Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 03-26-2010, 06:11 PM   #1  
Argh.
Thread Starter
 
calluna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Alaska
Posts: 1,430

S/C/G: 308/273/175

Height: 5'9"

Default Self indulgent, but not necessarily counterproductive

I had a stray thought today (not hard...many of my thoughts, alas, are strays and wander aimlessly here and about) that I thought I'd share.

Mostly I decided to share because I think that 3FC has done the spring shrinkin' and the forums have a much lower/slower volume of traffic than they have for the past few months...ergo, I felt the urge to start a thread.

Yesterday was a rest day for me...no workout planned. It was a very long day at work, and I was tired, and I decided not to make dinner. The kids had soup and sandwiches. I had a nut bar (no additives, no unpronounceable ingredients, etc - about 200 cal) and a skinny cow truffle (see? that skinny cow followed me home and she STAYED) for dinner.

I view that as horribly self-indulgent. Not the usual nutrition I try to attempt at dinnertime, fer sure! I couldn't do it much or I'd head down a road I've been before, getting bigger every step of the way. Last night, though, it was just right.

So it wasn't damaging, it wasn't bad for me, it wasn't really even off plan, but it was self indulgent and I dare not make it a habit. Do you do that kind of self-indulgent thing much? When, and what do you do? Is it dangerous for you?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Last edited by calluna; 03-26-2010 at 06:15 PM.
calluna is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2010, 06:25 PM   #2  
Senior Member
 
PeanutsMom704's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,020

S/C/G: 263/ticker/156

Height: 5'7"

Default

I sometimes have a bowl of cereal for supper, if I have nothing I can quickly heat up and I'm too tired and/or hungry to make something. Like you, I feel like I'm not getting the best nutritional bang for the buck with those calories. However, it hasn't lead me down any bad pathways, and the next day, I have no problem getting back into my normal habits.

My current self-indulgence is to buy those big plastic boxes of baby lettuce, rather than buying heads of lettuce that I have to clean and prep in order to make my daily salads. It's not that it takes THAT much time, but sometimes, it's still more time and effort than I feel like putting in, and grabbing a couple of big handfuls of the baby lettuce is so much easier.

To me, that was what you were doing - just taking the step of preparing a normal meal out of your day on a day that you needed to make it a little easier on yourself to stay on plan. And yes, you stayed on plan! I bet the old you would have used that tiredness as an excuse for take out - I know I would have!!
PeanutsMom704 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2010, 06:36 PM   #3  
Senior Member
 
angelskeep's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Cody, Wyoming
Posts: 982

S/C/G: 243/190/150

Height: 5'4"

Default

I am very self-indulgent, practically a princess. BUT...in my favor, doing what's good for me I hope. I plan to have some non-nutritious food...like the skinny cow ice cream sandwiches. (Actually, I never checked beyond fat and calories). That way, I am never off plan. I can't afford to be yet, if ever. I also add spinach and as many veg as I can figure out how to to practically everything I make. Thankfully, I LOVE spinach! I spend money so I can have a multi-vitamin every day. I don't do exercise I hate just to exercise. I am incredibly self-indulgent, but I hope that the indulgences are for things that will make me a better person...healthier, kinder, more educated, etc.

Barb
angelskeep is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2010, 06:47 PM   #4  
Argh.
Thread Starter
 
calluna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Alaska
Posts: 1,430

S/C/G: 308/273/175

Height: 5'9"

Default

Peanutsmom, I am impressed! To me, buying baby lettuce for use when you're tired is a strategy more than a self-indulgence. "Tired days will happen. How can I prepare? ah, pre-washed/bagged baby lettuce will do the trick!"

It IS a bit luxurious to not have to wash and slice and dice some nights. I can prepare some stuff but I generally do lettuce on the spot.

And you're right...the old me would have been diving into a pizza last night from our favorite joint, or a good/fresh take-n-bake pizza.

Last edited by calluna; 03-26-2010 at 06:50 PM.
calluna is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2010, 07:18 PM   #5  
aka Sarah
 
WarMaiden's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 1,221

S/C/G: 289/193/159

Height: 5'7"

Default

I'm having a burger, onion rings, and a beer at dinner this evening, with a homemade milkshake for dessert.

That's indulgent, and it's also planned, and I'll still have an 800 to 1000 calorie deficit in my day when I'm done with it, too.
WarMaiden is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2010, 07:55 PM   #6  
Senior Member
 
kaplods's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Wausau, WI
Posts: 13,383

S/C/G: SW:394/310/180

Height: 5'6"

Default

I spent most of my dieting years (heck, dieting decades) thinking that weight loss had to be miserable to be effective. I really did think that extreme deprivation was the only acceptable and effective way to lose weight. If it was fun or tasted good, it couldn't possibly be good for me (or it was too expensive - which was another pitfall of old-style dieting. I didn't "deserve" any extravagances until AFTER I lost all of the weight).

This time I decided to do weight loss in away I've almost never seen or heard of it being done before (at least not on a normal budget, let alone a smaller than average one). In my experience, only celebrities and other very wealthy people could lose weight by "pampering," rather than depriving themselves. I fantasized about winning a trip to a fancy weight loss spa, but I didn't think there was any way a person on a normal budget could do it.

Ironically, hubby and I were in our worst financial crisis ever, when I decided to give myself the "spa treatment," to learn to lose weight by indulging myself.

