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    Is it okay to have a treat?

    Posts: 13
    edited March 2 in Getting Started
    If you stay within your calorie goal? Today I just HAD to have a pack of swiss cake rolls (2). It is 420 calories for 2 of them. Is it okay once in awhile to do this?

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    • Posts: 15,151 Member
      Absolutely! I make room for a treat daily!
    • Posts: 524 Member
      Definitely! If you deprive yourself of things that you enjoy long enough, it will come back to avenge itself through binging, followed by guilt and subsequently more binging. I've save room in my journal for a DQ ice cream cone with the kid at least once a week - not a big deal.
    • Posts: 640 Member
      Yes, it's a good idea to have a treat planned and counted into your daily calories. Much better than being very restrictive in your eating which will lead to a binge.
    • Posts: 10,740 Member
      If it's wrong I don't wanna be right ;-)

      But seriously...while I have FREQUENT treats, I have come to try to get a little balance in there. I may occasionally have a 500 cal custard concrete on a busy, activity-packed Saturday but on other days, a 150 calorie, carefully measured 1/2 cup scoop of ice cream or one 65 cal square of chocolate. Or two.

      By no means do I think a 420 cal packet of Swiss cake rolls is automatically a terrible choice for you, OP, but I do think it would be a bad option as a DAILY treat, mainly because that's a pretty big percentage of most peoples' daily calories so you might forfeit better nutrition and/or feel less satisfied having that. I get that you aren't doing it daily though. Sounds totally fine!
    • Posts: 173 Member
      I treat myself all the time, and I lost over 50 pounds. Just keep track of your calories.
    • Posts: 47 Member
      I LOVE Oreos and I eat something Oreo themed every single day, whether it is one 60 cal cookie or an oreo pop tart when I've got loads of cals.

      The point is to make this last forever, and there is no way I am giving up Oreos forever, so they have to work in!
    • Posts: 1,040 Member
      If you can do that then its totally ok! I do not have the self control lol I'm an all or none kinda girl so I can't do that in my day-to-day, instead I plan 1 cheat meal a week to have something "bad".
    • Posts: 344 Member
      Most definitely! Just don't overdo it and go over your calorie count. It can ruin your progress :D Enjoy life and food
    • Posts: 91 Member
      Absolutely! Take me to Olive Garden- try n stop me from having a breadstick. I frickin' dare you.
    • Posts: 6,035 Member
      Perfectly fine...
    • Posts: 63 Member
      Totes. Treats keep this lifestyle maintainable.
    • Posts: 502 Member
      Yes, yes, yes!

      I'm just starting out but I have not given up everything I love to eat. I wouldn't stick with a diet if I tried.
    • Posts: 686 Member
      Oh yes, treats keep the body guessing. Over indulgence is not good though! Self control required.
    • Posts: 43 Member
      My motto - Moderation, NOT deprivation.

      There is no food that is "BAD" for you - but there is TOO MUCH food that is bad for you.
    • Posts: 2,419 Member
      Don't cheat, just plan for a treat!
    • Posts: 173 Member
      show previous quotes

      This^^^. You just learn to work in the treats. Occasionally, you eat something and think "that wasn't worth what I went through to fit that in to my diet today". That's how you tell what you really love...was it worth the effort to fit it in.

      Yes, exactly. It's got to be worth it. The only time I get upset is if I have some crappy treat somewhere that I didn't enjoy that much. ... Planned treats are the way to go. Plan to have the treats you love and try to fit them into your calorie count.
    • Posts: 3,308 Member
      I'm having a cupcake after dinner. Along with some baby carrots and a bit of dip.

      Usually I have a treat daily. Sometimes a cupcake. Sometimes a cookie, or ice cream, or a number of other things. I don't want to never eat these things again. They will stay a part of my diet. So better to learn NOW how to get them to fit then later on.
    • Posts: 13
      Thank you all so much :)
    • Posts: 110 Member
      Yup, as long as it fits within your macros / caloric goal.

