I was thinking about some of the possible pit falls of cutting out all of sweets from my diet right away (I'm a butterscotch and chocolate fiend). So I've decided that, if I exercise and eat healthy all day, I will allow myself either one small piece of butter scotch or one small piece of chocolate after dinner. What do you think?
Also, I was wondering what you thought about eating mixed nuts as a snack. I really enjoy them, and I hear they're high in omega 3's...which are good for you...right?
I eat dark chocolate daily. I drink red wine daily. Both are non-negotiables for me.
I eat cashews almost every day. I think a serving of nuts in your diet is healthy - notice I said serving - weigh or measure them. They are easy to overeat.
I get into more trouble denying myself certain foods than I do planning for them (in moderation). This is just what works for me though, each of us is different. Try adding them in and see how it goes
Last edited by CountingDown; 04-27-2008 at 05:42 PM.
If you're confident that it's just a taste you need and it's not going to be a trgger for binging then I think you should definitely include it in your diet. I sometimes *really* want a taste of something sweet, and a square of chocolate or teaspoon of ice cream is enough because it gives me the delicious taste and satisfies the craving. If you think that might make you eat the rest of the tub or bar then maybe it'd be better to cut it out totally, but only you know that I don't have much of a sweet tooth though, so it might be different for you.
I totally agree with the others . . . both chocolate and nuts are perfectly good foods with lots of healthy stuff in them . . . so long as you can handle the one small serving and be satisfied, you'll be doing yourself a big favour.
I can do the 30 grams (ounce) of nuts and do have some about every other day. Chocolate is a definite trigger food for me (no little 10 gram square -- it always turns into the whole 100 gram bar) so I just have to stay away from it.
I can do the 30 grams (ounce) of nuts and do have some about every other day. Chocolate is a definite trigger food for me (no little 10 gram square -- it always turns into the whole 100 gram bar) so I just have to stay away from it.
This is me in a nutshell. I include roasted almonds in my diet regularly; no problem with keeping it to a serving. But when it comes to chocolate, I can't control myself. Maybe someday I'll be able to handle having it in the house, but until then, I just don't buy it
I keep hersey kisses in the house plus some mini candy bars. I only eat about 1 a week. Just when i get that craving that wont stop. I can not control myself with nuts . I will start out eating just a serving and before I know it im back at the cabinet for more.
I eat a hershey kiss after lunch every day. I keep them out of site, so as to not be a temptation, but i cant keep nuts in the house...i will keep going back for "just a few more".
I eat almonds and sunflower kernals every day. Many days I often have some pecans as well.
AS for chocolate, I buy the packet of individual squares of Hershey's dark chocolate and find it's easier to limit myself to 1 or 2 squares (a serving = 3 squares, according to the package) if they're individually wrapped like that.
I don't see anything wrong with doing so ifyou can control it and not let it lead to a binge. I reward myself with the chocolate on the days that I stick to my calorie range.
I buy chocolate, but only very dark chocolate and not to sweet. It has to have at least 80% of cocoa to make me happy. I bought a bar recently and I have a square on some days (basically, when I remember that there is chocolate in the cupboard). I don't suffer from chocolate addiction so it does not really constitute a reasonable temptation for me.
I do eat raw almonds (unroasted, unsalted) or walnuts. With almonds, I usually count myself 25 of them as I think that is a serving, and walnuts I eat sparingly because I usually have sore mouth after that, I don't what in the walnuts is causing that.
Nuts are great. 1/2 oz of unsalted nuts are a great snack. They count as a fat which our body needs, but in moderation. You shouldn't have nuts more than 2-3 times a week for successful weight loss. If you are maintaining your weight, then every other day is fine.
For me it's chocolate. I have a hard time eating just a piece. So I buy a bar of dark chocolate when I am full. (I don't go to the store hungry or I'll buy all my trigger foods and eat them when I get home.)
Then I break the bar into pieces and put them into individual snack baggies. On my way out the door, I throw one in my purse. That way I only have the one piece with me and cannot eat the rest.
I cut out junk food (read: mostly sugary snacks) and haven't had any for 30+ days now. I'm doing fine without it! - and YES! - I have a MASSIVE sweet tooth!
I enjoy a handful of raw almonds almost daily. Nuts are good for you - in moderation - like you said - the omega 3s, etc. Also good for some extra fiber in your diet.
If you can handle just a taste & still stick your diet, I think it's fine to indulge from time to time.
Rarely can I stay with moderation where nuts are concerned. The idea of being able to eat those "treat" foods occasionally isn't bad--but for me, it was something to add back after weeks of not having them at all. Otherwise I would get triggered into overeating them, and from there on to other things.
So, just watch carefully what those small "treats" lead to! If you're OK with them, and they fit your plan, good!
A quick question...
The idea of being able to eat those "treat" foods occasionally isn't bad--but for me, it was something to add back after weeks of not having them at all. Otherwise I would get triggered into overeating them, and from there on to other things.