to not deprive myself of anything......deprivation is the fastest way to quitting.......mix it up a bit....stay healthy, but don't stop being who you are...if you have a weak willpower that won't let you slip without binging on everything that isn't tied down, then perhaps willpower classes or nutritional behavior counseling or something along those lines is what you really need.......if you can only function in a healthy manner by counting and weighing everything you eat, then by all means do so..........but stop telling everyone else they are "cheating" or "ripping themselves off" or "not really trying"....eat smart, work out smart and enjoy life ...just my 2 cents...no intentions of hurting anyone's ego.

mom2mozart

i'm eating healthier than I ever did, fresh vegetables at most meals, fresh fruits, lean meats, low sodium... And, every day I
allow myself a treat (or two)... Today, at lunch I had a sliver of chocolate chip cookie cake and am looking forward to a double
chocolate biscotti tonight for my snack. But, the calories always fit into my daily goals. I like to eat my sugary snacks at night,
before bed so I'm not getting the sugar spikes and starving an hour or two later... Also, knowing that I will want a treat, encourages me to eat healthier through the day as I want to keep that calorie allowance for later. After I eat my treat, I brush my teeth (so I'm not tempted to eat anymore) and get ready for bed - satisified that I had another sucessful day.

SergeantSunshine_reused

I eat junk all the time, but it still fits. To alot of people it's about sticking to their goals, staying disciplined and consistent to reach their 3 month or 6 month goal or whatever. Alot of people have trouble plateau'ing in their weight loss, or they get frustrated while they can't lose weight.

It's one thing to eat whatever you want as long as it fits in your macros and calorie intake (aka IIFYM), but it's another thing to tell people that they are "taking this calorie counting and macro thing way too seriously".

For your information, it's this calorie counting and macro things that we "take so seriously" that works and works well if it's followed correctly.

I agree with this. I have a treat occasionally, but I like eating protein, veggies, and fruit all the time. Its yummy!

Taking things seriously helped me lose the weight and look the way I do. Works for me

HorrorChix89

I should post this on the wall of the person that told me to suck it up and get over my sugar cravings.

You know who you are. Now I'm going back to eating my bowl of Skittles.

sars_68

And to think for the past week i`ve been depriving myself of my saturday 14 pints of bitter and a giant mixed grill kebab along with garlic bread, cheese and mushrooms...And the kebab weighs in at a whopping 5 n a 1/2 pounds...

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

azazelrabbit

Haters gonna hate.

For every person who hated this thread, there is someone who needed to hear this.

I don't care if you don't like what I say, some people do. This wan;t directed at everyone, just those people who need it.

Everyone is different, there are people who need to keep their macros level, there are people who need to abstain lest they binge. But there are people who haven't yet realised that they don't have to be as stingy about their cals as they are. They can splash out if they want.

I admire the people who have lots of weight lost in their tickers, but have still enjoyed their chosen treat (and no, I'm not just talking about sweets. That was my example. Whether your chosen treat is chocolate, chips, crisps, burgers, cheese, wine whatever. That's not the point. People who take me up on *this* point are just looking for a fight).

Thankyou to the supporters.

And to the haters... is it weird that I'm turned on by you...

Haha x

mrsgoodwine

AMEN !!!

Filatina

You say it girl!!! Little treats are fine!!! Besides it can get very annoying to people if you are always saying you can't eat with them cuz you are dieting...just do what you can! Portion control is what matters and even if you are a stickler about calories, just work out to make them up!!! That is why I looove MFP!!! It's totally do-able for anyone!!!

azazelrabbit

You say it girl!!! Little treats are fine!!! Besides it can get very annoying to people if you are always saying you can't eat with them cuz you are dieting...just do what you can! Portion control is what matters and even if you are a stickler about calories, just work out to make them up!!! That is why I looove MFP!!! It's totally do-able for anyone!!!

Thanks! Yes, you can't deny yourself a social life - and often this social life involves treating yourself. An ice cream on the beach with your family, popcorn at the cinema with your friends.
What does it matter? As long as you keep it in control.

dme1977

totally agree..... I eat M&Ms ( 5 or 10 at a time)
I ate cheesecake today... i(it was a cheesecake bite) 80 calories
I had pizza last night (2 small slices)
I drink diet sodas
Im having a t bone steak tonight...
Its not about depriving yourself its about MODERATION!!!!!

