What Does Moderation Look Like For You?

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  • andream1976
    andream1976 Posts: 77 Member
    I used to eat lunch out almost daily. Fast food usually. So for me, moderation means eating out once or twice a week and staying within my calorie goals. I have found if you totally restrict yourself you are just setting yourself up to cheat and possibly fail. You also need to know correct food portions. Getting a food scale and using it will really help you track your calories correctly and know exactly how much of any food you can or cannot eat. Don't eat mindlessly from any food bag or container. If a serving size is 12 chips, count out 12 chips.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    Moderation = My daily calorie bank.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    Good post, @amusedmonkey!
  • andream1976
    andream1976 Posts: 77 Member
    BreakinChains wrote: »
    Thank you everyone who responded. I'm really starting to believe moderation is possible now. Hard, but possible. It's really helpful to know so many people struggle with it, but are able to do it.

    The journey is hard. Anything worth it to you is going to be hard and that's ok. You are making a lifestyle change and in order to be successful in the long term, you have to be able to find some sort of balance that will keep you moving forward and beyond your weight loss goal. I am not going to say I'm never having another cookie. But I won't have them every day and when I do, they will get tracked.

  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    ... I generally don't eat doughnuts or sponge cake because I don't like them enough to warrant the calories. Even things I do like, like ice cream or chocolate, I only eat when I really want some. How do I decide if I really want some? I pre-log the item in question then ask myself: would planning my meals for the day around this item and eating lower calorie meals be worth it to eat that ice cream or chocolate? If I can't be bothered, then I don't want that item enough to have it.

    I don't keep "temptations" where they are staring me in the face. No sense in testing my willpower unless necessary. I either tuck them into the darkest corner of my fridge/cupboard where I would need to haul out all the foods covering them to get to them or walk all the way to the stairwell to get my step ladder, or go to the shop to specifically buy one serving of that item. ...

    Normalizing foods takes time and practice, but once you're there the whole process feels semi-automatic. By normalizing I mean judging foods based on preference, not based on "junk" being more attractive just because it's junk, bad, forbidden, guilty pleasure... and all the other words that set certain foods apart as somehow naughty and therefore attractive. There are days when a mushroom and vegetable ragu is more attractive to me than hot dogs, and there are days when hot dogs are more attractive. Nothing's wrong with either dish, and nothing makes one more special than the other, other than my preference
    -...

    I love this perspective and these suggestions also work great for me!

  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    This is a good question. I just think of it as avoiding gluttony, and also avoiding being too restrictive. So I don't usually binge or fast.

    Personally, it is mostly a portion-size thing? I try to take a reasonable portion of food, then if still hungry may eat more, but I don't start out with a lot on the plate and then try to eat it all. Except for salad, popcorn, and watermelon. I'm immoderate with those items.

    I do eat only 2 hershey's kisses and consider that a good bite of chocolate. I don't eat much between meals. I don't drink alcohol every day, only a couple of times a week. If I eat chips from the big bag, I put a serving in a bowl and close the bag. If I eat triscuits and cheese, I count the crackers out...

    I do get hungry most days, between meals. I try to wait until physically hungry before eating.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    BreakinChains wrote: »
    I initially decided to try giving up processed sugar for an undeclared amount of time. Yeah, that didn't work. I'm hearing a lot about moderation, and as stupid as it may sound...I barely have an idea of how to do it. To me moderation is eating just a serving of something (I'm talking about the junk foods).

    The hard part is I eat one cupcake, and I want 2 more. I think I know HOW to moderate, but I don't know HOW to not go back for seconds, thirds, etc.

    So, my question to you is how do you eat in moderation? What keeps you from over indulging?

    I've told you before my struggle with learning to moderate ice cream, so I won't repeat the whole thing here.

    If you are having trouble moderating foods in the break room (we get a lot of donuts, muffins, cookies, chocolate, etc.) I find that if I wait until they are nearly gone, it does two things. First, it delays that instant gratification of having what you want right now, which helps with patience. Second, when there are only a couple left, they are usually the less appealing ones, so it's easy to take one, or half of one and be done with it. Third, since there are only a couple left, there's a good chance they will be gone shortly.

