Remove treats from home or just try to improve my willpower?
Rosie_McA
Posts: 256 Member
I hold my hands up and admit that I have terrible willpower when it comes to sugary treats. To battle this weakness lately I have been consuming my rather large stock of frozen cheesecake, ice cream, cakes, and the cupboard full of candies, cookies, chocolate bars, pastries, and the rest. The shelves are almost empty now so I'm hoping that the "out of sight, out of mind" approach is going to work.
Do others try the same tactic and has it helped?
Do others try the same tactic and has it helped?
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Replies
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at some point you're going to come across cake and stuff again... learning moderation is a much better idea than pretending it doesnt exist!0
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For me personally,
If I am out then seeing sweets and snacks don't bother me at all, I might look and think wish I could have that, but won't go get it.
But when at home, if there is anything I can open thats in fridge or tinned that can be eaten cold, i just can't resist it, I will keep eating it till it gone.
So I don't keep anything at home that doesn't have to be cooked first.0 -
I'm a bit of a weirdo in that I feel I need a small amount of this stuff around the house so that I know it's there if I want it, but most of the time I can ignore it or work a small amount into my day. If the treat tin is empty I find myself thinking more about it and am more likely to pop out to the shops to buy chocolate! One of the factors for me gaining weight was more of a "little picker" habit than a binge habit though so I don't know if that mindset would work for everyone.
My partner is more like you however, so I have occasionally been known to hide treats from him as if I don't, they have more than likely disappeared by the time I want one!
Sorry I know that probably doesn't help you much with strategies etc, apart from admitting that full and honest logging is very much helping me cure the picking habit.0 -
I hold my hands up and admit that I have terrible willpower when it comes to sugary treats. To battle this weakness lately I have been consuming my rather large stock of frozen cheesecake, ice cream, cakes, and the cupboard full of candies, cookies, chocolate bars, pastries, and the rest. The shelves are almost empty now so I'm hoping that the "out of sight, out of mind" approach is going to work.
Do others try the same tactic and has it helped?
Disclaimer: I'm a lazy bum and so I'm commenting from my husband's account rather than logging out and logging into my own. Here goes!
While I agree with Tavistock Toad about moderation being more helpful in the long run, keeping them out of the house is what I have to do at home, and it has helped massively. If I have cookies in the house, I'll keep eating them until they're gone; if they aren't there, I couldn't care less whether I have a cookie or not! I do want to try to make my willpower stronger, but this is working for me for now
Good luck!
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I did try avoiding them all together but it never helped when I went grocery shopping so I've resorted to moderation. I used to have a secret stash of sweets in my room but I've now moved them downstairs to the kitchen. I keep healthier snacks in my room now like nuts, dried fruit and beef jerky. Usually when I'd get peckish I'd immediately go to my sugary treats but now, I pick the nuts over a trip downstairs to the kitchen. Maybe it's because I just can't be bothered going downstairs or that I'm too embarrassed to pig out in front of my family? But it's really working! Lol I have never had a box of chocolates last this long it's crazy and it's doing wonders to my wallet and waistline!0
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Nope I make them fit.
I prelog a lot so it's there and I work around it.0 -
That larder is crazy. You should be more alarmed by the sheer quantity you buy. What you are calling sugary treats arent really treats are they? They are your way of life.0
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Thanks for the honest replies. I do find that logging is the key for me and it is the homemade treats that cause me to lose discipline the most. Perhaps if I just have a few individually wrapped items with clear calorie data in the cupboard this might be more likely to succeed? I know I could spend the time to calculate the calories in my cakes and pastries but the reality is that I'm just not likely to do it.0
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Will is like muscle that you can develop, but it can also get overworked. So, you could work on developing it at the grocery store by not buying the sweets mostly. When you get to where you just don't buy that stuff, then you can try to develop it in another way. Having stuff like that around the house is mostly too tempting for me, but I can have a nice bar of chocolate that I nibble at for a week. That way I have "a little something" that is genuinely little.0
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I just threw them out totally.I hold my hands up and admit that I have terrible willpower when it comes to sugary treats. To battle this weakness lately I have been consuming my rather large stock of frozen cheesecake, ice cream, cakes, and the cupboard full of candies, cookies, chocolate bars, pastries, and the rest. The shelves are almost empty now so I'm hoping that the "out of sight, out of mind" approach is going to work.
