Everything in moderation? Really?

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  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I'm always very confused why people worry so much about what other people do. If restricting foods works for you, do it. If everything in moderation works better, do it. Who the heck cares what works for the next person? I personally don't care what others do to lose weight - I'm focused on me and my goals.


    That all being said, restricting foods doesn't work for me. It isn't long term sustainable. I've lost all my weight and kept it off for nearly 2 years by following an "everything in moderation" mindset and lifestyle. It works for me, so ... I do it. If you don't like the idea, don't do it. But don't be critical of someone who has found it works best for them.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
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    If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.

    this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".

    Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.

    Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.

    What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.

    If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
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    For me, the idea of 'everything in moderation' means that I'm not denying myself anything. It's a mindset more than it is about eating whatever I want whenever I want in moderation. Long years have taught me that denial of things will just end in failure.

    It's not like I'm stupid and don't know what foods are healthy and what foods aren't. I do. I know that non processed foods are more healthy than processed. But I also know that I have to work within my own stress and thought process limitations.

    When I restarted, while I stayed within calories mostly, I made poor choices in the health area. With every week I'm working at eating better. Downsizing portions of the bad stuff, up sizing portions of the good stuff, while staying in my calories.

    Will I ever eat 100 percent clean and healthy. No,I'm not going to deny myself the indulgence when the cravings get too big, because if I try to, I'll binge, and comparatively a small portion of an unhealthy food on rare occasions is a heck of a lot better than binging on unhealthy foods on a more regular basis.

    And if you're thinking I need more self control, you're right. I'm working on that as well.
  • AprilRenewed
    AprilRenewed Posts: 691 Member
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    If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.

    this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".

    Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.

    Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.

    What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.

    If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.

    I agree with you in part. I agree that once you stop eating something for a long time and eat much healthier, you lose your "taste" for certain things.

    Prime example: I gave up breads/pasta/rice a long time ago. Once in awhile, I'll smell a fresh donut or something baked and really want some. I figure, why not?

    And every single time, I'm disappointed that I wasted the calories because it doesn't taste as good as it once did.

    Papa John's used to be my favorite. Now, if my husband orders it and I even take a pinch of greasy cheese off his pizza, it's gross. Not the cheese, but all the grease. I can't eat it.
  • knk1553
    knk1553 Posts: 438 Member
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    Studies have shown that if you deprive yourself of something you want you're more likely to binge on it. That being said, there are certain foods that I haven't really ate since starting on here... McDonalds and various other fast food restaurants being one of them, but that doesn't mean if I'm really craving it I don't go get it, because lets face it, for me personally, not giving my body what its craving means I eat everything else until I give it what its craving and thats just a caloric disaster.

    With that being said, I agree with the above poster, I think its strange that people on here are so worried about what other people do. I've seen people lose 100+ pounds with the everything in moderation approach and keep it off better than people who restricted, I've also seen people who have started eating completely clean and never gone back or thought about "bad" food a day in their lives since that point, but then again I've also seen people try to take this approach, drop a bunch of weight quickly, and fail miserably, so I say whatever works for each person, and unless people ask for the advice, or whatever, they really shouldn't be criticized on what works for them.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
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    For me, the idea of 'everything in moderation' means that I'm not denying myself anything. It's a mindset more than it is about eating whatever I want whenever I want in moderation. Long years have taught me that denial of things will just end in failure.

    It's not like I'm stupid and don't know what foods are healthy and what foods aren't. I do. I know that non processed foods are more healthy than processed. But I also know that I have to work within my own stress and thought process limitations.

    When I restarted, while I stayed within calories mostly, I made poor choices in the health area. With every week I'm working at eating better. Downsizing portions of the bad stuff, up sizing portions of the good stuff, while staying in my calories.

    Will I ever eat 100 percent clean and healthy. No,I'm not going to deny myself the indulgence when the cravings get too big, because if I try to, I'll binge, and comparatively a small portion of an unhealthy food on rare occasions is a heck of a lot better than binging on unhealthy foods on a more regular basis.

    And if you're thinking I need more self control, you're right. I'm working on that as well.

    for a lot of people, having that small portion of a trigger food just sets off the binge. Feeling that you are denying yourself is a choice. You dont have to feel denied. Your bosy certainly isnt "denied". It's only a few seconds of your taste buds that arent getting that fix. That wilkl go away when you retrain your taste buds.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.

    this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".

    Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.

    Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.

    What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.

    If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.

    I'm curious, what makes a food unhealthy? Don't you have to take into consideration how much you're eating and how it fits into the context of your total caloric intake or some foods are unhealthy in any amount (I'll give you synthetic trans fats should prob be avoided)
  • knk1553
    knk1553 Posts: 438 Member
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    If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.

    Lies, cheesefries with bacon and ranch dressing still taste amazing and Bojangles, still tastes amazing, and I only eat Bojangles probably once every 3-5 months if even, cheese fries even less frequently
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
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    If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.

    Lies, cheesefries with bacon and ranch dressing still taste amazing and Bojangles, still tastes amazing, and I only eat Bojangles probably once every 3-5 months if even, cheese fries even less frequently

    thats why I said "most" of them. Not all of them.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    Options
    If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.

    this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".

    Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.

    Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.

    What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.

    If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.

    I'm curious, what makes a food unhealthy? Don't you have to take into consideration how much you're eating and how it fits into the context of your total caloric intake or some foods are unhealthy in any amount (I'll give you synthetic trans fats should prob be avoided)

    come on dude...we have been here before. give it a rest.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.

    this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".

    Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.

    Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.

    What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.

    If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.

    I'm curious, what makes a food unhealthy? Don't you have to take into consideration how much you're eating and how it fits into the context of your total caloric intake or some foods are unhealthy in any amount (I'll give you synthetic trans fats should prob be avoided)

    come on dude...we have been here before. give it a rest.

    As expected...
  • ruurik
    ruurik Posts: 143 Member
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    Am I the only person on MFP who *doesn't* believe in "everything in moderation"? That some foods just aren't worth eating, so I don't? That some foods are processed to the point that they don't really seem like food anymore and the only reason you *think* they taste good is because you are conditioned to believe they taste good? That the excuse of "if I don't eat it, then I'll just crave it more and that will destroy my diet" is just that, an excuse? That maybe, just maybe, the "secret" to ending a "bad relationship" with certain foods that ultimately cause you to stumble in your diet is to stop eating them entirely (and then learning that once you do, these foods no longer have such power over you)?

    :huh:

    ETA: And please don't misunderstand, I'm not talking about *never* eating something that isn't totally healthy for you. I understand that sometimes, certain foods *are* worth the dietary hit. I'm talking about the constant insistence that *nothing* is ever off limits (and then the subsequent problem: a frequent indulgence in foods like these).

    That's about as close to my way of thinking that I've seen on this site. Not the same but along a similar train of thought. :)
  • knk1553
    knk1553 Posts: 438 Member
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    If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.

    Lies, cheesefries with bacon and ranch dressing still taste amazing and Bojangles, still tastes amazing, and I only eat Bojangles probably once every 3-5 months if even, cheese fries even less frequently

    thats why I said "most" of them. Not all of them.

    Hmmm....so how do I determine what unhealthy foods will no longer taste good and which ones will? This varies by person, I could personally go years without eating chocolate and really not give a damn, but I know plenty of people who have it everyday. Each person is different, so really, I think the point is being made by everyone, including myself, what works for you doesn't work for everyone. If someone feels they benefit from being able to build "unhealthy" food into their diet and they're seeing the results they want, then great, personally thats what works for me. I don't really deprive myself of anything as long as it fits into my goals for that day, and I'll work extra hard to make sure it does
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    Options
    If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.

    this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".

    Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.

    Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.

    What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.

    If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.

    I'm curious, what makes a food unhealthy? Don't you have to take into consideration how much you're eating and how it fits into the context of your total caloric intake or some foods are unhealthy in any amount (I'll give you synthetic trans fats should prob be avoided)

    come on dude...we have been here before. give it a rest.

    As expected...

    happy you to make you happy. not everyone is as disciplined as you are. many people here struggle with food choices and fitting those choices into their total intake. time and time again, we both see people stuggling with controlling their choices. For some, If they can control their choices they can better control their total intake. So what makes a food "unhealthy", can be different for you and for me and for someone else. If you can stop at 1 cup of ice cream thats great. but if you have 8 cups in a sitting, at some point it becomes unhealthy. But I am sure you will have some argument against this also. Its just what you do. Have at it.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Options
    If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.

    this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".

    Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.

    Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.

    What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.

    If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.

