Accountability Thread - Reduce treats

2

Replies

  • suzleigh1
    suzleigh1 Posts: 19 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    okay so... this is going to be one of those posts where people realize why I have the username I do. And that they either really like me ... or really don't. It is what it is.

    it is not the job of strangers to keep you accountable. It is YOUR job. Not mine. not your husband. Not any other MFP member. YOURS. Your food issues are your own. Just as my food issues are my own. It is not your job to keep peanut butter cups out of my mouth is it? no. it is mine.

    I've lost almost 200 pounds. have a bit more to go. not much. my husband, skinny jerk that he is, needs to GAIN weight. Because, of course he does. I've still managed to lose weight, with him having totally opposite caloric needs AND having a teenage boy in the house who eats like a linebacker for the NFL and yet ... is also a skinny jerk. How? Because *I* control what I put in my mouth. Because *I* control how much food I put on my plate. We all eat the same thing for dinner almost every night. They might eat MORE but we eat the same meal.

    Regarding sweets and junk food, in particular, there's a fair amount of it in our house. I purposely do not buy the things that i KNOW I can't leave alone. There's not many. Any peanut butter/ chocolate combination is out. I learned last week that the nabisco chewy chocolate chip cookies with the brownies inside can not come in the house again. LMAO. The nutter butter WAFER cookies are a no. the hard ones i dont care about. but the wafers i can sit and eat the entire package in one sitting. So for my boys ... I buy things i CAN leave alone. or only eat a normal portion of. There are PLENTY of things that they DO really enjoy that I dont care about. I love oreos but have no problem only eating a couple at a time. so those are okay. same for most cookies really. chips dont hold too much appeal for me. same for ice cream. I love to bake but really only do it in the fall and winter, but have no problem leaving most of it alone. So, they get a ton of baked sweets and breads and stuff during the cooler months. I will not make fudge, because I can't leave it alone (or i will make it only before a party or something when i know i can send it away with people). So you learn where your demons are, and avoid them altogether. If everything is your demon, then (I'm going to be very blunt here) you are going to have to find a better coping mechanism than food because it is unfair to your family to not have the things they want and enjoy because you are trying to lose weight. if your husband ABSOLUTELY LOVES AND HAS TO HAVE SOMETHING... i would suggest in that particular case ... he keep it at work. but it truly needs to be a one or two item thing, not half the kitchen.

    all that being said, you absolutely can fit treats and sweets in. every day if you want. I do. most days, anyway. usually chocolate, but not always. i prefer it to be, though LOL

    fyi...pudding cups are a pretty good low calorie option for a chocolate fix thats only around 100 calories ;) theyre even good frozen :P

    I ADORE YOU!! I’ve been reading through these posts and see all the earmarks of food = emotion (vs food = sustain the body). Eating and food plans are driven by the energy put into it.

    I am following a paleo food plan to lose 50 or so lb. My husband refuses to eat any fresh vegetables, fruit, or seafood. Do I have a problem with the chocolate and oreos in the drawer? No. Do I have a problem with him eating pizza in front of me? No. Do I have a problem with him asking me over and over to go out to Arby’s, or Chinese, or Olive Garden? Yes (and every time, I let him know that I’m working hard with 5-6 days workouts and eating plan that I’m not going to set myself back to appease him).

    Emmies… I do feel for you. I’ve been there, done that. It was a big help going to a nutritionist, which was paid for by my health insurance. I also set up a mini gym in my basement, so no excuses to not workout (not that I look for excuses). It took me over 20 years to decide I was going to take this weight off — once I really made that choice, the rest fell into place.
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    @suzleigh1

    Yeah nutritionist is not on my insurance so that would be expensive for me. I do have a workout space and I workout 6 days at least 30 mins. It is truly just needing to tighten up that nutrition to see the results.
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    Morning update:

    So far so good! Had to go regular grocery shopping today and got out of the store with NO SUGAR! Grabbed myself some apples for snacking, and ignored the ice cream even though it was on sale. If I have a thoughtful snack and dinner I should have room for a treat tonight but I am not counting on it
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    Morning update:

    Yesterday ended strong. I did have dessert but it fit in my calorie goal so I do not feel guilty about it =)
    Was in a really bad place mentally yesterday. Let the stress of the week build up and this weekend is not letting me recharge as it should for reasons outside of my control. Trying to control my reaction and be more positive while also hoping next weekend might be better.

