learning moderation
 

how do you or are you able to learn to eat things you enjoy in moderation. i think i do best if i plan ahead. i am coming close to the end of my weight loss journey and want to think about how to incorporate sweets into my future. when i was losing it was best if i just said no because it would affect my losses. about once a month or every two i would have a binge. i'm now wondering if my very strict diet was the reason i wanted to binge, because i wouldn't know when the next sweet would come. i'm thinking about allowing myself one indulgent meal and one sweet a week and doing it on weekends when we usually go out to eat. i also don't keep sweets in the house so i am not tempted.
also i am going on vacation next month and i know i will want to indulge at restaurants we don't have at home. any tips for moderation. i was thinking of sharing the "bad" stuff, drinking lots of water and working out while on vacation, only having one treat per day. any thoughts or tips?

I would say the key would be in the planning. When you know where you'll be eating, give some thought beforehand what you can/should eat there. Decide if the bread(for example) is worth the extra carbs/calories or would you rather have alcohol, pasta or potato or dessert? Then order accordingly - otherwise if you just wing it and give into temptation with each course, you can end up going way overboard.

I've been on a combo - work/vacation for almost 10 weeks and have had to do this EVERYDAY all this time. I put weight loss on hold and have strived for maintenance. I've tried to make it more of a game/adventure since it takes up a good part of each of my days/nights and have been successful even with plenty of treats here and there. I have gotten really adept at scanning a menu all the way through b4 I order anything and work it out in my head whenever possible before I even go o a place I'm familiar with.

Another tip -use oil,vinegar and a squeeze of mustard for your salad dressings -it's good and lo-cal -so you can save your calories for other things. Whenever possible I order sides of veggies -like sauteed escarole or broccoli rabe or a roasted veg. platter since we eat a lot of italian food. Believe it or not, I find these the easiest restaurants to do well in.

By all means, try to get some exercise in -hopefully a swim or something fun -incorporate a walk with sight-seeing or a museum visit...

You've done great with your weight loss - so you deserve some fun on your vacation -but you really can eat well and not gain -especially if you are active. Best of Luck and ENJOY!!