Do you allow a planned splurge ever?
 

I decided to start losing weight about 2 weeks ago. I've lost 5lbs. I eat really well but I am going to give myself one "splurge" meal a week. If I cut out ALL the foods I love (pizza, pasta) I won't stick on the diet. So I am going to allow one PLANNED splurge a week where I go out to dinner and don't count my calories but try to make smarter choices. This week I am going to have pizza with my Dad on Saturday. I was going to go to Olive Garden last week but it didn't end up happening so I didn't splurge. The week before I splurged at superbowl. I think this will work well for me, I know the problem could be that if I eat it I won't stop but if I never eat it I won't keep dieting. What do you guys think?

I plan a meal off every week (although it has turned into two a week - so I need to get back on track) and I really think this is going to save me in the long run. I just need to 'take off' every once in a while and drink a bottle of wine, or drink a 6-pack of beer, or go out to dinner and not worry that I ate too much chicken, or have some cheesy dip with chips, or eat some pizza with regular Coke, or have a piece of birthday cake... Yikes... It is time for my afternoon snack!!

I think it is good that ew give ourselves a break every now and then... But I think it is important that they be planned and that they be limited (like only once a week). And I think your idea of trying to make healthier decisions is a great idea...

Ex. Ruby Tuesday's: their petite steak, w/green beans, and mozzerella/tomatoe salad is only like a 400 - 450 calorie meal. (I looked this up online a while ago to see what I could eat that would be healthy/lower cal. and this is something that I would NEVER have thought to order otherwise).

Ok... I am talking too much again.
:blah:

I'm glad to hear someone else does this too. So many people say they have to cut it all out totally or they can't stop themselves. I think I can actually limit myself to once a week (except for the holidays and vacations). I go to applebees occassionally but I get their shrimp skewers which are 240? cal so I don't feel I'm going off plan with those and I count them in my food journal. So yeah, let's limit the one BIG splurge to once a week! Too bad we can't go out to dinner together! lol.

I plan on allowing myself a splurge every few weeks. I am not allowing myself one yet, been dieting for 2 and a half weeks. I am doing great even though I have gained back the 4lbs I lost last week. I havent gone off yet and I know my TOM is coming and I think its water weight. I think whatever works for you do it. great job on the weight loss

Great idea! I think that sounds like a great way to keep from feeling deprived.

I actually did something a litle different. I don't set a limit on splurges, but I count them. So, say I know I'm going out to dinner on Thursday night, then Mon-Wed I shrink my calorie budget a little to make room for the splurge. I do make a point, though, of writing down everything I eat afterward, and do my best to calculate the cals for it (really hard to do with non-chain restaurants). I don't critisize myself for the total (even though it can be staggeringly large). I just find that tallying it up helps me appreciate just how many calories are in the kinds of foods most people eat all day everyday. For me, its part of the learning, kinda like measuring cereal, etc.

I have to plan my splurges otherwise there end up being unplanned splurges...which usually end up being far worse than I would have let myself otherwise. I find its easier to stay 'on plan' overall if I can have some naughty foods once in awhile. The thought of giving up chocolate cake completely is just too depressing, I'd probably rather be a chubbo than never taste that again! I think its good too because I think the best way to 'diet' is really to make eating healthy a new lifestyle, and if you aren't allowing yourself a significant portion of your favorite foods then its kinda hard to stick with it.

I've been doing this since Jan. 1st (very original, I know) and am down 25 pounds so far. I have had a planned splurge meal every ten pounds.

I've had for my measly two prize dinners Thai and Indian takeout. Yum! I found myself making smarter choices than I would have prior to January 1st when ordering takeout because of my weight loss/health mindset. In the past I would have eaten gross amounts of these foods, making it a binge rather than a splurge. Now I limited it to reasonable amounts of food, throwing away leftovers.

However, I'm going to choose prizes other than food next time, because for me personally food needs to quit being a reward. Once I can get over that I think I can accomplish anything!

Other than those two planned every 10 pound meals I occasionally have a drink with friends. If it's a planned night I just eliminate calories from other days of the week to save for wine.

