"Everything in Moderation"

queenhiphop

I don't go by this theory, mainly owing to the fact that having a 'moderate' amount of one thing to one person could be an entire portion to another.

What do you consider to be a 'moderate' portion or 'bad' foods? E.g. chocolate, crisps, fizzy drinks, alcohol, etc.

lalala06

i usually just have the serving size suggested.

queenhiphop

Where do you live?

kingofcrunk

Moderate to me is usually just a medium pizza and 4 boxes of cookies.

lillauraseymour

I think that's what's great about myfitnesspal, you can have a bit of chocolate or a small severing of chips etc and still stay under calories.

queenhiphop

Moderate to me is usually just a medium pizza and 4 boxes of cookies.

Yeah same.

Moderate wind follows..

justjenn1977

so... I do believe in everything in moderation...

I used to go to bk and have 2 whoppers large fry and large non-diet soda with two or three refills...

now a trip to bk is usually a kids meal... with ice tea (unsweetened)... moderation...

I used to bake two boxes of brownies for "dessert" for the family (5 people) and they would be gone in one setting...

now if I make brownies we immediatly pack up 1/2 to take to the widdower who lives next door and the other half lasts two or three days...

I used to drink soda (non diet) every day... now I drink a diet soda about once a week...

I look at the serving size... and I have ONE serving usually not more than once a day

BrianSharpe

There are no "bad" foods, only bad eaters.........

(or, to paraphrase the NRA..............Food doesn't make people fat, people make people fat)

ChaoticMiNd

Moderate to me is usually just a medium pizza and 4 boxes of cookies.

Hahahahahaha right?

RhonndaJ

It really depends on the item. It could be something that's held to a particular serving size appropriate to the item. Or it could be that I indulge in the item every now and again.

Mostly for me it's just a mind thing. So long as I know I can have something whenever I really want it, I don't feel deprived. If I don't feel deprived, the longer I can go without the stuff I don't think I should be eating.

queenhiphop

Moderate to me is usually just a medium pizza and 4 boxes of cookies.

Hahahahahaha right?

I think you will find that elcollins24 was using sarcasm in her post.

its_rierie

so... I do believe in everything in moderation...


I look at the serving size... and I have ONE serving usually not more than once a day

This. Although I'm failing at it so far, but I'm trying to making at least one healthy choice each day, and working healthier choices into what's not-so-healthy.

If I restrict too much, I'll go crazy and end up binging on everything in sight.

kingofcrunk

Moderate to me is usually just a medium pizza and 4 boxes of cookies.

Hahahahahaha right?

I think you will find that elcollins24 was using sarcasm in her post.

Only moderate sarcasm

bluefox9er

it's hard to decide this. food manufacturers are very sly..they will make their suggested portion sizes so small so they can brand how low they are in calories, which ultimately makes eating that size unsatisfying.

A medium pan pizza for one at pizza hut is well over 1,200 calories. People eat the whole lot when maybe 3 slices are 'enough' simply because the whole darn thing is in front of them.

Portion management is extremely difficult to manage when food suppliers offer larger than needed portions so they can sell more food...the urge to eat all on the plate usually gets the better of people without them even knowing.

The food industry has a LOT to answer to

morenita71

one way of thinking about is what proportion of your daily/weekly calorie intake it comprises. So with 'bad food' (which for me means processed biscuits/cakes/crisps etc) I try and keep it between 10-20% of my daily intake. Fattening but healthy food like nuts/olive oil etc is a different matter - I'm not so bothered about proportion but I know I'll be hungry if they mean I eat less carb/veg etc

meggonkgonk

Moderation refers to frequency as well as amount. Boyfriend and i used to do take out 2-3 times a week. Now we do 1 a week- either friday OR saturday as a treat and at any place we go, I have a meal that im comfy with the size.

Moderation is certainly trickier as it requires planning, forethought, and will power, but overall I think it makes me a happy, well-rounded person. If I want something, I have it. But I have to actually want it, not just be eating it because it's around. And that, I think, makes all the difference as to whether or not I've "wasted" calorites.

meggonkgonk

it's hard to decide this. food manufacturers are very sly..they will make their suggested portion sizes so small so they can brand how low they are in calories, which ultimately makes eating that size unsatisfying.

