Rewarding yourself with "cheat" foods?

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amye36
amye36 Posts: 5
in Motivation and Support
I was thinking of rewarding myself as I reached goals in my weight loss... with food. I am trying to lose 50 lbs altogether... and I've almost lost the first 10. Now there are a lot of foods I've been avoiding in this process... like cheesecake.. fettuccine alfredo from olive garden (tears)... blizzards... potato chips.. you all know! We all have our weaknesses... lol!
So I was thinking that with every 10 lbs I lose I would allow myself a cheat food. (I really want to loose weight... but my goodness I miss some of my favorite foods)

I hear of a lot of people rewarding themselves with non-food things, but I feel more excited about the idea of eating cheesecake than about buying something new! :)
I think that I have enough willpower to do this without falling off track... but not sure if it's a good idea. What are your opinions?? Has anyone done this & been successful or was it a bad idea to indulge yourself?

Replies

  • HeatherCanDoIt
    HeatherCanDoIt Posts: 165 Member
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    I think that whatever is going to motivate you is great. For me it is new clothes! One treat every 10 lbs is not going to hurt your weight loss. Just make sure you try and fit it into your calories that day! I think that you are going to do great!
  • mjolly3
    mjolly3 Posts: 5
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    This to me is a lot like a smoker rewarding himself with a smoke after not having one for 10 days =(
    or a drunk rewarding himself for being sober with a beer

    to truly loose weight is a change in lifestyle not a one time thing

    i miss some of those foods too but there are other ways to reward yourself
  • xarrium
    xarrium Posts: 432 Member
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    I get "single serving" portions of cheat foods on the day when I let myself eat them--a small bag of chips or an individual-size cake (or a single slice of cake), etc. I find having the opportunity to eat "bad" food motivates me to be "good" (so I can get my reward, but also because after eating a bunch of sodium-loaded fried starch or something similar I feel kinda crappy, so I want to go and eat something healthy to feel better). Just make sure that you don't set yourself up for sabotage--a whole cheesecake that'll sit in the fridge mocking you after your one piece is never a good idea.

    Good luck!!
  • resptech97
    resptech97 Posts: 147
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    BAAADD idea! I would always reward myself with cheat foods and then regreting it when I was done. Oh yea sure it tasted great. But all that I had worked for...the mind games I would play on myself and the exercising and all just went right out the window! If you want to cheat.....wait a little longer than for every 10 pounds. Make it 15 or 20. That way you have a longer goal and your cheating wont be as much. Good luck on your goals!
  • nachoqtpie
    nachoqtpie Posts: 81
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    Well, I don't know about other people, but I try not to deny myself anything. If I want a Blizzard, I go buy a Blizzard, but I also make a deal with my kids, that I'm going to only eat X amount, and they get the rest. Usually I make this deal with my daughter. If we order her a small, she very rarely finishes it, so, I take my amount, usually less than half, and I give the rest to my daughter.

    I think it's okay to have "cheat" food, as long as you eat smaller portions of it. You surely don't want to go out and reward yourself by eating 2 slices of your favorite cheesecake or a large Blizzard in you favorite flavor, that would be defeating the purpose unless you went right out and worked off a lot of the calories.

    That's just my take on things. Hope that helps :-)
  • mrsyac2
    mrsyac2 Posts: 2,784 Member
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    I was thinking of rewarding myself as I reached goals in my weight loss... with food. I am trying to lose 50 lbs altogether... and I've almost lost the first 10. Now there are a lot of foods I've been avoiding in this process... like cheesecake.. fettuccine alfredo from olive garden (tears)... blizzards... potato chips.. you all know! We all have our weaknesses... lol!
    So I was thinking that with every 10 lbs I lose I would allow myself a cheat food. (I really want to loose weight... but my goodness I miss some of my favorite foods)

    I hear of a lot of people rewarding themselves with non-food things, but I feel more excited about the idea of eating cheesecake than about buying something new! :)
    I think that I have enough willpower to do this without falling off track... but not sure if it's a good idea. What are your opinions?? Has anyone done this & been successful or was it a bad idea to indulge yourself?

