What do you *REFUSE* to give up?
 

Is there anything you will absolutely NOT give up in calorie counting? And do you feel it's helped or hindered your progress?

For myself, it's my coffee with 2 sugar & creamer in the am along with salt. Those are my 2 weaknesses, everything else, meh. lol! I don't think it's made a difference at all, it keeps me sane in my opinion. ;)

How about you?

I haven't really given up anything, though some foods I definitely eat only on occasion, not every day. In fact, I can't remember the last time I had fast food. But if I were forced to give anything up, it would have to be something other than full fat cheese. I'll fight to death before I stop eating it.

Good cheeses.

I cannot bring myself to eat "reduced fat" or "low fat" of most varieties. The taste just turns me off. I'd prefer to just have a smaller portion of a better quality cheese.

Well technically I haven't given up anything, however I don't keep crap in the house. What I prefer to not give up being at hand is also my lattes. 1/2 skim milk half espresso with 2 light pumps of syrup (either hazelnut or cinnamon dulche) however I would if I had to, but I don't see the need.

They are only 150 calories a cup when I make it at home, and most of those calories are milk so I figure it's mostly healthy. Only enough sugar as in a lollipop or whatever.

I second the coffee - made that way as well! It kills my apetite so I'm not sure if it hinders my progress - but it saves those around me from a *very* unfriendly person.

Coffee and Coke Zero are my only two remaining "vices". They're both basically calorie free so the jury is out on how much difference they really make anyway. I've found suitable healthy alternatives for the rest... aside from CAKE LOL but I still have a small slice at parties... just don't keep it at home anymore :).

LOL SAME here! :devil: It's so bad that my 5 year has many times uttered the words "MOMMY, leave us alone and go drink your coffee, you're cranky!" :^:

Ice cream. Though if I do have it, I'll have half of a serving or go with a more calorie friendly, fat free/sugar free kiddie size frozen yogurt. A lot of times I'll have it after dinner and go up in my allowable calorie intake.

I am willing to give up anything. I don't think there is anything I have to give up, but I'm not ruling anything out.

Some things would be hard to give up, but these are only foods and beverages we're talking about! No one is going to die if they don't get ice cream, coffee, whatever...

Jay

I would find it hard to give up coffee most of all I think but would if someone could prove it essential that I do.

The joy of calorie counting is that nothing needs to be excluded. Though, to be fair, it makes some portions of the highcal stuff so tiny as to be not worth it.

Real food. I refuse to buy diet food. Except low-fat yogurt. Working on that one.

I am unwilling to give up any "Real" food, and I have almost completely cut out "Fake/Junk" food.

We had a thread earlier on the meaning of junk...mine was "food without soul"...things made without someones hands on them (ie, processed food).

So I won't give up cupcakes, for example, from a bakery, on rare special occasions. But I WILL give us Hostess cupcakes, fast food, and other foods that are highly processed and have no "soul".

I think with calorie counting we don't have to give anything up, we just have to be accountable for eating it.

I still eat butter, cheese, half and half in my coffee, pizza ;), etc. But I weigh my butter and cheese so I know what to track, and I make my own pizza so I know what I'm eating. I don't believe in non-fat dairy products.

I'm not much of an ice cream eater, but when my dad makes if from scratch you can bet I'm having some.

And my wine. I love wine. And it fits into my calories, so I don't have to give that up.

Love reading the replies, and I agree, I don't think we have to give up anything really, but I have gotten rid of *most* "souless" foods as Mandalinn says.. so trying to eat as close to nature as possible!

And, I hate "diet" foods or "light" stuff too.. ick. lol! The only light foods I can handle are yogurts and light miracle whip. lol!

Diet Coke. I know it has no calories, but I also know there are better things I could drink. But I love it.

chocolate and milk.

I don't drink coffee in the morning I drink milk I've tried soy, flavored soy, and rice but its GOT to be from a cow.

I've tried lowfat choc brownies {I'm eating one now} but either the texture or the flavor is off.

I guess I'm just going to have to work on eating smaller portions {like one not several} of 'real' choc instead of 'faking' it.

Sugar. I'm allergic to aspartame, can't stand the taste of any of the other sweetners including stevia. I don't drink sodas, I don't do coffee. I'll very rarely do unsweetened ice tea (I kicked the caffine habit and I don't want to have to go through that again). I don't begrudge the rare time I feel like having a teaspoon of sugar on my cheerios or a slice of homemade cake when I calculate the calories in (actually the butter is the majority of the calories in my favorite recipe). Likewise I'm taking my nephew to the Blue Bell Icecream factory next week and I will be having my scoop after the tour. :)

Also white pasta. I love brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, wheat bread etc but the texture of wheat pasta is all wrong for me. I can make do with wheat penne but I'ld rather have a smaller serving of white pasta and just load it up with veggies than try to eat low car or whole wheat angel hair pasta.

Splenda and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. I suspect neither are good for me, but they help ALOT!

My coffee with 2 milk 2 sweetners and once a week fat free sugar free desert like frozen yogurt treat.