I try not to deprive myself of foods I like or cravings, I'll just work it into the day's worth of calories. Like Caroline above, the idea of a world without chocolate is awful.

peach
I plan what I want into the allowed amounts I give myself each day. There is no reason to go without everything all the time. I even let myself have a can or two of mountain dew a week. If I want a really big splurge like say, cheese cake. I lower the amounts I let myself have for a few days to make up for what I ate over for that one splurge ( yes, it is planned ). Within the week I have my amounts right back to where they should be. This isn't about doing without. This is about proper portion sizes and staying within good boundaries for our selfs. To me a splurge is about once a month. I don't do without a thing. I plan things right into what I allow myself.

I basically do the same thing as Amarie. I know I'm going to have at least one day during the week where we go out to dinner or have something a little high in calories so for the rest of the week I keep my calories low "just in case". I've been doing this along with exercise on the treadmill and dance dance revolution for about 2-3 weeks now and have lost 7 pounds....for example, last friday I wanted Chinese so we went to the buffet (even though I ate whatever I wanted I found myself wanting the stuff with more veggies in it) ate low calorie saturday and sunday then monday we took the kids to CiCi's Pizza and I ate what I wanted. I've found that allowing myself to eat whatever I want once or twice a week and keeping my calories low the rest of the time has kept me from going into starvation mode...some call it calorie shifting I do believe?
It has also helped me so much more this time around because I get weak and binge out on the stuff that's "not allowed" and give up. This way I can still have the foods I love and not feel deprived.

I also allow myself a splurge once a week. My bf and I like to go out to dinner on Friday nights, so I make good choices, but get to enjoy myself. Every once in a while we do something that doesn't have good choices, but I feel like this is part of life and I need to learn to deal with it otherwise I will not be successful in the long run. We aren't going to live our whole life without pizza and be able to do it!
Ex: Tonight we are going to fondue for Val Day...The first course is a cheese fondue with veggies and bread, I will eat mostly veggies with enough cheese to taste it but not go overboard. Second course is salad, I will get red fat dressing. Third course is the entree, meat or veggies in broth, seems pretty harmless; I think I will go for the veggies since I am trying to stay away from meat. The final course is the chocolate fondue, this is where it will be dangerous! At least it comes with a lot of fruit, I will let my bf eat the poundcake and cheesecake! I am really watching my calories today for breakfast and lunch to make sure I don't go over too much. If we can't enjoy life a little, then what is the point. I don't want to be thin and miserable!! I think its important to find a balance, otherwise who would be successful?

Just my $0.02!

Oh Blueyed- that sounds like a totally lovely Valentine's meal! Enjoy! I'll bet it's very romantic if it's anything like the fondue place I've been to.

Now I want to go to the Melting Pot awfully bad!

Smart splurges. There are a lot of healthy foods that are good enough for a splurge at least for me. For example we will have an italian sausage once every 4 weeks. We have one sausage apiece with peppers and onions. I do count the sausage in the calorie tally to make sure we don't go overboard.

Here is one for pizza

take one of those whole wheat wraps. put some tomatoe paste on it ( an appropriate flavor) and toppings. You have a "legal" pizza.

I think once a week is too often. We've been working since January on the diet and we splurged once on our wedding cake. I'm really trying to rethink how I think about food. Otherwise all this work will go right down the toilet. You may not need to be as strict as we are but the less the better. If you do splurge count it. I've been battling this weight problem for a long time. I know my limits I have to make this a permenent and all time change.

I don't have planned splurges like once a week or anything. I allow myself a lower caloried dessert every night to keep from feeling deprived, I just include it in my calorie count for the day. I do allow myself small splurges on special occasions, for example, my friend had a baby shower a few weeks ago and I ate what everyone else ate just small amounts and only the things I really liked. I just have to make sure it really is only on special occasions and I don't use any excuse to splurge, which I have done in my past but haven't done lately.

Why call it a splurge? Why not just call it--eating! You are choosing to eat pizza, or Olive Garden, or whatever, but you're planning for it. :)

I like to avoid making a distinction between "dieting" and "not dieting." What I'm doing is... eating! My choices are what they are, and I tally them all up just so I know where I'm at.

Jay