Do you plan your treats?

cfish59840
cfish59840 Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have a massive sweet tooth. I have really been buckling down on my calories and am adjusting my intake. Since I know I will want to indulge in ice cream from time to time ( everyday if I could) I have been planning my meals with my treats included. My question is how often do you plan your treats? Is it worth it or should I limit my sweet tooth to very occasionally?

Replies

  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,204 Member
    I eat chocolate every day. I love chocolate and don't see any reason to deprive myself. I just limit to a couple of squares.

    So yes I plan my snacks. That said I pretty much plan my days food the night before. It gives me a sense of control and makes things easier if things change
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,807 Member
    edited April 2020
    I have treats almost every day, sweet or salty.

    I don't plan for them per se, but I leave myself some margin and eat less earlier in the day. The size of the treat will depend on how many calories I have left.

    Sometimes it's one After Eight (38 calories), sometimes it's a small bag of protein chips when I am low on protein that day (200 calories), sometimes even half a tub of Ben & Jerry's (500-600 calories) when my meals have been lighter and I went for a jog on the treadmill, sometimes it's some rice crackers weighed to fit how many calories I have left, etc.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,930 Member
    Yep. I usually have a dessert. I could make my dinner about 150-200 calories bigger, but this is much more satisfying. Actually, I prelogged pretty much for today and see that I still have roughly 400 calories left. So I'll likely have fresh strawberries a bit later on, and more strawberries and possibly custard after dinner.
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,023 Member
    I didn't really plan the pumpkin pie with whipped cream this week, but it sure was delicious!
  • hawksgirl229
    hawksgirl229 Posts: 467 Member
    For me once in awhile "snacks happen" but when that becomes too often "weight gain happens"😞 I do best when my treats are planned..
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Yes. I plan EVERYTHING! There is an old saying and it especially applies to dietary compliance, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."
  • cfish59840
    cfish59840 Posts: 11 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    Yes. I plan EVERYTHING! There is an old saying and it especially applies to dietary compliance, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."


    This is so true! Before I would eat really healthy and not allow for sweets and then I would binge and eat an entire Ben and Jerry’s tub. Of course I would self loath for a few days (while not tracking anything I ate) and tell myself to do better next week. Now that I am allowing my treats I don’t have as much anxiety in the day. I know it’s allowed and fits in. I have seen some change in my weight since doing this (probably water weight) but the scale seems to agree with my new process.

  • Unicorn_Bacon
    Unicorn_Bacon Posts: 491 Member
    Most days I dont really crave anything sweet, it's been like that for a while now even before I started mfp, and I dont know what happened because I was the type that could eat 7 or 8 chocolate bars in one sitting. Lol

    Every once in a while I will crave something tho and I do leave some open calories at the end of the night if I choose to have a treat, if not, I'll fill it with something else like a couple boiled eggs or something.

    Gotta be prepared for what pops up.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    If I'm deep into a cut and calorie cycling, I will be more mindful of my treats especially on my low days. Otherwise I just kind of feel it out. Most of the time I need to eat more so if I think I need 3 treats I really should eat 6.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    I absolutely plan my treats and meals as well. Planning ahead keeps me on track and focused.

    I'm not the type to have one or two bites and put it away so if I know ahead of time what I'm eating I'm able to fit in more of what I want and not go over my calories.
  • MichelleMcKeeRN
    MichelleMcKeeRN Posts: 450 Member
    I try to avoid routine sweets. I have blended frozen fruit and milk (like a milkshake), ice blended protein shakes, fruit bowls, sparkling water with fruit and a few other things to try to keep my cravings in check.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    My go-to "treats" are:

    Sliced salami
    Beef sticks
    M&M peanuts
    Crystalized ginger
    Dried apricots/dates
    Air popped popcorn

    All of them, except the popcorn, are calorie dense due to their fat or sugar content. What the popcorn lacks in calorie density is made up in quantity when I eat it.

    I do not "plan" when to eat any of these treats but I eat them in moderation (seldom daily) and I always log everything I eat and will not eat them if doing so will put me over my daily limit or unless I can forego eating other things in order to stay w/in my daily cal limit.
  • riffwalkdale
    riffwalkdale Posts: 241 Member
    I always adjust for treats. I know I'm going to eat it either way. Either i regret it or I premeditate it. Planning also helps prevent me,from binging.
  • GreenValli
    GreenValli Posts: 1,054 Member
    At our house we love ice cream, so I always allow for something sweet. Most of the time it is ice cream. So I just eat 1/3 of a cup. It is not much but just enough for me. I really would like to have more but I tell myself that I can save some for another day. It will not go away and I just eat the 1/3 of a cup. It works for me.
  • swimmchick87
    swimmchick87 Posts: 458 Member
    I plan everything. I try to have a mix of healthy foods and treats every day. I will not stick to this only eating "healthy food" all day every day, or even only allowing "treats" once per week or something. I've been on a huge ice cream kick for at least the past 2 months. I like that a serving is still satisfying and doesn't break the calorie bank (as opposed to something like cake or cheesecake where the tiniest bit is hundreds and hundreds of calories). I've had ice cream in some form almost every night. Still losing weight just fine- it fits into my calorie day.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,398 Member
    @swimmchick87 depends on how you make the cake. You can take a simple box of cake mix, add a cup of low fat yogurt and one half to one cup of water and bake as directed in a large baking dish til set. It tastes just the same and is very moist. It comes in at less than 170 calories per 1/10 of the cake, which is a generous serving when you consider its the same as a two layer cake.

    If you want to be extra squidgy, make a poke cake with sugar free jello, which adds hardly anything per serving.

    The yogurt version tastes much better than the old applesauce substitute I used to make, and comes out more cake like and way less sticky and gummy, plus far fewer calories.

    OP, as you can see, I take my treats seriously. I either plan and log them the night before or first thing in the morning, and usually withhold 700-1200 calories for snacks and “treats” during the day and evening.

    Snacks are typically jerky, popcorn, fruit and cottage cheese, yogurt pudding (a personal fave), cake, and lately, mulberry cobbler. Once a month I splurge and gorge on four giant Lidl bakery cookies.

    I also set aside 54 calories a day for my homemade sugar free chai lattes. I feel like the women in the coffee commercials, sitting down with a steaming mug of milk and cinnamon topped latte and a magazine or tablet. It’s just.... decadent.

    I’ve always been a heavy grazer. Making sure I have snacks and treats makes this a lifestyle change I can sustain, and logging them in keeps me honest and the results “monitorible” if I go off the rails.

    BTW, if you haven’t tried Saigon or Vietnamese cinnamon, it’s a revelation. You’ll never go back to the other. I like Frontier Co-op brand.

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