Everything in moderation? Really?

vim_n_vigor

Everything in moderation doesn't mean that you go out purposely to eat anything and everything. There are foods that I don't necessarily enjoy, foods that I never really felt it was worth eating, for whatever reason. I am not going to go out and eat them now either. There are some things that I will eat only very occasionally, maybe a few times a year, but I won't say never to them. I also won't cut something out that I can reasonably have frequently that I really enjoy just because someone else has decided that this means I have some imaginary 'big issue' with that food.

kingofcrunk

Eat to live. Not live to eat.

bcattoes

Moderation of certain foods works well for many people. I don't label the way I eat, and I certainly don't eat "everything" in moderatin, because I don't like everything. But I do eat less healthy foods that I like less often, and healthy foods that I like more often.

Others have to cut out certain foods altogether to avoid overeating them because they simply can't keep it at "moderation". Some even cut out healthy foods or entire food groups in order to keep their cravings in check. And that's perfectly fine as long as they don't take it to an extreme that causes malnutrition.

There is no 'one size fits all' guide to healthy eating.

Nighthawk4

Since I started trying to lose weight, I have also started reading the back of packages when food shopping. Hard work with my eyesight. I even started carrying a small magnifying glass.

I don't actually rule out any food that I like. I just note the number of calories, so I am aware of the effect of eating one thing rather than another.

One strange thing I have found is with sweets and chocolate. Before I started dieting I used to eat loads of sweets and chocolate - which is what got me where I am today. The same applied to Fast Foods. I loved them.

Oddly enough I seem to have trained myself not to want them. In the old days when I had a packet of sweets or a chocolate bar they would be gone in minutes. Yesterday I received two boxes of Maltesers for my Birthday and although I have started one of them I don't feel much like eating them. I still like the taste, but I am not really that bothered whether I eat them or not.

Once upon a time I would have been horrified at that idea - to lose the taste for sweets :noway:

galecolleen

I can't say i agree with "Everything in Moderation"...there are some things that i just can't eat if i want to be successful on this journey. Fast food has always been a big addiction for me. It's a "gateway drug" in my opinion. If i allow myself to eat a McDonald's cheeseburger once, then i'll want the fries to go with it, and the soda, and then i might go back the next day. I don't think i'm at the point where i can stop it after i start. So i cut it out of my life completely. I get no value from it...no health, no nutrients, and it makes me feel like crap. So, I do believe that there are some people (such as myself) that have to completely eliminate certain foods in order to be successful. Of course on the drive home from work i still crave some of that stuff...but i don't allow myself to indulge. I know where it will lead and You are correct, i would just have to start all over again. I would rather find healthier alternatives to that cheesburger than enjoy "everthing in moderation".

Josie_lifting_cats

There are things I will not eat..... but I do believe in "everything I like in moderation". And I do happen to like wine and Taco Bell quite well. Also, large sushi binge dinners with my husband. And tator tots.

I don't like artificial sweeteners, super greasy burgers, or super greasy anything for that matter. (Except Taco Bell. I'm all about some Nachos Bellgrande... but they have veggies on and don't seem that greasy.)

I also hate salt and omit it in nearly every recipe.

So I guess I say "everything in moderation that doesn't suck to ME".

JeSuisPrest

Some foods aren't worth eating, but those foods are different for everybody. So if I truly want it, then I will have it, usually in moderation unless of course TOM is involved then the moderation theory occasionally gets kicked to the curb.

Josie_lifting_cats

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).

You've already edited your original post, so I have to assume you've read it more than once. It seems like you are contradicting yourself, or dancing around what you are really trying to say.

Then I read some of your subsequent posts and I figured it out. You just wanted to judge other people's choices and point out why they are doing it wrong. That's your prerogative, of course. But I wish you had been cleaner about it up front.

This. I'm happy whatever works for each person works for them, and I know what works for me. I know what my goals are. I'm not going to change my everything because someone on the internet told me I should.

litatura

I think that 'everything in moderation' can be dangerous for some people, but it can be the key to longterm sustainability for others. But I do think that you have to exercise moderation even when practicing the 'everything in moderation' mantra. For example, for some people, 'everything in moderation' might mean eating clean all month and then on one Saturday night polishing off a whole pizza in one sitting (which, IMO, is a binge). I tend to think of moderation in terms of having pizza on a more regular basis, but only eating two slices and organizing your other meals that day so that you're staying within an acceptable calorie range for the day.

bcattoes

It's great to hear that EIM is working for many of you. (And I'm admittedly disappointed that more "not EIM" haven't responded.)

