Define "ocassional treat" please.

I eat cookies, candy (usually Skittles), chocolate, ice cream, etc. somewhere in the day EVERYDAY. But I LIMIT what I eat. That way I don't use up too many calories on treats.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I eat whatever I want every single day ... as long as it fits within my calorie allowance.

Happily, exercise gives me quite a bit of flexibility in my calorie allowance ... especially on weekends, when I exercise a lot.

I also do not have a fear of sugar so I absolutely eat sugar every day.


But as for "occasional treat" ...

That would be something like the chocolate lava cake I made for my birthday. So incredibly rich and delicious. Probably the richest thing I've ever had in my life. Possibly the most delicious as well. I mean, WOW, it was good. But definitely not something I'd want every day ... or every week ... or even every month. Something like that is meant to be enjoyed occasionally.

Yes, you can have sugar within your calorie allowance. Too much will probably impact your feelings of satiety, so you'll find yourself hungry again quickly, but if you're asking, "Can I have a piece of cake for dessert at supper and maybe a couple of squares of chocolate for a snack at some point in the day?" the answer is, 'Yes, you should be fine'. (Assuming no medical issues that require you watch your sugar anyway.)

My diary is open if you want to look. I would say I eat mainly healthy, though not 'clean' (I eat a lot of veggie dogs, some frozen vegetarian entrees, Greek yogurt, etc.) However, every Thursday, when I do my cooking, I make a low-calorie dessert. This week, it's going to be lemon-amaretto apples at about 100 calories per serving.

Saturday after synagogue services, there's a stand-up buffet with kugel, cholent, fruit, veggies, and cakes and pastries. I budget for 2 pieces of kugel and a frosted shortbread cookie. The couple of times when those cookies haven't been there, I've subbed something else, but that's my go-to.

So far, we're typical. I have a low-calorie dessert until it's gone. I have one small full-fat dessert in a week, plus a moderated amount of oily starchy joy.

Okay. Last month, I celebrated a Jewish holiday with one observance that sounds like the inverse of Halloween. Instead of knocking on people's doors to get goodies, we knock on people's doors to GIVE goodies. And people knock on OUR doors. So, for the last couple of weeks, there's been a lot of stuff in the house that we wouldn't normally have. I dealt with it like this:

1. Told my husband, "Don't ask me if I want any of this. If there's something I really want to have, I'll tell you. Otherwise, help yourself." (I only said this about a ready-to-eat tossed salad and a homemade roll.)
2. If I had no way of estimating the calories, say for homemade cookies that might or might not have had chocolate chunks, nuts, etc... went into Hubby's lunch.
3. I allocated some of the calories that would have gone on healthier snacks like string cheese tp mini-chocolate bars, saltwater taffy or piece of fruit leather.

All told, over the last three weeks, about 100-300 calories most days have gone on treats. BUT I have not gone over my calories. No grazing, no mindless nibbling. If I haven't had the calories for what I wanted, I either didn't have it, had less, or exercised more. And most of that stuff is gone now. We're pretty much down to fruit taffy (which I dislike), large-chocolate bars (which I can resist until someone opens one), and jams, teas, and other non-"junk".

As far as family gatherings are concerned, I pre-log what I meant to eat ahead of time. Of course, I don't know everything that's being served, but it's a safe bet that at my nephew's birthday, there will be cake. At a Hannukah party, there will be latkes and jelly donuts. And I have much better control of myself if I've written in my journal that I'm going to have a piece of birthday cake, because I can see for myself that I've got the calories to spend on it. Which means I avert all the guilt and negative self-talk about 'blowing my diet'.

I only have treats within my daily calories. I know some people do well with cheat days or cheat meals. I'm not one of them. For me, recognizing that a treat doesn't need to be a cheat works well for me. Hope that helps!