Ok, so over the past 2-3 years I've lost weight. My doctors like where I am weight wise, even though BMI tells me I am 20 pounds overweight...
I was thinking of upping my calories to either maintain or lose .5 pounds a week.
I am not sure if it is just because its summer, and I want ice cream and junk food ect. or why....but I've been eating more of it than usual
It seems that when I say, I am not going to eat that tomorrow, I end up eating it anyways...
So...should I just say that I can have about 100-200 calories for a treat or maybe "dessert" or something special, or should I just try to cut it out entirely for the most part?

I cut it out entirely for the first 8 months or so, but for the last 3 months have been experimenting with introducing it into my diet. The trick is whether or not you can be satisfied with extremely small portions--you have to look not just at what you eat, but if it leads to overeating later. Only food journaling can really tell you.

Two hundred calories of ice cream (that's a very small cup of regular ice cream) twice a week won't affect your diet. What you need to watch out for is if having that ice cream leads you to other off plan eating.

So, your saying if something were to be a "trigger" food and I eat it...and it lead to more and other foods? That is the downfall to introducing it again? I see...
Usually I am very on track and on plan. My mom buys tons of junk food at the store, and I usually resist it 90% of the time...she doesn't understand or help me in that manner. In fact, she bought me 2 boxes of chocolate candy that she knows I liked as a kid, and said they were "fat free" so I could eat them...

I always plan for little treats along the way- you just have to be very careful about it.

As was said, you may have a particular food or type of food that triggers a desire for over indulgence.

But, you may be like me and realize that if you cut everything out, you'll just stop one day and binge.

So, first step is deciding which of those two you are- or you could behave both ways. See if you can handle proper portions of those items.

For me, when I decide to treat myself, I plan it into my day and make sure that it fits into my calorie guidelines as well as nutrition guidelines. For example, if I want ice cream at night, I'll eat fresh veggies and salads with lean protein and watch my fat and sugar intake.

I have not cut out all sweets or junkie foods though I do plan for them (99.99% of the time)

150 calories of my allowance, every day, goes to no sugar added ice cream. It keeps me sane!

I went cold turkey on sugar back in February and only very recently have started allowing myself treats. But I'm watching myself carefully to make sure "a special treat" doesn't morph in to a regular occurrence.

Like, no candy bars for me - they just go down to easy and fast and each one seems to need a buddy to keep it company on the trip through my digestive system. No ice cream in the house - too dangerous. But I have had a couple small soft serv ice creams from the maple store near me - I can only get it one place, a small is totally satisfying because it is so mapley good. And because it is so special I (so far) have not been tempted by other lesser ice cream treats. And it hasn't kicked in other cravings.

Today I was checking out some caramel flavored greek yogurt in the store. I was thinking it might make a great "special dessert" but they came in a 4 pack and I know me - if it was good I would eat all 4 of them in one day. I know I can't be trusted with something like that yet. I'd like to think that eventually my self control will become ingrained enough that I can be trusted to have special yogurts in the house. But I know I'm not there yet.

Anyway, for me, it's a work in progress. If I'm going to lose and then maintain for the rest of my life I am going to have to figure out a way to do this. But I'm still very much in the early stages....

I eat sweets occaisionally but I have to be careful as they are a trigger food.

I try not to cut out sweets, cause I have a huge sweet tooth, and I think I'd feel too deprived if I tried to deny myself all sweets...

that being said, I do try to limit my intake to only sweets that are super amazing (aka, worth it :P). So, for example, I never really thought kit kats are that great... so now that it counts, I'd rather have a piece of expensive dark chocolate than a piece of cheap kit kat...

as far as ice cream goes... I'll stick to ff frozen yogurt this summer, or homemade fruit sorbet (I don't know if this fits into your personal diet plan, but you can google some recipes and check)

also, sometimes I make strawberry milk with ice in the summer... it's cool and refreshing... and good for you too!

1 cup skim milk, strawberries, splenda, maybe some yogurt, or half a banana, some ice... yummy

good luck!

Yes. I think it's all about making sure things don't lead you off plan. I never, ever eat impulsively. No matter how much I want something, when I start to crave it I make myself put it off for a long time--weeks, often. This isn't to say I never indulge: I spent several weeks mulling over the idea of introducing 2 McDs ice cream cones a week into my plan, but sinceI did, I have had them every week, and they seem to be fine. But if, after that, I had started eating them impulsively--on days when I didn't plan to--then I would have cut them back out.

I have huge problems with impulse control, so that has to be my Big Red Flag. Nothing impulsive. I really have to have zero tolerance on this for myself. You may have very different issues.

I have to cut it out completely or I have to detox it out (ie I HAVE to have it the next day regardless of what I say today. and it takes me time to control that.) I do allow fruit. It doesn't seem to be a big trigger for me.

It seems I do like you do. I don't eat it everyday or impulsively. Usually, I will want something but tell myself that if I wait 20, 30 or more minutes I will eat it. Usually, by then I forget it or decide its not worth it. I have kept candy since Christmas and haven't eaten it yet because of that! Other things I just plan. Like, I usually plan at least one day a week to have something I've been wanting. In the past, I've eaten lots of other things like Yoplait light yogurts to fix my sweet tooth. I've cut those out though, because they had HFCS...maybe that is why I am craving stuff now because I used to use yogurt as my ice cream and now I don't eat it anymore...

I always include something sweet, so I don't feel deprived. I think it's important to feel like you're able to have what you want, while making healthy choices. It also helps me stay within my calorie range.

I eat the Hunt's Snack Pudding - they come in a a variety of flavors and range from 60 to 120 calories. I also eat Klondike Slim-O-Bear Ice Cream Sandwiches - 100 calories and Breyers Chocolate Ice Cream Bars - around 120 calories I think. They all work wonders in dealing with the sugar urges and they are low calorie.

I have always allowed room for a treat since I started. It's worked well for me. I mostly do a low cal ice cream, chocolate cheerios or popcorn. I think I would have quit by now if I had limited myself...I guess that's why I love calorie counting.