Deprive yourself..it's the best way

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  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
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    I think the point here isn't just not depriving yourself, it's eating right. We're all trying to change our lifestyles and make it permanent. Eating right will be the key to making ourselves happy and thinner. It's all the junk eating and the unhealthy eating that really impacted our weights and just made us miserable.
  • vtmoon
    vtmoon Posts: 3,436 Member
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    I ate ice cream almost every other day :-p

    It's all about balance and control.
  • wattsj56
    wattsj56 Posts: 94
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    oh gosh i feel like this was written about me..........i don't eat anything all day. like literally, nothing. and then i feel bad for eating anything :/.
  • scruffykaz
    scruffykaz Posts: 317 Member
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    I love your attitude :happy:
  • blondie0942
    blondie0942 Posts: 146 Member
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    TRIGGER WARNING

    I see people so happy they only ate 600 calories and didn't have a cookie, glass of wine, beer or a piece of Wedding cake. I have eatin not only more nutritious foods since I've found MFP but I also have not deprived myself of something yummy and not within the realm of "healthy nutrition", yes, the dreaded "empty" calories. I am still here and still losing weight and gaining muscle.
    The mind-set is alive and well "don't eat anything and you won't be fat anymore".

    I'm not here to start a debate. I simply want to explain things from the other side of the coin. For the past few weeks, I've been eating 250-800 cals a day (with the exception of one binge day that was 1,100). Am I happy when I stay under my goal? yes, because if not I beat myself up over it badly. It's a struggle every day for me to eat something because I'm overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and embarrassment for letting myself down (eating, or "messing up" my progress). I know it's not healthy. I'm trying to get better. It's hard.
    Every time I look at a food label, this is what I see:
    tumblr_m7xv24wjkV1rap47io1_500.jpg

    and then I get disgusted and lose my appetite. This is something that goes through my head before every time I eat:
    tumblr_m7j8ucwAuL1rb33pao1_500.jpg


    I don't like being this way; it's scary and I don't feel like I can control it. But like I said, I'm trying to get better. I just wanted you to understand my point of view. Eating disorders are nothing to be proud of. Sorry if I offended anyone, as it was not my intention.
  • sweetpea129
    sweetpea129 Posts: 755 Member
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    For the most part i agree, its okay to have little treats once in awhile. However, not everyone has that will power yet and its better if they deprive themselves from the food. Im doing great but i still cant eat cool ranch doritos. I would eat the whole bag. Maybe one day.
  • sunrise611
    sunrise611 Posts: 1,911 Member
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    Amen! One of the best lessons that MFP taught me is that I can EAT and not deprive feel hungry and still lose weight!

    I enjoy what I eat and that includes bacon and cheese - who wudda' thunk it?

    But I also incorporated healthy stuff in my regular diet like almonds, grapes, dark chocolate, yogurt, spinach and lentils and try to meet the recommended macros for calories, carbs, protein, fat and sodium. (Yes, I watch my sodium.)

    And I drink lots of water and that helps keep me full too.

    And, yes, I eat most of my exercise calories so that allows me to enjoy more food within my "budget"!

    Bon Appétit!

    (That said, I don't keep cake, cookies and other fattening things like potato chips in the house to avoid the temptation. Those desserts are occasional treats but not regular items.)
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Just because you don't see ice cream, cookies, cakes, McD, pizza, or chocolate in somebody's diary doesn't mean that they are "depriving" themselves. Some people don’t like to eat that kind of foods or don’t care much for them; it is that simple, and I am one of those people.

    So please don’t preach and let everybody do their own thing.
  • emileesgram
    emileesgram Posts: 141 Member
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    I agree moderation is key and deprivation leads to downfall, that being said as an overweight person who is now at goal weight I also had to learn that I DON'T have to have that piece of cake or handful of chips to make me happy or enjoy a celebration. I had to learn that yes I can have something but it's also ok to turn it down or replace it with something healthier.
  • Keiko385
    Keiko385 Posts: 514 Member
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    Ok, I apologize ahead of time for this because at the moment I'm not sure if it's partly the low mood speaking , I'm really glad it's working for you but I've got so much to lose and having been told that I can't do the exercise I did (I was doing 4 hours kickboxing/grappling a week, eating a healthy calorie appropriate diet and still 19.5 stone) that I can't see how on earth I'm going to do this without depriving myself. Any suggestions would be gratefully received

    Start by logging everything for a week, just to see what you are eating now, the following week see where you can make changes that will satisfy your hunger and still keep you within goal. Small baby steps replacing 1 item at a time if you have to. You dont have to give up all your favorites just eat in moderation

    My goal this summer was to try 1 new vegetable/fruit a week ..some I like others got tossed. I even added fish to my diet something that I had not had in over 30 years :noway:
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
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    Although I agree with you at this point in my journey, in the beginning at 560 lbs. and eating well over 8000 calories a day, and everybit of that food was junk food, processed food, fast food the only way to break this mold was complete and utter separation from it.. I literally had my wife bring in 2 - 32 gallon trash cans and emptied the house of all these trigger foods... If there was a bag of doritoes in the cupboard (which normally there was atleast 3 or 4 in there every week) I could not control myself to have a little bowl full... I consumed little debbies snacks BY THE BOX not the individual packages. I ordered pizza 2 or 3 nights a week (21 inch and a 14 inch and that was just for supper) and could never stop at 2 or 3 pieces... If it was here I would eat it... So I made a deal with myself, I could have 2 spurge/cheat/whatever you want to call them meals a week. Both had to be consumed at the restaurant, I could have whatever I wanted but it had to be eaten there and nothing could come home... The rest of the time I stuck to the mealplan that my nutritionist set out for me... 3 years later and a few pounds down, I have now reintroduced a few things back into my diet, granted I have no cravings for most of the crap I use to eat and would sooner grab some almonds or an apple over doritoes and swiss cakes... I do baked things like banana nut bread with dark chocolate chips using stoneground whole wheat, etc, etc........ But I have the control of the food and it no longer controls me... So while a completely understand your point of view there are some that can not handle the temptation of having that stuff around in the beginning and have to take a more measured approach or they will just fail again and again.... Best of Luck....