    You shouldn't be rewarding yourself with food- Get food out of the equation start looking at food as fuel. I'm not saying that you can't have certain things once in awhile you can have anything in moderation. There is other ways to motivate/reward yourself.
  • Lisa0711
    Lisa0711 Posts: 1,405 Member
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    My best advice would be not to reward yourself with the food. But, since this is a LIFESTYLE change, it's best to find ways to still eat the foods you love, just in moderation. Unlike other "addictions," food is not something we can just got without or quit cold turkey. You gotta eat. So I've found it works best for me to allow myself the foods I love, within my calories, and only a few bites. A good way to still eat what you like without going overboard would be to eat only 3 bites of the "cheat" food and throw the rest away. It works great for me! If I'm really craving something, I'll eat it but only those 3 bites (and trust me, I eat them slow and make them last!) :wink: It's much better than going without and then binging, it keeps me happy, and I don't regret it later.

    Whatever you decide, just don't let it turn into a binge and give in. If you would better keeping it to one meal over 10 pounds, then that might be the best idea. It all depends on you and your personality and amount of restraint. lol
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
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    Here's the question, once you reach your goal weight are you going to find other things to reward with food? Food should never be a reward, not for you, not for me, not for kids. Using food as a reward is how people who lose weight gain it all back and then some.

    Find other ways to reward yourself, like new workout clothes or money that you save so when you reach your goals you can go on a shopping spree things that won't set you up to put all your weight right back on.
  • Sherry44
    Sherry44 Posts: 26 Member
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    Find what works best for you and go with it. Personally I don't eliminate anything from my plate...everything in moderation! However, I'm the kind of person where I can eat just one brownie and be satisfied. My Dad says one bite is too much and the whole pan isn't enough! Everyone is different.
    I can't remember who said it, but she is right. If you allow yourself to have cheesecake make sure you only buy one piece that way the rest of it isn't in the fridge taunting you. And someone else mentioned sharing. That is a great idea too!
    If you want potato chips that is fine, just be sure you only get a personal size bag, you fit it in your daily calories and that you don't do this every single day.
    I don't really have an opinion on the whole "reward" deal...I don't do that. If I'm craving something for an entire week I usually eat it in moderation. I have a family of 4 so if I buy a candy bar and we all share it I only get one bite and that satisfies me and the craving goes away completely...Again, whatever works best for you. (Sherry44 who has lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks)
  • amye36
    amye36 Posts: 5
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    Thank you all! It seems the general consensus is that I should not use this as a milestone reward... I can handle eating in moderation. That's been my biggest lesson in this so far - moderation! I still have some "junk" food that fits into my diet - like dark chocolate, skinny cow ice cream products, baked potato chips & so on. But there have just been certain foods that I've stayed away from completely. I can't bring myself to take a few bites & throw things away (I think about the less fortunate and feel guilty) and don't have any kids like nachoqtpie suggested (although I wish I did just for that reason now!! lol). For example - Cheesecake Factory's Chocolate Tuxedo Cake - one of my favorite foods on earth... 760 Cal. So even a couple bites of that would add up reeaal quick.
    I am definitely doing this to make a lifestyle change - but still want to be able to really enjoy food once in a while - fuel 95% of the time but 5% treat. I don't think it would be entirely wrong to eat a slice of cheesecake or a cheeseburger ONCE every few weeks, or months, depending on how quickly I lose this weight! :)

    Nich0le - I do plan to use other things as rewards - but at this present time I can't afford to be out spending like that :) That's for later... :)
  • AmyLynn4321
    AmyLynn4321 Posts: 30 Member
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    The funniest thing I've noticed - those things I've missed like crazy if I do try them - I no longer like them. Once I got about 40lbs off I started to allow my self to "splurge" occasionaly as long as it was in moderation, nothing too extreme etc. But I've found I can really only eat small portions (so not really worth the money) and i can't handle super rich or sweet foods anymore.
  • mrsyac2
    mrsyac2 Posts: 2,784 Member
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    Thank you all! It seems the general consensus is that I should not use this as a milestone reward... I can handle eating in moderation. That's been my biggest lesson in this so far - moderation! I still have some "junk" food that fits into my diet - like dark chocolate, skinny cow ice cream products, baked potato chips & so on. But there have just been certain foods that I've stayed away from completely. I can't bring myself to take a few bites & throw things away (I think about the less fortunate and feel guilty) and don't have any kids like nachoqtpie suggested (although I wish I did just for that reason now!! lol). For example - Cheesecake Factory's Chocolate Tuxedo Cake - one of my favorite foods on earth... 760 Cal. So even a couple bites of that would add up reeaal quick.
    I am definitely doing this to make a lifestyle change - but still want to be able to really enjoy food once in a while - fuel 95% of the time but 5% treat. I don't think it would be entirely wrong to eat a slice of cheesecake or a cheeseburger ONCE every few weeks, or months, depending on how quickly I lose this weight! :)

