Getting used to eating "Fear foods"

Hey There,

I am facing same problem right now...i havnt eaten my fav food from last 10 months


You talk about pies? i even fear eating bread once a day...coz when i was on weight loss..i used to skip bread sometimes..i know i was not the smartest but it helped me losing weight..

I don't think there's any food i fear, just food that i don't think are worth the calories anymore.

^^ This.

Interestingly, getting fit has actually taught me to not fear foods. Spending my formative years in the 80s hammered in the "fat is bad" mindset, which led the overweight me to avoid bacon, drink skim milk, etc. I now realize that I can be healthy and eat the so-called "bad" foods of my youth (in moderation within my goals, of course).

All the calorie counts are estimates. Some database entries are more accurate than others, but they're all just estimates. You can eat anything in moderation—any thing.

Eat "good" or "clean" or "healthy" (whatever those words mean to you) 80% of the time. Fit yummy, portion-controlled treats into your calorie goal. Deprivation can lead to binges.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants

Hey!
For me, when I was losing weight I completely cut out any food that I couldn't accurately count, I know that this probably wasn't the smartest thing to do but to be honest I found it pretty easy and it helped me lose weight.
Well While losing weight I told myself that when I lost it I'd be able to eat that food again, but now I find myself afraid to eat it because I only ever ate it when I was overweight.

Last night for dinner we had shepherds pie which was my favorite food when I was overweight. I found it incredibly difficult to eat, even though I did manage a little bowl of it.
However, I just wondering what some of you fear foods are and, now that you're maintaining, do you find it easier, harder, or no difference in letting yourself eat them c=

If you are carefully tracking, let the number of calories at the end of your day, showing that you are under your calorie goal, be your guide. Let yourself know that it's okay that you ate that food, because you know that you have enjoyed your food and still kept your calories under your goal for the day.

This concept was revolutionary to me: http://ellynsatterinstitute.org/hte/eatingcompetence.php

Eating competence -- not fearing food, realizing and being comfortable with the social element of eating, learning to trust (or help heal) my body's self-regulating impulses -- is so important, even (especially?) for folks who are "dieting." It's about COMPETENCE, long-term, not restriction.

I count calories, but it's because I have goals, one of which is to help retrain my body's natural on and off switch, which has been severely damaged by out-of-control eating. I will not count calories for the rest of my life (though I may have a "booster shot" now and then if I feel too bingey), because I trust that my body is not permanently broken, just in need of a reset.

I used to fear fat when I was losing weight and pretty much completely wiped it out of my diet. Big mistake as it is needed for the body!!!

Now I'm maintaining I have loved incorporating good fats into my diet - frying food in butter and like today eating a whole avocado (which would have been completely unheard of a year or so ago).

I did however get a bit squeamish when faced with a toasted cheese sandwich at a motorway services at the weekend and had to scrape some of the abundance of oil oozing cheddar out! Also I will probably never eat Domino's pizza again or McCoys crisps are realising that they really are just full of cr@p.

I would say that I'm afraid most to eat a bear or some other wild animal that would, while tasting delicious and be more enjoyable for the thrill of the hunt, possibly kill and eat me instead.

That seems like the scariest food I can think of but pie is scary too

Nuts are my fear food too! I never ate them when I was on weight watchers because they had such a high point value. But after doing research, I realize they are way too good for me (and so delicious too!) that I SHOULD be eating them, not avoiding them. Now, I measure out an ounce a day and incorporate into my calorie counting. They are a pretty filling snack so I have been successful so far in eating them and not going over my calories!

The only food that I truly fear now is trail mix. It's the only food that I am unable to just eat just one servicn of. I will go through 1000 calories if you let me. Trail mix is now a no-no for me.

I don't fear any food, but I definitely have a healthy respect for the more calorie-dense foods and try to limit my portion sizes when I do eat them. When I make something from scratch that could end up being a calorie bomb (pizza, mac & cheese, etc.) I always enter the ingredients into the MFP recipe calculator to get a rough estimate of how many calories I'll be eating per specific serving size and adjust the serving size to whatever my particular goal is for that day. If you watch your portions you can eat pretty much whatever you want and still maintain.

No fear. My diet is really not the best right now either. (When you work nights, you do things like eat pizza for breakfast.)

I eat everything I love. I don't say NO to anything.

What do I say no to?
-I say no to eating it EVERYDAY. I love you salt n' vinegar chips but I cannot eat you everyday. (I still have you more than once a week though.) I have one day where I eat like a bird.
-I say no to overindulging all of the time. (Instead of eating two bowls of cereal post-dinner, how about just a light snack? Or how about just one bowl of cereal for breakfast? Or how about a small bag of salt n vinegar instead of a huge one with a giant Arizona iced tea for lunch?)

I don't avoid. I know it will just inevitably lead to me eating everything around me. And then I won't stop. I love food too much to say no. Just take it slowly---reintroduce the things you love in small portions that fit into your calories for the day.

I like this !

I followed the Atkins plan to lose weight so all the restricted foods were gradually added back in small amounts to test for tolerance during the pre-maintenance and maintenance stages of the plan. This made life easier since it's really all about learning portion control in the end. It was a bit scary but I found a lot of things didn't taste as good as I remembered them. Too bland, too sweet.

There is one item I no longer eat - sour gummy candies. If I ate one I use to eat the whole bag, which is like 1k cals. The sight of them still strikes fear in me tho, even tho I'd probably gag on them now.

I fear shellfish due to anaphylactic shock. I fear gluten because celiac disease HURTS! I fear egg yolks because I hate throwing up. I am afraid of the foods that make me sick.

I didn't stop eatong anything while I was losing. Especially not sheopherd's pie. I modified some favorites to use leaner meats and more veggies. I discovered I am less hungry when when I add more protein to my breakfast, so I eat less cereal and more yogurt. I don't really enjoy potato chips anymore, but I love Five Guys fries. I discovered I like almonds. I gave myself permission to eat more pecans.

I am at maintenance now. I eat the same as always. You can measure anything and eat it without fear.

Thanks for starting this, it's an interesting discussion. I had seen all the advice elsewhere on the forums that cutting things out can be a bad idea as it makes you more prone to 'falling off the wagon', binging and getting discouraged, but I hadn't realised it had this other disadvantage too of creating 'scary foods'. So I will joyfully continue with my approach of eating whatever I want in smaller portions, logging religiously and going over once in a while, in no particular pattern, because I feel like it. I am going to the Chinese Buffet tomorrow night, and I now know it's for the good of my mental health. Hooray!

OP, this sounds like a real challenge for you, but I believe you can do it. If you could adjust your eating patterns so effectively that you got this far, you can adjust them again to get a healthier attitude to food. Just remember, even if t'm numbers aren't exactly precise on one meal, if you're trying to be accurate, it will all balance out.

I say this as someone who, for work, has to calculate the weight of enormous ships by adding up rough estimates of the weight of every item on board, from engines and cabling to cutlery and armchairs. A million little rough guesses can add up to a pretty accurate end result. It all really does come out in the wash.