Do others try the same tactic and has it helped?
Let the maggots have it....
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I hold my hands up and admit that I have terrible willpower when it comes to sugary treats. To battle this weakness lately I have been consuming my rather large stock of frozen cheesecake, ice cream, cakes, and the cupboard full of candies, cookies, chocolate bars, pastries, and the rest. The shelves are almost empty now so I'm hoping that the "out of sight, out of mind" approach is going to work.
Do others try the same tactic and has it helped?
I only buy the 100 calorie packs of snacks and I buy things like Skinny Cow if I want ice cream or I'll get popsicles or something that have barely any calories. That way I don't miss out on treats, but I don't sit down and eat an entire sleeve of Oreos like I used to love to do.
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I had to have my wife stop buying the useless goods. It also saved us a lot of money and now our son eats better too.0
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Thanks for the honest replies. I do find that logging is the key for me and it is the homemade treats that cause me to lose discipline the most. Perhaps if I just have a few individually wrapped items with clear calorie data in the cupboard this might be more likely to succeed? I know I could spend the time to calculate the calories in my cakes and pastries but the reality is that I'm just not likely to do it.
Re the part I've bolded - I find this works quite well well for me. I find it's easier to stop at one wrapped biscuit like a Kitkat etc than to stop at one biscuit from an open packet, something about the physical act of unwrapping it must be a psychological brake.
Or, if you like to bake, why not use the recipe builder to calculate the entire cake, allow yourself a manageable portion and freeze the rest or take it into work to share?0 -
That larder is crazy. You should be more alarmed by the sheer quantity you buy. What you are calling sugary treats arent really treats are they? They are your way of life.
They were built up over a long period of time. There is a lot of variety in there but it's not like I have a gallon of ice cream or 20 packets of biscuits stored. I regard them as treats because I'm not eating them day in day out. Not sure without knowing me how you can determine that they are my way of life? I'm at maintenance and am not snacking on this stuff all the time. My diary is full of items that I regard as healthy - home-cooked meals, fruit, and plenty of veg. I just want to reduce the treats with something better.0 -
Ultimately my goal is moderation and self control... BUT I found I had no self control with sweets in the home. I'd say "no" a thousand times in a day, but in a brief moment of weakness, I'd say "yes" It was EXHAUSTING. I decided to exercise my self control in a different way by not bringing it into the home in the first place. It's a lot easier to make those food decisions when you're feeling strong.
Slowly over time, as I have gained better control over my eating, I have been able reintroduce foods into my home and onto my plate. It's a PROCESS. Two steps forward, one step back. If I find that I'm spiraling out of control with a certain food, I'll eliminate it for a period of time and then try slowly introducing it again.
Don't let people try to convince you that you HAVE to keep these foods in your home because "you're going to come across them in your life and you have to deal with them" Why set yourself up for failure time and time again. If you know you have a problem with certain foods then keep them out of the house until you are in a mental place where you can learn to exercise moderation.
Best of luck to you!0 -
For me I learned to take the portion I plan to eat to wherever I'm going to eat and then put the big box/bag/container away. If it's not sitting in front of me I won't eat it but I can still enjoy treats in small portions.0
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When I first started, I emptied my house of all 'temptations' and stuck to what I think of as 'healthy foods'. I had terrible willpower, and this really helped me.
Once I got through the first month or so, and starting seeing the weight drop off, this was enough motivation for me, and I re-introduced junk food into the house again. I've finally learnt to eat in moderations, now there's all sorts of crap here and it's just how I want it to be 0 -
That larder is crazy. You should be more alarmed by the sheer quantity you buy. What you are calling sugary treats arent really treats are they? They are your way of life.
