Balanced Diet

Find whatever works for you. Initially, for about the first two months, I cut all sweets out. I kept them in the house though, for other family members. Then I read on here that you don’t have to cut foods out to lose weight, just stay at a calorie deficit. Now I consume all foods I enjoy in moderation, with portion control. It’s easier for me to learn to limit, rather eliminate. Learning self control was key for me losing half of my body weight.

Oh I'm a sugar-aholic, but I haven't eaten sugar for 6 weeks and have lived thru' it. It was hard at first, cuz dessert was a fun habit for me. I do eat fruit, but I know if I eat a little candy here, a little cake there, it'll be on...that's just me! I brush my teeth after dinner and don't eat dessert. Last night I had a hard time and drank a cup of coffee/cream...was satisfying. It's getting better. I am loosing weight. I know that I need to eat like this for the rest of my life. My knees quit hurting, I feel healthy. Being a little hungry is not the end of the world. When I want something sweet, I hold out and the urge passes. It's a mind set. Don't cheat...we can do this!

A balanced diet can include sweets in moderation. What moderation is for you will be different from what it is for others, and moderation can mean abstaining from eating something most of the time.

It may mean that you don't buy cake unless it's actually a special occasion, like your birthday (or spouse or child's, if you have a family). So, you moderate it by almost never having it.

It may mean you buy one chocolate bar or small box of chocolates for the week, and that's what you limit yourself to.

It may mean you buy individually wrapped chocolates or sweets and fit one a day into your calories. It may also mean that's something you have to work up to, if having a bag of them in your house means you're going to eat them all.

Try to be more deliberate about your decisions. First ask yourself if something is actually worth the calories. Is it special? Is it delicious? Or is it something store-bought that's always available and a coworker brought into the office?

If it's something you want, then ask yourself how much you need to feel satisfied. Often the first few bites are the most enjoyable, and after that it's more about finishing something because it's there. Satisfaction will likely also be heightened if you eat something deliberately (more "mindfully"). Choose your sweet, sit down with a cup of tea or coffee or whatever, and eat it while not doing something else, like reading or watching television, or browsing MFP.

And don't let people make you feel like there's something wrong with you and you're a failure if you feel like you can't have just a small portion of something every day. Every person needs to find what works for them, and there's a wide spectrum for doing so while still maintaining a healthy body and a healthy mindset.

@kshama2001 used to post a great article about "abstainers" vs. "moderators." It's unrealistic that one can abstain from all sweets forever, and it's completely unnecessary. However, there can be categories that you do choose to abstain from, and others that you moderate on a spectrum.

I was addicted to gumdrops and ate them every night. I stopped eating them and chose a healthier option, fruit. After awhile, I just didn't want anything at night, so I eliminated the sweets entirely.

For me, I knew keeping them in my diet wouldn't work. If you feel enough self control and can stick to reasonable portions, go for it. ☺

I am not very good with impulse control. If I buy a cake or something I need to eat a lot of it.

I have found I do really well by not bringing sweets and baked goods in my house. I have NOT cut them out of my diet though. I sometimes have dessert when eating out. When I want a candy bar, I buy one and eat it when I get home. When I want a cake or cookies I go to the grocery store bakery and buy a cupcake or a cookie or two and eat them when I get home. When I see a great deal on Halloween candy, I buy a bag and give it to my neighbor to keep in her garage until the 31st.

I hope to be able to eat sweets in moderation in my home but I am not there yet. Why put myself through torture and possibly guilt (if I eat it) when it isn't necessary? Each person is different, this is me.

On the other hand, I can easily open a bottle of wine and have just one glass. As much as I love wine, I have control around it.

veganbaum wrote: »

A balanced diet can include sweets in moderation. What moderation is for you will be different from what it is for others, and moderation can mean abstaining from eating something most of the time.

It may mean that you don't buy cake unless it's actually a special occasion, like your birthday (or spouse or child's, if you have a family). So, you moderate it by almost never having it.

It may mean you buy one chocolate bar or small box of chocolates for the week, and that's what you limit yourself to.

It may mean you buy individually wrapped chocolates or sweets and fit one a day into your calories. It may also mean that's something you have to work up to, if having a bag of them in your house means you're going to eat them all.

Try to be more deliberate about your decisions. First ask yourself if something is actually worth the calories. Is it special? Is it delicious? Or is it something store-bought that's always available and a coworker brought into the office?

If it's something you want, then ask yourself how much you need to feel satisfied. Often the first few bites are the most enjoyable, and after that it's more about finishing something because it's there. Satisfaction will likely also be heightened if you eat something deliberately (more "mindfully"). Choose your sweet, sit down with a cup of tea or coffee or whatever, and eat it while not doing something else, like reading or watching television, or browsing MFP.

And don't let people make you feel like there's something wrong with you and you're a failure if you feel like you can't have just a small portion of something every day. Every person needs to find what works for them, and there's a wide spectrum for doing so while still maintaining a healthy body and a healthy mindset.

@kshama2001 used to post a great article about "abstainers" vs. "moderators." It's unrealistic that one can abstain from all sweets forever, and it's completely unnecessary. However, there can be categories that you do choose to abstain from, and others that you moderate on a spectrum.

Here it is! I abstain from some foods, like Oreos, and others I moderate.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-happiness-project/201210/are-you-abstainer-or-moderator

...When dealing with temptation, I often see the advice, “Be moderate. Don’t have ice cream every night, but if you try to deny yourself altogether, you’ll fall off the wagon. Allow yourself to have the occasional treat, it will help you stick to your plan.”

I’ve come to believe that this is good advice for some people: the “moderators.” They do better when they avoid absolutes and strict rules.

For a long time, I kept trying this strategy of moderation–and failing. Then I read a line from Samuel Johnson, who said, when someone offered him wine: “Abstinence is as easy to me as temperance would be difficult.”

Ah ha! Like Dr. Johnson, I’m an “abstainer.”

I find it far easier to give something up altogether than to indulge moderately.

Giving up any food forever isn’t something I would ever be able to successfully do. So rather than abstaining, I’m learning to moderate my intake. I have to do it with other foods, so it’s no different with sweets.

My tip would be learning moderation of all foods. Long term success depends on being able to control calorie intake. With the dismal statistics of over 80% of people gaining back the weight they lost within 5 years, it’s definitely not easy.