Abstinence

Going with your example, is it just one ice cream occasionally? Or do you not stop until you've finished the container or the whole packet? If its the occasional ice cream go with moderation and fit it into your daily calorie allowance.

Some people can moderate well, others cannot (I don't moderate well at all). Some people are better than abstaining than they are moderating. Some people work between them both, abstaining at times and moderating at others.

It can be difficult abstaining, the temptation will likely always be there. Some feel that we need to learn to moderate better rather than abstaining. Do what works for you, that may vary on the circumstances or change in the future.

I typically abstain from the foods I easily or tend to overeat. It works for me most of the time......

Ice Cream is a huge trigger for me. So over time, I got off it, and replaced with Frozen lowfat yogurt. Somewhat better, but still an issue when in a 24 hour period one eats the whole half gallon.
So when I started up again here. I told myself again, no ice cream, no frozen yogurt in the house. If I am going to eat it. We will go to a shop and get a serving of it. But keep it out of the house. If in house, I will eat it. So far no trips to get it, in 11 weeks.
I have same issue with a few other sweet foods, so do not allow in house either. Been cooking with alternate flours and sugars which has helped in that area.

No need to abstain from anything, if you can learn to moderate all foods you love and stay in a calorie deficit for weight loss. Practicing self control is easier than abstaining for life.

i think you have to figure out what is right for you. Some foods I cant handle, a big bag of chips, can of nuts so I get small bag or small package of nuts. I have been having a time with cinn buns but still trying to get a plan, I took them to church last night so I would just have one and left the rest there. Some people can do without junk food but I admit I want some every once in a while but am cautious and get me a plan.

Probably why over 80% of people fail at keeping the weight off, myself included. It is a long term commitment and not east to abstain for life.

Portion control and try and be in the ballpark of macros

maureenkhilde wrote: »

jennifer_417 wrote: »

Possible?
Sure, with enough determination, I suppose.

But why? You can maintain great health and healthy weight while indulging in moderation.

Not arguing at all. But this is literally easier said than done. I fall in the category I do not think that the frozen desserts are evil or bad. I just have issues controlling my intake. So I decided what was best for me.
Yet, I can and do buy the treats my husband likes, as he is neither a diabetic, or have a weight issue. So I buy the cookies he likes, and it is not that I intensely dislike them, but I can reason to myself, not yours leave alone. Just like in a week or so I will be doing some Christmas baking of fruit bread that I send to family, but I never eat.

I have overcome a few foods that I used to have issues with. But the whole frozen ice cream, and frozen yogurt. Still a big work in progress for me. And I really get where the OP is coming from.

I totally agree, and I'm not trying to say it's easy. Weight loss is tough and it takes making lots of hard choices.

All I mean is that abstaining entirely from all unhealthy foods isn't necessarily any easier.

In many cases, I don't find abstinence that hard.

For example, about 20 years ago, I decided to eat pescatarian. I don't find it hard at all to never eat beef, pork, poultry, etc.

2 years ago I was diagnosed with GERD. I now abstain (or at least severely limit) spicy foods, deep fried foods, carbonated beverages, caffeine, tomatoes, citrus, raw onions & bell peppers, and many other foods. It's not that hard.

I cannot eat snack cakes in moderation, so I just abstain. Maybe someday I will be able to moderate them, but I can also never eat them again and I'll be fine with that too.

IAmWomanHearMeRoar15 wrote: »

I do SMART Recovery. I have found it helpful.

I think I am going to try abstinence for now and sort of experiment. On foods where it doesn't work then maybe I can try moderation.

I think this year I will only buy one carton of eggnog- I LOVE eggnog- and that's it for the season.

SMART Recovery was super helpful for me when I had a problem with alcohol 20 years ago. I abstained for a while, and now I can moderate, although it's been months since I had a drink so I wouldn't even call it drinking moderately.

It's quite likely your BED treatment person will also use a cognitive behavioral approach.

They should be familiar with this book, which was available in my library system, so perhaps yours as well:

The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person

Can thinking and eating like a thin person be learned, similar to learning to drive or use a computer? Beck (Cognitive Therapy for Challenging Problems) contends so, based on decades of work with patients who have lost pounds and maintained weight through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Beck's six-week program adapts CBT, a therapeutic system developed by Beck's father, Aaron, in the 1960s, to specific challenges faced by yo-yo dieters, including negative thinking, bargaining, emotional eating, bingeing, and eating out. Beck counsels readers day-by-day, introducing new elements (creating advantage response cards, choosing a diet, enlisting a diet coach, making a weight-loss graph) progressively and offering tools to help readers stay focused (writing exercises, to-do lists, ways to counter negative thoughts). There are no eating plans, calorie counts, recipes or exercises; according to Beck, any healthy diet will work if readers learn to think differently about eating and food. Beck's book is like an extended therapy session with a diet coach. (Apr.)