    This morning has been better. I'm still stressed and unable to enjoy hobby activities but I was at least productive. Got my meal prep done for breakfast/dinner for the next week, and just have one step to do for lunches. Also deep cleaned the kitchen while things were cooking!

    We have a snack corner for things that are open and need to be finished (bag of chips, peanut containers, my husband's chocolate leftovers). That corner got tidied so that his things are still out, but my chocolate nibbles and chips are now in the pantry out of sight, as well as the open peanut butter that I haven't been able to resist taking a knife to for random snacking (because hey that is healthier than chocolate right =P Yeah I know it is not =P). My apples are in their place! Also put my peaches in my shark bowl, previously reserved for my small chocolate leftovers (think godiva, ghiardelli, etc)
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    So I know about boredom eating and emotional eating. Is "sleepy eating" a thing? I'm sleep-at-desk tired today (yay stress + cycle + not sleeping last night) and all I want to do is snack. I'm not hungry, I have had a healthy breakfast and it was a sensible portion size. But damn if I don't want to cram random food in my mouth. Not even craving junk food, although that is all that is available at workplace. Just want to be eating...this is weird. I'm weird aren't I?

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    So I know about boredom eating and emotional eating. Is "sleepy eating" a thing? I'm sleep-at-desk tired today (yay stress + cycle + not sleeping last night) and all I want to do is snack. I'm not hungry, I have had a healthy breakfast and it was a sensible portion size. But damn if I don't want to cram random food in my mouth. Not even craving junk food, although that is all that is available at workplace. Just want to be eating...this is weird. I'm weird aren't I?

    When I'm short on sleep, I almost always crave calories. It's as though my body thinks it can make up for lack of sleep with energy from food. My brain, on the other hand, thinks it can make up for lack of sleep with caffeine. Both are right in the very short term.
  • booboo1000
    booboo1000 Posts: 58 Member
    I have been below goal for several months now, and have a huge taste for chocolate. I figured out a way to have it at breakfast and dinner every day through cocoa powder and find that I am never truly tempted to have additional treats. (I find a small whisk helps incorporate cocoa powder into fluids.)

    I set up my breakfast at night for the next morning. Using a large single serving microwaveable bowl, I add 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats, 1 cup of water, a 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric (not everybody likes this), 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper, and 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder. I use plain cocoa powder, not dutch process or 'special dark.' I microwave it about 4 minutes while making coffee, watching for boil overs and adding hot water from the coffee maker as needed. (When the microwave broke I used the stove top and, to make it easier to clean the pot, did not add the cocoa and cinnamon to the pot, but whisked them with 1/4 cup of water in my cereal bowl and poured the finished hot oatmeal to serve.)

    I use artificial sweetener and add that after it has cooked. I don't use salt much and shake it sparingly at the table.


    Dinner usually includes chia cocoa pudding. I measure 1 tablespoon of Chia seeds, 1 tablespoon of the same cocoa powder, and one sweetener packet to a juice glass sized, add slightly more than 1/4 cup of water, and whisk until blended, and then refrigerate. If I forget to make it the night before, I can do it before dinner and it is ready but not as chilled at dinner time. Sometimes I add cinnamon or orange extract.

    The cocoa adds 30 calories a day to my total. If I didn't have a carb limit and need to fit beans into dinner, I would have an additional serving of the oatmeal at night. I love it that much.

    There is also an old Weight Watchers breakfast of an oat-based freezer bar using hot cocoa mix, peanut butter, and raisins. I have made a version of it with cocoa powder and peanut powder. I don't love it as much as my hot cereal mix, but I might give it another go now that I'm at goal.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,742 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    So I know about boredom eating and emotional eating. Is "sleepy eating" a thing? I'm sleep-at-desk tired today (yay stress + cycle + not sleeping last night) and all I want to do is snack. I'm not hungry, I have had a healthy breakfast and it was a sensible portion size. But damn if I don't want to cram random food in my mouth. Not even craving junk food, although that is all that is available at workplace. Just want to be eating...this is weird. I'm weird aren't I?

    When I'm short on sleep, I almost always crave calories. It's as though my body thinks it can make up for lack of sleep with energy from food. My brain, on the other hand, thinks it can make up for lack of sleep with caffeine. Both are right in the very short term.

    That's me except it's more mindless eating and then afterwards I think, "Shouldn't all that sugar I just had have woken me up??"

