Moderation vs the "all or nothing" approach...

When i started i also was doing weights and cardio 6 times a week. needed to drop weight fast. after the first 4 weeks 1 was down 20 lbs and made my goal. but i realized that that pace was not realistic for me. I adjusted my workouts to 4 days a week mix of cardio and weights 3 and 3 with one day i do both and stuck to food tracking.
There are days when the craving overwhelms you or when your out with others who aren't tracking or special occasions. Keep track of your weekly calorie totals. If you binge on one day don't worry just make an adjustment the other days so that your weekly caloric count is fine. On Sunday Fathers day i consumed 3300 calories when my daily intake is only 1200. so i'm cutting back the rest of the days and adding in an extra workout day so my weekly figure is fine. After i lost the initial 20 lbs i gained some of it back but i'm in my 10th week and have gained some muscle so my total weight loss is only 27 lbs but i dont pay much attention to the scale since i have added muscle. I know ive lost alot because I have had to buy new clothes and am tracking measurements to track my progress rather than the scale. two weeks ago i went crazy my daughter baked a cake and i had 3 pieces. for the rest of the week i cut back a little and went higher on protein and lower on carbs.
Temptation is tough so i try to avoid having any around and if it is then i will have a large glass of water first so if i go crazy im too stuffed to go completely crazy.

You can do it. Were here for support if you feel the urge to go crazy.

Hi! Personally, I think it's better to go with a moderation approach than all or nothing. Plan to have one day every one or two weeks to have a cheat meal. Theres nothing wrong with having treats if they fit into your calorie limit. It takes discipline to not eat a whole sleeve of cookies, lol. Just have one or two and keep the rest out of site.

I have been at this for 3 years...and "falling off the wagon" has happened many many many times. I did not eat "perfectly" for the last 3 years. The trick is making sure you get back on the wagon IMMEDIATELY. That is the hardest part - to not give up on yourself.

Here are a few things I do when I decide to slack/indulge.
1 - I add the calories to the following day (thus, I eat less the following day).

2 - I split the calories (Lets say I have 4 pieces of pizza at supper. I log two for today, two for tomorrow) Also, this goes for the days prior if there was a day where I did not eat all of my calories. (Yesterday I had 300 calories left over - great!, Ill log a slice there) ETA - I have actually split a really bad binge on pizza my 1st year over the course of an entire week. I ate a whole pizza to myself, so for the rest of the week I ate less by 1 slice worth of calories each day to make up for it. Of course, I took a look at what happened emotionally and why I lost control. Has not happened since, because I would probably throw up. Back then - a full pizza to myself was nothing.


3 - I work out. Especially if I had a heavy meal (often thanksgiving/xmas time) Before the meal, the day prior or the following day. Make sure you fit in a workout that you love to help off-set the calories.

4 - Sometimes, when I go to a chinese buffet and I splurge (off the wagon) I just move on and reset the next day (back on the wagon). Learn to forgive myself, dont punish myself, and move on. (This is the hardest to do)

5 - At times, if I end up going out for supper twice in 1 weekend or something like that, I will make a conscious effort to eat more veggies through out the week...keep a balance. Some people go with a 80/20 rule, or 90/10 rule...so if I am needing a bit of slack, I just remember that MOST OF THE TIME (80-90%) I eat well.

6 - If I splurge on a big meal...I try to fit in some heavy weight lifting...since I am likely in a surplus anyway - I figure it is a good time to work the muscles and use that surplus as a benefit.

I have lost 101.4lbs. It has been a long *kitten* trip. Whatever you do - do not give up (or you will just get bigger and bigger). As long as you keep trying your best, one day (no matter what) you will reach your goal!

I am a firm believer in moderation working, but then for me I always could stop at one cookie or one slice of cake etc... its not for everyone but I will say that the more you practice moderation the easier it becomes.

What I do if something isn't utterly delicious after 1 bite (I mean something high in cals, cake etc) I will just give it away (..to hubby! he can eat what he wants and it never shows).

Gone are the days when I eat something for the sake of it.

I also enjoy being slim too much for these past couple of years and thats enough for me to think twice about every morsel that goes in my mouth.