    If you are having trouble moderating at home. Don't bring in large quantities of the stuff you have difficulties with until you have gotten better at it. I only brought in single servings of ice cream for the longest time. Then if I really wanted a second one, I had to decide if I wanted it bad enough to drive to the store to pick it up.

    To answer the question you actually asked. To me, moderation is eating what I like and keeping it within my goals (including protein, fat, fibre, and iron; I don't watch carbs too closely and I pay no attention at all to sugar). You can make some great filling meals for reasonable calories. Two nights ago a made a chicken and veg pasta sauce over linguini. It filled the plate for under 500 calories. The portion of pasta is smaller and the number of vegs is higher, but it was incredibly filling and nicely balanced out my day for macros. Fitting in a serving of beer, or wine, or ice cream, or cookies at the end of the day helps me feel like I'm not punishing myself with my diet. Also, knowing that I can have these things has changed the way I look at weight loss. I don't feel bad, like I've blown everything, and that I'm weak for not having enough self-control.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    For me - the keys to successfully moderating are planning, prioritization and perspective.

    There are foods/drinks that I enjoy on a daily basis. A little bit of chocolate, a glass or two of wine. I know I need to allow anywhere from 200-400 cals for those indulgences every day (I'm in maintenance and my calorie target is about 2000 or so each day) My priority however, is first getting enough other things - enough protein, vegetables/fruits, and some exercise. If I don't fit in those other things first, then I may not be able to have my usual glass of wine after the kids go to bed. That all is part of my every day routine, I've planned for it and am able to fit it in about 80-90% of the time based on building good habits around exercise to allow myself a higher calorie target.

    There are times though when I have a craving for something more indulgent, or plans for meals that I know are going to be more calorie dense. I need to also assess my priorities for that day or week to see if I can fit in the treat, or what adjustments I need to make during the week to allow for a weekend event. If there is a birthday celebration at work and I know I'm going to be having cheesecake for example, then I may not be able to fit in wine that day. If people brought in a bakery cake with whipped frosting that doesn't really appeal to me, I might just go to wish someone happy birthday and skip the cake, and stick to my normal routine. Or if I am going out to dinner with friends over the weekend, I may try to bank some calories earlier in the week to give me a higher allowance on the weekend. I plan out the week, determine what my priorities are (are we going to dinner and a movie? Do I want to save room for popcorn? Or would I rather have an appetizer at dinner and skip eating at the movie?).

    Lastly, perspective. Full disclosure - I don't struggle with binge eating or trigger foods. I am not an emotional eater, or a volume eater. When I was overweight - it was because I ate a little bit too much of too many different foods, because I didn't try to restrain myself, and because I wasn't active enough. But the perspective I have gained and used in my approach to moderation is that it's ok to just have one thing you enjoy. When going out for mexican food, you don't have to have guacamole, and queso, and salsa, and a burrito, and a margarita. I just pick one or two of those things that I really enjoy, and forget about the rest. But on the flip side - if I do overindulge, the perspective I've gained is that this process is very manageable and I can get back on track pretty easily. Having a night where I exceed my calorie target does not mean I have failed, or that I should give up. It's just a number, and more than likely, it isn't even a high enough number to do anything more than cause a temporary spike on the scale. Sometimes when I think I've over done it, and a few days later I weigh in and the scale hasn't moved more than half a pound, I think, "is that it!? I should have gone ahead and had that fried ice cream too...".

  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
    edited August 2016
    Moderation is my father, who'd eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia every day if he had his druthers, buying and eating one pint the last Sunday of every month instead while watching whatever television series du jour he's following.

    Moderation is me, who eats ice cream whenever I want as long as it fits into my daily caloric goal, occasionally eating 113 grams (one 4 oz serving size of BK31's Pralines 'n Cream) at a time for dessert after supper.

    Different people, different ways they moderate. Both finding a way of moderating their intake of the same foodstuff in a manner they can live with long term. Neither is superior to the other.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    I had to cut some things out of my diet entirely for a while until I could get them under control. In all cases my desire for those things eventually decreased to a reasonable level and in some cases I stopped liking/wanting them all together.
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
    edited August 2016
    Moderation is deciding what I really, really want and being responsible about how I consume it.

    I get about 200 "free" calories daily after I've met my macros with nutrient-dense meals. I usually choose to spend them on a glass of wine and a piece of high quality dark chocolate. Sometimes I'll choose to spend them on ice cream. Even though donuts get brought into the office frequently, I never eat them because that's a waste of calories to me. Moderation is setting priorities and choosing the best options.

