Should I give these up?!

Its hard but what has helped me is moderation and not telling myself no just not to eat as much. I have found if I just give them up I am mean and then I binge really bad...Just try to find a healthier version dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate...It sucks but so does going cold turkey...Stay strong..It's worth it

switch to dark chocolate? antioxidants!
also, you should use the splenda made for baking to make desserts, cutting down your sugar.

don't give them up. if you want chocolate, go ahead and eat it. However, if you...work it off.
I'm doing my dieting and exercising my own way and it's working. I already lost 4 pounds and I just started last month (granted I caved in the first week). But seriously....if you have a craving, give in....just make sure you don't go over on calories and fat. And sugar of course...
but bread and pasta on the other hand....eat it in moderation. I haven't had a piece of bread in a week (would have been 2 but I had Subway ><) haha. but once you get used to not eating those things, it'll be SO easy!

Moderation helps me a lot. And splitting food makes it so much easier for me.... I'll wait till I have someone with me (like a friend, husband, daughter etc)....buy a Hershey bar (210 calories) but then break it in half and give away one half. (only 105 now)...and then savor every bite! I like getting the pure Hershey bar when I need a chocolate fix because its feels more satisfying that a cookie or something.

I gave up sugar almost 2 months ago and I don't miss it. I'm to the point where I can have a piece of chocolate or a cupcake or whatever and I'll enjoy it but I don't want more. The way I was able to give it up was to make myself wait. I'd wait until after lunch to have the first piece. Then I'd wait until after dinner. After just a few days of saving that chocolate for after dinner I realized I no longer needed it. It wasn't the easiest thing to do at first, but it was definitely worth it!

As far as grains go, it's hard to avoid them completely. I suggest you stop eating pasta, but still have a little bread. Whole grains are good for and your brain runs exclusively on carbs, so you do need them. Just limit yourself to no more than 2 pieces a day (with a sandwich is easiest).

The brain runs mainly on glucose. Sugar and carbs are not evil. Everything in moderation. What you need to watch is intake of simple and processed sugars. Sugars and carbs that are paired with fiber and vitamins are very good for you.

And on the simple and processed sugars, you should still treat yourself. It's better to eat a treat-type food in moderation than stress yourself out eating around it. Be happy. Eat Food. Mostly Vegetables. That is all.

Try non-fat chocolate pudding with fresh strawberries and light whip for your chocolate cravings. It's so good and not that evil of a treat. I also like those Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches... YUM!

BTW, I love chocolate too and I am having a hard time as well!

Good luck,

Kari :flowerforyou:

Cutting out/down on carbs in my opinion, is a big no-no - especially if you are exercising. I would reccomend reading the book "Eat Your Way to Happiness" by Elizabeth Somer. This book focuses (as its title suggests) on foods relationship to your mood/cravings. She also has another book called Food & Mood. I tried summarizing some of the carb info - but it was just too long.

In short, your body needs carbohydrates - just make sure you are choosing the right ones. Choose whole grains and avoid added sugar as much as you can. However, I have found that it is best not to make any food "off limits." If you allow yourself treats, you will be less tempted to binge. Believe it or not, I used to drink up to 3 sodas a day!! This was over a year ago, and the thought disgusts me. I thought I would never be able to stop. I cut back gradually and limited myself to one once a day. Eventually, I found I could go a few days without one. Now? I go for many months at a time! I still allow myself the occasional Coke though.

If you DO go overboard, just remember that you can start right back up again! Cutting out added sugar is hard - I am struggling with it as well. But if you eat the right things most of the time - that is half the battle! I would also second dark chocolate - buy the best quality you can afford. I like the individually wrapped squares because they stop me from eating the whole bar!

Check out this link (it's a PDF file): nutrition.mednet.ucla.edu/.../Carbohydrates_are_Good_for_U.pdf

I have cut down on the carbs, but I haven't cut them out! I found that if I start the day with oatmeal I don't crave the bread and pasta. Most days I will have a sandwich thin or some of the no sugar wheat bread later in the day. I also will have some sort of sweetish item as my snack in the evening.... yogurt and fresh berries or a Skinny Cow ice cream bar usually. I know from past experience that I get very moody and b!tchy when I cut my carbs too low.

I have the same temptations for sugary sweet foods and have found a way to let myself have a little without feeling terrible about it. Using a sugar substitute and homemaking my sweets, I am able to reduce the calories in my sweets dramatically but still feel like I am letting myself get my sweet-tooth fix. I love making sugar free apple pies and such. The majority of the calories then come from carbs and fat but fat content can be lowered by substituting applesauce for butter in recipes for brownies and other "bready" sweets. They taste GREAT and don't make me feel too guilty!

Hmmm...I feel like yoda saying this but...I think only you can answer this question. I stay away from breads and sugar, but not because some one told me to, but because I feel better when I don't eat them. If you feel crabby and miserable when you avoid them, then maybe cutting them out isn't for you. Other people say bread makes them feel good. I'm gluten intolerant...so bread doesn't make me feel good. But potatoes make me feel wonderful. Sugar does makes other things taste good, so I eat it in very small quantities occasionally, but also feel better without it. But you know what? Alcohol isn't good for you. And I like whiskey. So I drink it sometimes. Got a problem with it? Doesn't matter....because I don't. So if you don't feel that sugar is a problem for you, and it brings you joy, have it sometimes. It probably won't be the thing that kills you....

I guess you have to make up your mind about *why* you want to give up these things. I don't think giving them up is a "magical" weight loss formula. Most people who chose to radically change their diet by giving up x food (sugar, bread, meat, whatever), successfully, do so because, as other posters have said, it makes them feel better in other ways. And conversely, people who don't stick to the changes usually say they felt worse, never got the promised results, and felt better eating differently. So again, I think only you are going to be able to answer this question for yourself.

Can you keep your weak-foods around the house in small amounts?
Also.... might sound lame, but put a post-it note or something where you keep the foods you binge on.

How long has it been going on? i binged on chocolate for a bit, and now i'm totally sick of it and can't deal with more than a piece or two a day.

Part of changing your lifestyle is very much about changing the way you think about food and your eating behaviours. I agree with everyone that has said moderation is the key but of course we all know that is not always easy to achieve.

Sometimes, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to consciously work on not feeling so much guilt over eating these foods. Plan your day including some of these foods that you love, which should help with the cravings. But, in the times that you may have a bit extra, try to stop seeing yourself as 'weak' etc, acknowledge it as a treat, log it if possible and move on. Generally having a few extra treats is not what makes us gain weight, it's the guilt we feel which then leads to a feeling of a 'ruined day' or 'ruined week' which ultimately leads to a binge.

Good luck

No, don't deny yourself what you want. You just have to learn to balance your diet and work these things in. I had a Nutrageous bar on Valentine's day. I don't eat chocolate every day though. I think that would be bad for my willpower.