Hello everyone.
I would love some input regarding my eating behaviors & food plan.

I’m recommitting to my weight loss efforts.
I have been spinning my wheels for the last year or so - very discouraging. I’m going to try a couple of new things and see if I have better success.

I have a problem with binge eating - especially baked goods - pies, doughnuts, cakes...most especially, home baked cookies.
What I have done in the past is to swear them off completely, only to succumb at a weak moment. Life without sweets seems too much to bear. I feel like such a weaking by admitting that.

Does anyone have experience regarding how to add a “problem food” to a food plan. I wonder that if I never deprive myself of my favorite food, I will have less trouble with bingeing on that food.

I follow a 3 meals per day ( 1200 - 1600 calories), with a planned snack if needed food program. Heavy on the lean sources of protein, 7-10 servings of fruits & veggies, 3 servings of simple carbs ( bread, rice etc.) If I add cookies or dessert to my plan my question is:

“How would you do it”?

Once a week dessert (on Sundays) I have tried before.
It only worked ½ the time - I would eat 4X want I had planned too.
Is twice or three times a week too much?
What would you think a “reasonable serving” would be (I have to ask that question because I don’t act “reasonable” about those foods).
Thanks for any input.

Best Wishes
FM

I class foods as "helpful" and "unhelpful". To the three year old tantrum throwing toddler that lives in my brain it works better than labelling them good or bad.

I have a couple of strategies. Firstly I don't have my danger unhelpful foods in the house. For me this is cake and ice cream and cookies. If I want those foods I have to go out to eat them. And I can only by a portion. So for example, I only eat ice cream in a cone from my delicatessan or in a tub at the cinema. That prevents me from eating a tub of Ben and Jerry's on the couch after a hard day at work.

I allow a treat on a Sunday, one meal, one snack. The snack can be cake, cookie etc following above rule.

For me a reasonable serving is one that you would feel comfortable eating in front of other people! Which is why I always have my treat out rather than at home.

I guess you need to work out if having a "treat" is going to work for you. If a food is just unhelpful and going to tip you a few calories over, then no problem, but if a bowl of icecream is going to trigger you to overeat on bad foods, then you need to decide whether it's worth it or not.

What really freed me from my guilt about sweet and fatty foods is we are actually genetically wired to like them (most of us are) I think I read that in an Andrew Weil book. It's to prevent us from starving (worked well for you and me didn't it ) You're not weak, you're normal, and you just need to learn how to manage it.

It's a bit hard to explain, but I have two different feelings when I crave something sweet. One is a wild despairing kind of craving - for me, I associate this with how I felt when I really wanted a cigarette (I quit about 6 years ago). If I have this kind of craving, I try NOT to give in to it. It is an addiction craving and will only lead me to grief.

However, sometimes I just want something sweet and nice - and usually I know what it is that I want. I usually wait a day or two (to be absolutely sure) and either eat out or bring home one serving. I build the calories in to whatever else I am eating that day, or if I go over I compensate by going a bit lower for a few days.

I found that by not denying myself anything outright, I am much more able to handle it. Theoretically I allow myself anything I want, so often times when faced with eating a cookie or chocolate I ask myself "If you could have any cookie in the world, is that the one you would pick? No? Then later I will go get you the cookie you really want." Most often I find later that I didn't really want the cookie and also I would rather spend my calories on what I truly want rather than something that will only satisfy me half way.

I am also a sweet lover and I usually have something every day - BUT . . . I limit it to better choices. For instance, I buy the Weight Watchers (or a brand that is lower calorie) ice cream bars. Weight Watchers makes a cookies and cream ice cream bar that is to die for - and it's a good size and very satisfying. Skinny Cows are wonderful ice cream treats and they are low fat. Sometimes I have one of those pudding cups that are made with Splenda and they are great. There are so many more foods, in general, for those of us who are trying to lose weight than there ever has been before - you just need to take your time and read labels in the store.

I try not to have things I know I can't handle in the house, but my husband is a horrible eater and has a terrible sweet tooth and he buys bags of M & Ms and cookies and this and that. I told him to put them somewhere where I can't see them and even though I know they are in the house, if I don't see them, I'm not apt to become obsessed about having them. If I lived alone, they wouldn't be in the house. I know that if I didn't have something sweet sometimes and totally rid myself of them, I'd feel resentful and be more apt to binge. There's nothing worse than watching others eat things that you shouldn't and have nothing to fall back on.

