Do you feel like a huge @$$ when you treat yourself?

I'm not a dog, I don't treat myself. I eat food, log it and move on.

I feel like an *kitten* when I waste calories on substandard food, though.

Nope. Food is awesome.

are you afraid that it's going to be slippery slope back into a vat of pizza? i can understand that, but i think in general he people who that usually happens to are people who are too restrictive in their diets and completely cut out ALL of the things they used to like.

just fit it into your calories.

and no i never feel guilty, even on days when i go like 2000 calories over my goal (like last weekend :laugh: ) . why 1) it's just one day and it's not a habit 2) life is about living, not feeling guilty 3)it's just calories, not like i ran over a baby carriage and kept going.

what i do tend to hate is if i go over my calories AND it's with something i didnt even like. that doesnt happen often but in the past it's happened when i go eat and somewhere i'm not in control of the menu

At the beginning of my weight loss journey, yes, I felt guilt. Now that I have a greater understanding of this process and can see I'm doing it right, no guilt. If I burned 1,200 cals on a long run, I would feel guilty for NOT treating myself :happy:

as long as i can fit it into my goals for the day, i'll eat it and not feel guilty. if i deprived myself of higher-calorie, yummy, comforting (to me) foods like candy, bread, pizza, burritos, curry, etc, i would go nuts, seriously. now, that doesn't mean that i have to work it off sometimes -- i'm set at 1400/day, and an 800 cal burrito is over half of my daily calories in one meal. so, i work out to burn around 300 calories, and then i end up being able to have 900 calories the other part of the day to spend on my other two meals, and snacks in between.

Nope. Food is awesome.

This.

No. If I want something I will eat it as long as I can fit it into my daily calorie goal. This isn't diet to me this is a lifestyle change.

I'm not a dog, I don't treat myself. I eat food, log it and move on.

I feel like an *kitten* when I waste calories on substandard food, though.

Why do only dogs get treats? I think I'm more of a priority than my dog.

Not in the slightest, because I have learned to eat the foods I love as part of a balanced, calorie controlled diet.

Eating 'treats' has no impact on my weight whatsoever.

Nope I don't feel guilty or bad about myself at all. Its important to have little breaks/rewards to keep yourself going. I work hard. I deserve it

Remember: dieting should not be about self punishment...it should be about making life better gradually. Its soo much easier dieting if you focus on the good than the bad. Negative thinking is a cycle and its hard to get away from! So instead of saying "ohh I ate something I shouldn't have" get all excited about the fact that you are doing something amazing that your body (and you) will thank yourself for later.


Love yourself a little more and criticize yourself a little less. (This advice is coming from someone who is her own worst critic...speaking from experience) If there are other people in your life who are bringing you down and planting those self critical thoughts in your head give them the middle finger. lol You are doing amazing things and its ok to feel good about it and reward yourself once in a while. It helps... trust me!

Please don't feel bad for taking an occasional break to eat something you enjoy. This is exactly what you should be doing...only you should be patting yourself on the back and feeling awesome at the same time.

I'm not on a hugely strict healthy diet. I make sure to follow the guidelines I have set here on MFP and exercise when I can. Sometimes I'll treat myself with my favourite candy (sticking to the serving sizes and tracking it) but whenever I eat sweets or other treats (like pizza) I feel like a total @$$. I make sure I won't go over calorie-wise, or sugar or anything else (sodium has been tricky) but I still feel like a jerk, cheating myself out of losing weight.

Does anyone else feel like this?

I used to have this problem...at first. It's been 4 years since I started eating healthier and about a year and a half since I first hit my original goal weight. I've been eating differently (healthier) for the past 4 years and in that time, my body and my taste buds have adjusted to this diet (and by diet, I mean lifestyle really). After a while, I stopped craving most of the "treats" I used to like; they became too sweet and I wasn't enjoying their taste anymore. In place of those old treats, I discovered new treats that I really enjoy that aren't empty calories; they actually have some nutritional value and are healthy if eaten in moderation. And now I don't have that horrible guilty feeling after eating treats anymore because most of my treats have some nutritional value in them, so they're actually helping me meet my daily needs in things like fiber and protein. And on the rare occasions where I do eat something like candy (an old treat), I don't feel horrible and guilty because those occasions are so rare.

If you just started, give yourself time. It takes time. Your tastes and preferences in food will change over time as your body adjusts. And find new, healthier (and more delicious) treats!

Yes. So much so that I feel the need to punish myself by flagellation whenever I indulge, and whip myself bloody like a devout Roman Catholic in the 14th century. Only after that do I feel better about having a treat.

Yes, I honestly used to feel bad when I ate junk food, even if it fit my calories.
But I finally realized that one candy bar or crazy dessert or fast food order isn't going to make me go back to eating crap every day, nor is it going to make me gain weight or stop losing weight. It's perfectly normal to eat a little good and a little "bad" food. As long as you're eating healthy and nutritious food most of the time, there's no reason not to enjoy some junk every once in a while. Try to tell yourself this until you believe it.