      Ate today 100g of Frozen Yogurt (ice cream) - (160 cal) - yummmy ;)
    • Posts: 36 Member
      What works for me (so far) is to pre-log a treat into the diary for the next day. I do that with dinner, too. It stops the "what shall I have to eat" dilemma and gives me flexibility for breakfast and lunch.
    • Posts: 36 Member
      I LOVE Oreos and I eat something Oreo themed every single day, whether it is one 60 cal cookie or an oreo pop tart when I've got loads of cals.

      The point is to make this last forever, and there is no way I am giving up Oreos forever, so they have to work in!


      Oreos are a real problem for me (and husband, too). While we love, love, love them, we cannot have them in the house :); absolutely NO control when it comes to those. So we just don't buy them. Out of sight, out of mind.
    • Posts: 10,740 Member
      show previous quotes

      Yes, exactly. It's got to be worth it. The only time I get upset is if I have some crappy treat somewhere that I didn't enjoy that much. ... Planned treats are the way to go. Plan to have the treats you love and try to fit them into your calorie count.

      Yes to all of this! My husband and I both end up having the same treats over and over like 6 weeks in a row until we get sick of them, if it's something that we realllllly enjoy. Around Easter I probably ate 20 Cadbury creme eggs over the course of 2 months because they're 150 calories and totally satisfying to me as a treat.

      This is also one way that I steer clear of many other treats and desserts and foods that are not that great...feeling it's just not worth it. Last night I took my mom out for dinner at Logan's Roadhouse and I ate 1/3 of a roll which had no flavor and then only 2 bites of my macaroni side for similar reasons. Ate grilled chicken and broccoli, then had a small ice cream cone later. Was so satisfied. In the past I would have just polished off the entire Logan's meal with a couple of rolls w/ butter but I have learned to eat what's most satisfying to me including treat options.
    • Posts: 1,375 Member
      Of course.
    • Posts: 32 Member
      Of course... Just as everyone said , it's all about moderation. I make sure I can have a glass of wine every night to unwind. If I couldn't indulge in that I wouldn't last very long. It's all about a lifestyle change. No one can be on a diet forever, but anyone can make healthy choices.
    • Posts: 850 Member
      Now I'm jonsing for a swiss roll, one of my favorite treats as a kid. That and Ring Dings.

      Oh well, already had some ice cream and a drink today and stayed within the calorie goals.
    • Posts: 626 Member
      Everyone has a different view on treats.

      For those with binge eating disorders some treats are trigger foods and need to be avoided. That isn't the case for me. If I have enough calories for something I'm craving, then I'll have it. And if don't have the calories today, then I'll plan it into my calories for tomorrow if I'm still craving it.

      I believe that telling myself a food is 'bad' or 'off limits' gives it power. Just by saying I can't have it makes me crave it.. Once I gave myself permission to eat whatever I want as long as I'm within my calorie goal, then suddenly I stopped craving those foods. I do still eat a real dessert or chips every now and again, and I actually have learned to savor them and enjoy them more than before.
    • Posts: 16,769 Member
      I think Cookie Monster said it best...A cookie is a sometimes food...

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH9IO6iMO78

      For me, today was one of those sometimes. (I also had a martini before dinner...but still ended up under my calories)

      I certainly don't think an occasional treat is going to set you on a path of self-destruction (assuming it doesn't lead you into a massive binge, but if you have triggers, I am sure you know what they are). I confess I have a sweet tooth, and will indulge in some sort of dessert a few times a week. As long as you are within your calories/macros, I don't see it as a problem. Sometimes I think when you are craving something in particular, and you don't give in to it, you can end up eating around the craving...consuming more calories worth of other (supposedly "healthier") foods before ultimately giving in and eating the thing you were craving anyway.
    • Posts: 352 Member
      Oh god I feel that way with peanut butter, can't have it around, I can eat like half a jar, why can't they make the little portion controlled packets? I have yet to find a place that offers peanut butter on a bagel.
    • Posts: 1,070 Member
      Swiss cake rolls sound deadly. Send me some immediately for testing. Yes, I probably just saved your life. I know, you're welcome.
    • Posts: 210 Member
      Of course! Just stay below your calories limit for the day, but make sure you get all the nutritions and macros for the day! However, I wouldn't recommend for you to HAVE THE TREAT EVERYDAY, but it's a very healthy way to have treats in a while :D
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