What are your "red lines" foods and why?
martintanz
Posts: 280
What I mean by red lines, are foods that either trigger a lifestyle change for the worse (or put another way, a diet killer), or that signal an abandonment of your healthy eating habits? Here are a few that history has taught me need to be avoided or at the very least, eaten with extreme caution..
Here are mine:
French Fries - Even as a teenager, I knew that to lose weight and keep it off, fries needed to be approached with extreme caution.
Cinnamon roles - You know, the giant ones they sell at the mall food court that pack about 1,000 calories, that you can buy frozen at the supermarket and bake at home. When I was in school, I would stop by the student union once a week and pick up two of these treats. One for right then, one for later. Big mistake.
Commercially made muffins - Cake for breakfast, 'nuff said.
Donuts - Again even as a teenager, I knew that though they are delicious, starting my day off with a huge load of sugar and fat was not a good idea. Fast forward to 2000. Emergency trip to Florida to help my late father with a health problem he is having. First thing that jumps out at me when I go in his kitchen. Boxes of donuts on the counter. Apparently, his neighbor who worked in a bakery thought he was doing Pops a favor by dropping off a box of these treats every couple of days.
Here are mine:
French Fries - Even as a teenager, I knew that to lose weight and keep it off, fries needed to be approached with extreme caution.
Cinnamon roles - You know, the giant ones they sell at the mall food court that pack about 1,000 calories, that you can buy frozen at the supermarket and bake at home. When I was in school, I would stop by the student union once a week and pick up two of these treats. One for right then, one for later. Big mistake.
Commercially made muffins - Cake for breakfast, 'nuff said.
Donuts - Again even as a teenager, I knew that though they are delicious, starting my day off with a huge load of sugar and fat was not a good idea. Fast forward to 2000. Emergency trip to Florida to help my late father with a health problem he is having. First thing that jumps out at me when I go in his kitchen. Boxes of donuts on the counter. Apparently, his neighbor who worked in a bakery thought he was doing Pops a favor by dropping off a box of these treats every couple of days.
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Replies
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mmmm french fries... I get the small size because if I get the large size I will eat them all....0
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I look at ice cream, chips,donuts, and sweets as red line foods..but they don't tempt me and I have no big history with them.
I have trouble with my favorite foods and condiments like sour cream and olives. those are the two big ones. I buy them to use them in discretion to enjoy my diet..but can't get the portion control ..under control0 -
Ice cream, cake, brownies, candy.. sweets in general.0
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chocolate - M&M's and Hershey kisses specifically.
salads and all the good stuff on there, especially cheese and caesar dressing.
coffeemate - not giving that up, trying for moderation
Tammy0 -
I don't know yet.......
So far, so good, but I am only about 8 weeks into this so we will see. I think soda is going to be a bad one for me and probably doughnuts, KitKats and Slim Jims. Those are the things I ate a lot of before I started dieting.0 -
French fries for sure! And cereal.. I can't eat it by the bowl. I eat it by the box
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Chippy Chips, Belly pork, gravy and mushy peas!0
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Funny - none of the things you list tempt me in the least.
But trail mix - all kinds - OMG! I could eat it until I'm so stuffed I can't move.0 -
pizza and spaghetti, one bite leads me to binging on them so I stay away!0
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Cake, brownies, cookies, pizza, indian buffet (or any buffet), soda, candy, mac and cheese or any creamy pasta. If provided with enough of these items I will devour them within a matter of minutes lol Hard for me to stop once I start.0
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Biscuits I am terrible with can eat the whole packet, if I start0
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Funny - none of the things you list tempt me in the least.
But trail mix - all kinds - OMG! I could eat it until I'm so stuffed I can't move.
Funny, within reason, I still eat trail mix. Nuts, dried fruit. High in calories but relatively nutritious.0 -
Donuts for me too. Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Donuts are almost impossible to resist every time I go in for my morning coffee. And they know me because I used to work there and they know it's my favorite and always sneak a Donut in the bag on the day I order and egg white flat bread. They're so good0
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Taco shop (California burritos, deep fried fish tacos, quesadillas, etc...)
Chocolate (in any form)
Baked goods (cakes, doughnuts, etc...)0 -
My red line foods are sweets. I have never been obsessed with all sweets, rather a few like donuts, brownies, and cream cheese icing cakes. I have managed as of late to only eat a half of a donut and throw the other half in the trash, done this twice since joining MFP, so since April I have had one whole donut. Haven't had a brownie since April, and only had a few bites of cake here and there. That's great considering the holiday season is approaching and I intend to maintain my new attitude towards sweets...I can have as many as I want, but I simply don't want them anymore!
MFP works!
On a side note, I had a small hamburger yesterday because I wanted one and hadn't had one in a few months. Within an hour after eating it, I felt like pure crap physically.0 -
Any type of pasta, I eat way too much, so I tend to stay away from it....0
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Definitely French Fries for me.0
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pizza and spaghetti, one bite leads me to binging on them so I stay away!
My family still does a weekly pizza night, only now it is usually a frozen pizza (calories are known and not too bad) and I usually put spinach, garlic, or artichoke hearts on my portion.
