For me, I cannot live without....

Ketchup
Diet coke
Potatoes
Skinny Cow Fudge Bars
Hot sauce(and lots of it!)
Sweet canned corn
Cheese

Nothing.
Whatever it takes.

Diet coke
cheese
bread
egg whites
avocado

I'm unclear if you mean what foods that are *un*healthy that I was eating while I was heavy or the healthy foods that I turned to in order to lose the weight...

During the losing portion of my journey there was nothing I was willing to do without. I was done doing without a healthy, slim, happy me.

But upon giving up the foods that I overate and desired the most I had to ADD in many others and I came to rely on those - so those became the foods that I looked forward to and now will not give up.

When I decided to lose the weight, though I was willing to give up loads of foods while I was losing, the only things that I was not willing to compromise on was:

-being hungry. That was not an option for me. That's why every calorie has to really count - zero garbage; all satiating, filling foods and ones that stave off cravings for the garbage.

-Taste. I was not (am not) willing to eat boring, bland, tasteless food. Everything that I consume MUST be enjoyable, high quality and very tasty.

Diet coke is also my biggie..you will pry it from my cold dead hand.

Soy Sauce - Yes, I know its laden with salt, but I use much less than I used to. I just love it as a flavoring.

I assume she means the items that are not necessarily bad for you, but which you really need to be careful with. Obviously if someone has fudge brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and rocky road ice cream as non-negotiables, they are not going to get very far in weight loss.

I disagree here! You could have those as non-negotiables and still get to your goal weight provided you do not over indulge, use them as a treat, and work them into your calorie plan. I still eat all of those and have lost 60lbs. Part of being healthy is understanding moderation.

I guess I consider "giving up" as meaning on a relatively regular basis. I too indulge in the occasional chocolate chip cookie. I have not cut them out of my life forever, but they are not a regular part of my diet. I will still occasionally have a few nachos ( my favorite ) but for the most part I consider them given up because they are something to only have very rarely and sparingly.

So I suppose the phrase "give up" can be interpreted in many ways. "It will never again pass my lips" is something I really cant say about many foods at all. Twinkies, ho-hos, ding dongs, and all the other crappy massively processed snack stuff will never again be touched by me..but honestly, thats about it for "never again" stuff.
I see no reason at all to say I will never again eat fried chicken or nachos. I am sure I will ( and honestly have very minimally over the course of my weight loss) ..I will enjoy them, and I will compensate in other ways.

I completely agree! I've lost 108lbs and there is nothing off limits as long as i watch my portion.

I would really encourage people to keep an open mind about what they are willing to give up. Tastes change over time, but if you set it in your mind that you "can't" live without something, you never will be able to. Think instead, "Right now, eating [x] gives me a great deal of satisfaction and I want to find a plan that allows me to continue eating it". But never stop reevaluating.

To put it another way--don't decide that anything is a necessity. The human brain is funny. Once it decides that something is a "necessity", it doesn't see it as bad in any way. This is why people get into worse debt at the grocery store than they do at the jewelry store: we figure we "have to have" groceries, so it's ok to charge whatever groceries you were going to buy. Once you decide you have to have cheese or chocolate or whatever, it doesn't feel like a treat or an indulgence anymore, it feels like a basic necessity, so while it may still taste good, it's not a treat.


For example, if Suzie has decided that she will NOT give up her daily 4 Hershey Kisses, that she HAS to have that chocolate at the end of the day, then even if she slips and overeats at lunch, she'll end the day with the chocolate, without even thinking about it, because that's something she "has to have". But if every day she allows herself to have that chocolate because it's 100 calories and she's worked it into her plan, then on the day that she overeats at lunch she won't have the chocolate because she sees it as a luxury, not a necessity.

And finally, the words we tell ourselves affect how we perceive ourselves. If you tell yourself "I must have X. I just don't have the willpower to resist", then you'll believe it. Much better to tell yourself 'I really like X, and I've found a way to work it in. But I could do without it."

NOTHING is off limits to me.

This doesn't mean I eat the way I used to. Far from it. I've just finally learned about moderation. I still have pizza about once a month. I have a reasonable restaurant "cheat" meal once a week. I have some sort of chocolate EVERY day.

I mostly WANT healthy foods now, but I allow a few "unhealthy" things in here and there as long as it fits into my calorie budget. I think this is the reason this plan has FINALLY worked for me. No more "all or nothing" mentality and setting myself up for failure.

I haven't had little debbies and that kind of crap in my house for ages either. It just doesn't appeal to me anymore at all. So perhaps I do have some things that I'll likely "never eat again"...not because I have actively "banned" them from my diet, but just because I really don't WANT them anymore.

I think these are good signs of how a lifestyle change is different from a "diet"!

I think the concept of "giving up" certain things is an unhealthy mindset. I'm not saying I'm going to eat cake and ice cream for supper every night, but, if I'm out with friends and I want that small piece of cake I'm going to have it (and not feel horrible after being it was "restricted").

Someone mentioned they only require that they will not be left hungry and will not have bland tasteless food. I guess I belong in this category, however, as I want to be healthy in the long run I've also made some "not so yummy" changes to more healthier alternatives.

That's a big "provided you don't overindulge". A real biggie. Just ask any alcoholic!

That was the problem. Certain foods I was not able to stop at a moderate portion. Also keeping them in my diet would always make me want them. Once I gave them up, my desires for them lessened and lessened and VERY quickly I might add. At that point - this journey was relatively easy.

100% agreed.
"just as long as I watch my portion", Same as provided you don't over indulge.

SO funny how different we all are! Just the opposite is what's got me to goal. Realizing I didn't need those foods in order to live. Letting go of the belief that I HAD to have them. Like Shmead said, you keep telling yourself and telling yourself that you MUST have them and you begin to think you really must. That you really can't do without it.

I should mention, that upon hitting goal, I have worked in some of these *off foods*, but I will tell you, it was easier for me when I completely banned them. Way easier. Once you let that door open a little bit, it's very easy for it to swing wide open. For me, it was better and safer keeping that door tightly shut.

I think shmead has a very good point about the mindset that we "must have" something. But it also works in the other direction.

The phrases "I can't have" and "I must have" do more to derail weight loss goals than anything else, I believe. I can't have makes us feel deprived, and I must have makes us feel almost obligated.

I disagree. I think it's just the opposite. It's okay to tell yourself no.

I can't have lots of things. Because I'm a mature, responsible adult, who makes mature responsible decisions. I don't feel deprived by getting up and being to work on time, even if I want to sleep in. I can't buy Manolo Blahniks but I can buy Calvin Kleins. I can't travel to exotic places, but I do get to go away for many long weekends and have a fabulous time. I focus on what I can have, not what I can't. I look for things that do me good in the long run, not just the short term.

I never, ever, ever feel deprived NOT eating something. Never, not even one little time did I ever regret passing up on something. Never.

To me, depriving oneself of their optimal best is the true deprivation. Depriving yourself of confidence, energy, vitality, stamina, fabulous doctors visits, a smokin' wardrobe, etc.. That's the real deprivation in my book. Of course if took me decades to realize this.

Once I made certain foods off limits, there was no more pondering, "should I?/shouldn't I?", "ooh, just one bite", "just this once" - once those questions entered my mind - it was pretty much over. Those questions led to disaster; weight loss derailed; sometimes it would spiral into months of not even attempting weight loss. Having made the decision not to eat those things, you stop thinking about them, you stop contemplating them. They're no longer on your scope. Disaster averted. Wonderful new habits established, weight loss ensues. This is my experience.