Going out for Ice Cream tonight made me realize..

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RavenLRiehl
RavenLRiehl Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition

it seems true what I’ve heard.. giving a food addict something that is considered “Junk Food” is like giving someone in rehab a taste of a drug that they are trying to recover from.
i wanted to hear y’all’s opinion on this and i know it can be different for everyone.

At 7pm I was invited to go out for ice cream after having a 4 day my fitness pal food tracking streak (and exercising). I decided to “treat myself” but afterwards I also decided to eat an egg roll and some rice and 2 slices of tombstone pizza.

im frustrated with myself because of course I want these things. I don’t imagine a time when I never will, but everytime I go over my calorie limit, I spiral into having no self control and then I’m disappointed.

Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 19,087 Member
    edited June 20

    It's amazing how little it can take to wipe out days of deficit. A reasonable, sustainable deficit is 500 calories a day. Unfortunately, an ice cream, a decent slice of pizza, some fried food…. any of those can also be 500 calories!

    I am like you, quite "all or nothing". I have had to work very hard to get to a point where I don't go "well, I've stuffed it up now, I may as well eat what I want and start again tomorrow" and wipe out a week's deficit in one go. Honestly, it takes discipline, and determination, and a lot of self awareness, and it took me a LOT of failing at it before I got ok at it. Even now I definitely still have issues.

    I try not to reward with food. It's like rewarding yourself for saving by throwing some money in a slot machine. It totally defeats the purpose.

  • AdahPotatah2024
    AdahPotatah2024 Posts: 3,422 Member

    For me, rice and eggroll and a few slices of pizza doesn't sound so bad..I just enjoy it and tend to eat a bit healthier the next day.

  • blueberrymuff98
    blueberrymuff98 Posts: 14 Member

    I’m very much trying to stay away from unhealthy foods I know I like- I.e. chocolate chip cookies, really any cookies and chips- it’s just too many calories and no good for me anyways- I also think being self aware as someone said is very important- don’t have it in the house and if you start craving distraction is best- do some dishes, take a walk, dust anything and time will pass. Take it one day at a time and it doesn’t hurt to pray😉

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,731 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10941306/going-out-for-ice-cream-tonight-made-me-realize

    It's not really your fault and it's mostly associated with biology and biochemistry but it doesn't apply to everyone just people that have issues with blood sugar control, hormonal imbalances and gut-brain miscommunication basically and of course genetics does play a role.

    For some people that also live a fairly sedentary lifestyle but not necessarily and consume a lot of processed and ultra processed foods comparatively speaking eventually overwhelm our hormones that promote a reward feed back loop that also is supported by the wrong gut bacteria that also dysregulates signaling to the brain that effects hunger. The severity of this is on a continuum based on someones individual carbohydrate intolerance level from not effected to severely effected, it's like a sliding scale.

    For me personally and being on a ketogenic diet and a bonified sugar addict I have to be very careful if and when I do consume sugar, which I do on occasion but as soon as I hit what appears to be that crucial inflection point, it totally derailed me. Some people can control this that are not as far down that continuum but where I exist on that, I have to be careful or it's a tragic accident scene.

    Low carb basically addresses the blood sugar control that brings our hormones back more in line and also low carb being mostly a whole food diet improves our gut biodiversity and that signaling to our brain. It works on that biology and biochemistry level, like the science dictates. imo

  • yakkystuff
    yakkystuff Posts: 1,021 Member

    Redefining 'treat' - profound shift in thinking

  • 200Karen
    200Karen Posts: 2,699 Member

    I have the same problem with bad choices igniting a food frenzy

    In the past year after increasing my protein intake the frenzies are getting shorter and less intense

    My daily protein goal is half my weight = 60grams to 115grams =my goal weight


    Karen

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 19,087 Member

    I admit, for all that I get frustrated with the "sugar is as addictive as cocaine and is poison!!" rhetoric, I have to avoid straight up sugary foods, or I will just binge them til they're gone. It won't matter how sick I feel or if I don't really enjoy them, if they're there, they get eaten. But on the flip, I've got no issue walking past them, turning the first one down, or not buying them.

    But I'm definitely an all or nothing person, and a slippery slope person.

  • laylababahrami
    laylababahrami Posts: 4 Member

    Hey love, you're not alone with this. That feeling of finally getting a streak going with tracking and exercising only for one treat to completely unravel everything is something I have lived through countless times. It really does feel like that comparison to giving someone in recovery a taste of their drug its like a switch flips and all the progress just… goes out the window.. Its not just about the food its also about the emotional toll it takes.

  • LiveOnceBeHappy
    LiveOnceBeHappy Posts: 477 Member

    For me it's wine. If I have a glass of wine, then I need 2 more, plus all the "junk" food I can find. It's for sure a slippery slope for me. I'm hoping to find a balance some day! We're headed to Europe this fall with many vineyards to explore. Ugh!

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 15,301 Member

    The self awareness is a big thing. But four days of logging is not enough to really know… anything yet!

    You don't know yet how big your actual deficit is. And it is easier to go off track if your deficit is larger than it should be.

    You haven't created any changes in your habits as of yet.

    You're unlikely to have had a chance to become more aware of hunger cues or of when, how, and under what conditions you tend to overeat.

    Really. The only conclusions your experience so far supports is that:

    — it is harder to create a consistent caloric deficit when eating out
    — calorically dense hyperpalatable foods are easy to overeat.
    — it is hard to accurately log food you didn't prepare and weigh yourself.

    Keep on going! The next meal is the next meal…

    What you do 90% of the time will eventually get you most of your results!

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