    Nich0le - I do plan to use other things as rewards - but at this present time I can't afford to be out spending like that :) That's for later... :)

    760 for a slice of cheesecake No freaking way!! If I'm gonna knock off some calories on Food I better get full and not have to eat anything else. Holy crap I though a regular slice of cheesecake was 500 what did they had to it to add an additional 260 I'm in shock. Is it made of gold haha//
    I still eat cheeseburgers occasionally it's different now when you realize how much work you have to put it in- You start to ask yourself is it worth it.

    That's all it's a balancing act.
  • kiffypooh
    kiffypooh Posts: 1,045 Member
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    Thank you all! It seems the general consensus is that I should not use this as a milestone reward... I can handle eating in moderation. That's been my biggest lesson in this so far - moderation! I still have some "junk" food that fits into my diet - like dark chocolate, skinny cow ice cream products, baked potato chips & so on. But there have just been certain foods that I've stayed away from completely. I can't bring myself to take a few bites & throw things away (I think about the less fortunate and feel guilty) and don't have any kids like nachoqtpie suggested (although I wish I did just for that reason now!! lol). For example - Cheesecake Factory's Chocolate Tuxedo Cake - one of my favorite foods on earth... 760 Cal. So even a couple bites of that would add up reeaal quick.
    I am definitely doing this to make a lifestyle change - but still want to be able to really enjoy food once in a while - fuel 95% of the time but 5% treat. I don't think it would be entirely wrong to eat a slice of cheesecake or a cheeseburger ONCE every few weeks, or months, depending on how quickly I lose this weight! :)

    Nich0le - I do plan to use other things as rewards - but at this present time I can't afford to be out spending like that :) That's for later... :)

    I think you should just make room for the foods you want. Personally, I have a cheat day once a week. It is slowly turning into a cheat meal as I lose more and more weight, but I still get my nachos at my favorite place, or if I'm really craving a cheese burger and fries. I've lost 60 lbs doing it this way. I have been slowly learning how to incorporate things into the plan, rather then just having a cheat day. If I want a 600 calorie banana royal from 31 flavors, I eat lots of low calorie filling foods, like fruits, veggies, etc and work out to make room for that. However, I have been wondering if I would have less cravings for these things if I stopped incorporating them into my diet, or stopped having my "cheat day." I do believe, at the beginning you have to wean yourself from things.
    Lastly, I would be a little concerned that you said, "I can't bring myself to take a few bites & throw things away" because that may show you are not quite ready to have just a few bites, but my experience has been that if I don't eat something i really want, eventually I cave and eat a whole box, bag, etc of things.
  • amye36
    amye36 Posts: 5
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    Mrsyac2 - Hahahahah no it's not made of gold - it's the next best thing - rich chocolate! And mousse, and cream. LOL
    Kiffypooh - I like your plan! I think you're probably right about the cravings though! Which is why I couldn't do it every week... I'd probably start craving more often. And As for the few bites part, the control aspect of it is ok. I have little treats & snack foods at home that I'm learning to control portions with everyday! My problem is more with eating out - I just am not ok with throwing away food, as in wasting it. First of all I don't like waste anything I have to pay for lol, and second I really wouldn't feel right throwing half of a meal in the trash when there are people in the world who barely eat (maybe I watch too many of those adopt-a-3rd world child-commercials). If I had someone to give it to I could do that - but I'm single without kids for now, and don't have too many friends that are vacuums :( In fact they never eat that much when we go out lol. So yes I'd be scared to eat the whole thing just because I'm too stubborn to waste it.
  • kiffypooh
    kiffypooh Posts: 1,045 Member
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    I've been known to bring stuff in the to-go box and give it to homeless people. If you don't have kids, any homeless around :happy: I think knowing your limits is a great thing!! :flowerforyou:
  • amye36
    amye36 Posts: 5
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    I like that idea kiffypooh!

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