I dont do all rabbit food and diet mumbo jumbo.... and Im STILL losing weight... about 1 pound a week, and im eating what i like, just serving sizes or less...

:flowerforyou:

Kimbersway2thin

There is one problem to what you are suggesting.....those of us who are binge eaters and have an addiction to food can't just eat 1 bite, or have 1 small amount. I understand what you are saying but remember that for me personally, all it takes is 1 bite to trigger an all out binge which could in turn lead to weight gain as has for me in the past. My husband is one of those that can eat just 1 or "treat" himself to something not as healthy. I CAN NOT!!! Just wanted you to realize that what you are saying really could hurt some of us truly addicted to food. I cannot and will not lighten the ++++ up, I can't afford to, but I also don't dwell on the fact that someone else can have this or that and I can't, it's my choice and only my choice. I am living my life happily without binge eating and this includes not eating those things you suggest once in a while.
Kim

Dave198lbs

There is one problem to what you are suggesting.....those of us who are binge eaters and have an addiction to food can't just eat 1 bite, or have 1 small amount. I understand what you are saying but remember that for me personally, all it takes is 1 bite to trigger an all out binge which could in turn lead to weight gain as has for me in the past. My husband is one of those that can eat just 1 or "treat" himself to something not as healthy. I CAN NOT!!! Just wanted you to realize that what you are saying really could hurt some of us truly addicted to food. I cannot and will not lighten the ++++ up, I can't afford to, but I also don't dwell on the fact that someone else can have this or that and I can't, it's my choice and only my choice. I am living my life happily without binge eating and this includes not eating those things you suggest once in a while.
Kim

:flowerforyou:

azazelrabbit

@Dave189lbs and @Kimbersway2th.

Yup, I understand that it is difficult for some people, like yourselves.

But my post wasn't really directed at you. More towards the people who are being unnecessarily harsh on themselves when it comes to treats and such.

kayhatlen

I agree! I had a Reese's peanut butter cup mini egg the other day and have no regrets. I just put it in with my other food for the day.

7funnygirl7

Although I am trying hard to lose weight~ I eat a bit of everything. I don't fret if I've had chips or chocolate as I "can & do" include that in my daily diary if need be. I basically eat now what I am going to eat for the REST of my life.....calories, carbs and all the other good stuff!!

glenbabe

it takes all sorts to make a world and thats why MFP is so great because we all do our own thing and as long as what we do does not harm or effect anyone else thats fine .....so if people want to worry about what goes in their mouth thats fine and if they want to eat a takeaway or chocs thats fine too.....its all about freedom and whatever floats your boat and I dont think people should criticise anyone for their personal choices that after all is THEIR choice.

BarbWhite09

Love this post!

flsl

I thought this one was going to stir it up, but found it a fun version of supportive :-)

I think some days I have 'control issues' where I think too much about the weight and exercise.
It can get obsessive.

But I think this may have more to do with a loss I have suffered in the last year. Losing weight and getting fitter has been a positive thing to help me move forward.

But yes, I have seen eyes glaze over as I enthuse about what works what doesnt work etc

amandavictoria80

I say if you can do that and get away with it. Hooray for you! But for me, I can't just eat a chocolate bar here and there. It completely screws with my weight loss.
Hopefully someone the same as me doesn't read this and think "it's ok". Cause it's only ok for some.

Personally, I don't have the desire to eat the very foods that got me where I am in the first place. And I know many others feel the same way.

LorinaLynn

it takes all sorts to make a world and thats why MFP is so great because we all do our own thing and as long as what we do does not harm or effect anyone else thats fine .....so if people want to worry about what goes in their mouth thats fine and if they want to eat a takeaway or chocs thats fine too.....its all about freedom and whatever floats your boat and I dont think people should criticise anyone for their personal choices that after all is THEIR choice.

I don't think the OP was criticizing anyone's choice.

I took it more to be critical of people who have excessive amount of guilt or angst over something that is not guilt-or-angst-worthy.