A medium pan pizza for one at pizza hut is well over 1,200 calories. People eat the whole lot when maybe 3 slices are 'enough' simply because the whole darn thing is in front of them.

Portion management is extremely difficult to manage when food suppliers offer larger than needed portions so they can sell more food...the urge to eat all on the plate usually gets the better of people without them even knowing.

The food industry has a LOT to answer to

I do not think anyone thinks a medium pizza is meant to be 1 serving, even if they are eating it. Lol.

MissMormie

The food industry has a LOT to answer to

Like what? All the information is on the box. The only reason they do what they do is because people are too lazy to figure out how much they're eating. There's nothing complicated about splitting a pizza in several pieces.

Just take responsibility for what you eat rather than give that responsibility to the food industry... If they don't have responsibility (except providing correct info on the box) then they have nothing to answer for as well.

Meg_78

There are no "bad" foods, only bad eaters.........

(or, to paraphrase the NRA..............Food doesn't make people fat, people make people fat)

^^True.

I do go by moderation, though I'm not here to lose, but to gain and maintain, I still think moderation is the key to a healthy life, so when I eat what people consider "bad" food, I'd have, for example 4 pieces of chocolate (which is a row of a family block here - about 30g, just under an oz) a couple of cookies, or a small bowl of chips, or a few lolies, if I had a desert, I'd have the portion size on the pack, or whats being served at the restaurant...I'll go out and have fast food occasionally....I do enjoy treat foods, but I don't need to binge on it to enjoy it, nor do I need a big amount of it, its more about quality than quantity for me, and I'm ok to stop when I get full or simply have had enough. I never got a soda addiction either so I drink lots of water and milk, if anything my dairy intake is probably too high, but I can't give up my milk and yoghurt!

anaboneana

i think the "everything in moderation" philosophy is hard to live by...
but that doesn't mean it's completely impossible to stay true to.
for starts, i've been cutting out sugars/sweets/fast food/junk food/soda pop. i'm finding that it's easier to just get rid of the calorie-filled crap than to try to squeeze it into my diet. if i'm truly craving something, i'll let myself have a taste. no biggie to splurge every once in awhile (in "moderation", of course). i think an occasionally treat should be satisfying and not something to fret about. if you're getting weird over a brownie, don't eat the darn brownie and/or get some help, nutritionally/psychologically. or just have a sweet piece of fruit and try to pass some time to let the craving(s) subside.

RealWomenLovePitbulls

one chocolate bar OR one soda OR one small bag of chips, etc. and not every single day.

JennieAL

A moderate portion will be different depending on the food. I just try to stay aware of the calorie content in most foods. And really just never stuff myself on anything anymore. I stop short of feeling "full" or whatever. But with something like ice-cream or cake... just a typical slice of cake or two scoops or less of ice-cream is what I'd consider moderate. Alcohol is a definite no go for me. So any amount of alcohol is too much, there is no moderation for me. I steer clear of it because unfortunately, I don't stop easily once I start... just a thing I learned the hard way.

claw0416

moderation to me, is I don't fully cut that item out. My theory is, I am eating way better than I did a month ago, the changes I ammaking are still better than the ones I had before. So instead of taking away that great side dish of rice I love so much, I don't put a serving size on my plate, but I put a tablespoon or less. So I can still have the taste of it. I still eat mac and cheese with the kids, but like anything else I put enough on the plate for taste, sometimes if I know I have not met my carbs for the day then I might spurge and have a full serving, but most days, I don't.. In a way, I do the weight watchers points theory..I bank it..Not that I am following WW, but if we are running errand and I know my kids are hungry or we just want to go out to eat, we go. But the difference now, is that I don't tkae that double quarter pounder, fries and large sweet tea..Kinda makes my stomach churn now after not having it, but I will choose the chicken sandwhich..yes I know it has just as much fat and cals as the others, but I dont eat a whole sandwhich I pick at the bread, and nomrally only eat a few fries, and I get water or I get a small tea. I have actually kicked the tea habit too, so I do their bottle water. one of my fav places is Chic Fila, for breakfast, and if you see my diary I still go, but Imake up for the rest of the day, and actually as of last friday, it just doesn't taste as good as it used too..I ended uip eating the chicken and a bite of the biscuit, the hashbrowns, blah! never thought I would say that about it..But I think with me not taking things completly away, has helped..I am more conscience, and as time goes by my taste buds are changing...