I don't fear, and am not opposed to eating spaghetti in moderation, but in practice, I don't eat it much anymore. When I switch to maintenance sometime in the future, I would still eat it.0 -
Pizza for me! I eat it (as long as it fits into my calories for the day) but I gain 2 pounds every stinking time I eat it!!! WHY DO I DO IT?!?!?! :huh:0
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For the past six weeks, I have eliminated candy and snack crackers/chips because I know I just have no ability to regulate my intake. I am hoping that in time I will learn to eat those items like normal people (whatever that is). I have felt that consuming these items right now is a slippery slope for me and I'm trying to learn to avoid them, for now. Yesterday I had a candy for the first time in six weeks. Tasted very good. Gift from a friend who went to Hawaii. But I feel no need to have more candy for eating that yesterday. Progress!
My "diet" plan is fairly simple. Everything is permissable, not everything is beneficial. I'm trying to focus on eating foods that benefit me most of the options I have available to me. Protein with carbs or sugars. Elimate a carb here or there where possible, and watch portions. Fast food just is what it is. So when I have to go there due to circumstances, I go armed with nutrition info ahead of time and "pre-select" what I'm gonna eat. Knowledge is power!0 -
Candy....this time of year its those deliciously sinful little pumpkins. During Christmas its fudge! I think I'll just lock myself in a closet this year & any fuge received from others will be immediately re-gifted to the new neighbors! They'll think I'm the best neighbor EVER!0
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My redline foods are:
1) Chips and salsa (when eating at a mexican restaurant...I over-indulge EVERY damn time)
2) Ice Cream from a carton (hard to put down and stop!)
3) French Fries (which is why I order a kid's size when I go to McD's)
4) Fun Size Chocolate Bars (Mmmm..SNICKERS!!)0 -
I can't have chips and salsa/dips in the house.0
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Pizza for me! I eat it (as long as it fits into my calories for the day) but I gain 2 pounds every stinking time I eat it!!! WHY DO I DO IT?!?!?! :huh:
Pizza for me as well, I was born with a slice in my hand. I too squeeze it into my calorie count. I always feel like I have gained after eating it and as of late I can really feel a difference in my restroom abilities. So unfortunately it is time for me to really make an effort to further limit my pizza intake.0 -
Alcohol- if I drink to much that is a lot of calories already, considering one of the only alcoholic drinks I like are around 250 calories per 12 ounces. Then the next day when I'm hung over all I want is greasy food. And exercise, well that's just out of the question. It usually takes me about a week to get back on track after a good night out.
The other is chips- As a kid, My uncle worked for a huge chip company and we always got boxes and boxes of chips from him, no big deal when I was the young "skinny" kid. Now, I always crave them. Not good!0 -
i'm on maintenance, so i have a little of everything from time to time, and i work it off with exercise. however, there are a few calorie dense foods that i don't have anymore because they just simply aren't filling enough to warrant the caloric expense.
a few that come to mind :
milkshakes. i have always loved them, but for 500+ calories, they aren't worth it.
chips and french onion dip : when i was heavy, it was a common occurrence for me to eat an entire small tub of dip with most of a bag of chips in a couple sittings. if i had just a serving, it would take about two minutes to eat it, and the caloric expense would still be significant.
cookies and milk : most of a sleeve of chips ahoy or oreos and as much milk as i could chug? it was fun, but not worth the weight i gained and then had to lose.
cereal : though i think i could control myself now, back in the day, a bowl of cereal meant at least three servings. the anemic recommended serving size is a joke, and i'm not in a laughing mood.
foods i've brought back in to my seldom / occasional menu :
real pizza : probably twice a year; two slices
cheeseburgers / fries : dinner on some Saturdays when i've burned a lot of calories
family dinners : a few times a year; my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, usually. generally turns out to rack up about 1,700 calories, but i eat little else on those days, and i exercise enough on those days that i'm still far below my calorie limit.0 -
When my husband drinks beer he bloats like a balloon, gains weight immediately (and keeps it on - it's not just water), and has problems with diverticulitis. It only takes one beer. Other types of alcohol are fine.
He loves beer. We're homebrewers. It's his favorite 'food'. And it's really bad for him.0 -
Cracker Barrel Macaroni & Cheese.
...omg...so damn yummy. freshly made, home-cooked appeal, melty, golden brown on top, comfort food deliciousness.
the side serving has about 437 calories to it, and calories from fat are around 234.
i could *easily* make a single meal out of 3-sides, please.
but that is more calories than i should eat in an entire day. and all that fat? oh, please, gag me now.
For now, I cannot even *think* about that tempting demon which is the Cracker Barrel Macaroni & Cheese.
One day, though...I shall prevail.0 -
Meat.0
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Cracker Barrel Macaroni & Cheese.
...omg...so damn yummy. freshly made, home-cooked appeal, melty, golden brown on top, comfort food deliciousness.
the side serving has about 437 calories to it, and calories from fat are around 234.
i could *easily* make a single meal out of 3-sides, please. but that is more calories than i should eat in an entire day.
For now, I cannot even *think* about that tempting demon which is the Cracker Barrel Macaroni & Cheese.
One day, though...I shall prevail.
Oh my goodness, I get so irritated about the calorie count in Cracker Barrel mac and cheese. The one time I did decide to dive in, I told myself "this is just a dream it really doesn't have 400+, there's just no way." lol. I really felt down afterwards, but it was good while it lasted.0
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