They were built up over a long period of time. There is a lot of variety in there but it's not like I have a gallon of ice cream or 20 packets of biscuits stored. I regard them as treats because I'm not eating them day in day out. Not sure without knowing me how you can determine that they are my way of life? I'm at maintenance and am not snacking on this stuff all the time. My diary is full of items that I regard as healthy - home-cooked meals, fruit, and plenty of veg. I just want to reduce the treats with something better.
I dont know you, thats right so I just go on the information that you provided. You mentioned you had a "rather large stock of frozen cheesecake, ice cream, cakes, and the cupboard full of candies, cookies, chocolate bars, pastries, and the rest" and now you are saying "but it's not like I have a gallon of ice cream or 20 packets of biscuits stored".
Confused.com0 -
You need to learn to indulge in moderation. If you always try to avoid things you like, one day you'll come across them and eat all you can, and then feel really bad about it. If you give in to your temptations on a daily basis, but only in small amounts, you'll live happy alongside your treats!
No need to eat the whole cake in one sitting, if you can have one piece of it each day. You won't eat a whole box of cookies if you allow yourself one cookie after lunch or dinner. Have a chocolate bar once a week, and you won't have to battle against it.
Live with it, instead of fighting against it.0 -
I just don't have it in my house. Even now that I am on maintenance. Whatever I eat, I log. I keep dark chocolate squares individually wrapped for a once a day treat. I log them when I eat them.0
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I will start with out of sight and out of mind. If you don't see something good to eat, you will rarely go searching. Therefore, if you have treats in the house, but them in an out of the way place. That way you really have to want one to have one.
My wife and I are pretty good bakers. Home-made trumps all other treats. If we don't bake, I don't get treats. When we have to bake for some work event, we have one or a small batch at the house and take the rest to work. If some are left-over, I convince my co-workers to take them home to their wife or children.
There are two ways to look slimmer. One is to diet or log calories at MFP. The other is to fatten up everyone around you. Giving away treats will make you look slimmer.0 -
My husband doesn't 'snack' much unless it's cookies and milk and an occasional ice cream. My mom lives with us and she is the snacker - chips, cookies, ice cream, etc... and it's always around and always here. I'm an in between snacker - can take it or leave it but if it's not here, I generally will not go buy it if I'm in the mood. I will just replace it with something else sweet. Whether it's in the house or not, I know if it's in my plan to eat it that day. Most of the time I will just avoid it.
Once in awhile I do indulge but the guilt of going over my daily limit will be there and like I said, most of the time for me it isn't worth it. It's a simple choice for me. Do I want to be thinner and healthier or do I want to sit and gorge on cake, pie and ice cream. It's much more expensive for me to gain. That means new clothes and buying junk foods. I have a closet full of 'skinny' clothes that are exciting to get back into as I lose.
Fit your snacks in but limit yourself. You don't want to use your calories for snacks every day. Make it something to look forward to and enjoy it in smaller bites, savoring it. I bet as you get going with eating healthier, you will not want to blow your plan for the day on most of that stuff. It's empowering when you make your mind up and stick with it.
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That larder is crazy. You should be more alarmed by the sheer quantity you buy. What you are calling sugary treats arent really treats are they? They are your way of life.
They were built up over a long period of time. There is a lot of variety in there but it's not like I have a gallon of ice cream or 20 packets of biscuits stored. I regard them as treats because I'm not eating them day in day out. Not sure without knowing me how you can determine that they are my way of life? I'm at maintenance and am not snacking on this stuff all the time. My diary is full of items that I regard as healthy - home-cooked meals, fruit, and plenty of veg. I just want to reduce the treats with something better.
I dont know you, thats right so I just go on the information that you provided. You mentioned you had a "rather large stock of frozen cheesecake, ice cream, cakes, and the cupboard full of candies, cookies, chocolate bars, pastries, and the rest" and now you are saying "but it's not like I have a gallon of ice cream or 20 packets of biscuits stored".
