Will work for chocolate!

Marquism123

I eat a pretty decent diet, I think. My natural preference is for clean foods; meat, fish, salad, vegetables etc. I rarely, if ever, eat processed or junk food for my meals. My weakness, however, is sweet stuff. I love it. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Cakes, biscuits, sweets, ice-cream, chocolate, desserts; love it all. I have gone full low-carb in the past, cutting out all sugar. I had heard that if you go cold turkey you lose the desire but I never did and, over time, it became an exercise in willpower. I am now at a place where I think it is best to stop fighting it and start building it in.
I am aiming to eat around 1500-1600 cals per day. Is there anything so wrong in allowing, say, 200-250 calories a day for chocolate bar or some ice cream? I will never be someone who can eat 10 m+m's from the bag and put the bag away until tomorrow! Never going to happen. I am also not overly keen on "diet" products such as skinny cow etc. I do not struggle to stay within my calories and am much more motivated to work out if it means I am earning chocolate!!!

So my question is this - is there anyone else out there who has had success by building "bad" foods into their daily diet?

Marquism123

Anyone?

sophiarox

Why don't you stick to having it once or twice a week, then it's a treat to look forward to?

xoxobollywood1991

yea, i will usually have a piece of dark chocolate sea salt & pecan flavour every Friday as a treat that the weekend is finally here. I absolutely love chocolate, and i would definitely failed my diet if i totally stayed away from my favs to eat. you'll probably stick with the healthy diet if you allow yourself to pig out a little every now and then..

Good luck!

richx83

No problem at all as long as you earn it, I had something similar when i first started with take aways, especially some KFC.

What i did, rather than going cold turkey (or chicken in this case) was to use KFC as my motivator to exercise. If i did a certain amount of exercise in the week or the month I would reward myself at the end with the KFC. This way nothing was forbidden and I was in full control of whether I was able to eat it or not.

If you reach the target, reward yourself with whatever you want and then increase the target next time.

marinebiologist_girl

There's nothing wrong with having it as a treat as long as you don't binge and eat in moderation. Especially if, like you say, you're 'putting aside calories' to allow for it. If it's planned, and not just an impulse, then you'll know how much you're having and it won't seem like so much of a stress. It might keep you going at the diet for longer, too. And if you plan it, you can always skip a day on your plan if you think other food that you've had that day means you can't justify the sugary treat, right?

Marquism123

Why don't you stick to having it once or twice a week, then it's a treat to look forward to?

Yes but I suppose what I am asking is what is the problem with eating it every day, if it fits within your calories? Is there any harm in it provided you eat well the rest of the day (which I do). Why deny yourself? I think for me, I am not a natural lover of exercise. It does not come easily to me and i have to kinda force myself. I am good at excuses and talking myself out of it. Being able to earn "treats" forces me out the door! I don't struggle to meet my calorie goal on a daily basis, so I don't feel the lure of additional healthy food would be as great a pull; I get plenty already and enjoy what I get.

Really what I want to know is would a daily diet of approx 1200-1300 cals of clean, healthy food along with approx 200-250 of chocolate hinder progress?

Marquism123

No problem at all as long as you earn it, I had something similar when i first started with take aways, especially some KFC.

What i did, rather than going cold turkey (or chicken in this case) was to use KFC as my motivator to exercise. If i did a certain amount of exercise in the week or the month I would reward myself at the end with the KFC. This way nothing was forbidden and I was in full control of whether I was able to eat it or not.

If you reach the target, reward yourself with whatever you want and then increase the target next time.

I am more than happy to take the advice of someone who has lost 60kg!! Wow...
This is exactly what I am talking about! Using treats as an incentive to exercise to me is a lot more productive than not exercising at all. Eating 100% healthy and clean I simply would not need more than 1300 or so cals a day, so would therefore probably not be motivated to work out as much. Although you have now made me think about KFC so I think I perhaps hate you now.......... :-)

Zylahe

One way to limit number of m&ms,
Serve them in a shot glass, put he bag away (use some sort of elastic band/ clip to seal it, so that its harder to go back for seconds)
And don't start eating them till you have put the bag away and are out of the kitchen.