    I'm curious, what makes a food unhealthy? Don't you have to take into consideration how much you're eating and how it fits into the context of your total caloric intake or some foods are unhealthy in any amount (I'll give you synthetic trans fats should prob be avoided)

    come on dude...we have been here before. give it a rest.

    As expected...

    happy you to make you happy. not everyone is as disciplined as you are. many people here struggle with food choices and fitting those choices into their total intake. time and time again, we both see people stuggling with controlling their choices. For some, If they can control their choices they can better control their total intake. So what makes a food "unhealthy", can be different for you and for me and for someone else. If you can stop at 1 cup of ice cream thats great. but if you have 8 cups in a sitting, at some point it becomes unhealthy. But I am sure you will have some argument against this also. Its just what you do. Have at it.

    So you agree, foods aren't inherently unhealthy, you have to take into consideration how much and how it fits into your diet
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.

    this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".

    Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.

    Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.

    What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.

    If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.

    I'm curious, what makes a food unhealthy? Don't you have to take into consideration how much you're eating and how it fits into the context of your total caloric intake or some foods are unhealthy in any amount (I'll give you synthetic trans fats should prob be avoided)

    come on dude...we have been here before. give it a rest.

    As expected...

    happy you to make you happy. not everyone is as disciplined as you are. many people here struggle with food choices and fitting those choices into their total intake. time and time again, we both see people stuggling with controlling their choices. For some, If they can control their choices they can better control their total intake. So what makes a food "unhealthy", can be different for you and for me and for someone else. If you can stop at 1 cup of ice cream thats great. but if you have 8 cups in a sitting, at some point it becomes unhealthy. But I am sure you will have some argument against this also. Its just what you do. Have at it.

    Yes, but everything in moderation means exactly that. Let's talk ice cream then. For me it means 1 serving (generally 1/2 a measured cup of ice cream) topped with fresh or frozen berries (I prefer frozen and then thawed to make it more syrupy) and 16 counted dark chocolate chips . . . that's moderation. a gallon of ice cream in one sitting is binging and definitely not moderation. This discussion is about everything in moderation which inherently means a little self control. When consumed in moderation things aren't unhealthy, their just food.
  • ChaseAlder
    ChaseAlder Posts: 804 Member
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    I believe in moderation. I don't eat *everything*, but everything I DO eat, I eat in moderation.
  • porcelain_doll
    porcelain_doll Posts: 1,005 Member
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    "Everything in moderation? Really?"

    Yes, really. Mind-blowing, isn't it?
  • kittybear86
    kittybear86 Posts: 341 Member
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    In my opinion,moderation is key.I could NEVER give up ANY of my favorite foods,because that wouldn't work for me.However,I try to eat a little healthier,too.I think it's best to make it equal.For example,half eating clean and the other half eat what you want in smaller amounts.I think that is a winner to me.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    Options
    If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.

    this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".

    Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.

    Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.

    What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.

    If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.

    I'm curious, what makes a food unhealthy? Don't you have to take into consideration how much you're eating and how it fits into the context of your total caloric intake or some foods are unhealthy in any amount (I'll give you synthetic trans fats should prob be avoided)

    come on dude...we have been here before. give it a rest.

    As expected...

    happy you to make you happy. not everyone is as disciplined as you are. many people here struggle with food choices and fitting those choices into their total intake. time and time again, we both see people stuggling with controlling their choices. For some, If they can control their choices they can better control their total intake. So what makes a food "unhealthy", can be different for you and for me and for someone else. If you can stop at 1 cup of ice cream thats great. but if you have 8 cups in a sitting, at some point it becomes unhealthy. But I am sure you will have some argument against this also. Its just what you do. Have at it.

    Yes, but everything in moderation means exactly that. Let's talk ice cream then. For me it means 1 serving (generally 1/2 a measured cup of ice cream) topped with fresh or frozen berries (I prefer frozen and then thawed to make it more syrupy) and 16 counted dark chocolate chips . . . that's moderation. a gallon of ice cream in one sitting is binging and definitely not moderation. This discussion is about everything in moderation which inherently means a little self control. When consumed in moderation things aren't unhealthy, their just food.

    if everyone had a little self control I doubt this site would exist. If everyone had the discipline to have abs like Ac would they be here? I doubt Ac needs this site and perhaps you dont really either. Perhaps we all three did at some point but now?

    I dont really need it but do enjoy it and often I like to see how my macros are lining up.