I'm having a hard time with "Never again"

airangel59

No way I'm giving up mac & cheese and chocolate, lol. I just work it into my daily plan. Today I bought 2 bags of Hershey's Miniatures and Kraft Shells & Cheese cups. In addition to calories I have to watch my carbs and I find that with planning there is nothing I can't work into my daily meals. Of course you can't go whole hog and pig out but I'm very happy with having a small portion

LiftYoung99

i have been eating ice cream almost daily, lol. look at nutrients instead of the actual food, there is no unhealthy or "dirty" foods. look up Flexible Dieting

mamagooskie

Um........I have never said never again to anything........you can have whatever foods you want if you fit it in to your day, or if it's something really bad maybe save it for a special occasion.

The secret to success to finding a way to fit it all into your lifestyle, not thinking of this a diet that has rules that cannot be broken forever and ever and ever.

dsjohndrow

You have a heart attack like I did. Then you decide to live or die.

jus_in_bello

How do you all deal with the thought of never having it again? I know I could have a little in theory, but I never in my life have had a little. I don't even know what that means. They say the cravings will go away but I still have them. Help me build good habits!

I don't say, "never again" except to foods I'm allergic to. Don't say never again. Also, check out food blogs for alternative ways of making mac'n'cheese and chocolate cake, there are healthy options.

RuthSweetTooth

I am glad you posted this. You can see that "never again" is not the correct philosophy. You need to portion the foods you love correctly and enjoy them as part of your diet. You can even have mac and cheese three times a day if you want, until you get sick of it. Budget your calories and plan a bit of chocolate cake every day until it loses its appeal. You have to find out how many calories in it and count them. That is the beauty of this diet. You give up nothing except being unhealthy. If you go over, all the more reason to exercise. Feed the cravings. A craving is just an inspiration for your next meal.

NavyKnightAh13

I agree with a lot of people here. In moderation you can have it. Telling yourself never is going to come back to get you, especially once you hit goal. Just do it moderation, heck i used to get bowl fulls of ice cream, and now, i have only a 1/2 to maybe a 1 cup (and yes i measure it, i actually eat it out of the measuring cup) a day, because i know that i will never be able to go without, nor would want to.

freckledrats

I found that after a month of being really good or so that eating a huge portion like that makes me feel physically bad. That helps. I don't recommend treating yourself to a huge portion of a cake within the first month or two of a new diet change because that will encourage you to go back to your old habits, mask weight loss by throwing off your sodium/digested food weight balance, and you'll feel guilty.

Don't say never again. Say "I can have one big piece of cake in two months." Give it a date if you need to. That way every time you are tempted, just say "Only 50 days to go. Only 30 days to go. Only 2 days to go." Meanwhile, tiny treats once or twice a week will help you get by.

After you've done well for two months and your cake day has arrived ~(:)-{ play a game with yourself. Say, yay, it's my cake day! I will have cake! And then see if you can put it off. If you think you can wait a whole day, wait a whole day. If not, try postponing it til night, at least. Then have your big fat piece of cake. You'll be surprised after two months of eating well how different it will taste. You won't have been saturating your taste buds in rich foods for a long time, so it will taste richer and sweeter and might even be not what you wanted after all. If you finish the whole big piece, you will find yourself full and tired and a little sick, because you aren't used to eating so much in one sitting anymore. Your stomach will whine.

All that said, that's a great way to deal with those cravings. Don't "never again" yourself. Slap a date on it, make self-promises, and earn that shiz! Maybe one day you'll find you don't even need to do that anymore and you'll be satisfied with your smaller weekly treats

cbirdso

It depends. For some people there is no never again. For others they have to sever all ties with a certain food and treat it like an addiction - the way you would treat stopping drugs/alcohol if it became a problem.

If you can have it, learn moderation.

If you can't, learn the mindset that going without is just better for you in the long run. It sucks, but it needs to be done.

^^Truth. If you have a peanut allergy, there are worse things than saying 'Never again' to peanuts. If you have celiaic disease, you do not 'miss' gluten. If one or two foods are keeping you from your goals, it is okay to eliminate them; at least until you are over them! For the majority, moderation works - many, many people can have just one drink every now and then and not want more - but obviously not ALL people can use this approach. I have had to say never again to certain foods and don't miss them at all because I DO eat lots of food I love.

quiltingducky

I can't believe there is no such thing as "never again" unless it is life threatening. Maybe for some it is never again ever and for some it is never again until I reach a goal or THE goal. My downfall is ice cream, but when I decide to have it again (not when it decides I need to eat it) I'll make a leaner choice.

quiltingducky

ooh, I like what you said - not thinking never again but thinking instead not today.

quiltingducky

When I was first starting, I asked myself every time I wanted to eat if the food I was about to eat would help me reach my goals. I didn't say "never again" I just said "not today" and as the weight came off, the choices got easier. Things will start to taste different too. I prefer a homemade treat over store bought ones because I know what went into the homemade one.

My reply was supposed to be in response to this post. Sorry all. I'm still getting used to the forums.

AmyP619

NEVER say NEVER. It's not a matter of eliminating it completely from your diet. Afterall, I think people should strive for long term, life long goals.... goals that they can stick to and live with for the rest of their life to be healthy. It's OK to eat these things, but eat them in small portions and eat them occasionally. It's OK to treat yourself now and again, so don't get stuck in the thought that you'll never see yummy foods again!!! Just be smart about it! Enjoy them when you have them. By having them once in a while you'll look forward to them a lot more, too!! Chocolate tastes like HEAVEN now when I have it because it's not often that I do!

anrev42

this may sound crazy but it sure does work for me....everytime I pass by fast food, ice cream places or even restaurant.s I always tell myself... "nah, that place OR that pizza is always gonna be there...I want to reach my goal so badly"

mandersatx

I don't agree with the "never again" approach. That makes being healthy a punishment instead of a blessing. If I want a treat, I make room for it in my calories. I also eat less of it than I used to eat. If you can't trust yourself now, then avoid those foods until you've learned self-control.

/\/\/\

This.

Diet - what you put in your body, not dieting (what you "can't/won't" put in your body), is a lifestyle. There is no such thing as a "good day" or a "bad day." Portion control, alloting calories if you want something highly caloric, and learning how to live while losing weight and then maintaining it means nothing should be off-limits. Dieting is a term I despise because it has such a negative connotation.

Stick with logging your calories and keeping at your daily count. Workout to eliminate the impact of a highly caloric meal. We're all in this marathon for the rest of our lives. Weight loss and maintenance is not a sprint, it's a marathon. You are doing well, keep it up, and good luck!