    Wow! Congratulations on your amazing accomplishment. Others should look to you for inspiration.

    Your situation sounds like what a lot of people go through. So glad you took steps to get healthy again. Sounds like you went about things in a smart, sensible manner. I know I make people mad sometimes but I just can't stand to hear complaining about not losing weight when I can see that a person is eating crap every day but still expects to lose because of calories.

    I wish more people would take your approach. Having your splurge at a restaurant is a good idea, no leftovers to go eat in the middle of the night. There are some things I don't bring in my house because I will choose them over and over every time I eat until it's all gone.

    Saving a splurge for a restaurant only meal should be tip of the day somewhere.
  • postrockandcats
    postrockandcats Posts: 1,145 Member
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    I've said for a while that if it FEELS like a diet, you're doing it wrong. It doesn't matter the calories.

    ETA- to clarify: if you're tired all the time, feel like you can't eat and are generally miserable.
  • teryansanders
    teryansanders Posts: 7
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    Some people find moderation difficult or their intention is to lose weight as quickly as possible.

    Everyone is different.


    This. What for works for one may not work for another.
  • vytamindi
    vytamindi Posts: 845 Member
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    Some people find moderation difficult

    This is me. I've had to give up LOTS because I am unable to enjoy processed carbs in moderation. It's gone until I am 100% sure I have rebooted my way of thinking about food. 2.5 months in, and I don't miss those things at all.
  • Flixie00
    Flixie00 Posts: 1,195 Member
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    I've said for a while that if it FEELS like a diet, you're doing it wrong. It doesn't matter the calories.

    ETA- to clarify: if you're tired all the time, feel like you can't eat and are generally miserable.

    This :smile:
  • bookfaery
    bookfaery Posts: 53 Member
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    While I agree that starving yourself is definitely not the way to go, I have to agree with EdDavenport. Some of us need to completely eliminate trigger foods from our diets, at least for a little while, because for us, moderation is impossible. But it's a mental game. I can't look at it as a triumph that I faced birthday cake at a family event and didn't have any. The next day I might look upon it as deprivation and counter with a sugar binge. It can get ugly. I need to think of it as, I don't eat sugar anymore, or, I can't eat sugar, because I have a a problem with sugar addiction. Mental game. Blah. None of this is easy!
  • ruurik
    ruurik Posts: 143 Member
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    Some people find moderation difficult or their intention is to lose weight as quickly as possible.

    Everyone is different.

    Agree whole heartedly with this *for myself*. And I'm not talking about too few calories.

    For the vast majority, what the OP said is the road to success. For me, it's not. Moderation is the reason I feel deprived. Moderation tells me I'm missing out on something normally.

    In the past, I've had to use willpower to diet. Now I feel like I'm not even trying. For once in my life, I'm eating healthily, have nothing I must taste (no longer desire coffee, cookies, fries etc) and have lots of energy. That's my lifestyle change.

    And more importantly I don't judge those that eat any food of their choosing! I'm saying what works for me. Want a treat? I'm glad for ya! :) Go for it!
  • RitaSantoss
    RitaSantoss Posts: 986 Member
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    I believe in what you said @ContryGal a 100%! I have been on MFP a month and have started dieting a couple of weeks before that and I know (as all of you) how hard this is. But you will eventually fall into a routine that is easy to keep up. And even though at the beggining I was indeed afraid of eating a cookie or too much cereal, I think now I can balance it more. I still eat healthy for the most of the week but on Sundays those are the days when I allow myself to eat something maybe "not so good" that I might have been craving for. And even during the week I sometimes indulge. The other day I ate a brownie, yesterday I ate 2 slices of pizza. And I'm still losing weight. So people don't starve yourselves or deprive of anything, because the portions of what you eat is what really matters at the end of the day!
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
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    this is a great idea and I am with you on the slow but sure. I think it is hard not to watch numbers go down really fast. Or want them too. Who doesn't want to be our ideal weight "yesterday". It's just smart to look at the best ways of doing that in order to feel good and look good. But not all people have any interest in toning, they just want the scale to go down. Also, I used to think if I lost weight what would be left would be bone and muscle. Just seemed logical to me. I am glad I know better now:drinker: :drinker:
    What I do is enter my special treat early in the day. Like a dessert with friends or a special appetizer with dinner. It has worked so far and I have been on MFP for over 135 days. True I have only lost 12 pounds but I only wanted to lose about 20 some. It is coming off slow and sure.:smile:
  • GnochhiGnomes
    GnochhiGnomes Posts: 348 Member
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    For me, I don't consider, "Someone offered me a cookie and I turned it down," to be a victory.

    My idea of a victory is, "I met my nutritional goals and still had room for a cookie. Or three."

    ^This. So much of this.

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