    Caffeine from my diet cokes definitely work better depending on how much and I drank/drink it.
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    Glad I'm not the only one who sleep-eats. I gave in and had a handful of chex mix with my lunch, hoping I get a second wind, and planning a nap the second i get home!
  • azalea4175
    azalea4175 Posts: 290 Member
    it makes perfect sense. Your body recognizes you need energy. You get it one of 2 ways: sleep and fuel. Since sleep is lacking, the body thinks you need food (energy) to make up the deficit. You're not weird, just wired that way. make sure to get lots of fluid and try to get enough rest the next night. That should help!
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    So I know about boredom eating and emotional eating. Is "sleepy eating" a thing? I'm sleep-at-desk tired today (yay stress + cycle + not sleeping last night) and all I want to do is snack. I'm not hungry, I have had a healthy breakfast and it was a sensible portion size. But damn if I don't want to cram random food in my mouth. Not even craving junk food, although that is all that is available at workplace. Just want to be eating...this is weird. I'm weird aren't I?

    I definitely beleive that it is!

    When I am super tired, I ALWAYS want to eat. It is like my body thinks that by eating, I can create more energy. It has yet to ever actually DO this, but it sure thinks it CAN. When what I really need to do... is go take a NAP.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    glassyo wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    So I know about boredom eating and emotional eating. Is "sleepy eating" a thing? I'm sleep-at-desk tired today (yay stress + cycle + not sleeping last night) and all I want to do is snack. I'm not hungry, I have had a healthy breakfast and it was a sensible portion size. But damn if I don't want to cram random food in my mouth. Not even craving junk food, although that is all that is available at workplace. Just want to be eating...this is weird. I'm weird aren't I?

    When I'm short on sleep, I almost always crave calories. It's as though my body thinks it can make up for lack of sleep with energy from food. My brain, on the other hand, thinks it can make up for lack of sleep with caffeine. Both are right in the very short term.

    That's me except it's more mindless eating and then afterwards I think, "Shouldn't all that sugar I just had have woken me up??"

    Caffeine from my diet cokes definitely work better depending on how much and I drank/drink it.


    Soda won't help me. Coffee will *sometimes* help - not much- but sometimes enough to get me through....
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    Sadly I never got a taste for coffee, and now caffeinated drinks give me a headache so no energy perk from those. On the plus side I also never got a taste for soda so that wasn't something I had to give up when I started trying to live a healthier lifestyle.

    Wish I could take a nap, sadly I am at work and snoring is frowned upon.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,742 Member
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    Sadly I never got a taste for coffee, and now caffeinated drinks give me a headache so no energy perk from those. On the plus side I also never got a taste for soda so that wasn't something I had to give up when I started trying to live a healthier lifestyle.

    Wish I could take a nap, sadly I am at work and snoring is frowned upon.

    I like coffee ice cream and coffee flavored hard candies but I tried regular coffee once when I was 5 and once when I was 20 and...ewwwwwww.

    So diet sodas and...chocolate? Chocolate has caffeine, right? are my only sources.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,458 Member
    Sometimes your body interprets dehydration as hunger cues.

    Try drinking a glass of water and waiting a few minutes to see if assuages the hunger.

    And re: sleep and hunger, I sleep with my mouth wide open (beautiful mental image there, amIright?), so have a problem with dehydration at night, and first thing in the morning, so occasional hunger. Having a drink of water helps.
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    Good morning wonderful people =)

    @springlering62 Oh yeah I drank a lot of water yesterday, sadly it did not help. I think my brain is doing as other people commented and going "food is energy right? Eat it all right now. That will help right?" Note - it did not help.

    I did go home and just plop in the bean bag for an hour and let my brain blue screen. That seemed to help me get a second wind for the rest of the night. I had my healthy dinner, then went for a 20 min walk around the neighborhood before settling down for the night. I did have dessert, which I'm not proud of as I was neither hungry for it nor calorie room for it, but oh well.

    I woke up in much better spirits today. I started Day 1 of new fitness program, completed the daily workout challenge, and have healthy food to last through the workday. About to go plan out my week of tasks!
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,458 Member
    Don’t eliminate dessert. Change it up.

    My favorite evening dessert (courtesy of @Noreenmarie1234 ) is a mix of a can of pumpkin, sugar free vanilla pudding mix, and greek yogurt. (I add pie spice, ginger, vanilla and cinnamon.) Even with whipped cream and honey/ginger granules on top it’s only 165 calories for a 300gr bowl.

