Hello Everyone!,

I'm new here. I know with calorie counting you don't have to give up any certain foods. But I was wondering how many of you have given up like sugar, white flour? I need help in this area, if I eat this stuff I tend to make poor choices with the rest of my calories for the day but if I'm not sure if I want to cut it out completely because it seem when I do that and I do end up eating this stuff I binge. I feel stuck lol..

I have tried to cut back my sugar intake in the past just because it does affect my hunger levels. If I eat something sugary or made with white flour, I will be super hungry within an hour or two. Right now is my busy time at work though so I have been splurging on some chocolate at night when I get home. It's my little treat for this stressful time.

I am diabetic so I gotta watch my sugar and carbs. I did switch to all whole wheat though.

I think it is important to remember all things in moderation.

I have that problem where I will binge. I will tell myself ok I can do this and just have a handful or just have one. And then I end up eating all of it instead!

While I am still working myself with these issues some tips I have learned are to try and find healthier alternatives to the stuff you like. make it with healthier ingredients and such. And also if you are gonna eat something you really like take a small portion (put the rest away) and then fill your plate up with like a ton of veggies or a salad. Eat slowly and drink alot of water while you eat.

I think though that for me it is better to stay away from some things and instead try new recipes or foods that will hold my focus for now until I can better control myself around those foods.

Goodluck!

Yes, I've made a conscious effort to eliminate excess sugar and sugary foods from my diet. I am concerned about Type 2 diabetes especially at the weight that I am now. I have two family members who've developed it due to obesity. I do eat fruit every day and figure I am getting enough sugar from that.

I stopped buying white-flour Italian bread because it is one of my favorite binge foods! I have an artisan bakery nearby and even the supermarkets stock the 'good stuff' from local bakeries, but I can't trust myself with it on a daily basis. I eat oatmeal almost every day (did that while I was getting fatter too) and I now buy a sprouted whole grain gluten free bread that is just wonderful. I also switched, a long time ago, to Barilla Plus pasta, I don't know if that is available in all parts of the country but for anyone who doesn't know it's a pasta made from semolina but with other grains & legumes added so it has more protein & fiber and a lower glycemic index.

Occasional sugar and white flour treats okay, but for me I have to be concenred about the binge-trigger factor, so I make very careful choices.

Also, if I fill up my daily calorie allotment with high calorie stuff that's not very filling, I set myself up for failure. And whole grain products & fruit are so much more filling for the same amount of calories as sugar/whiteflour "junk"!

I haven't cut anything out *completely*, but I eat sugar, white breads, white pastas & white potatoes very sparingly. Of those, the one I have pretty much cut completely is sugar. The reason is, there isn't a big bang for your calorie buck. For example, I could eat a piece of cake - no food is off limits to me. But when I stop and think about the amount of filling food that is really good for me that I could eat for the same amount of calories as the cake, there is just no contest. If I want to remain satisfied & not hungry during the day, I need to choose foods that will fill me up, stay there awhile & not make me crave things. I mainly eat things like lots of green veggies, sweet potatoes, butternut squash & proteins.

I am loving the food I eat now, but I have found that you need to experiment to not get bored with things. My absolute fave way to fix veggies is to roast them in the oven with a little extra virgin olive oil & some spices. Pure heaven right there!

I work hard to make healthy choices - low(er) fat protein and dairy, lots of veggies, some fruit, healthy fats from avocado and salmon and olive oil, and whole grains. I weigh and measure everything but esp stuff like pasta. I have what would be maybe 1/2 of a so-called regular serving (meaning I have 1 oz dry or less) and that's maybe 1/4 of what I would had in the past, before calorie counting.

I don't have any foods that I've said are completely off limits - for me, that's counterproductive because if I tell myself that, then I'll obsess about them until I end up eating them anyway. So now, I can have anything that fits into my plan so there is room for tasty but less nutritious food, but only as a rare treat.

I don't seem to have issues with specific foods triggering cravings, though. I think for people who do have that, they may have to be more stringent about what they eliminate.

i havent really given up anything (other than fast foods) but i have switched to wheat bread, whole wheat pasta and stuff just because its more healthier and Im afraid Im afraid of being at risks for diabetes and possibly having pcos so white carbs i try to cut out but let them slip in once in awhile.

