[Imnowonderwoman]

Have you ever had a cheat meal or food and just thought "gee that wasn't even that good, not worth it" ?

Last night we mad cake for my husband because it was Father's Day. And I make gooooood cake. Everyone is always asking me to make them cakes and cupcakes. It's my thing lol. So we all had some after supper and it's the first baked thing I've eaten that I've made in a while. And I was very disappointed. It was a good cake. Just not worth it. I thought right after eating it "I don't like cake as much as I thought I did".

And this has happened before. I'm at work, it's almost lunch, someone offers me x bad food and I'm all over it, either because I think I like it or I'm starving. And I'm left disappointed. " I strayed from plan for THAT?"

I guess I realize that I didn't always eat bad food because it was so delicious. Because it wasn't always. Or have my tastes changed?

Do you have that "not worth it" moment?

[Frances123]

Truthfully, I'm still a sugar-holic. And I love to bake. So, I've drastically reduced my sugar and only have a treat two or three times a month. Usually something I baked. Or, an ice cream cone. I fully enjoy it and am fine to wait until the next treat...but it took me almost 18 month to get to that point! I used to be totally indiscriminate about what I ate sweets-wise, and it rarely felt 'worth it'. I ate it for the sake of eating it. Now a sweet has to EARN the right to be eaten!

[MauiKai]

Oh yes, I've had that many times. In the moment the "idea" of something makes it seem like it'll be delicious and worth it. Then I start eating and it's not. Not at all. And at times it's almost shocking how NOT delicious it really is. I used to really have a thing for donuts. Then one day I was stuffing the second one in my mouth and my brain went "You know, you aren't really even enjoying this crap. Feel that giant grease lump in your stomach? Yeah, you did that for something that is, at best, mediocre." After that I started realizing that treats really are NOT worth it unless I carefully consider whether or not I will actually REALLY enjoy it. So I no longer grab any cake or cookie put before me. Now I consider things like the freshness, the quality etc. For example, I will not get ice cream from places like McDs. If I am going to eat ice cream I make sure it's good stuff, real stuff. THAT is worth it, once in awhile. Nor will I eat things like those gross cookies you can buy in the plastic clamshells at the grocery store, or packaged snack foods. For me, they aren't good really, and so they aren't worth it.
I'm glad you reached that conclusion too. I think to me, it was one of my more valuable "Eureka!" moments on this journey.

[Michou]

yes. i get that, i think our taste buds adjust to different food.

[Katy Did]

I have DEFINITELY had the feeling that whatever junk I'm eating is not actually worth it - but the worst part is when the first cookie or bite of cake is "blah", and then I think "maybe if I just have MORE of it, it will start to taste like I remember!" But of course it doesn't improve and I should have just stopped after realizing that it wasn't tasting that great to begin with.

[Brandnewday]

While not necessarily a cheat, I had a cupcake at a picnic last weekend. I planned for it and budgeted the calories, but the cupcake was rather meh. As I finished it, I thought about the fact that I would rather have had a second hot dog, and it would have been more satisfying, too!

[TheSatinPumpkin]

Not really disappointed (it was Delicious)but wish i did not do it. Past NYE i decided to try the OMG 6lb burger w/ fries at our local cafe. Its free if everything in the basket is downed within 30 minutes. So i fasted for 48 hours prior thinking that i am going to go to town with this burger (Had been 100% on plan prior to this).

Well i was out with a snout after not even completing a 1/4 of the meal and ended up paying $25.95. I think i was up 4lbs the next morning but was able to lose that plus an additional 2lbs in about 7 days.

[Gingerjv]

Ohh it is so close to me!! MANY times after eating something forbidden i came to thought it wasn't worth it!! at all!!! but how make yourself to stop cheating?(( it is alwasy so tempting to eat piece of cake or ice-cream((((

[Desiderata]

If you're going to eat something you might regret later, then for heaven's sake, make sure you really enjoy it. I am super snobbish about food that might be considered a "cheat," and I'm 100% unapologetic for it. I have become a big convert to the "if it's not worth it, stop eating it" club - something I've tried to encourage my mother and others to join me in. If she or someone sheepishly admits to eating something decadent but then says, "and it's not even very good," I say, "Then stop! Throw it out!"

It took some getting used to - this idea that I should check in and make sure I'm enjoying the food I've chosen to eat, and if I find that it's disappointing me, then I have full permission not to finish it. It sounds funny, but leaving sub-par food actually makes me happy - in some way, I'm saying to myself, no, I deserve better than this.

[FeraFilia]

I haven't really had this happen to me, either this time or previously. What can I say, I like indulgent food. It's why I got to where I am.

I have, however, noticed that there are certain foods that I just *can't* eat anymore that used to be regular parts of my diet because they were cheap and easy... things like canned veggies or ramen with the packet (without the packet is okay, and I use it as base for stirfry sometimes in a pinch). Any pre-packaged meal or dessert. I've made so much from fresh or from scratch that it just doesn't taste good to me anymore, or it's waaaaay too salty for me to enjoy.

[Katy Did]

Not really disappointed (it was Delicious)but wish i did not do it. Past NYE i decided to try the OMG 6lb burger w/ fries at our local cafe. Its free if everything in the basket is downed within 30 minutes. So i fasted for 48 hours prior thinking that i am going to go to town with this burger (Had been 100% on plan prior to this).

Well i was out with a snout after not even completing a 1/4 of the meal and ended up paying $25.95. I think i was up 4lbs the next morning but was able to lose that plus an additional 2lbs in about 7 days.

WOW! 6 lb burger?!?

I'm curious - if you HAD been able to finish the meal (and not pay the money), do you think you would have considered it worth it?

[TheSatinPumpkin]

I lied, i checked the flyer and it was 4lb burger. taste wise it was def worth it but i had also fasted 50 hours prior to the meal so i was ready to enjoy anything period lol. One thing i regret is just the amount of waste since i did not take any left overs home. Now i think of it, that's the only time i have eaten outside the home since starting last August and one of two times i had a a single off plan meal.

[synger]

I've even gotten to the point of spitting something out half-eaten, because if I'm not enjoying it, I don't want to eat any more of its calories.

I find that most cheap "treats" taste nasty to me anymore... convenience store cakes and cookies, chips, etc. I still enjoy fancy desserts once in a while, but I'm getting pickier and pickier.

Now that's primarily the sweets. Savories, I'm more likely to keep eating even though they're not the tastiest. But then, I've always been more susceptible to salty/crunchy than to sweet/smooth.

[Imnowonderwoman]

Glad I'm not alone in this lol. Since this self discovery I have found it easier to forego treats more often. Like on my way home from work at 11pm and I stop for gum at the corner store, I often would stand staring at the bars and chips. I'd take a good 15 min trying to decide what I wanted as my "I'm starving- mindless eating" snack. I realized the choice was never difficult because I wanted all of them it was because I didn't really want any of them. I just wanted "something".

Now if I could just resist the genuinely yummy stuff more often I'd be all set.