    Four delicious Trader Joe’s vanilla meringues are only 90 calories.

    There’s so many tasty options besides what we used to perceive as dessert.
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    Yesterday update:

    I did good. I gave into stress eating at lunch and had a fig granola bar. At least it was on the healthier side of treats, and I updated my logging to reflect it. As I had that I stuck to my goals and did NOT have treat after dinner! I ended the day meeting my macros and not over calorie!

    I have mapped out my food for today and as long as I stick to plan I have room for evening treat. That is a good incentive to not snack at work I hope
  • judyvalentine10
    judyvalentine10 Posts: 65 Member
    Unfortunately, we all have trigger foods, or treats, and keeping them handy which eventually will wear us down. A friend of mine has joined an online group called FOOD ADDICTS ANONYMOUS. She is finding it so helpful, and has lost 28 lbs in about 1 1/2 month. She feels healthier, has the accountablility, sponsors, and tools and literature to help her along the way. I know for myself, if I leave treats in my apartment, they don't last long. Good luck.
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    Thank you. I'm really trying to avoid having to throw things out. I feel like I should be able to learn self-control instead of having to take an all-or-nothing route. Throwing things away, to me, feels like avoiding the growth I could be teaching myself. Even if obtaining that growth is really really hard.
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    Good morning,

    I had a treat last night, which fit in my calorie budget and boy I made it last so much longer instead of just wolfing it down! Any time I wanted to snack during the day I just reminded myself that if I did I could not have the dessert, and stuck to my guns!

    I have mapped out my food for tonight and have decided my evening treat shall be apple + peanut butter. Peanut butter had been my covid comfort food so it definitely counts as a treat, but it is actually a healthy treat instead of empty sugar. Baby steps to retrain brain to think of healthy alternatives to chocolate
  • azalea4175
    azalea4175 Posts: 290 Member
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    I have mapped out my food for tonight and have decided my evening treat shall be apple + peanut butter. Peanut butter had been my covid comfort food so it definitely counts as a treat, but it is actually a healthy treat instead of empty sugar. Baby steps to retrain brain to think of healthy alternatives to chocolate

    That is a great choice for a "treat". Maybe you need to stop thinking of food as "good" and "not so good". Food is just food, it is just there. It only has value that you assign to it. Apple + peanut butter is good for your body and mind. Some foods are good for your body but if you don't like them you won't eat them. chocolate is good for your mind, but not so good for your body. Reframe how you look at food. I once had someone tell me "if you are in a toxic relationship with a person, you can break up with them and never see them again. Food is not like that, you need food in order to survive. You can't break up with food". You are developing good habits!
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,742 Member
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  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    azalea4175 wrote: »

    That is a great choice for a "treat". Maybe you need to stop thinking of food as "good" and "not so good". Food is just food, it is just there. It only has value that you assign to it. Apple + peanut butter is good for your body and mind. Some foods are good for your body but if you don't like them you won't eat them. chocolate is good for your mind, but not so good for your body. Reframe how you look at food. I once had someone tell me "if you are in a toxic relationship with a person, you can break up with them and never see them again. Food is not like that, you need food in order to survive. You can't break up with food". You are developing good habits!

    I have heard the same thing about not being able to break up with food. I try not to think of food as good or bad, at least I don't think I do consciously. Apple & PB is good, I can rarely "afford" it on calorie budget because of the fat to protein ratio of PB. ANd eating apples plain is just...not me =P It used to be caramel dip all the time so PB is already an improvement lol
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,458 Member
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    Apple & PB is good, I can rarely "afford" it on calorie budget because of the fat to protein ratio of PB. ANd eating apples plain is just...not me =P It used to be caramel dip all the time so PB is already an improvement lol

    Lol. You sound like me.

    I think of calories like a monetary budget, too. It really helps to think of them in terms of spending and “affordability”, and saving for a rainy day, even if that rainy day is just dessert after dinner.

    (BTW, Walden Farms zero calorie caramel. Not bad at all.)
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,742 Member
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    azalea4175 wrote: »

    That is a great choice for a "treat". Maybe you need to stop thinking of food as "good" and "not so good". Food is just food, it is just there. It only has value that you assign to it. Apple + peanut butter is good for your body and mind. Some foods are good for your body but if you don't like them you won't eat them. chocolate is good for your mind, but not so good for your body. Reframe how you look at food. I once had someone tell me "if you are in a toxic relationship with a person, you can break up with them and never see them again. Food is not like that, you need food in order to survive. You can't break up with food". You are developing good habits!