DNR

First, have you considered eating smaller meals more often? Eating three larger meals often can lead to blood sugar lows between the meals that may make you susceptible to binge eating. Just a thought. . .

Like the others, I don't have sweet foods in the house (my DH has the occasional chocolate bar that he puts on a high shelf because I asked him to). If I want ice cream, I go out to get one serving, and as others mentioned, I go with someone. Occasionally, I will split a dessert with my DH if we go out to dinner. One way to work it is to put just enough money in your pocket for that one cookie so that one doesn't become two or three.

I don't think it's "wrong" to avoid certain foods, however. While I don't feel guilty about having a dessert, I always want more and sometimes I slip and have more. Sugary foods trigger something in me that breaks down any food sense I have. I know that about myself so I avoid desserts more often than I have them, and am happier for it actually.

I am going to have to echo what everyone has said so far. I try not to set myself up for failure in my house. I am a chip and chocolate addict. Therefore, I have banned them from my house. I know, easier said than done, especially if you have family members that are not on the same plan (lifestyle) that you are on. However, my plan allows me to have a dessert every day, so I find I do not feel deprived.

It gets easier I promise you. I also eat about 6 times a day, (3 meals, plus snacks) and I find I don't get into that ravenouse hungry mode when you don't think about what you are putting in your mouth. I know there are times when the stress gets to you and you want to binge no matter what. I get that way sometimes as well. When that happens, I try to figure out why I am feeling that way. I try to keep myself busy until the craving passes. Sometimes I give in. When I do that, I just very mindful of the portion sizes. I don't go for a super gigantic serving, just a small one. I love Jilly's idea of having a serving size you would only eat in public.

Very seldom do I have a sweet craving. If I do, it's usually satisfied by a cup of hot chai with splenda or a teaspoon of honey.

I'm more a cheese, chip, and bread addict. (thank God for low-fat CHeez-its!) I don't make dip or bring home brie unless we are having a party. We tried a "white pizza" dip for Gem's birthday that was sour cream, ricotta, pepperoni, mozzarella, and herbs. It evaporated! (and I'm sorry to say much of it evaporated into me...)

I agree that planning is key for me. If I know I'm having a party, or going out to eat, or we're going for ice cream, I make a strategy ahead of time, and I plan my calories around the treat to limit the damage. For instance, last night we went out to dinner, and I wanted cheesecake for dessert. So instead of having a full dinner, I got an appetizer chicken quesadilla , and split the cheesecake (and drank the rest of my calories -- YUM Appletini).

However, sometimes the sweets bug hits me HARD. If I have it in the house, it is fair game. I got Rice Krispy treats for the Easter baskets, and ended up eating five of the leftover ones while playing on the ocmputer one evening. *sighs* A lot of it for me is mindless eating. I wasn't hungry. I was just.. "munchy". So here is what I do to try to avoid hitting Vacuum and sucking up everything and anything without tasting it.

Plan A: I find that if I load up on protein, I'm MUCH less likely to get cravings for sweets. If I get a hankering for something, I eat a couple spoonsful of cottage cheese and wait half an hour.

Plan B: If that doesn't do it, then I move on to plan B, and see if there is a healthier sweet choice that will satisfy the yearning. Low-fat ice cream bars and hot tea are two that will almost invariably do it for me.

Plan C: If not, I go to Plan C, which is one piece of very good chocolate (Almond Roca is my fave, but chocolate toffees will do as well). I put it on a crystal candy plate and look at it a moment, then take one bite (rather than pop the whole thing in my mouth). I savor it, eating it slowly, feeling the chocolate melt and coat my tongue with its silken goodness. I try to identify the different flavors of sweet and bitter and depth that it has. Then I take the second bite and savor it. And when it's all gone, I'm almost always satisfied. (this also works with scottish shortbread, by the way)

Plan D: If not, Plan D is, as others have said, to go OUT to have a bigger treat. Chocolate cake, cheesecake, and ice cream fall into these categories.

The core is that you CAN do it. Food is not your enemy. Honest. Unless you have overwhelming medical problems, there probably isn't anything you CAN'T have. Just plan for it, and take it in moderation as part of your overall food intake. Thin people eat all the things we do, after all. They just eat less of it, and are satisfied. So make plans, and celebrate when you stick to them. If you are unprepared and have no plan, you are much more likely to binge.