The biggest battle in all of this for all of us is psychological. It's our own perceptions. If we perceive that eating a candy bar is the wrong thing to do, we're going to think we're failures. And as long as we failed and at one candy bar, we might as well have a dozen. It's not an all or nothing situation like that. Even if we do have a major binge that lasts for months on end... it's only a failure if we let it defeat us. Until you quit, it's not a failure. It's ... a detour.

azazelrabbit

This ^

Sul3i

Agreed!!!

EQHanks

That is my philosophy as well! I don't deprive myself, ever. But I do eat healthy most of the time.

rsmblue

Some people may just not like sweets or junk food *shrug*

Yes, but I'm sure that everyone has something... chips, alcohol, something fried, an extra helping of whatever...

becoming_a_new_me

I splurge from time to time...I have to or I'll go insane!! Sometimes though it is a matter of "what I want" vs "what I had". Today, what I wanted was to stop and get a greasy double cheeseburger from McDonalds (440 calories), and a medium fry (380 calories), and a large caramel mocha (360 cals). Of course, I haven't had beef in over two weeks, so I knew that since I had my gallbladder out in '02 I'd be hurting afterwards. What I had? Went home and made a pita sandwhich with turkey breast, spinach, and swiss (210 calories), a package of BBQ Quaker rice cakes (80 cal), and a cup of coffee with skinny international delights caramel Machiatto (30 cal). I could have blown it all with 1180 calories, but instead, I had 320 calories. I feel better, am not sick to my stomach, and feel completely satisfied. I don't want that greasy burger and fries anymore. I saved 860 calories doing this, so sometimes giving into a craving is less wise than doing something smart.

2kidsandadonut

I admit I'm an obsesser! But I still treat myself ( I just had a 330+ calorie chocolate ice cream cone from Dairy Queen and it was a SMALL!) However, instead of not treating myself or whining about it I just add extra exercise to negate it. ie I took my family swimming and worked off that ice cream cone.

rsmblue

There is one problem to what you are suggesting.....those of us who are binge eaters and have an addiction to food can't just eat 1 bite, or have 1 small amount. I understand what you are saying but remember that for me personally, all it takes is 1 bite to trigger an all out binge which could in turn lead to weight gain as has for me in the past. My husband is one of those that can eat just 1 or "treat" himself to something not as healthy. I CAN NOT!!! Just wanted you to realize that what you are saying really could hurt some of us truly addicted to food. I cannot and will not lighten the ++++ up, I can't afford to, but I also don't dwell on the fact that someone else can have this or that and I can't, it's my choice and only my choice. I am living my life happily without binge eating and this includes not eating those things you suggest once in a while.
Kim

Then you prob. aren't one of the people the OP is talking about... You know you can't so you prob. won't.... of course there are always "exceptions to the rules"...

We are all adults, no-one is twisting our arm and holding our mouths open to eat that something that we all feel is a big "no-no" in this journey, but if you are true to yourself and the reasons you are here, you will count them as your cals for the day, regardless if it makes you go over, and move on. It's not a crime... It's not a punishment... No need to beat yourself up about it...

Tomorrow is another day and life is too short...

There will always be battles... You just need to learn to pick and choose yours...

azazelrabbit

Yeah, no, again I;ll say this post wasn't aimed at everyone.

Some of you take calorie counting far too seriously

^ Some of you. Some.

madisons_mummy

Totally agree OP BUT its really hard getting it through your head. I really really wanted a lemon pie and it took me about a week for me to have 1 (well 3 in one sitting LOL) but I haven't gained any weight. Even lost 100grams lol. You do get to the point where you're scared to eat anything naughty incase the scale goes upwards

azazelrabbit

Totally agree OP BUT its really hard getting it through your head. I really really wanted a lemon pie and it took me about a week for me to have 1 (well 3 in one sitting LOL) but I haven't gained any weight. Even lost 100grams lol. You do get to the point where you're scared to eat anything naughty incase the scale goes upwards

Mmm, but that's what I'm saying.
You get into this cycle of fear where you never allow anything as a treat again. That's how eating disorders develop. And how you lose friends when you can;t go out with them for a meal.