Also for cakes an d things have you tried to eat only the ones you make?
You can freeze most of the cake , or bring it to friends/ work.
I find even though i'm craving cake, i'm too lazy to make it, so i just go without.
But i know if i REALLY wanted it i could.

Marquism123

There's nothing wrong with having it as a treat as long as you don't binge and eat in moderation. Especially if, like you say, you're 'putting aside calories' to allow for it. If it's planned, and not just an impulse, then you'll know how much you're having and it won't seem like so much of a stress. It might keep you going at the diet for longer, too. And if you plan it, you can always skip a day on your plan if you think other food that you've had that day means you can't justify the sugary treat, right?

Stress!! That is a great description. I am utterly bored of thinking about food ALL THE TIME! It is stressful. I think for certain people (of which I am one) denying yourself leads to binges. If you want something, have it, as long as it is in moderation and within your calorie goals. I am slightly too familiar with that "better hung for a sheep as a lamb" mentality when you are "dieting" and have something "bad" on an impulse. I then end up thinking "what else can I have?" and hoover up all the junk I can lay my hands on, fearful of the fact that tomorrow I will have to climb "back on the wagon". Insane behaviour from an intelligent, educated adult woman!!

Marquism123

One way to limit number of m&ms,
Serve them in a shot glass, put he bag away (use some sort of elastic band/ clip to seal it, so that its harder to go back for seconds)
And don't start eating them till you have put the bag away and are out of the kitchen.

Also for cakes an d things have you tried to eat only the ones you make?
You can freeze most of the cake , or bring it to friends/ work.
I find even though i'm craving cake, i'm too lazy to make it, so i just go without.
But i know if i REALLY wanted it i could.

Thanks for this but I think you are missing my point slightly. I am not asking for suggestions on how to cut down. I can assure you an elastic band/ clip will not keep me out of a bag of M+Ms!!!! I simply would never keep sweet stuff in my house; if I want it I will go and get it and enough for immediate consumption only.

What I am asking is does anyone build a significant daily treat into their calories?

oohmercyme

I've cut out ice cream, cookies, cake, biscuits, pizza, chips, fries- all the things I LOVED before. But, I do allow myself one or two squares (squares, not bars) of good quality dark chocolate a day. One square is 53 calories. I work it into my plan. Allowing myself something I crave allows me to enjoy it whist not going into the full blown binge I imagine I would have if I denied myself.

Everything in moderation!

rotill

1: Work out, so there's plenty of room for something extra.
2: Eat the really dark (70% or more) chocolate.

A reason to avoid empty calories while losing weight is that you already eat so little, it can be hard to get enough of the right nutrients. Really dark chocolate is however rich on several antioxidants, as well as iron and other minerals. It also contains fairly little sugar. If you eat 20 grams of chocolate you are eating 6 grams of sugar, the rest is cocoa solids. Also, dark chocolate sates chocolate cravings a lot more efficiently than any other candy!

Enjoy!

opuntia

I don't eat chocolate at all since I discovered cacao nibs - basically raw cacoa, with none of the unhealthy or fattening aspects of chocolate. They're apparently really good for you too. The only thing is, they're not sweet, so to get the full experience of chocolate you have to eat them with something sweet like a banana. I will often have a handful of cacao nibs and a banana in the morning.

But then I don't have a particularly sweet tooth - my weakness is salty snacks. And yes, I do factor those into my diet. Especially before my time of the month, as blood pressure apparently falls around that time, and I have low blood pressure anyway. But I try to look for healthier varieties of salty snacks - I look at ingredients and avoid those with lots of artificial additives.

wild_wild_life

Really what I want to know is would a daily diet of approx 1200-1300 cals of clean, healthy food along with approx 200-250 of chocolate hinder progress?

To answer your question, no, it will not hinder progress as long as you are at a calorie deficit.

To not answer your question , I have the same problem as you except that I have a really hard time eating sugar in moderation and it seems like if I have a little one day I want more and more each day. Then I decide to cut it out completely, then I decide to eat it again "in moderation" and the cycle continues. I have found stevia to be really helpful when I want something sweet and find that it breaks the cycle. As far as chocolate, I add baking chocolate or cocoa powder to oatmeal, almond milk or plain yogurt (something bland), add a little stevia, and I get my chocolate fix without the sugar and without having to 'accomodate it' in my diet. I particularly like oatmeal with melted baking chocolate, stevia and almonds. And it's good for you!

