Complete Deprivation?

Anumie23
Anumie23 Posts: 33 Member
edited September 2024 in Motivation and Support
OK. Good evening all! Just had something quick that I wanted a couple of people's take on when it comes to this whole weight loss thing. I've seen many people post on the boards that they won't eat anything sweet, nothing at all that's under the label of junk food. Now for me personally I always viewed weight loss as a process of learning how to control portions and eat in moderation. Its also about consuming more of the good stuff than the bad stuff. Its really unrealistic to me to believe that i'll never eat a piece of cake again for the rest of my life. What I'm focusing on is being able to have entire cake in front of me but only having a tiny piece of cake, enough to get a taste but not to over indulge. Once a week I allow myself to have reasonable piece of something sweet. Do I have this whole weight loss thing twisted? Should I be ridding myself of all sweets forever?

Replies

  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Just do what works for you. What works for other people won't necessarily leave you feeling happy and healthy. I am totally fine with working REALLY hard before and after I enjoy something indulgent. I'm also fine with just not eating any junk food. It depends on my mood. I just make sure that I pay attention to my body. If I start gaining weight, I know I need to cut back on the indulgences and work harder. I don't see food as good or bad, I just know that some is calorically dense and leads to fat gain more quickly. I work harder as a result of eating it. But that's just me, and you need to do what you feel good about.

    If it ain't broke, don't fix it, ya know? :wink:
  • MFPfriend
    MFPfriend Posts: 1,121 Member
    Ohhh no, sweetheart.
    I'm with you on this. Something sweet every once in awhile is fine. Life is about moderation.

    Some people on this website are "clean eaters"- meaning they don't eat anything processed, etc.
    I have nothing against either lifestyles. It's kind of comparing apples to oranges. They are different, but neither is right nor wrong.

    I think you're fine, I wouldn't worry about it.
    You're lifestyle idea of portion control is spot on.
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    No, not at all...if you can handle having a piece of cake and not eating half of it or the whole darn thing, then more power to you. That's where I strive to be, but first I have to get used to living without sweets...or rather not living FOR sweets. Eventually, if I get that under control, and I thought I could handle regular portions, I would allow myself sweets again.
  • mrsyac2
    mrsyac2 Posts: 2,784 Member
    If you can just have a little and not go back for seconds then kudos to you. Or if you are like many who can't stop at a little then don't put the tempation in front of you. As for myself I don't put icecream in my house well a certain brand that is cause I could eat my weight in mint choc chip hmmmm so good (but I was like that even when i was fit)

    As stated earlier if it isn't broke don't fix it. If what your doing now is working for you why worry yourself.
  • BunnyHop
    BunnyHop Posts: 58 Member
    If you have the willpower to resist the leftovers, and can actually limit yourself to reasonable portions at healthy intervals, by all means eat what you enjoy.

    I do it, and I'm reasonably certain that once the holiday season is over and all these goodies go home with other people, I'll have less trouble staying on track. (Meringue cookies are a reasonable alternative to higher fat goodies when you can resist the urge to eat half the batch on your own, LOL!)

    I totally agree that finding a long term plan you can live with is really important. I don't want to crash and burn some point down the road just because I'm feeling deprived.

    A friend of mine has realized that she does not have the willpower to resist goodies at home, so she only lets herself buy a treat once in a while, away from home. No leftovers, nothing to tempt her at home where she does most of her eating. I think she gets a cupcake from a bakery once in a while.
  • Anumie23
    Anumie23 Posts: 33 Member
    Whew! Ok, because I thought I was going about this all wrong for a second. I definitely learned not to bring the goodies home. I didn't take home and leftovers from my family's Christmas Dinner and when I do buy I goodies I make sure its not brought back to the house. It also helps that my three year old won't allow anything to go into my mouth without wanting it too. It makes me think a lot more about my food choices. I don't want him eating ice cream all day and if he sees me doing it he's going to want to also. I've definitely been awesome with not eating everything just because its present. My huge thing was soda. I stopped drinking soda completely and once I did that I knew I had the power to control other things as well. So far so good, and you guys are an awesome support system. Definitely glad I found MFP.
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 17,330 Member
    :flowerforyou: Hi Athena, What worked for me was to take this journey one day at a time and not make any decisions about what I'm going to do or not do "for the rest of my life". I've made changes in baby steps and stayed open minded to new ideas, then used the ideas that worked, and discarded the ones that didn't..

    I have found that the longer I don't eat sweets, soda, coffee, chips, processed foods, and a lot of other stuff, the less interested I am in eating them. That has been my experience.......your experience may be different.

    One thing I love about MFP is the open exchange of ideas......we all want to be successful at losing weight and keeping it off and we all seek the best solutions.:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
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