I don't eat wheat & try to be gluten free but it has nothing to do with weight. However better calorie control is one of the good side effects of this way of eating.

This is what I wanted to say exactly. It's not that I've decided I can't have poutine, it's just not worth it!

For holidays and special family events, special treats such as birthday cake are allowed -- although I have noticed that I now ask for a small piece. But the rest of the time, I try to find a taste alternative. For instance, ice cream and chocolate could be food groups by themselves for me, but I've found good substitutes that satisfy the cravings but easily keep me within my calorie range.

I don't know. I've done it both ways. I've done it all ways, lol.

I think that if I was truly capable of eating whatever I wanted and stopping at an appropriate portion, keeping my calories at a number that will result in a healthy weight or weight loss - I wouldn't be here in the first place.

Clearly, I can't - sometimes I get overconfident from weight loss success after months of only eating healthy food and think I can just "eat like thin people do" and then 3 months and 15lbs later of not tracking, eating whatever I want with the intention of portion control, I realize I can't.

I do sometimes. If there's something that I really want like birthday cake or something then I just work it into my day's calories. However, I try not to do that often because 250 calories of cake is not nearly as satisfying nor filling as 250 calories of something healthier. I also am trying to wean myself off of my addiction to sweets and find it easier to just cut them out completely.

I tip my cap to anybody who can do this. I cannot. I have a fairly defined set of food that I eat, and I try to minimize my quantities of these specific foods. Maybe one day I'll broaden my list. But I'm too afraid to do that now.

I'm extremely hard on myself I guess, but I am super strict about my intake. Sometimes if I have a craving for something that isn't healthy, I try to substitute it for something a little healthier. For example, I crave peanut butter cups a lot so instead I'll have a teaspoon of peanut butter with some dark chocolate chips and that helps.

But as long as it isn't an every day thing, I see nothing wrong with it! My partner does it and it hasn't gotten in the way of his progress.

I don't count calories and I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. I try to make sure I only eat when I'm hungry and not give in to cravings. Before I eat something, I ask myself if I'm really hungry or if it's just a craving. I also make sure that 90% of what I eat is healthy. I usually have a treat after supper such as a piece of chocolate, a 100-calorie Snicker's ice cream bar or a cookie but I only have one serving. The meal doesn't feel "finished" until I have something sweet. I don't always have junk after supper either, sometimes I'll have healthy desserts such as an apple topped with caramel ice cream topping or a banana with fat-free whipped cream on top (tastes just like a banana cream pie). To answer the question, I do allow myself to eat whatever I want but I tend to gravitate to healthy foods and rarely want bad stuff.

Only on very, very rare occasion. I cannot stay within a calorie range to lose weight, let alone be healthy or have any energy, if I blow them on starchy, sugary junk instead if nutrient dense fare. On a birthday or Christmas? Maybe. But I do much better sticking to both a calorie range and carb level, as well as focusing on whole, real foods. I had five ounces of pot roast and two Brazil nuts for breakfast for around 350 calories - is two bowls of cereal going to stick with me as long as that, let alone nourish my muscles and organs as well?

Calories are energy, but food has a much more significant impact on our bodies than just its burn value (and different foods are metabolized differently, which also matters!). A calorie budget is an excellent and often necessary starting point for weight loss, but leaving it at that is to miss much of what is important for overall health and vitality, let alone longer term weight loss (when that budget starts shrinking with our weight, blowing six hundred calories on a frozen burrito ceases to make sense when you could fill up on a salad, chicken, and an apple with peanut butter instead).

That's my experience. I counted calories for awhile as a sole means of weight management, but I necessarily transitioned to something that works much better for my body.

Absolutely, I will have a treat, as long as it stays within my calorie range. Everyone once in a great while I will allow myself to go over my cals...just to feel a splurge. I know I shouldn't, but sometimes things come up at the spur of the moment and I feel like if I don't allow myself a little give that I'll set myself up for a huge binge.

My thoughts are basically in line with what everyone else has said. My general flowchart:
Why do I want this? (emotionally upset, random craving, just hungry, social semi-obligation, etc) -> Can this be worked into my calorie limits? (I don't strictly count calories, but I track a daily estimate.) -> How large of a serving is that? -> Will I actually be satisfied with that serving size, or will I want more and end up in a binge?
I didn't eat any junk for the first two, maybe three weeks of my diet. I'm glad I did that, because small indulges at that time probably would have lead to binges. I trust myself more now.

I have worked my plan, so that I have daily limit. However, my plan allows for weekly flex options.

I can eat them or not, my choice. They are weekly, and I cannot save them for the next week.

The nice thing is, it works, I have the flexibility, if life shows up, at the same time, if nothing is going on, I don't need them.

At the same time, I still need to remember portion control and get in my workouts.

So far, it's all good!

I've learned the hard way that taking only calories into consideration doesn't work well for me. When I eat high glycemic carbs, my hunger levels shoot through the roof, making sticking to my calorie budget extremely difficult. When I do splurge on high glycemic carbs, I have to then use what seems like superhuman, white-knuckled, teeth-clenching willpower just to avoid bingeing, much less staying in calorie range.

I can't say that I'm never willing to make the trade-off, but usually (even if I stay within budget calorie-wise) I end up regretting the choice, because white-knuckle willpower is just so exhausting and stressful. It's usually easier and more enjoyable in the long run to make choices based on minimizing carb-triggered hunger. For me, that's even more important than my calorie budget.

I'm like most of the people here in that sure, I CAN eat whatever I want, but DO I? No! My health numbers have improved tremendously, and I know if I go back to eating **** every day, I would not be a healthy individual. I feel so much better now: I have energy, I look better, I can do more, I can BREATHE. I don't feel sluggish and blah and bloated and gross all the time anymore. That's more worth it to me than eating pizza every day.

I agree with this, though I wouldn't call it deprivation as much as sacrifice. There's some sacrifice in losing weight and maintaining the loss -- no way around that. I prefer to face it head-on so it doesn't take me by surprise. I find it useful to remind myself of the trade-off: better body and better health in exchange for less freedom in eating. (For me, the loss of freedom lies only in putting limits on quantities. No foods are off-limits to me and I treat myself often.)

F.