At a luncheon yseterday, they were passing around a plate of brownies. One lady (thin, of course) said no thank you. But then I heard her say she passed on the brownie because she wants to have a beer later. I think that's part of this whole thing. Realizing that while you may not be able to have it all, you can still have some, it's just a matter of making choices.

I'm going to ditto ditto ditto everything above. I don't have any "junk" food in the house. When I get an overwhelming craving, I have to not be lazy and go out for it. If I want chips, I plan to go to Subway for lunch and get a single bag of baked Doritos. If I want ice cream we drive to TCBY or sometimes Ben & Jerry's and get a small cup. If we want pizza we go to the place that has the absolute best pizza in the area and have some, but we have to go out for it. No frozen pizzas, no crappy delivery...

The only snacks I keep in the house are fruit, veggies, FF/SF popsicles, FF fudgesicles, and FF/SF pudding. I used to get those 100 calorie cookie snack packs, but I got into the habit of having one every single night and my blood sugar went up by about 10 points after a bit. I guess the only danger of the fudgesicles is that one could potentially eat several of them in one sitting if it were to become a binge... but, heck, one could binge on fruit and veggies and it'd still be a binge...

But anyway, as stated by most of the others, the best method for me is to just not bring it into the house. If I really want it, I gotta get up off my bum and go get it... in public...

Good luck, and please keep posting!

-Lala

I absolutely feel where everyone above is coming from. For me, however, I had to take a different approach.

Because my goal in this was to get to the point that healthy choices weren't something I had to force myself into, I concentrated on that first, instead of letting it develop over time. Therefore, instead of planning an "off" day or calculating calories around treats, I just ask myself: Do I need this? It helps for me to remind myself that whatever decision I make, the only person it affects is me. If it's something I know is really horrible for me, I have to weigh whether or not the taste of that Krispy Kreme maple doughnut (oh my GOD) is worth waking up in the morning a few ounces/pounds heavier and losing it again. At first it felt kind of harsh, but then I realised I could put that into operation the other way 'round as well...If I want that cookie, or some regular potato chips, so what? I'm not going to feel guilty about it. There's nothing I can do to my body with one craving or treat that I can't reverse. I think that, more than anything, helped me kick the binging habit. Just knowing that the only restrictions I had were ones I imposed myself, and I was at least 100% less likely to go overboard.

I also try to ask myself if there's something else that sounds good that would be a healthier choice, and take it if there is one...but kick the guilt habit.

That's just what worked for me, though.

Very true. I read someone on a board who would say to herself if she wanted a cookie, "If I could have only one cookie in the whole world, would this be the cookie I wanted?" If yes, she'd eat it. If no, she'd wait until she could have it. I have used that principle for avoiding things that just aren't worth it -- for example Hostess and Little Debbies that just aren't worth it any more, because real cake is so much better tasting. Instead of eating a bunch of crappy snack cakes, I'll wait and have one really good slice of cake, and enjoy it.

As another sweet lover, I have found a few things that I can keep in the house for when those "gotta have it" emergencies occur. But the key is still self control. I buy those 100 calorie packs of cookies or snack mix but I don't make them part of my everyday eating plan. But there are just times when nothing else is taking away my desire to have something sweet, so I eat a pack...just one and that is where the control comes in. The serving isn't big, but it is enough to take away the craving.

I also made a chocolate pudding pie the other night using the no sugar, no fat jello pudding, 2% milk, fat free cool whip and a graham cracker crust. Again, not something I make everyday (once a week at most) but it absorbs my craving.

I find that if I tell myself I am cutting out everything I like, I am not going to stick to an eating plan. But control is a must.

Great story. Key words: Thin lady.

I've been trying to think like a thin person. While some people are naturally thin, others have to work hard to stay thin, just like we are working hard to lose weight. I have one cheat meal/day per week. Sometimes it may just be a brownie. Sometimes it may be a couple of bad meals. But if I really want something, I just convince myself that waiting until Friday/Saturday will be worth it. And if I want to eat a whole cake, then I'll do it and feel no guilt whatsoever. Now, I may pay the price the next day (feeling ill) so this has kept my cheat days under control. But the one day a week concept has worked for me so far.