    Some days I've got my 500 calorie leftovers for lunch, but I really, really want a burger. So I pass on the leftovers, eat 900 calories in a burger and fries, and have a smaller dinner and no treats. Moderation is letting anything be on the table and finding ways to work with cravings.

    Some days I've already eaten a 300 calorie breakfast and 500 calorie lunch. Even though I want the 900 calorie burger + fries, it doesn't fit. I have to decide if I'm A) going to eat at maintenance for the day and put off weight loss a little longer, b) stick to the plan and ignore the craving, or C) make a lighter-calorie version of the thing I'm craving. Lately I've been choosing option A because IDGAF about these last 5 lbs, but back when I cared I'd pick B or C. Moderation is about looking at your options and choosing the one that best aligns with your goals.

    Some days are like last Wednesday and Thursday, where due to crazy circumstances I missed dinner Wednesday, missed breakfast and had a 400 calorie lunch Thursday. I was hungry and tired, so I grabbed a thin crust pizza from the grocery store and ate the whole thing. I didn't go over calories, and I got to eat a whole pizza. This is something that would happen very, very rarely, but eating a huge volume of calorie-dense awesomeness can happen from time to time. Moderation includes volume and frequency, and there's room for huge volumes infrequently.

    Some days I eat half a box of Cheez-Its and don't log it. This is rare, but it's wonderful. Moderation is about letting yourself have a ridiculous indulgence from time to time, not feeling guilty about it, and getting back on track the next day.

    But most days, moderation looks like my first scenario. Nutrient-dense, calorie-controlled meals with a handful of calories left for my favorite foods. Just knowing the other scenarios can happen from time to time is enough to keep me from overindulging - I know that when I really want something, there will be a way to work it in.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    mskessler89 wrote: »
    Moderation is deciding what I really, really want and being responsible about how I consume it.

    I get about 200 "free" calories daily after I've met my macros with nutrient-dense meals. I usually choose to spend them on a glass of wine and a piece of high quality dark chocolate. Sometimes I'll choose to spend them on ice cream. Even though donuts get brought into the office frequently, I never eat them because that's a waste of calories to me. Moderation is setting priorities and choosing the best options.

    Some days I've got my 500 calorie leftovers for lunch, but I really, really want a burger. So I pass on the leftovers, eat 900 calories in a burger and fries, and have a smaller dinner and no treats. Moderation is letting anything be on the table and finding ways to work with cravings.

    Some days I've already eaten a 300 calorie breakfast and 500 calorie lunch. Even though I want the 900 calorie burger + fries, it doesn't fit. I have to decide if I'm A) going to eat at maintenance for the day and put off weight loss a little longer, b) stick to the plan and ignore the craving, or C) make a lighter-calorie version of the thing I'm craving. Lately I've been choosing option A because IDGAF about these last 5 lbs, but back when I cared I'd pick B or C. Moderation is about looking at your options and choosing the one that best aligns with your goals.

    Some days are like last Wednesday and Thursday, where due to crazy circumstances I missed dinner Wednesday, missed breakfast and had a 400 calorie lunch Thursday. I was hungry and tired, so I grabbed a thin crust pizza from the grocery store and ate the whole thing. I didn't go over calories, and I got to eat a whole pizza. This is something that would happen very, very rarely, but eating a huge volume of calorie-dense awesomeness can happen from time to time. Moderation includes volume and frequency, and there's room for huge volumes infrequently.

    Some days I eat half a box of Cheez-Its and don't log it. This is rare, but it's wonderful. Moderation is about letting yourself have a ridiculous indulgence from time to time, not feeling guilty about it, and getting back on track the next day.

    But most days, moderation looks like my first scenario. Nutrient-dense, calorie-controlled meals with a handful of calories left for my favorite foods. Just knowing the other scenarios can happen from time to time is enough to keep me from overindulging - I know that when I really want something, there will be a way to work it in.

    These are great examples, and very similar to my approach! Well said!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    moderation is simply not being a glutton...because you can overeat anything.

    If you're accustomed to overeating and mindlessly doing whatever, it will be a more difficult exercise...but as with any exercise, it gets easier.
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