Confused.com
My point is that when you add them altogether then I regard that as being a rather large stock even if I only have a few of each item. It might be "crazy" as you put it if I had 10 cheesecakes, 30 chocolate bars, 5kg of sweets, 20 packets of biscuits, and so on. Fact is I don't and I don't see that statement as being contradictory or confusing.0 -
Usually it's best for me to have a little bit of something treat-y around that I could have if I wanted. Then I can say yeah, I could have that if I want, maybe later, if it fits in my macros, if I have enough extra after exercising, etc.
If I am feeling out of control for whatever reason (it happens sometimes) I don't keep certain things in the house at all. There was a B2G1 on 12packs of soda and I had to decide whether it would be OK to have it there and consume it at a reasonable rate, because sometimes it is not...it's "bad" and I have to get rid of it by consuming it as fast as possible. Obviously not a healthy attitude toward food, and something to work on, but sometimes it is just better for me to keep it away.0 -
I try only to keep in the house what I want to be eating (My adult brain, not my five year old brain). I'm lazy enough that if I put the bar to treats high enough that I have to go out and GET them, it's much easier for me to stick to the diet I have set up for myself.
It requires me to plan for treats. Which I do. So I can enjoy things without blowing my calories.
Other people use other methods, but that works for me. I figure a sale isn't a savings if it's going to mean it will be consumed in a way I don't want for myself long-term.0 -
I hold my hands up and admit that I have terrible willpower when it comes to sugary treats. To battle this weakness lately I have been consuming my rather large stock of frozen cheesecake, ice cream, cakes, and the cupboard full of candies, cookies, chocolate bars, pastries, and the rest. The shelves are almost empty now so I'm hoping that the "out of sight, out of mind" approach is going to work.
Do others try the same tactic and has it helped?
Simply by not making it readily accessible or at a minimum more inconvenient to have will initially help to stave off the less than healthy choices - especially if you do a lot of mindless eating.
And there is strong science behind that the more sugary crap consumed the more we crave it. It's a vicious cycle ... think of it in terms of nicotine affects on the brain. SO you may be surprised that by going cold turkey for any length of time will actually reduce the cravings ... eventually. The first 2-3 weeks will be the toughest but it does get easier.
Good luck!
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I don't see the point in keeping things around and relying on willpower, especially if you already know you don't have much of it. You're essentially testing yourself all the time and eventually, you'll have a bad day and will probably fail. As an example, my husband brought home a block of chocolate he was given. Bad day at home alone, and I ate it all. But only because it was there, I wouldn't have gone out and bought one.
I do have some treats in the house. But it's things that I know I can moderate myself on, like dark chocolate squares. Anything else, I have to be motivated enough to walk into town to buy it. And I'll only buy a single portion, to save the rest being eaten later.0 -
I started off by only having sweets on Sunday and even then, it was one serving. I was a complete stuff-your-face sweets addict at that point. After several months, I was able to be a bit more flexible about having a serving here or there through the week. Just keep in mind that you have to be flexible while getting fit. What works for you today might not work for you one month or six months or a year from now. If you need to not have it in the house for now, that's fine.0
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yeah , much like a lot of folks. Sweets outside the home or at restaurants are easy to avoid, but at home.. forget it. We do not keep it in the house. I can justify eating an entire sleeve of oreos if they are in the cupboard.0
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I bought a 6 pound bag of gummy bears at Sam's. 6 friggin' pounds of ridiculous, sugary goodness. Before when I'd bought it, I would tear into it by the double handful. I sat down with it and negotiated this time. A serving is about 15 bears (46g I think), so I busted out the scale and the mini-bags and portioned out 7 days worth. The rest I put up high out of sight. I keep the 7 bags in my drawer and I remind myself that's all I get for the week. If I nosh them all, they're gone until next week. So far I've kept myself to one a day and I'll usually pull out a bag, eat 3 or 4, and find the craving has been sated.
Cakes? No effing way. I'm not there yet in terms of willpower. Baby steps, baby steps. LOL0
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