Who here has given up their most favorite food?
 

I was just wondering how many of you have given up your most favorite food - for good. How do you do it? How do you not eat what you love the most?

I didn't. My most favorite food is pizza and I eat it at least once a week!

I also love French fries...I don't eat those often though, only when I have a particularly strong desire for them.

I don't believe in deprivation. If I want something bad enough I'm going I find a way to make it work.

I've had bread maybe 3 times in the past 4 months. I love bread. It sucks that I can't really have it but when I do it inevitably triggers a binge :(

In principle, I haven't given anything up absolutely. In practice, though, there are some foods I adore that I haven't eaten since I started my plan well over two years ago, or that I eat extremely rarely (perhaps once a year).

I have handled this by thinking "not today," or "not this time." There are very few eating opportunities that are so special as to never come up in my life again. So when something I adore is available to me, and I want to resist it, I try to think "well, not this time. Maybe next time." Even if "next time" won't happen for months or a year, it's still going to happen. It's not that much of a sacrifice, on the scale of things, to pass this one time.

I know some people have trouble with this approach, but it works brilliantly for me. It helps me avoid "woe is me" thinking. And, to be honest, it helps me keep perspective. I mean, I can't legitimately call it "deprivation" to have to pass, this one time, on some delicious food indulgence. On the scale of things, it's not such a terrible problem to have to face.

I've done the same as Carter, with a slight difference. I'll tell myself, "Not right now, but if I *really* want it, I'll get it later." And there were a few times I went out that night, or the next day, or the next week and actually gotten the tempting food and indulged, just to prove I could. Somehow, this has helped me accept all the responsibility for eating or not eating, and feel in control. It has made it that much easier to acknowledge that I don't want the tempting food, and am not being denied it either. It also makes the food that much more enjoyable on the rare occasions I do indulge. :)

i eat everything- but i control it.

my issue is i don't have a "most favourite food". i just LOVE food.

food in general.

many things

many high calorie things.

but usually, there is something that i want particularly bad. i usually wait until i have an occasion to have it, like, for about 3 weeks i REALLY wanted pizza, but i wanted a slice of pizza from a particular place, that isn't really near my house, but in the entertainment district here. so on NYE i had 2 slices after the bar.

do i regret it? no. absolutely not. did i binge on it? no. do i have an insationable desire for pizza? no i'm perfectly satisfied. i had some, it was delicious and the next itme i really want it again, i will wait for the opportunity to arise. then i eat very on plan the next several days to offset.

now about 2 weeks ago, i decided i haven't had pho in a long time, and i love pho. (unfortunately a small bowl is about 600 calories and loaded with sodium, i also love egg rolls and spring rolls).

solution? i decided it was my next cheat meal.

double solution? my mother is visiting from out of town tomorrow night, she is a very petite woman who doesn't eat much- so for dinner we will get 1 bowl of medium pho, spring rolls, and egg rolls, take it hope and split it so nobody over eats. perfect solution.

monday night i was cranky? i had an ice cream cone. still lost weight

i think the key is to do it in moderation.

i really want a 100 g of pasta? sure, i won't make it with meat sauce and alfredo, i might make pasta with shrimp and tomato sauce to save some calories.

it's all about moderation. also, if you want something, eat it- it will prevent deprivation, further binges, and feeling sorry for yourself (depression as well).

makes you a much happier person in my oppinion too.

I haven't =D....My favorite foods are Ice cream and Hamburgers. I eat both at least once a week(usually more on the Ice cream) Just allow room in my daily calories for it.

Avoiding foods makes me feel to restricted, and makes it harder for me to commit to losing weight.

One thing I did give up(not by choice) was chinese food. I had surgery a few years back, and because of what it was for, I can't eat greesy/oily foods. Chinese food is to much even if I love it. Used to live off the stuff living in NYC =D

Oh boy, I have a lot of favorites. Most of which I have not given up but still occasionally eat when I am feeling deprived or when I know I can keep it under control. But I definitely gave up eating fast food. Even when I am traveling on the road I'll make it a point to find a grocery store that has healthy pre-made options. I'm never in such a rush that a drive thru window is going to solve time restraint issues.

I also gave up drinking whole milk (I'd drink it by the gallon, literally) and regular soda.

To be honest, the thought of eating a Big Mac (my all time favorite) makes me want to gag!

I eat the steamed chicken and broccoli (plain/no salt/no sugar, found on the "diet section") and either make my own sauce or drizzle it with a teeny bit of the brown sauce they provide with it. Simple solution to still eat Chinese. I sometimes throw out the rice and eat just the meat/veg.

I didn't give up anything. I always grew up eating moderately healthy foods, so I just keep eating them. I've watched my weight from the time I was seven, but definitely had difficulty with weight gain during my pregnancy due to Ben and Jerry's coffee heath bar crunch! I could always take or leave ice cream, but my daughter couldn't in utero!

The one thing I do love is buffalo chicken, so sometimes I make low carb/high fiber wraps with chicken, a combination of frank's and sriracha, spinach, tomato, and an oz of good quality blue cheese. It gives me the flavor I'm looking for and fits into my diet.

The only thing I've really given up that I loved was soda (pop). I don't drink soda anymore and I used to drink it all -- even moved to diet soda when I wanted to keep the calories off.

But the reality is that soda isn't good for you and I gave it up. I drink sparkling water now. I don't drink juices either, just once in a while (maybe once or twice a year) because of the high sugar content.

I'm still eating other foods that are "junky" but I am eating them in better ways (making them at home) or in smaller quantities.

I agree with most of you that "deprivation" is not the way to go! - at least, not for me. I have incorporated all my favorite foods into my weight loss because I find that depriving myself of my fav foods just leads to an inevitable binge.

But I know some folks here HAVE given up their most favorite foods. I'm interested in how they did it. How do they say NO to the most loved tastiest yummies on their menu??

I will never give up my most favorite foods for good. I just don't eat them everyday! Or every week, or even every month, but once in a while, if the opportunity arises, I will eat some!

I just said no to soda. I mean, every time I said no to it, I became stronger. And when the craving was so strong, I would have the sparkling water, ice cold, because it tasted the same (in my head!) like an ice cold coke.

And the more you say no, the easier it becomes to say no. It's no longer an option. If you always say no, then you never have to wonder about saying yes. If someone offers you a soda, you say, "No thanks, can I have water, instead?" It becomes a habit. You don't have to think about it. The answer is always no.

I did that with soda as well. (regular soda... I switched to diet soda, and even now I only have one per day... sometimes two, but mostly just one.)

Chips is about the only thing I've really given up. Started by just not having them in the house because I couldn't control myself. Now I don't usually even think about them-I actually have a big bag left from Xmas in the house and I haven't even opened them!!