So no, I haven't found frequent self-indulgence to be detrimental to my weight loss, I've found it to be essential.


My favorite self-indulgences are exotic foods, especially fruits and vegetables, and condiments (but anything is fair game). Small asian markets in our area are fairly priced and there's so much variety it feels like taking a little vacation to Southeast Asia. The store owners are always helpful and friendly if I have questions.

This past weekend was a mini-vacation to visit my family in Illinois. There are a lot of nice gourmet shops, so I bought a few things that are healthy, but a bit high priced to be regular purchases. I bought walnut oil and pomegranate vinegar to make salad dressings. I also bought a big bottle of Torani sugar-free syrup (lime flavor). It seems horribly indulgent at more than $8 a bottle, but I'm really enjoying it. I have a small bottle of the raspberry flavor that my MIL gave me as a gift. I like them so much, I may have to get a few more flavors when I find them again.

Last edited by kaplods; 03-26-2010 at 08:02 PM.
kaplods is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2010, 08:23 PM   #7  
Senior Member
 
Shmead's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,294

S/C/G: HW:300 Pregnancy: 160/167/185

Height: 5'5"

Default

I have a McDs ice cream cone twice a week. I count the calories and stay under my range, and I don't think it hurts anything.

Yesterday, I didn't run. I think this was a good thing, but it was hard: I'm really, really compulsive--not pathological, but not entirely healthy. For example, I started exercising twice a day August first. I only exercised once a day for 3 days around Xmas, missed 2 days entirely in January when I had a very bad cold, and then missed 2 evening runs since then--one about a month ago, and last night.

Last night I was exhausted and stressed and anxious and really, really needed to unwind. Intellectually, I know that exercising 13 times vs 14 times a week can't possibly make any difference and that the indulgence in maintaining my mental health is more important. But I still feel really guilty about it, and terrified that it will start me on a downward spiral back into sloth and indolence.

So I dunno. I think indulgences are probably a good idea, but they are difficult for me.
Shmead is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2010, 08:33 PM   #8  
Senior Member
 
marigrace's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 810

S/C/G: See Ticker

Height: 5'3.5''

Default

I must have a small indugence every day...I am just wired that way. For me what does the trick is a piece of wasa bread with a tsp each of peanut butter and jam and a cup of herbal tea. 100 calories and I'm a happy camper.
marigrace is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2010, 08:50 PM   #9  
Let go laughing
 
s rosa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Grafenwoehr, Germany
Posts: 113

S/C/G: 265/254/150

Height: 5'10"

Default

I have a self-indulgent evening. Every thursday night, I can have cheez its. They're my favorite unhealthy snack food EVER, and I just know I can't cut them out of my diet completely. So my rule is, if I stay on plan (diet AND exercise plans) all week, on thursday nights I get cheez its. I don't count them either. It might be slowing my weight loss down a bit, but on the other hand, it's easier for me to stay on plan the rest of the week if I get that treat to look forward to. And I'm still losing, so to me, it's worth it.
I think we all need a self-indulgent moment or two, or we'd go nuts!
s rosa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-26-2010, 09:48 PM   #10  
Senior Member
 
PeanutsMom704's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,020

S/C/G: 263/ticker/156

Height: 5'7"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by calluna View Post
Peanutsmom, I am impressed! To me, buying baby lettuce for use when you're tired is a strategy more than a self-indulgence. "Tired days will happen. How can I prepare? ah, pre-washed/bagged baby lettuce will do the trick!"

It IS a bit luxurious to not have to wash and slice and dice some nights. I can prepare some stuff but I generally do lettuce on the spot.

And you're right...the old me would have been diving into a pizza last night from our favorite joint, or a good/fresh take-n-bake pizza.
I LOVE my salads. I have the same lunch every day and I look forward to it starting every morning! lol! I add chicken, hard boiled egg and avocado every day - I keep thinking I could do without at one of those 3, but then I wouldn't love it as much. I also add some pasta or rice or potato or I have a whole wheat pita with it. Depending on how much of everything I add, it comes to about 650-750 calories each day - that's my main meal of the day. So it's pretty self-indulgent to start with, and the baby lettuce is definitely a treat in terms of prepping. My mom just bought me a food processor for my upcoming birthday, so that has made prepping all the other veggies so much easier, so that's a real treat too.

So I am self-indulgent on a daily basis after all! lol! But as some others have said, I think that's the key to staying on a diet. Actually, I don't even think of myself as being on a diet - I'm following a way of eating that I enjoy and that is healthy and that also has the benefit of helping me lose weight. Even pre-"diet" a salad like this was a treat for me, so I'm treating myself every single day now.
PeanutsMom704 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-27-2010, 02:45 AM   #11  
Senior Member
 
JessicaDawn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 124

S/C/G: 291/ticker/140

Height: 5'5

Default

I'm too new to the weight loss game to allow myself indulgences yet.
If I indulge, I'll go crazy and eat til I explode. (not quite, but thats how it feels)
I get insane cravings between 1030 and 1130pm, to the point where I have to shove 3 sticks of gum in my mouth and chew for an hour because I'm freaking out. It's not because I'm hungry, it's because of the crazies.
Hopefully after a month or so that will go away!
JessicaDawn is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:07 AM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.