still eat sweet treats when I'm trying to lose weight?

I'm 18 this year and im trying to lose weight. However I want to eat some foods that aren't very clean too like frozen yogurt, brownies, ice cream etc. However I'm really scared that if I eat that I can't lose weight or even gain weight. How can i eat foods I loveand lose weight at the same time? I exercise a lot. Running two times a week half an hour each time, hockey training twice a week for 2 hours each and basrball training for 4 hours twice a week. It's non stop physical training too. But exercise can't really outdo a bad diet so I'm not sure what to do.

I'm going to give you a little visual I've been posting the last couple of days.

Just maintain a reasonable calorie deficit from maintenance and...

Eat more of this...



and more of this...



and less of this...



while occasionally indulging in this....



All the while making sure you do plenty of this...



and this...



While keeping this to a minimum...



It's really that simple...

If you can - avoid the fake stuff. The low cal, fat free stuff is loaded with extra sugar. This makes me crave more because it is sweeter and full of gross chemicals anyway.

Budget your calories and you can enjoy a small portion of REAL food. Even real chocolate and real ice cream can fit in there.

Also - there is a great recipe around for black bean brownies. They're a bit more filling and have some protein to boot.

This is an example of food that isn't real:



Here are examples of foods that are real:






Therefore, the only way food isn't real is if it exists solely in that magical realm called our imagination.

Don't forget there are a lot of healthy sweet treats out there! Extra ripe strawberries, blueberries and pineapple are my fav. If you're craving a carb treat try oatmeal banana cookies, but beware they are addicting.

If you can - avoid the fake stuff. The low cal, fat free stuff is loaded with extra sugar. This makes me crave more because it is sweeter and full of gross chemicals anyway.

Budget your calories and you can enjoy a small portion of REAL food. Even real chocolate and real ice cream can fit in there.

Also - there is a great recipe around for black bean brownies. They're a bit more filling and have some protein to boot.

This is an example of food that isn't real:



Here are examples of foods that are real:






Therefore, the only way food isn't real is if it exists solely in that magical realm called our imagination.

this made me smile and laugh! lol that is true. moderation and you can eat whatever you want but also get the healthy foods in as well. lol

I eat sweet treats daily.

Like i'll crush 2-3 servings of frozen yogurt in a day 2-3 days a week while its in the house. I don't mess with the baked goods too often, though I am a "bar" addict, so I eat at least 2 bars a day between meals...they are just more nutritious sweet treats.

The point is, going into this by denying yourself things you like is not going to create lasting change. You have to find what works for you and you can maintain over time, not what helps you lose 5lbs this month then put it back 3 months later.

I have a sweet tooth and I eat something sweet every day. As others have said, it's moderation. I don't have 2 glasses of milk and 6 cookies anymore, but I do enjoy a 1/2 or 1/4 cup of milk and 1 cookie. I'll exercise more when I have something high-calorie planned (like birthday cake) or I'll splurge on something decadent when I happen to have done some unplanned major exercise. Don't skimp on your fruits and veggies, though. They will fill you up with less calories and carbs than junk food does. Also, I have virtually given up soda - too many calories without filling you up at all. But I did manage to squeeze in a huckleberry soda last week - I drank 8 ounces of it and gave the other 12 ounces to my hubby. Sometimes, just a bite or two (or a sip or two) is enough, so try sharing goodies with someone or portioning them out. If you don't already have one, get a digital scale. I eat a 1/2 ounce of chips, when most bags say that 1 or 1.5 ounces is a serving. Good luck to you!

I would get into making nutritional shakes, one for breakfast, one for lunch, and eat what ever you want for dinner. They way you workout and constant activity, you'll be good to go.
~T1C3

With how active you are, I say enjoy your treats. As long as you are getting in adequate protein and fat, and plenty of fruits and veggies, I see little harm in it. You are probably torching calories if you are as active as you say you are. I used to regularly eat cookies, chocolate and cake while out biking a lot, along with my healthy foods, and lost a lot of weight in spite of. Now I treat myself to ice cream or waffles and ice cream or some other such thing once a week and get by the rest of the time with a little 81% dark chocolate, nuts and dried fruit as healthier snacks.

What I do is I turn sweets and stuff into food/exercise transactions. For example, say I want ice cream. I make myself walk about two miles to the dairy store run by the local university and takes roughly 40 minutes to make the walk. Each trip burns about 400 calories for me so, unless I go off the deep end at the ice cream place, when I get back home the calories from the ice cream are burned off already.

I did this last week because I knew Wednesday was going to be awful for eating as it was my birthday so I planned ahead and walked almost 3 hours that morning.

Keep in mind that a) you should not exercise only to allow yourself to eat sweets but rather regularly, b) this kind of exchange is should be an occasional thing, and c) still keep the amount of sweets and stuff you eat when you do make this transaction to a moderate level and not as a blank check to order half the menu at McDonalds or something. And as others have suggested, there are some good substitutes for sweets you can integrate into your dietary changes on a more regular basis.

And it does work. That aforementioned birthday meal was absolutely horrid in terms of calories and fat but when I weighed in today I was 8lbs less than I was last Monday.