I think that self-control is like a muscle. You have to exercise it in order to make it stronger, but at the same time you don't want to tax it too much right away or it will fail. If you want to do a 200 lb squat you don't start with a 200 lb squat. You start with the bar and you learn how to squat with no weight. Then you build up. If you put 200 lbs on the bar right away you would fail, probably hurt yourself, and then you might lament that you're one of those people who just isn't ever going to be able to squat 200 lbs.

So let's say your problem food is ice cream. What I would do is remove ice cream from the house temporarily. When you want ice cream you go out to an ice cream shop, get a single scoop, and leave the store with the ice cream before starting to eat it. Once you've done that successfully a few times, then start buying one or two of those little single serving ice cream containers. Practice having them in the freezer without eating them. Then practice just having one and leaving the other one. Then move up to having a pint of ice cream in there. Practice weighing out one serving and putting the rest back. One thing that helped me on the ice cream front was to buy the good stuff. For one thing sometimes the price tag would stop me when the calorie count wouldn't.

You may have setbacks and that's okay. It's hard work to change habits and it isn't always going to be perfect. Personally when I came to MFP I didn't just want to lose weight. I wanted to fix the things that were broken about the way I view and respond to food and to my environment. It's a personal growth thing. So that makes it worth it to me.

I like all or nothing,,, I go overboard when it comes to cardio, I have to burn over 1000 calories a day 7 days a week or I am not happy

it does get easier - if I ate one "bad" thing e.g. some chocolate or fast food I'd go "oh f**k it" and just eat rubbish all day but I'm learning to mix both in now, have fast food for one meal then healthy food at other times - I think that being mindful of what you eat and tracking/logging everything helps you to learn to put it into perspective.

BritBoogaloo wrote: »

How do you guys practice moderation?

You do EXACTLY that - practice. I used to be same way. I was either eating healthy and exercising 100% of the time, or I was eating like crap and not exercising.

It has taken me a long time to learn that I actually can eat unhealthy things in moderation and I won't die and I won't gain 50 pounds overnight. Yes, sometimes I overindulge, but I've learned to accept it and move on and just remain persistant with my healthy way of life. I can skip a workout or two (sometimes I go weeks without because of work or whatever else), and I know that I will pick it up again.

Also, when I overeat now, I always remember that that is how I used to feel on a daily basis, and do I want to feel that way again all the time? My answer is always "No."

Moderation is possible, but yes, it takes "practice."

I used to have this mindset as well. I have found that I have slowly become better at moderation, but I have been at it for almost 4 years. As was said, practice!

What's wrong with coffee? It's practically a food group for me and I find it can be a nice respite when I want to ingest something.

Knowledge is power. There are always consequences. And, I choose to be accountable to myself about my food choices from here forward, but I'm not going to choose misery. I allow myself indulgences, and enjoy them fully and absolutely. That way, when the portion is finished, I'm sated both physically and emotionally.

I've lost weight both ways, eating everything I love in moderation and completely changing my eating habits. For me it was much easier doing it the second way. Food is fuel not a party. Fun is being able to go on a hike or dancing with friends. Since I eat healthier I feel better and am much happier. I have a sense of accomplishment that I didn't have before. Now those 'can't do without foods' are a minor bump in my road when I see them or they make me sick to my stomach (depending on their fat content) and I'm good having a special meal once a month.

The everything in moderatin idea not works for me. If I open a bag of crackers, I will eat a lot of that. I loved a certain type of hamburger but I stopped missing it.

For exercise- if it is built into your routine and your routine is realistic and not going to work you into the ground, just let it roll. You deserve to give yourself that time to work out, plus the other benefits from doing so like mentally.

For food- I believe in out of sight, out of mind. However, it is not that easy with generous housemates. I plan as much of my food as I can with a small leeway. Also, when I've had a weak moment at the shops and bought something naughty. I'll apportion it out into smaller servings and stash them at the top shelf of a cupboard where I'll have to get a chair to reach them. You run the risk of the food spoiling, but during your regular clean they should come up again. If I have bothered getting all the way to get a serve, then it's already portioned out and I get my fix and move on.

Only do a "meal plan" for 80% of your calories. The other 20% let be whatever you feel in the mood for.

And WHY THE HECK did you cut out coffee? If it's a daily thing for you, just plan for it!