All or Nothing Thinking - what has helped you? (aka cheat days?)

Ninkyou wrote: »

Moderation of all foods. Log everyday, regardless of whether you go over. Lower your expectations.

This!! Pretty much what I do. Nothing is off limits but I HAVE to log it! I mostly(not counting Christmas season) try to limit my sweets though. I know I will hear someone call me out for this, but the more sugar I eat, the more I crave it. So if I mostly avoid I feel great and avoid overindulging or being miserable.

Like all the rest of us! LOL
I log everything & just move on to a new day. All you need is more good days than bad; you'll never have only good days.

Anita672 wrote: »

Hi all - I suffer greatly from "all or nothing" thinking. I'm either trying to be perfect or I've ditched my journaling and I eat everything I consider "off limits". This completely sabotages my weight loss. One suggestion for this is to be less restrictive or give yourself some wiggle room. I would love to hear suggestions that you have found works for you. For example: "Cheat days", eating at maintenance level for a day or two, having a meal a week you don't journal.

When I started with MFP, I made the decision that I was going to eat ONLY food I liked. I was not going to waste my calories on foods I didn't like.

Therefore, one of the first things I did when I started with MFP was to go to the grocery store and have a really good browse through everything, reading labels. I found all sorts of stuff that would fit within my calories ... and it was delicious! I'm eating a wider variety of food now than I used to. And just this past weekend, I even put together a meal in our new slow cooker. That's something I've never done before! Never even imagined I'd do something like that!

There are many things my husband and I eat now which we'll stick with for years to come because we really enjoy the food.


Another thing I do is to take diet breaks. After I lost 15 kg (kind of my first goal), 4 months after I started here, I took a 1-month diet break that coincided with our holiday to Canada. The plan was to eat all the food and in large quantities. But I couldn't.

First stop was a Krispy Kreme donut place at the airport. My husband and I used to get a dozen donuts there and share them in one sitting (6 each). This time we ordered half a dozen, and ate them over 2 days. And even so, it was a struggle to get the last one down. Later, I planned to eat several bags of dill pickle chips (my favourite) ... I managed 1 bag. They were just way too salty. I found myself ordering salads and steamed veggies with meals and eating relatively small portions.

Then I resumed the diet and 4-months later, I took a 3-day diet break. And again, I ate quite a bit, but not the quantities I imagined I would. Since then, I've gone up to maintenance about every other weekend because I'm pretty much at my final goal weight, and I'm sort of trying to figure out where maintenance might be ... basically, figuring out what I can get away with.

Right now, I'm on a 2-week diet break over Christmas, and I'm really struggling to eat as much as I'd like to eat. I get so full and I'm so fussy now!

Anyway, the point is ... you don't have to stick with it forever. Stick with it for a few month, and then take a break and reassess the situation. You might discover that you actually feel better eating the good lower calorie food. Not that you have to be perfect ... none of us are. Just that you feel healthier, more energy, generally better.

I find that when I eat some kind of sweets or "junk" food daily, in small amounts, I never crave it bad. Only when I have tried to cut out certain food in the past do I go way off the deep end after a few days.

I don't eat the world's "healthiest" diet, but healthy is a very subjective term when it comes to food and for the first time after failing everything from low fat to low carb to no sugar to whatever, I am successful. Everyone has their sweet spot when it comes to health and weight loss. No two people are alike and what matters is what works for you personally. If having a "cheat" for one meal once a week does it, go for it. If cutting sugar and sweets out completely works for you, go for it. If going low carb works, fantastic. There is no one-size-fits all diet plan, except for the one simple rule of weight loss: Calories in < calories out.

JanetYellen wrote: »

Have you ever noticed that when you eat a day of high processed fats and high sugars the next day you crave it again? It's TORTURE. My goal is to change my life. Not just lose 30 pounds. I want to change forever.

It's the opposite for me. We went to the fair back in October and I just went all out and ate so much that I was literally in pain that night. (I do not recommend it!) When I woke up the next day, I didn't eat until around 3:00 and when I did, the last thing I wanted was anything deep fried or sweet. Kind of like when you drink too much one night and you're hungover the next morning, the last thing you want to think about is any kind of alcohol. I went overboard. I estimate I consumed 3,000 calories in one piece of fried dough with custard on top. And that was when I got home, after the food I ate while I was at the fair, so it was probably close to a 5K calorie day of nothing but deep fried, greasy deliciousness.

But you know what? That day really didn't set me back at all. Sure, I went up the next morning, mostly water and from all the carbs, but I evened out over the next three or four days, and I actually lost weight that week. So one over-indulgant day will not ruin anything if you just recognize it and move on. I'll probably do it again next year.

Moderation works for me, I eat whatever I like as long as it fits into my calorie goal. I don't do "cheat" days or meals. Pre-planning most meals actually helps me to fit in those treats when I want them.

Ive experimented a LOT and have found macro friendly foods that satisfy pretty much every craving I might have, so I never feel the need to 'cheat' anymore. Its taken about two years to get to this point tho, but its SO worth it

cityruss wrote: »

Your problem is viewing foods as 'off limits' and restricting yourself.

Your problems will continue until you stop this, and instead choose to eat the foods you like and that make you happy within the limits of your calorie and macronutritional goals.

Yes ... this ^^^

But in general:
- Yes, agree with you re having a conservative deficit. -5 lbs is much easier to stick with than -2lbs
- Agree with being less restrictive - but also focusing on filling things & micros. 80:20. There is that trial and error, but a lot of people find an emphasis on protein, fibre, fat more filling

Re balancing being overly restrictive and not setting yourself up for failure, some limits I've set up for myself have been
- Not buying large portions of the foods that I am crap at controlling intake on or bringing them into the house. For me, re foods for home, that's mostly potato chips. I do still have them, but one small bag at a time, out of the house
- The way I spread out that 20 helps me keep it in check. If I have 2-3 quarter pounder meals in a row, it's going to be a slippery slope for me, harder to get back on track. Another reason "make the next meal "healthy"" works for me. Basically, not 2-3 days in a row
- It's easier for me to stay on track when I'm not sedentary. Even just walking keeps my head in the game (as well as giving me a *bit* of a margin of error). Right now I can't so it's hard! But it does help, ime.
- Learning new recipes, enjoying the food I'm eating

I use to struggle myself, with the all
Or nothing and restricting myself from certain foods, that was the worst I could ever do to myself . It finally came to an end when I stopped stressing out about it. The more I focused on what I can and can't eat the more I was sabotaging my hard effort. Yes! there are going to be days that are extremely more difficult then others but take it one day at a time and enjoy the process because it is a lifestyle change. If you don't process that this is a new lifestyle! you will fall back into those habits, that got you to gain weight in the first place.
My eating habits now are mostly focused on whole food meals. If I'm out and about I make sure my plate is always balanced out and if I want a piece of chocolate I can have it. But, since I know I can have whatever I like, I don't have it because I just don't want it.
You have to train your mind and stay strong. Distract yourself the minute you feel you are losing control. What works for me is I look at inspiring photos. I visualize a lot, I picture myself in the best shape ever and so far I'm almost there!

Anita672 wrote: »

Hi all - I suffer greatly from "all or nothing" thinking. I'm either trying to be perfect or I've ditched my journaling and I eat everything I consider "off limits". This completely sabotages my weight loss. One suggestion for this is to be less restrictive or give yourself some wiggle room. I would love to hear suggestions that you have found works for you. For example: "Cheat days", eating at maintenance level for a day or two, having a meal a week you don't journal.

The only thing "cheat days " have ever helped me with is gaining weight. Not optimal.