    I have heard the same thing about not being able to break up with food. I try not to think of food as good or bad, at least I don't think I do consciously. Apple & PB is good, I can rarely "afford" it on calorie budget because of the fat to protein ratio of PB. ANd eating apples plain is just...not me =P It used to be caramel dip all the time so PB is already an improvement lol

    I've kinda been wanting to point this out (and apparently become an mfp worry wart) but it seems like you kind of do. I totally get what you're trying to do with "treats". I know you want to have more control over them but...

    You say "empty calories/sugar" and "unhealthy" more or less repeatedly and you feel guilt if you eat something you think you shouldn't. And it worries me (not that my opinion matters :)) this is going to backfire on you. It's definitely not healthy to feel guilty over something as dumb as food. :)

    Also sunflower butter > peanut butter.

    :)



  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    @glassyo

    I get what you are saying, and why you are worried. I hope I can put your mind at ease with a little more background info:

    -I have been on MFP for at least two years now and am only just now feeling ready to really tackle my sugar addiction. I am not jumping on this as an immediate fix or thinking I have to do it because society says sugar bad.

    -As much as I love cake and ice cream, those calories are empty and unhealthy compared to other foods. They are carbs, maybe a minor amount of protein from the dairy, and that is it. There is the mental health "self-care" argument in favor of them, but wouldn't it be better in the long run to remind my brain that fruit can be a treat also? PS - yes I know I need carbs, I eat plenty of them. I can get them from other sources!

    -I keep coming back to fruit, I know. That is because I don't want to eliminate all sugar from my diet. Fruit, greek yogurt, and healthy ice cream alternatives have sugar still but they also provide other nutrients my body needs.

    -The root focus of this accountability thread is to get rid of the "it's 7:30 time for treat" mindset. The having something just because it is habit to have it instead of accounting for hunger or macro needs. Prior to posting this thread I had let myself fall back into the habit of "one day over won't matter" when dessert didn't fit in my goals, but I was doing it every night! Not only that, I was sneaking little chocolates from the pantry and failing to log it because "just one won't matter" (nevermind I are like 15 a day).

    -When I have the calorie room for it I am still having sweet treats, guilt free. If you read the start of this post I said I was reducing to 4x/week, not totally gone. At the end of the day, I am recognizing I have a problem right now with sugar addiction, one that I didn't use to have even a year ago. I also know I respond well to encouragement from others that understand the struggle to make healthier habits, hence this thread.

    I hope this helps explain a little more where I'm coming from, and how I got here.
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    Daily update:

    -Last night I had a Healthy Choice Fudge bar and it was way better than I expected it to be. Obviously not nice and rich like ice cream, but it was helped that chocolate craving, was less calorie (to fit in budget), and had surprise helping of fiber =)

    -Today we are going out to dinner with friends from out of town and I will totally be getting dessert. Trying to decide between the two options, as both sounds excellent!
  • azalea4175
    azalea4175 Posts: 290 Member
    emmies_123 wrote: »
    azalea4175 wrote: »

    That is a great choice for a "treat". Maybe you need to stop thinking of food as "good" and "not so good". Food is just food, it is just there. It only has value that you assign to it. Apple + peanut butter is good for your body and mind. Some foods are good for your body but if you don't like them you won't eat them. chocolate is good for your mind, but not so good for your body. Reframe how you look at food. I once had someone tell me "if you are in a toxic relationship with a person, you can break up with them and never see them again. Food is not like that, you need food in order to survive. You can't break up with food". You are developing good habits!

    I have heard the same thing about not being able to break up with food. I try not to think of food as good or bad, at least I don't think I do consciously. Apple & PB is good, I can rarely "afford" it on calorie budget because of the fat to protein ratio of PB. ANd eating apples plain is just...not me =P It used to be caramel dip all the time so PB is already an improvement lol

    try mixing peanut butter powder with nonfat light vanilla yogurt - you get the protein but not the fat of peanut butter, and it's super healthy!! it's good to recognize what will and won't work for you .
  • time4healthy2017
    time4healthy2017 Posts: 8 Member
    Omg your post reminds me of myself ! I love treats have multiples a day and I am trying to have none now ! My husband is a treat freak! I have a full closet for just treats !!! Need will power !!

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