What do you all think of the idea of splurging for one meal, like once a week or once every other week? Do you guys do this, or have you done this in your weight loss journeys? I'm not talking about binging. I'm talking about, say, going out for pizza one night a week, or out for a burger and fries. Or whatever floats your boat. Do you do this to stay sane, or are you able to say goodbye to your favorite fun foods altogether, day in and day out, only indulging in them maybe a few times a year?

What are your thoughts on the subject?


Alyssa

I don't really have a good answer for you, Alyssa. I've accomplished a lot of cool things in my life, but weightloss is not one of them.

I'm interested, though, to see what everyone else will say, and wanted to thank you for the thread.

Best wishes to all of us.

I don't do it. I wouldn't enjoy it knowing how much time and energy I have invested in changing my diet. And I can make plenty of yummy healthy things at home.

But worse, for me, would be that it would reinforce the idea of rewarding myself with unhealthy food. I'd rather reward myself with delicious, expensive fruit from Whole Foods or something like that, that I can enjoy without the guilt.

I am not someone who can go on and off the wagon. I used to binge and I don't want to ever do it again. But that's just me.

I like to have a splurge credit once a week, it helps me when i'm craving for something to think that on 'sunday' i can have it.

Often on 'sunday' i don't feel like the splurge after all and that's my chance gone for the week.

I've done this successfully previously, although more recently i'm not being so strict and so i can mini-splurge more often, but i think it's a good idea to allow myself something otherwise i feel too deprived and then i'm more likely to have a more major splurge and go off track.

I don't belong in here... but DON"T do it!!!!!

So, are some of you guys saying you're saying goodbye to everything other than totally healthy food for your entire lives, all the time? Never a piece of pie? Pizza, never a again? You've had your last candy bar, ever?

You do understand I wasn't talking about a binge, right? I was just wondering...

I'm 41 years old, and I've spent all but the last 5 years of my life under 120 pounds, usually under 110, even after a brood of babies. And, until I got sick a handful of years back, though I indulged occasionally in less than perfectly healthy food, I found it easy to stay thin... with hypothalamic disease and hypothyroidism.

I was just wondering if you all feel it's realistic to never have a piece of pizza or a burger, or McDonalds french fries again.


What made me think of the once a week or once every other week, one meal idea was, I was reading the testimony online of a person who'd lost over 100 pounds, and he allowed himself 1 meal per week to eat pot roast and mashed potatoes, or pizza, or whatever he chose for that meal. NOT a binge, where it's feasible to eat a week's worth of calories in a day! He said he did it to remain sane, and because he felt he needed to know how to eat these foods in moderation and with restraint in order to be able to maintain a healthy weight for the rest of his life.

Anyone else agree with this thinking? Does anyone else maintaining a low weight do this? I'm really thinking long term realism here.


Thanks for your thoughts, everyone!


Alyssa

I once lost 27 lbs on Weight Watchers. I liked the flexibility. You could have a meal at McDonalds. You'd just have to fit it into your points for the day. You could also bank points. It was an old plan. I think now you can just earn extra points with exercise. The point is, it allowed you to really eat whatever you wanted, but it forced you to choose wisely because if you go for that slice of pizza, you aren't going to get much else.

Personally, I don't want to say I've had my last candy bar. I love food. I would feel way too deprived and I wouldn't last long at all. To me, that's just not realistic for the long-term. So, when I lost all that weight, I did on occasion choose the pizza or burger or beer. But I'd skip the mayo, opt for thin crust over stuffed crust, and have light beer. I didn't have a single off-plan day for 3 complete months and I lost weight.

I've tried other routes that didn't work. I've tried having splurge days like on a holiday or at a party. I figured I couldn't really count points, so I "took the day off". Well that was ALWAYS a mistake. It opened the flood gates so to speak. Plus, it always took my several days (sometimes weeks) to get back on the horse. Meanwhile, I'd be losing ground, gaining weight, and my motivation would drop.

So, this time, it's no cheating or taking days off for me. I will work the food I want to eat into my plan.

Thank you so much for your comments, J.S.' Wife, and everyone else who's responded so far!


Alyssa

JackSpratsWife approach (WW) would definitely work (great name).

Personally i didn't 'borrow' from my general allowance when i splurged - it was a planned weekly extra, which propbably isn't ideal, but i just made up my own rules and didn't follow a recognised diet.

I'd say that if the splurge represents giving in, in a moment of weakness, then that's a big no no. Your brain will find it easier to give in another time too.

If the splurge is a planned treat and not a lapse, personally i think that's fine.

As you say, you're not realistically going to live life without ever tasting anything fat/sugar laden again.

I'm just a bit out of the 40-somethings, but I'm a calorie counter so I eat all the foods you listed as long as they fit in my calorie budget. Now most days I'd rather have more volume of food my making "healthier" versions of those foods at home, but just last week I have chosen to have a piece of bakery made birthday cake which likely did not have a single healthy ingredient and didn't hurt me a bit.

For some folks this would be a trigger food for going off plan, but cake not one for me. If a food is a binge trigger, I'd stay away from it but doesn't sound like that's the kind of splurge you are talking about.