“Red light foods”

Potato chips.

If they are in my house, I will eat them until they are gone. If they are not in my house and I buy a small bag with only two servings, I will want another bag and think of nothing else. And even though I have enough calories to be able to fit 2 small bags of potato chips into a day, it would throw off everything else: nutrients, protein, important things.

The funny thing is I don't miss them. I'd rather have a small bag of curly fries if it comes down to it (and have done so a couple of times,) but fries don't set off the craving in the same way.

theyoginurse wrote: »

Do you have certain “red light foods” you just say no to? What are they?

I am all for flexible dieting, which is why I joined MFP. I wanted to learn how to plan foods I enjoy into my calories/life. At the same time, I’ve noticed since starting 12 days ago, I have been going over my sugar goal for the day.

The thing is, as much as I want to be a flexible dieter, right now in my life, I realize that chocolate and ice cream sends me into a tailspin. It’s like it sets off cravings. Maybe in the future I can have these foods- but right now, I have to just choose not to.

Has this happened to you? Are there certain foods you just know you can’t stop at one serving because it sets off cravings? Or is this in my mind?

I need support to have more self-control.

There are certainly a lot of people that have foods they have difficulty moderating. There are usually two schools of thoughts on this. Either cut those foods out altogether, to avoid temptation; or learn strategies to be able to moderate them. Both are valid strategies and come down to a matter of personal preference. I didn't really have specific trigger foods, but I certainly believe that delicious foods are not going to go away in my life and so making sure that I'm able to enjoy the all the foods I love in moderation was important to me.

Some of the strategies I know people have found success with:
1. Don't buy those foods and keep them in the house initially. Save them as treats that you enjoy when you are in a restaurant, at a special event, and therefore less likely to eat in excess.
2. When you do feel strong enough to keep them in the house, buy them in single serving portions and allow yourself to have them only when you can fit them in your calories.
3. To that point, prelog all your foods so you can determine ahead of time IF you can fit them in that day, or that week, and only if you've made sure to achieve other nutritional priorities.
4. Try not to eat them mindlessly. Focus on eating them in an environment where you can truly savor them, and not just distractedly eating them as you watch television or do other activities, so that you can then feel satisfied by the smaller amount.


Lastly, you mentioned going over your sugar goal regularly. Unless you have a medical reason to restrict sugar, that's probably ok, as long as sweets or other sugary foods are not crowding out other foods that provide more nutrition. For people who regularly eat fruits, some starchy vegetables, and things like yogurt - it's pretty easy to hit or exceed that sugar goal even without adding in desserts. Many people have found success in swapping out the sugar goal for things like fiber, which is often a more beneficial metric, for those who have no medical reason to restrict sugar.

Good luck.

Beer. Once I have a few, I want even more. Then I want pizza.

I don't do well with total restriction, so I have all the foods that I enjoy. I have found that when I'm regularly eating foods that I enjoy, I can have a serving that fits into my calories and I don't have much of a problem stopping when I want to. There is stuff that I buy less frequently because I know that it might require more mental effort to regulate than I might feel like spending in a given week. For me, part of success is making sure that I'm not *constantly* faced with tough decisions within my own home.

That said, I think if someone identifies that they *can't* moderate a certain food and it's easier to avoid it, that can be a good strategy for them. Successful weight loss/maintaining is all about figuring out your personal strategies, not just doing something because other people do it.

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

Peanut M & M's.

I want to see if I can buy a bag of them in fun size bags and moderate them, because that just might work.

I do currently buy them every now every now and then going through the check out in the grocery store in a single serving package, but I can't keep a family bag to share with my husband in the house.

Haha - 15 years ago I tried hypnosis and chise Peanut M&M’s, Red Vines and Mac & Cheese to be hypnotized against.
I can truly say that I’ve only had the first 2 maybe 5 times in all that time - however, I had Mac & Cheese yesterday!