Is total abstention easier than moderation?

Options
245678

Replies

  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
    Options
    Most people simply don't have the self-control to completely deny themselves all of the unhealthy delicious foods they love. We can hold on for a certain amount of time but the rubber band eventually snaps and a binge results.

    For people who can abstain, that's great. It's certainly ideal to not eat those unhealthy foods.

    For the rest of us, it's just building up pressure that's bound to explode sooner or later. It's much easier to keep your head balanced if you plan for the occasional treat and keep it within the boundaries of your diary and goals.

    I work in a lunch every couple weeks where I have a couple slices of pizza. This prevents me from spending a month thinking about nothing but pizza, and eventually caving and eating a whole pie.

    For some people, I'm sure abstention is easier. I am of the opinion that those lucky folks are the minority.

    SIDE NOTE: Is your display pic a picture of the Dr. Seuss story about the pale green pants with nobody inside them? Cause I used to read that story to my daughter lol She loved it!!! (and so did I haha)
  • shadow3829
    shadow3829 Posts: 103 Member
    Options
    I'm an all or nothing. I do fine without sugar and don't really miss it, but let me get a little and it is all over. I would love to be someone that could have chocolate every now and then, but for me there is no such thing as a little chocolate.
  • ArtemisMoon
    ArtemisMoon Posts: 144
    Options
    I am from the moderate camp. If I don't let myself eat some of the 'bad' stuff, I would be miserable and never be able to keep it up. You only live once so not completely giving up stuff that is pleasant for you as long as you are careful with it makes sense to me. It also helps me spend time with my family (who are basically all about food). I find it easier to find healthy alternatives to sweets (I love chick pea and flax seed blondies) and allow myself my favorite comfort foods such as mac & cheese or pizza once or twice a month. I have found for me that eating some occasionally kills the cravings, and I have a lot more self-control so I don't sit there obsessing about eating more. I am satisfied with just a portion or eating until I am full. And I always try to work it into my daily calorie allotment.

    I have a bag of chocolate chips I got close to two months ago in the cabinet. Once upon a time chocolate or candy would not have even survived in my house a week. I use it for baking the blondies occasionally (part of the bag has gone to blondies I made for other people), sprinkling on little one serving cakes, etc. So a true victory for me is that the bag is not gone yet and I can remember the bag is there without a sudden desire to go eat them. :)
  • txlissa62
    txlissa62 Posts: 128
    Options
    I think there are trigger foods that must be abstained from and others that can be enjoyed in moderation and that is what makes this so difficult.
    This is definitely true for me. Cheez-its? I must abstain, or else I'll eat the entire box. Sodas I've abstained from completely - not because It's difficult to be moderate, but because I know they're so bad for me. (I actually tried a sip of Coke last night, and it tasted horrible to me. Yay!)
    I'm definitely a moderator. I have no problem eating one scoop of ice cream or 2 slices of pizza. Having kids makes it easier because you always have someone to share with. When I was younger and I would eat something "bad", I thought "Oh well, I may as well eat 2000 more calories now." I am so glad I have gotten past that, because now I can have anything I want, and just eat a little of it.
    This is me as well. I'm in this for the long haul, and cutting everything I love completely out of my life is just too drastic for me to maintain long-term. Even though I've drastically changed my eating habits, it doesn't feel so drastic to me, because I don't feel deprived. If I told myself I couldn't have ice cream or pizza for the next year or so, I would definitely feel deprived. I don't have it every day, or even every other day, but I work it into my calorie "budget" on the days I want it.

    In fact, using the recipe builder, I've been pleasantly surprised that many of the meals I used to prepare on a regular basis can still be part of my diet - as long as I measure how much I'm eating, and not go overboard. This includes pizza - I had assumed that I couldn't have it any more, but once I entered it into the recipe builder (I make my own, including the crust), I realized I could. I just have to limit myself to two pieces instead of the usual four. I'm fine with that - I add a salad, and I'm more than satisfied.
  • pants77
    pants77 Posts: 185 Member
    Options
    Most people simply don't have the self-control to completely deny themselves all of the unhealthy delicious foods they love. We can hold on for a certain amount of time but the rubber band eventually snaps and a binge results.

    For people who can abstain, that's great. It's certainly ideal to not eat those unhealthy foods.

    For the rest of us, it's just building up pressure that's bound to explode sooner or later. It's much easier to keep your head balanced if you plan for the occasional treat and keep it within the boundaries of your diary and goals.

    I work in a lunch every couple weeks where I have a couple slices of pizza. This prevents me from spending a month thinking about nothing but pizza, and eventually caving and eating a whole pie.

    For some people, I'm sure abstention is easier. I am of the opinion that those lucky folks are the minority.

    SIDE NOTE: Is your display pic a picture of the Dr. Seuss story about the pale green pants with nobody inside them? Cause I used to read that story to my daughter lol She loved it!!! (and so did I haha)

    Yes it is. :)

    I'm somewhat disappointed that there isn't an entry in the food database for "Snide (1 peck)".

    :)
  • Sister_Someone
    Sister_Someone Posts: 567 Member
    Options
    For some people moderation is a way of life, for others it's torture.