All good advice above. One thing I've tried doing is choosing what I definitely want to get into my diet that day (say my breakfast of yogurt, wheat berries, apple and cinnamon), and then if there are calories to spare, allow yourself the less healthy options. What I found was that I feel better eating the healthier options, and this makes me less interested in the processed stuff, and less vulnerable to the cravings and potential binges.

Plus, once you start seeing results, it feels really good and helps inspire you to stick to the good stuff. Imagine fitting into some of those old clothes you loved, and you'll start liking that idea better than a big plate of pasta! Now, I can eat a little bit of something sweet if I want and I don't worry, because I know I only want that a little, but I want to be fit WAY more. Also, stick to this site--everyone here will help you feel accountable.

I completely eliminated: fast food of any kind, cereal, cheese, pizza, ice cream, candy, bacon, butter, nuts, soda.

I wish I can add to the list: pasta, potato cheeps, pop corn, beer and wine, apple pie, potato…but it is too much of the sacrifice for me, so I do have it weekly but count calories in.

Very careful with avocado, olive oil, peanut butter, sunflower seeds… as I love it very much and its healthy , but high in calories.

This is me exactly! Every time I tried something else - diets with things completely cut out or very, very limited.. like low carbing or something, I could never stick to it because I always wanted what I could not have. Now, instead of telling myself I can't have it, I tell myself I can have it, but do I want it? It's a mind trick, but losing weight is 99% mental to me.

I've given up fast food, fried foods, 99% of pasta (I'll have a little angel hair every once in a while), ham (okay, never ate that before but it sounds good on the list ), potato chips, candy (I do miss Reese's every once in a while), diet Coke, and snacking. I eat regularly planned meals but not unplanned snacks.

I should give up beer, but I like it soooooooooooo much. So so much.

I don't think I have anything new to add to what everyone else has said. I do my best not to eat sugar at all (only as a rare treat). I don't eat white bread and I generally try to avoid starches and pasta. I hardly ever eat potatoes or pasta, not even whole wheat. While I was losing weight I cut out all alcohol. Fast food is NEVER an option for me, including pizza. Cutting foods out isn't generally what calorie counters do, but these are all foods that either trigger a binge or just seem to make my body hoard fat.

yep, it's the mental part that makes the difference. I've known HOW to lose weight for 25 years. It's actually DOING it that is the problem.

A huge thing for me is that I don't consider this a diet, I consider this the way I'm going to live the rest of my life. And I'm not going to live the rest of my life and never again have chocolate or ice cream or potato chips or whatever. But the problem was that I was having them every day (not everything every day, but some treats/junk, etc. every day). So for me, the happy medium is that if I really, really want something, I can have it, as long as I work it into my plan. I posted on another thread about how I had a work lunch yesterday and ended up eating the chips that came with my salad. I adjusted what else I ate for the day, including changing a higher calorie/higher fat supper I had planned for something else, to make up the extra room for the chips.

I think that part of why I failed in the past is that I tried TOO hard - if I wasn't cutting out everything bad, I was off my diet, so I just kept going and gaining from there. Now, I'm not ON a diet, so I can't fall off. The worst I can do is make one bad choice, but then I can also make a good choice the very next time - not the next day, not even the next meal, but the very next bite, I can make a better choice.

I haven't intentionally cut out any foods. I do weigh/measure my food to make sure I am eating the right portion size. There are foods I avoid because I know I can't stick to a serving (like pizza). I have also noticed there are foods I just don't eat much any more because the calorie to serving size just isn't worth it when I can a more of an alternative for the same amount (or less) calories. I think everyone has to figure out what works best for them, and what doesn't. I like to "save" a few calories for the evening because I tend to get the munchies around 7-8 o'clock. I can have my snack and still feel good about how many calories I consumed for the day.

I eat much less sugar and flour products since beginning CC. Baked goods are a huge trigger food for me, so no baking anymore. I will eat whole grain bread occasionally and I eat oatmeal almost every morning. Nothing is off limits, but I am aware of my sugar/flour triggers that might send me into the danger zone.