I feel part of the joy in my life is taken away when i can't

I look for ways to make my favorites lower in calorie and fat.
I know what you mean by wanting those foods and enjoying them
till there gone, really is like any other addiction you enjoy while doin it
but instantly regret it when its over.

junk food used to be a comfort to me, but now I think of it in terms of putting on weight and how much gym time I would have to have to work it off.

*shrug* Do what you can to 'earn' a treat. Make room for it in your day and then have a donut. As a treat. Once in a great while. Just... moderation, right?

Exactly! It's learning moderation that's hard. But if we want to enjoy life rather than obsess over calories, we have to learn it!

I have made little changes like switching from ice cream to frozen yogurt. I know it's still an indulgence, but it's got less than half the calories. And going out to get frozen yogurt still lets me enjoy the process of going out to get a treat on a hot night. We have a place called Yogurtland here in Denver... it's like an even better Pinkberry. A whole cup can be less than 350 calories -- it's about 30 calories per ounce. I think it tastes just as good!

Little changes like that have helped me stay on track while still indulging and enjoying life. I agree -- food and eating are one of life's joys and taking that away can be pretty devastating!

I feel that way too and I'm still struggling with it a little bit. For example, this afternoon I called my mom up and told her that I was bored and wanted to come and spend some time out on her deck since it was so nice outside. So, she came and picked me up [I'm in a wheelchair and can't drive right now]. Thing is, after she picked me up, she instantly headed to the Dairy Queen and said, "Let's get a hot fudge sundae". Now, she knows these things are a weakness for me, and she also knows that I am on this diet plan, but her logic is that for over a week now, I haven't been eating enough calories and the computer has been telling me that I need to eat more so I'm not in "starvation mode". [My logic is "Hey Mom, take a look. Do I LOOK like I'm starving???] Then, she decided to take me and my sister, brother-in-law, and niece out for supper. They all ordered cheeseburgers and bacon cheeseburgers and fries, as much as I wanted one too, I looked on the menu to see what I could find that was healthy and settled for a cup of soup and a grilled chicken sandwich with yellow mustard. Don't get me wrong ~ it was very good, but I've gotten so that I feel guilty if I order something that's "bad" for me, no matter how much I want it. I'm hoping that this feeling doesn't last forever. But, I can guarantee you that the first thing I did when I came home was turned my Wii on and worked out for an hour ...

Believe me, I know exactly what you're going through. I'm just chalking it up to the fact that I'm still a "newbie" and have only been at this for about 3 weeks [just about]. I'm betting that the longer I work at this and the more results I start to see, the less "let down" I feel, and I bet you will feel the same way. Feel free to add me as a friend and we can go through these little battles together.

~Beth

I love your little reward system. Where can I get a big box of Cadbury eggs?

I got them on a website called Catch of the Day. It has daily specials and I caved cos it was my birthday!!

Like other posters, I have learned to substitute lower calorie treats like Skinny Moos and Vita Top Muffins when I need a treat. Or I'll save up for a special treat, such as the Baskin Robbins Flavor of the month (I have been waiting for the June flavor of the month since it came out in April. Now I'm just waiting for a nice day to mow the lawn so that I can burn off enough calories . . . )

There are moments, though, where I have indulged in something bad, only to discover that it really doesn't taste as good as I remembered. Like, does anyone else notice that a Big Mac and fries doesn't taste quite the same as it once did? I try to remember those instances when I am craving something bad and try to talk myself into something a little better for me.

And -- I have also implemented the rule where I have to be able to work off all of my "treat" calories -- this helps, too, since I can only exercise off about 300, unless I mow the lawn, of course!

I haven't denied myself any of the foods I love but I try to stay under my calorie goal, or if I go over, I try not to go a lot over. My weight loss is probably slower than most but it is steady and I do not feel deprived of any joy. I feel like I could eat like this forever, so I don't worry about "going back to old ways,"

I can so relate- it's something I am still really struggling with right now. I'm not the kind of person who can buy a bag of my favorite chips and have a couple- I'll eat the whole bag. If I just avoid those foods altogether I'm generally much better off. I still indulge every now and then but mainly at restaurants where the food won't be tempting me in my kitchen for the next week.

I'm trying to think of food as fuel for my body- not entertainment. It's tough! I think our culture has a very strange relationship with food, we see it much more as a social/pleasure thing than we do as nourishment.

sometimes before i even eat it i look at the calories on my app and say oh well i don't have enough calories for that and i don't feel like working out anymore today. Or other times i'll maybe cut the amount in half. I did find recently that when i ate out at mcdonalds it made me feel sick afterwards with stomach pains and head ache, so that is a helpful deterent. good luck!

Personally, I try very hard to remember the feeling I had the last time I overindulged and focus on that and not the amount of enjoyment I find in eating the food in the first place. I do, however, believe that an occasional planned treat is very enjoyable if I have mentally prepared to eat it.

When I have the temptation I start thinking about my goal. What I want to look like, what I want to achieve and what I've already achieved. A lot of times lately, I'll walk away from the food and go for a walk instead.