    I'm among the latter. If I decide I won't have something, period; then I won't be even thinking about it, it will be away from my mind and easy to avoid. However, when I say I can have a little bit, I'll eat that little bit and I'll want more and be thinking about it until I really go and eat whatever's left of it.
  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
    Options
    Thanks to the OP for posting the article....think I have actually learned something about myself haha. Not that I didn't already know that i'm a true abstainer...but just never really thought about it before :flowerforyou:
  • katejkelley
    katejkelley Posts: 841 Member
    Options
    For me and sugar, it's total abstention. I truly believe I have a sugar addiction. Once I allow myself one cookie or piece of candy, I can't stop - binge eat sweets until I feel sick. So I have to just abstain - probably forever. But once I got it out of my system (a HARD 2 weeks!), I really don't want it so much anymore. Sure, it always looks good, and there is always temptation, but it's gotten easier to pass on that stuff - especially when I see the results.
  • brandee1212
    brandee1212 Posts: 20 Member
    Options
    I think there are trigger foods that must be abstained from and others that can be enjoyed in moderation and that is what makes this so difficult.

    MHoward685 hit the nail on the head for me. Ice cream is my absolute favorite food of all time, and I eat it almost every single day (even when I'm counting calories). I have eaten a half gallon in one sitting before, so I have a hard time moderating it, but if I build a small portion into my calories (like a Skinny Cow sandwich or a half cup and a brownie bite), I'm able to control myself by eating it at the very end of the day. It's something to look forward to. However, while far from a favorite food, chocolate candies are a trigger food for me. My office is stocked with them, so when I'm on a calorie restriction, I have to cut them out completely because I binge. Same thing with cereal. I will eat the entire thing in one sitting, so it has to be cut completely.
  • kak2m4
    kak2m4 Posts: 167 Member
    Options
    For me, yes. If I want to stay on track, I have to completely stay away from "trigger" foods. Eventually I become desensitized to it and I don't feel deprived.
  • Jen777Hen
    Jen777Hen Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    I think that totally depends on your personality traits. I am a person that must abstain. My daughter on the other hand does extremely well at moderation. She can buy a bag of candy (even like a one serving bag of M&Ms) and eat it over the course of days. Me on the other hand, can barely make it out of the store before those babies are gone! I have learned to read labels and that really helps me abstain. If I see something has absolutely nothing of nutriional value to offer me, I put it back. Or I think of how hard I need to work to get those calories off. Hope this helps someone!
  • JLCampbellHitchcock
    JLCampbellHitchcock Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I just read a great book called "willpower". They say the most successful people don't tell themselves "later" not "never". They talk about willpower in all areas of life and recognize weight loss/control as the second hardest challenge for people (after quitting smoking). Great book and very encouraging.
  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
    Options
    I think abstaining is great in the beginning, but as you train yourself you can add things in. Then again I abstain from meat at all times.
  • inskydiamonds
    inskydiamonds Posts: 2,519 Member
    Options
    I'm a moderator. More than just losing weight, I'm hoping I can change my entire eating pattern into something healthy for the rest of my life. Abstaining from things forever doesn't seem realistic to me and I think it's important for me to learn to not overdo it.
  • tashbowen1992
    tashbowen1992 Posts: 11 Member
    Options
    I'm bulimic and anything can trigger a binge. I've binged on vegetables, fruit, yoghurt, porridge, weetabix, plain wholemeal bread, soup, and these are meant to be 'healthier' but they're not for me. The thing is though I don't have any 'safe' foods, so if I'm not in the right midset before I eat, I will binge then purge. Moderation is so incredibly hard:/ lol.
  • lwlock
    lwlock Posts: 33 Member
    Options
    When I started this, I knew that I would have to make small changes or it wouldn't work for me. I'm a creature of habit and if I tried to totally uproot everything I had been eating/doing, I'd never make it. I'm not eliminating anything from my diet, I'm just eating less of it and trying to be more active. By "moderating" what I eat and what I do, I've been successful.

    That said, not everyone is wired the way I am (thank goodness). You have to do what works for you. If that means no chocolate, no sweets, no Cool Whip, no whatever, then go for it.
  • Pauline3290
    Pauline3290 Posts: 80
    Options
    I'm in the moderation camp for 2 reasons, firstly because what I love about the calorie counting way to weightloss is the fact that no foods are off limits so I find it easier to stick to (if I want to eat something high in calories I make sure I burn the calories off first MFP helps me achieve this) and secondly that as I'm planning for this to be a lifestyle change I'm trying to be able to incorporate foods I like into my daily intake. They sound like similar points really don't they, lol. I love food and have to learn to eat well without over-indulging or depriving myself.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Options
    Moderation here. If I can't have a box of ice cream sandwiches in the house without eating all of them in one sitting, I have bigger problems than ice cream sandwiches.

    I make substitutes... like I have protein bars instead of candy bars, because they taste about the same and I know I'm not wasting calories on them. But overall, if the choice came down to never eating things I really enjoyed ever again, or being a little overweight... I already made that choice a few years ago when I quit "dieting." Thankfully, that's not a choice I have to make.
  • B_Running
    B_Running Posts: 158
    Options

    I'm among the latter. If I decide I won't have something, period; then I won't be even thinking about it, it will be away from my mind and easy to avoid. However, when I say I can have a little bit, I'll eat that little bit and I'll want more and be thinking about it until I really go and eat whatever's left of it.

    Me too. I'll obsess until it's gone (meaning, I ate it all... to which I replace the obsession with self-hatred, lol).
  • reneeot
    reneeot Posts: 773 Member
    Options
    I think mod, is a good goal, puts you in control and instead of being controlled. Takes effort but very rewarding when you get that undercontrol that is true success in the battle of fitness!

    Learning to go to a wedding and nibble 2 or 3 bites of wedding cake and be completly content!

    Life is full of situations like that where it would be nice to not fear them, and enjoy life!

Categories