Restriction or Moderation??

lisamarie2181

Hey everyone!!

I just wanted to see what your preferences are when changing your lifestyle - does having restrictions with certain foods help you stay on track or does moderation work better for you?

I find for myself, restricting has been the way to go for me. I eat low carb for medical reasons, so this I don't consider a restriction because it is necessary, once I got rid of the breads and such, don't miss them all too much, and will occasionally have something from time to time, but try and keep it whole grain, so I guess you can say I am restrictive the majority of the time. And by not eating so many carbs all the time, my cravings are gone for the most part, which means not having candy and sugary junk food doesn't bother me, so I don't feel deprived in anyway. I don't think people who follow restricted diets mean they will NEVER eat some things again, but it is definitely not the norm and has become the exception. (unless there is a medical reason why they can't ever eat something)

But on the other hand, others do feel deprived cutting these things out and feel it's easier to stick to when they can treat themselves and helps they stay on track so they don't binge. Do you find you need a daily treat? once a week? month? What helps you stay on track?

Would love to hear what approach you take, so many different ways to lose weight and get healthy, even though there is a calorie deficit in common, we don't all follow the same approach and most people have reasons for why they do what they do, would love to hear them!!

pithole

I try to use moderation the most.

My diary would back that up.

At the same time I stay away from fast food and utterly "bad" food.

But if I want a candybar, I'm going to have one.

shelbyfrootcake

I like a bit of both.

Chief_Rocka

I avoid food avoidance.

amann1976

moderation and portion control... why restrict yourself to things you dont like? it is ok to have pizza or bar foods every now and then you just cant make those things a blueprint of your food habits. i eat very clean during the week a lot of lean proteins, green vegetables and complex carbs like yams and brown rice then come the weekend i have something less healthy that i enjoy

NShapeRunning

I've lost 11 pounds in 11 days by just controlling my calories (in between 1200 and 1300 calories) and letting myself eat what I want in moderation. I don't eat back my exercise calories either.

desiv2

For the most part, moderation, but it depends on the food and my mood. If I don't think I CAN practice moderation, then I have to avoid. For instance, I have to buy single serving pizzas because I'd eat the $*@# out of pizza.

kenazfehu

Moderation within restrictive boundaries.

nixism

A bit of both Bella... no food or drink is off limits to me, but I do curb my choices, ie: I don't have bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I'll opt to have it once a day if that... The only thing I have restricted is my usual alcohol intake, but if we have something on that I'd like to have a few wines with, then I will - but I make sure I've done enough exercise to warrant them! I'm certainly making healthier choices being on MFP.

irisheyez718

You can see by my diary that I don't restrict anything at all. It's worked for me so far.

cbeutler

Both. I can't eat candy or drink soda without binging so restriction there. Moderation for everything else. I also try to crowd out worse choices with better ones. Think salad and veggies replacing that third slice of pizza, second burger.

mem50

Moderation within restrictive boundaries.

That is an answer that gets my vote!

Moxie42

I lost the first 20 by moderation- I tried to make healthy choices but I had one cheat meal a week, and didn't ban any foods. Then I hit a looooong plateau so now I'm eating mostly clean and low-carb, and cutting out alcohol and simple carbs (bread, pasta, etc.), and watching the sodium, hoping I'll break through the plateau. I'm also hoping I'll develop better habits, not always having that glass of wine, etc., so that when I go back to moderation it'll be easier to, well, moderate.

jrmartinezb

Mostly moedration, but a combination of both has worked for me.

I eat almost everything in moderation (even high calorie cheeses, beer, or wine), it is only a few things i definitely don't eat, like candy, non diet soda and junk snacks (lays, pork rinds, etc)

IslandDreamer64

Moderation for me, but I truly can not have cheese or cereal in the house. I haven't had cold cereal in over a year. I miss it sometimes but it's gotten easier over time. Cheese, on the other hand. Sigh. I tempt myself with it about once every 2 months just to see if I can show better control. Nope, it's still my crack.

TheGlen

There are certain foods I have eliminated entirely, because I feel that even in moderation it's bad for me (for example wheat/gluten). There are other foods that I only eat in moderation, such as dairy and grains.

AlabasterVerve

Restriction all the way! It's so much easier and I don't feel deprived at all. I don't eat grains or starchy vegetables and I limit the processed food as much as I find reasonable. That's my mindset. But in actuality my restrictive diet is in moderation -- I'm not losing sleep over the gluten and msg in my processed bouillon and I'm not a PITA to go out and eat with -- I'll roll with whatever is available -- and occasionally I just flat out eat junk like hoagies and popcorn.

So my restrictive diet is really one of moderation it's just my definition of moderation is like once a month or something and not daily 100 calorie "snack" packs or a mindset that anything goes as long as it fits into my macros or calorie goal.

Aurorakitty

Restriction although I ease up a bit on weekends working on restricting more instead of moderation because I tend to eat unhealthy and need to stop eating certain things altogether or at least restricting them to a few times a month.

Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim

bump

Crystal_Pistol

Moderation in everything except Lucky Charms. They are BANNED because I can't eat them in moderation. I eat them by the box.

ruthiejewell

I don't feel in the least restricted when eating low carb and therefore restricting loads of foods, because, as you say, magic happens and there are no cravings or just a few manageable ones! When I've done low fat eating however, I feel always restricted, always crave and dream of food 24/7!