Just my two cents..

dhakiyya

moderation = it fits into my calories after I've fed my body properly with healthy food

A lot of people start cutting foods out before they focus on what they should be eating. IMO good nutrition with real food comes first, when your body has what it needs, whatever you can fit into your calories after that is okay. And most of the time the extra is healthy food because I like it, e.g. fruit salad, nuts. Then I also have unhealthy food if I happen to like it. I also have a policy of only eating unhealthy food if I'm *really* going to enjoy it. It's a waste of calories otherwise.

MrsBully4

I only eat one pound of Cheetos per day and a single liter of Dr Pepper.

TavistockToad

There are no "bad" foods, only bad eaters.........

i love this, and will be stealing it!

mariposa224

To me, it's, if I want the "bad" food, like for example, I love chicken planks from Long John Silvers. Instead of getting a "value meal" which consists of two planks, two hush puppies, fries and a 32 oz soda, I opt for the two chicken planks. That's only 280 calories, though high in sodium, and it pretty much always fits into my calories. At Wendy's, I opt for the Spicy chicken sandwich with pickles, lettuce and mustard, which is around 400 calories, as opposed to the Asiago Ranch Club Spicy chicken which has in excess of 700 calories.

This works for me because I'm still getting a taste of whatever it is that I'm craving, but it's not going overboard and screwing up my whole day. There are times when I *do* go overboard, but they're few and far between and I don't allow those days to control my entire life. There's no sense in giving up because I had a bad day or two. I actually had a whole week, almost, that was not good a couple weeks ago. I got over it, got back on track and am losing again. I know that "everything in moderation" probably doesn't work for some people. Fortunately for me, it *does* work for me, and I am very grateful. It makes this lifestyle change a whole lot easier to manage.:glasses:

Di3012

I don't go by this theory, mainly owing to the fact that having a 'moderate' amount of one thing to one person could be an entire portion to another.

What do you consider to be a 'moderate' portion or 'bad' foods? E.g. chocolate, crisps, fizzy drinks, alcohol, etc.

Moderate I would consider just a small piece.

This is where I have a problem with this "all in moderation" phrase though - I for one, am unable, to eat in moderation any of the following:

Cakes
Chocolate
Sweets
Biscuits/cookies
Cakes
Chocolate
Sweets
Biscuits/cookiesCakes
Chocolate
Sweets
Biscuits/cookiesCakes
Chocolate
Sweets
Biscuits/cookiesCakes
Chocolate
Sweets
Biscuits/cookies

Sorry, for the multiples adds of said foods, but if I start to eat them, that is how it goes in real-ife with me consuming them. If I manage to NOT consume multiple amounts of said food, the longing and craving taps away at me until it becomes virtually unbearable. The only relief from the cravings will be to go to bed until morning at which point they have abated.

This is why I try not to eat any of those things.

sc1572

I have a small treat each day, normally about 200 cals or under, and that helps me stay on track. Occasionally, every couple weeks, I get a candy bar, go out for frozen yogurt, or have a meal out. Most of the time, I'll enjoy myself, but not go wild, and eat to where I'm satisfied instead of stuffed. However, I have a problem with control when it comes to certain foods (sweets especially), and occasionally I find myself back in old habits, eating practically everything!

dad106

Moderation to me, is not eating out everyday.. only once a week or so.

Moderation to me is only eating a serving size... and not the whole damn box of what ever it is you are eating.

lilylux

(or, to paraphrase the NRA..............Food doesn't make people fat, people make people fat)

THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^