Marquism123

Really what I want to know is would a daily diet of approx 1200-1300 cals of clean, healthy food along with approx 200-250 of chocolate hinder progress?

To answer your question, no, it will not hinder progress as long as you are at a calorie deficit.

To not answer your question , I have the same problem as you except that I have a really hard time eating sugar in moderation and it seems like if I have a little one day I want more and more each day. Then I decide to cut it out completely, then I decide to eat it again "in moderation" and the cycle continues. I have found stevia to be really helpful when I want something sweet and find that it breaks the cycle. As far as chocolate, I add baking chocolate or cocoa powder to oatmeal, almond milk or plain yogurt (something bland), add a little stevia, and I get my chocolate fix without the sugar and without having to 'accomodate it' in my diet. I particularly like oatmeal with melted baking chocolate, stevia and almonds. And it's good for you!

I hear ya! I think what I am searching for is a happy medium - that ability to enjoy sweet things in moderation - and I still haven't found it. I probably never will :-(

wild_wild_life

Really what I want to know is would a daily diet of approx 1200-1300 cals of clean, healthy food along with approx 200-250 of chocolate hinder progress?

To answer your question, no, it will not hinder progress as long as you are at a calorie deficit.

To not answer your question , I have the same problem as you except that I have a really hard time eating sugar in moderation and it seems like if I have a little one day I want more and more each day. Then I decide to cut it out completely, then I decide to eat it again "in moderation" and the cycle continues. I have found stevia to be really helpful when I want something sweet and find that it breaks the cycle. As far as chocolate, I add baking chocolate or cocoa powder to oatmeal, almond milk or plain yogurt (something bland), add a little stevia, and I get my chocolate fix without the sugar and without having to 'accomodate it' in my diet. I particularly like oatmeal with melted baking chocolate, stevia and almonds. And it's good for you!

I hear ya! I think what I am searching for is a happy medium - that ability to enjoy sweet things in moderation - and I still haven't found it. I probably never will :-(

Honestly I also consider myself a pretty clean eater and was resistant the idea of using stevia at first because it seems more processed than sugar (still not sure about that point) but it has really changed my relationship with sugar and sweets. I no longer avoid or seek out sugar -- if I want it and it's available, I enjoy it, if not, I don't worry about it. If I want dessert, I have a little stevia in almond milk or yogurt. I don't have to worry about getting on that sugar roller coaster because I know if I get sugar cravings after eating a piece or cake or candy on occasion I can substitute stevia and it will control them. It doesn't give the same "rush" as sugar because it doesn't affect your blood sugar, which is both good and bad, but is probably why it isn't addictive.

Don't know if it would work for everyone, but it has definitely worked for me.

farmwife3815

I add "bad" foods in if I really am craving them or if I'm way short of calories. The whole stuff is better anyway, not all the chemicals. So use it wisely and all should be fine!

Crochetluvr

I did the cold turkey thing for a month. It certainly helped with the cravings. And I have added some sweets back into my diet. BUT you have to decide which is more important...the taste of the sweets or being thin? I chose the latter. I LOVE sweets, too...and I do have them on occasion...you can check out my diary. But they are all worked into my numbers. That's not to say I am perfect....but this is LIFE...its not a temporary deal. I will make mistakes for the rest of it....I am only human after all. Work your sweets into your plan, don't go overboard and you will be fine.

Leeanne1974

As long as it is within my calories then I eat a bag of crisps every single day. I don't buy single bags but multi-packs as they weigh less so less cals but still getting my little treat.
If you are in the UK have a milky way, they are about 100 cals for a small one I do believe, or a Freddo Bar. They are about the same.
I can't do low carb, tried it and it just overwhelmed me and I just stuffed my face with all things carby and sweet after a while.
I believe as long as you leave room in your cals for it then you can have it in moderation.
:happy:

Leeanne1974

Talking of Stevia... I have just bought some, brand name Truvia. I swear I cannot abide it, I think it makes my coffee taste like liquorice.
Has anyone tried other brands that are less revolting that I can try??