Moderator or Abstainer, Which Are You?

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  • CAH1968
    CAH1968 Posts: 14 Member
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    abstainer mostly. I tend to be all or nothing. (it's why I got fat!) Lost 50 lbs since last May by sticking to my plan and allowing some treats in moderation on Thanksgiving and Christmas! And few days here and there.....
  • JennieAL
    JennieAL Posts: 1,726 Member
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    Moderator with food, abstainer with alcohol.
  • onedayillbamilf
    onedayillbamilf Posts: 662 Member
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    Moderator when it comes to food. Abstainer when it comes to dating.
  • Just1forMe
    Just1forMe Posts: 624 Member
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    I believe in moderation (for me :)...I don't drink alcohol though because I think it's a complete waste of calories. I luckily have never had a problem with binging and I love that I can have a taste of something or splurge once in a while when I have the calories to "spend" and not feel guilty about it!
  • gabadabadoo
    gabadabadoo Posts: 49
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    A bit of both. This time around, so that I wouldn't give up on my commitment, I am allowing myself yummy snacks when I feel like it, but try to moderate how much of them I eat. So I do keep snacks in the house - but I try to make sure they are not really high-cal - and I make sure they're not made of chocolate, because I know that one is a gateway drug for me (I also skip the confectionary isle in the supermarket because I know the marketing works on me :noway: )!

    But if I am out and about at a cafe with friends, I won't stop myself from eating something chocolate if I really want it (and the social pressure to not make a pig of myself in public will stop me from keeping on guzzling non stop) - so I suppose I don't really abstain completely, just from bringing my old friend chocolate into my house.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    Moderator.

    That's not to say I don't screw up and binge. But... to me, this diet game is about teaching myself to have a healthy relationship with food- ALL FOOD- and I can't do that if I say 'no, never!' about food.

    This xxx
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    Absolutely a moderator... the thought of never having the foods that I like ever again will destroy my motivation. I will choose good tasting food over good health. I know it sounds terrible but its the truth. I'd rather be fat and happy than thin and miserable. Of course, moderation makes it possible for me to have the best of both worlds; good-tasting food and good health.
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
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    Mostly a moderator, but there are certain things that I have to abstain from as I just dont have the calories to spare - like cheesecake, KFC, biscuits and cakes (although I do substitue with low cal alternatives).

    I just can't be moderate about chocolate or KFC :noway:
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 732 Member
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    Abstainer except for one day out of the week.
  • runfoodierun
    runfoodierun Posts: 59 Member
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    moderator. but I have to add, I dont get panicky really at the idea of not having something. I think actually I just realize I can have anything. In moderation.
  • janegalt37
    janegalt37 Posts: 270 Member
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    Moderator... except that I tend to work my butt off so my definition of "occasional" is a little more frequent than others' definition might be. :laugh:

    Have I told you lately that I love you? :tongue: :laugh:
    Thanks for being my MFP friend. You're such an inspiration. :flowerforyou:
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
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    frequent moderator ... because I'm still wanting to live and enjoy life. but in two months I've been under calorie limit every day, thanks to smart moderating and the gym.

    (today I moderated some taco bell ... and seems we have pizza coming to the office tonight. I shall moderate myself a pair of slices of that as well.)



    ETA: while some people certainly have struggles with moderation, I believe we all have that ability. it's all about will power. you have control of your own body. do I want some things I don't eat or want more of things I do? hell, yes. but I am stronger than my urges. I have the ability to shut the fridge, turn around and walk away. and when I think about it in terms of losing -- "do I want 5 cookies rather than 1, or do I want to lose an extra half a pound this week?" it generally does the trick.

    it's really no different from going to the gym. once you make that a habit, a part of your life, you don't have to force yourself to go 90-plus percent of the time. it's just something you do. same with moderation.
  • tnrunningnurse
    tnrunningnurse Posts: 549 Member
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    Moderator
  • chipaddict
    chipaddict Posts: 53
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    Definitely a moderator, but I could do with a bit more moderation!
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
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    Mostly a moderator, but there are certain things that I have to abstain from as I just dont have the calories to spare - like cheesecake, KFC, biscuits and cakes (although I do substitue with low cal alternatives).

    I just can't be moderate about chocolate or KFC :noway:

    discovered that KFC drumsticks, original recipe, are something like 190 calories apiece. So those aren't bad at all, if you've got the room. of course, sodium and whatnot are high, but strictly calories, not terrible.
  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
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    Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit.
    W. Somerset Maugham

    :wink:
  • k4evans1
    k4evans1 Posts: 145 Member
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    I'm a wanna be abstainer who is struggling along as a moderator. I have realized that once I taste sugar- that's all I crave and I can't stop. I think abstaining would work best for me but it's going to be SO hard! Food are drugs- I swear!
  • Sister_Someone
    Sister_Someone Posts: 567 Member
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    I'm definitely an abstainer.

    The moderation thing just doesn't do it for me, I'm sorry. A couple of Oreos won't satisfy my craving. I didn't want to just taste one Oreo, I wanted to eat the entire sleeve. (half a cake, the whole pizza, the whole bag of chips... pick your poison). When I have to make myself put down the package, that's when I start feeling deprived.

    On the other hand, when I decide I'm not having any, than that's it. I can happily go about my business, since having some isn't an option, I don't even bother thinking about it And if the thought does cross my mind, It's in the second conditional, a hypothetical thought - I'd eat an entire sleeve of Oreos (,if I weren't avoiding sweets). But I am avoiding sweets, therefore, no sleeve of Oreos for me.
  • liog
    liog Posts: 347 Member
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    I'm mostly an abstainer. If there is a bag of reeses peanut butter cups in the house, I can't eat just one or two because all I do is think about them in the pantry. I will eat the whole bag in a day or two. Same with any candy, cake, soda. Out of sight, out of mind, most of the time. I'll have a piece of cake or candy, but all I allow myself access to is a piece any more than that within reach and I inhale it.

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