Not bad considering :P

Well I am the opposite of everyone who has posted thus far I have given up most of the foods that I love. well that I thought I loved anyway. For me since I was 8 years old I have used food as a comfort or a reward and not a necessity to survive. I have realized how unhealthy I have been and I have changed my life around in the past 20 weeks. Every now and then I still crave birthday cake or Japense food but I would rather be thin than satisfy my cravings. I do still eat skinny cow ice creams to help with my sweet tooth.....

I think I will never say "never" again. Never thought, when I started out, that I could go without cokes, my Friday night burger at the skating rink, breads, pastas, and a host of other stuff. Now, my only vice is the sugar I put in my hot tea, and I guess also the sugar that is already in my yogurt. All that other stuff just didn't seem so important, as time went on, the weight came off, my tastes changed...now, I can't stand some of the foods I thought I'd never be able to live (a normal life) without. :)

I refuse to give ANYTHING up.:D I just use portion control and moderation and make more healthy choices than unhealthy ones these days.

beer, wine & liquor.

Pizza - we order pizza almost every Friday (for the kids, sorta our tradition) but on those days, I just snack REALLY light all day to save myself for pizza that night ... LOL. And usually, i only have 1-2 slices, no crust. It's still packed with calories, but i've come a LONG way, since i used to eat 3-4 slices, garlic bread AND wings!! :o

ALSO, I know this is bad but ... beer/cocktails. It's hard because we always have people over and throw bbq's, etc, and everyone drinks! And YES, it's definitely hindered my progress and has caused me to plateau. So I actually gave it up starting this past Monday, and already dropped a pound and a half! Woohoo :carrot: LOL

CHEESE. Extra sharp cheddar, bleu, american, mozzarella, colby, swiss, jack, pepper jack. Hard cheeses, soft cheese, cream cheese. I love em all.

Just not every day, and not all at once. It keeps me happy, in moderation. :)

props to you for giving up the drinks. it's really hard....

I will not give up my own chocolate chip cookies, it is my holiday special and occasional potluck/birthday treat :D

But I do add bananas instead of eggs so their a touch healthier I guess lol!!!

Ditto - if I had to give up my jumbo gold frozen margaritas, I'd go crazy! LOL! Only difference is that now I only have them occasionally, rather than weekly.

I refuse to give up my determination to be a healthier person and live my life and not just merely be alive (if that is what you can call what I was doing before) ;) :D

Coffee black americanos even better the more caffine the better. I know the time will come but...Its my only vice the rest comes down to choises since I started eating "Plain or Cleaner"{words I hate BY the way} I eat all the time am not hungry ever and don't really want the other stuff but WILL have it IF I want it

My diet plan doesn't restrict any foods so I've refused nothing. I have refused to consume liquids with calories though. I don't like the taste of alcohol and diet soda is just as good as regular so everything I drink is 0 cal.

ive tried really hard not to eat processed food but it is hard when u think well if i count the calories in anyway it makes no difference the only thing ive completely cut out id fast food like takeaways and such bcoz its to hard to no whats actually in them and how many calories ur eating!
i miss real crisps lol x

I'm fairly new so right now I'm still eating a lot of the same things I ate before, I'm just watching portions... however, I am transitioning to a more healthy eating lifestyle, I'm just taking it slowly. However the one thing I will never cut out....and this will sound silly....CROUTONS.
I don't understand why I love them so much but I really do. Now, I've changed the kind of crouton I eat very drastically and whatnot but I cannot and will not eat a salad without them and they are, without a doubt, my very favorite thing to snack on.

Have you ever tried the fat free flavored creamers? They are delicious!

I don't know, I guess I would give up anything if it meant life or death. One day I finally came to the realization that *my* obesity was not a result of me putting the world before myself, but putting myself before everything else. I never went without anything. I was spoiled and selfish, and ate/drank what ever, when ever I wanted. I pampered myself up to 300+ pounds because I thought I deserved it. So, well, now I eat healthy and have an occasional treat, but besides processed sugar, alcohol and cigarettes nothing is really out of the question. I gave up a plenty, and I'm glad I did. I would prefer not to give up plain old black calorie free coffee, but if I had to for some reason, I would.

Sorry if this sounds all high and pompous, but it's the way it is. The moment I refuse to give up food, (what ever food it may be) is the day I go back to my old mentality of thinking. I don't deserve any food. Food is a gift....a blessing. It's not about wanting what you don't have, it's being happy with what you do have.

I like that attitude ;)

an occasional beer, but i allot those calories and diet coke because i'm an addict.

Eating when I'm really hungry. Even if it means consuming more calories than I'd like, if I am really, truly hungry (and not just munchy), I'm going to eat and not feel bad about it

diet coke

I refuse to give up real foods. I REFUSE to eat diet food ( i hate processed, stripped, wierd chemicals added food--that are supposed to be good for you). I hate sugar substitutes. I generally eat food with 5 or less ingredients, and names I can pronounce

I will eat little debbie snacks, but I know they aren't good for you. I will never give up chinese food.

I second not giving up the foods I love--I believe in moderation.