I still say that there are some out there for whom it has *not* worked, but have been told that it is the only way. For those who have not been able to reach and maintain their goals, I believe EIM is worth questioning.

Who do you think has told them it is the only way?

sevsmom

I'm a "most things" in moderation gal. I don't eliminate everything, but I certainly don't go after sugary cereal every day just because it fits in with my calories. I think we need to learn how to live with crap food that's available and have the tools to make better choices, but also to get on with life if we indulge. I mean, 5 double stuf oreos is neither moderation nor healthy. But I LOVE them and I ate them yesterday and today and for the foreseeable future I will not even BUY them. And, I won't struggle with it either. It's not a crutch, it's reality. The only thing I avoid completely is illegal substances and tobacco products. Those really don't have any health benefits for me! :-)

bcattoes

And, I find that most people now days don't know what it is like to actually feel GOOD.

What an interesting statement.

Exactly how did you find this? "Most people" is a lot of people, how many were involved in your research. What definition of "good" did you use for this research.

queenhiphop

I agree

I don't do things in halves. So if I go to a chinese buffet I aint gona have 1 plate of stir fried vegetables and call it a day. **** that.

So nah, everything or nothing for me. If I want crisps, I won't just have 1 or 2. I'll try to resist 100% - if I can't then I have the packet and then cut down on food the next days - and burn the calories off.

FlaxMilk

EIM doesn't work well for me. It's not that I never have indulgence meals, or even days, because I do, but those tend to make me more likely to overeat for another few days afterward. I do better trying to eat as healthy as I can--with that being the goal more than eating what I want. Luckily, I enjoy all the foods I eat, but often the decision of whether or not I should have a bowl of oatmeal or a banana smoothie is decided by whether or not I need protein, not which one I'd rather have.

creecree66

I eat strictly organic and try to eat as clean as I can. If I have sweets its organic chocolate or one cookie, so I don't completely cut myself off and start to crave and ruin my progress! I recommend reading what's on the back of food. When I eat non organic my stomach and I just in general feel terrible. I also don't eat fast food anymore.

nikinyx6

My diet was absolute garbage for 25 years of my life.

Now that I make a visible effort to eater cleaner, less processed food, I do follow the moderation rule. Twenty + years of awful food choices has formed hard habits to break, and I must say that what I'm doing now is much better that what I did then. So, if I want a BigMac, or a big glass of Coke, I have one, and I'll still hit much better macros than what they would have been last year....

If it's better than it was, it's moving forward, and as long as I'm moving forward, I'm happy

nancycola

I agree with you.

EIM has not worked for me when it came to alcohol so in January I gave it up. I caved just a few weeks ago. 7 months, not bad. I still don't drink mostly unless there's a strong craving for a particular flavor (rather than a craving for a buzz or stupor). But I still remember the feeling of trying and failing again and again to be "moderate" in my drinking. Didn't work.

There some things I can be moderate with but not alcohol really. EIM works for some but maybe not for all with all things.

tungsten93

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).

Just curious, what foods for you are "not worth eating" and which foods do you think people "are conditioned to believe they taste good"? Just wondering, not trying to argue.

bcattoes

I eat strictly organic and try to eat as clean as I can. If I have sweets its organic chocolate or one cookie, so I don't completely cut myself off and start to crave and ruin my progress! I recommend reading what's on the back of food. When I eat non organic my stomach and I just in general feel terrible. I also don't eat fast food anymore.

This sounds like you might be developing the eating disorder Orthorexia. Unless you have a pretty serious digestive disorder, there is no reason that all non-organic food should make you sick. It's likely psychological

BenChase

i know for me personally i used to drink about 3 liters of mountain dew every day,made tea with 4 cups of sugar for a half gallon (yes, i'm serious,i measured when i made it) and ate fast food at least 3 times a day, most of the time more. and since december of 2011 i have not had any soda,no tea (with sugar,have had plain) and no fast food. i do miss the tea a little bit but the others not at all, the thought of them makes me sick now,it doesn't sound good at all. and to add to that i switched from "regular" milk to skim milk, a few months back i was on vacation and tried vitamin D milk and it tasted horrible, not only had my preference changed but i knew it was loaded with fat which made me feel bad for even trying it. so to answer the OP question i don't believe in "everything in moderation" at all, in fact out of everything even remotely bad for me that i still eat or miss is hamburger (which i changed to lean 90/10 or better and still eat often, and the sweet tea that i have not had. once you realize food is meant to be fuel for your body your views (and tastes) change greatly. i feel amazing and love everything i eat, and i don't eat much that isn't considered "clean food" anymore.