What kills your daily calorie allowance and how did you overcome it??

WBB55 wrote: »

Hi @lilyrunner I think some people around here are very precise in their definitions and distinctions between compulsion, habit, addiction and dependency. And some people are sensitive when other definitions/assumptions are made about people, since we like to be precise. @ Stef is probably closer to correct when she says it's unlikely someone is "addicted" to sugar.

My mother shows compulsion, lying, hoarding and puts other people and their feelings behind her desire for food and the associated endorphins, but even I would be hesitant to call her "addicted." We understand what you meant, it's just most people here wouldn't call it an addiction.

Thank you for responding to @lilyrunner so nicely and accurately. Unfortunately, it looks like she deleted. It's too bad we lose people this way. She was just expressing her opinion in her own way.

Wine. I'm still working on it.

A couple of things that have helped me as sweets are definitely my weak spot too.

(1) Make sure I only ate sweets after I'd really filled up on the good stuff, which for me is usually a good dose of protein and high fiber veggies. When I'm not actually hungry, the sweet craving is much more easily satisfied. If I look to sweets when I'm still hungry, I can eat waaaaay more than I intended or really want to eat.

(2) Try substitutes. I found that after dinner, I usually had a sweet craving and I'd often reach for rather calorie dense choices. But, often times, I find ripe fruit to be just as good. I had two oranges last night and they satisfied that desire for something sweet just as well as a few cookies, for far less calories/sugar (and a nice little dose of extra fiber).

(3) Reduce my added sugar overall. Until I tracked this, I was really surprised how much added sugar I was eating -- far more than I realized. When I took an active approach to cut down on my added sugar (which was mostly in the tasty, but often times nutritionally shallow highly processed foods), I found that my taste buds recalibrated after a few weeks. Sort of how you lose tolerance for alcohol if you stop drinking for a while. I think this is often the idea behind some of the "detox" plans like Whole 30 or strict Paleo. It took a lot less sugar to satisfy that sweet craving and often times natural sources were just as pleasing -- fresh, ripe fruit tasted amazing whereas before it was only so-so and I came to love sweet potatoes even more.

(4) Opted for the high end versions. I found that if I was going to go the traditional dessert route, I decided to use the calories on the high end ingredients. I found that my homemade cookies, cupcakes, desserts, etc. to be FAR more satisfying both in taste and calories than the store bought kind. So if I wanted chocolate chunk cookies, I was now only eating them when I made them myself (or occasionally bought them from the fancy stores where all the ingredients are natural or what like I'd make at home -- no HFCS, preservatives, etc). And with cookies, I could freeze them and take out just a few at a time to bake so I always had killer sea-salt, chocolate chunk cookies at my disposal and I knew exactly how many calories were in them. I found that the high end desserts (like flourless dark chocolate cake or my home made chocolate chunk cookies) were far more satisfying than the junk food desserts (cheap cookies, cheap candies, etc.) -- much more bang for your buck so I could eat a lot less to feel just as satisfied.

Tedebearduff wrote: »

Stop eating them then ... boom problem solved... you can also stop buying them, helps with the not eating them thing.

Why stop eating them?? Life is too short. Losing weight and then maintaining it long term is about making sustainable changes. Otherwise you are destined to lose steam when you get sick of the deprivation and just gain all the weight back plus some.
I first figured out the treats that don't send me on binges. Individually packaged treats work better for me than a whole cake sitting in the kitchen.
Then I pre log it that morning when I'm having my coffee. It gives me something to look forward to ( no feeling of being deprived) and it tends to make me choose better foods all day because I know I have a "treat" waiting.
Anybody that tells you you have to give up entire food groups or give up wine or dessert just isn't getting it. Sustained weight loss isn't about torture, it's about balance and healthy choices OVERALL.

a Jello sugar free pudding snack (chocolate) is 60 calories. V helpful for me.

When I took medical advice to reduce my sugar intake to 12 and under teaspoons per day I had extreme cravings for several days. Afterwards the taste for sugar subsided. Insulin levels dropped and I was able to accept more veggies instead. Real food became tasty again. A glob of ice cream no longer became the focus of the evening.
I love sugar , but it's was for the best to reduce those type of foods so I can lose weight and obtain my goals.

madhatter2013 wrote: »

The weekend does it for me. I do great all week while at work and then BOOM the weekend comes and I need a hobby...

Same for me....something about the discipline of my work day helps me stay in control. Too much free time on the weekends.....hobby sounds like a good plan but it needs to be out of the house for me....

Pizza.......so I've had only 2 pizzas since starting the diet. It just had to become a very rare treat.

Wine and sweets. Had to cut them out completely. Except on special and rare occasions. The empty calories are just not worth it. I would much rather eat something with the amount of calories but fills me up. Like nuts or fruit.

MarcyKirkton wrote: »

Pizza.......so I've had only 2 pizzas since starting the diet. It just had to become a very rare treat.

Oh, ya, that too. Yes, pizza has become rare plus we have a big salad with it and I eat three pieces and he gets five, rather than our previous 4:4 split, which was unnecessary as he is a foot taller than me.