I am getting ready for my post baby weight loss. I've stocked up on some frozen meals like Lean Cuisine. I've also been cooking and portioning everything out and freezing it. I did brown rice and whole wheat pasta, and today, grilled chicken.
But I also bought some not so healthy frozen dinners, the bigger kind for the whole family. I did check the calories, and we've eaten them before, so I know that a cup for 280 cals is actually quite filling (its like lasgnas and some kind of chicken rice stuff)

But I'm starting to get the forbidden food mentality and I haven;t even started yet! I'm thinking "oh I can't eat that, it not super healthy"....I mean its not like double fried lard balls or anything, but when I start losing weight I start getting a long list of foods I CAN'T eat...which I don't want to do this time. Don't get me wrong, I'm planning on most of my foods to be healthier options, but those few frozen dinners for the family, like the lasgna one, I'll be greatful to throw them in the oven when I have a newborn, two other kids and hubby is working late. I told myself, its ok a few times a month, or even once a week as long as I measure it out and stay within calories.

Forbidden foods it THE REASON I have failed in the past. I cut my list of "allowed" or safe foods shorter and shorter until I'm only able to eat at home and certain foods. I keep telling myself that if I do that I will fail again, because I can not go the rest of my life without ever eating lasgna again.

Opinions? Advice? Do you have forbidden foods? What do I feel so guilty eating i.e. lasgna, even if I measure it out and stay with in calories?

p.s. the rest of my days are healthy. Breakfast and lunch are definitely healthy, dinner is a little harder because right now I'm doing prepackaged meals because of the baby coming. Once I'm back to cooking, I do cook healthier, but even then, I'm just not going to go the rest of my life and not every have lasgna...

"double fried lard balls" I can't stop laughing about that.

As far as forbidden foods go, I think the best advice I've ever received about it is that you can't expect to do well if you cut out something you enjoy. We have some kind of lust for things we can't have. Probably the same reason I want Jude Law.

Anyway, don't cut them out completely. You just have to be responsible with them. You can have lasagne, but have a serving of it. I think the rush of limiting yourself on your favourite foods is even better than the rush of not eating them at all. Because then you know you can trust yourself AND you're much less likely to fail.

Think of it as a lifestyle change rather than a diet. In your life, there will be lasagne, but teach yourself to be able to deal with it.

The rules are: moderation and making sure that you aren't eating it every day. Never restrict yourself completely or your bound to go crazy and throw the whole thing away.

Thank you! Your last line hit the nail on the head. I have a history of restricting certain foods and eventually I'm just like "to **** with it!!" and instead of one serving on lasgna, I eat half a tin full...then feel gross....

I agree in not eating it all the time. That's why I don't know why I get so uncomfortable about the whole thing. Seriously, I eat everyday a very healthy, calorie controled breakfast. No issues. Lucnh, healthy choices. Dinner USUALLY healthy choices, but by the time dinner rolls around, I want to be able to say order out for pizza once a month, or throw in a frozen dinner (thats not lean cuisine)2-3 times a months, not every night... honestly, I would like to shoot for 80-90% of my food is healthy, and the occasional 10%-ish is less than ideal but still calorie controlled....and really make the effeort to very very very rarely treat myself to fried lard balls!!!

Nothing is forbidden for me, it's all about moderation and calories.
Is it worth the amount of calories?

Good luck on your journey!!!

I do not have any forbidden foods. But now that I know just how hard I am working each day to get my weight down many *forbidden foods* do not look good to me. Many foods look like a heart attack or stroke waiting to happen to me.

I do not see an issue with frozen dinners if they are not eaten all the time. You will have your hands full. It will be nice to be able to get something together quick on those days that are extra demanding and busy.

I am a single mom that is also caring for my two elderly parents. I try to keep things as easy as possible for myself.

Breakfast, we all get our own (all of us include a fruit with this meal), and usually at different times.

I make lunch and dinner for all of us.

Dinner is usually fish (every other day) or chicken, pork chops, turkey (once in awhile steak, meatloaf, turkey sausage patties), two servings of veggies, and a carb (sweet potatoes, whole grain dinner roll, beans, rice, noodles, ...).

Lunch is usually like dinner meals but smaller portions, spaghetti, chicken or turkey stir fries, etc and vegetables.

I do a variety of vegetables at dinner and lunch throughout the week.

My son and I usually have a healthy snack between lunch and dinner.

After dinner we all enjoy a treat sometimes, a single serve cup of ice cream, ice cream bar, Kashi dark chocolate chip cookie, granola bar, etc.

Wishing you a healthy and very speedy (though making it to the hospital) delivery!

I generally allow myself to eat anything I want, I just eat a small portion. I usually have a cheat day each week though, for unplanned restaurant eating and such.

I avoid certain foods, but don't forbid them. Even wheat, which causes rather dramatic skin issues, I do not technically forbid. I just ask myself, "would the consequences be worth it?"

If I decide, "no," then I tell myself "not today."

Some foods I may never eat again, but not because I've forbidden them, but because I will have not judged them worth eating because of their effects. I don't have to think about never eating anything, I just have to decide in the moment, whether the food is worth it's cost (whether the cost is in calories, or an itchy, flaky, red rash.

I basically just don't eat sweets. I can't just eat one bite; I have to gorge myself =/

I don't know about the lard balls , but everything else sounds really reasonable to me. If you keep yourself in your calorie range, or limit how often you go above it, you'll do fine--and be able to keep doing it.

I'm a big fan of comparing what I'm doing to what I used to be doing, as opposed to comparing it to perfection. 100% healthy is not realistic for most of us. 80-90% sounds pretty successful to me!

I am very careful of what I eat on normal days and allow myself treats on special occasions. I allow myself to go out to eat with friends once a week. As I transition to maintenance, I think I will allow myself to eat out twice a week. I feel like I miss out on a lot of social opportunities because I avoid going out to eat.

So nothing is really forbidden, but I save certain foods for special times so they are eaten very rarely.

I think it really depends on the person. When discussing dieting with people they tend to tell me to allow myself treats/cheat days/etc. I have done this in the past and cheat days turn into cheat weeks and months. Therefore, I am very careful not to allow myself anything that I don't feel I have self control over.

If you have more self control than I do, then I'd say just measure out the portions and you'll be fine.

Nothing is forbidden with me, I just modify portion sizes. That doesn't mean I eat a bunch of high caloric foods in small portions, it just means that I'm not going to punish myself with guilt if I want to eat something I normally don't eat.

I really don't have anything forbidden, although I did pass up a 1200 calorie slice of red velvet cheesecake at the cheesecake factory. Some fleeting joy is just not worth it.

I do try to stay away from Chinese food though, even though I love it. The salt content just piles on the water for me.

Well yesterday I had a Cliff bar, 2 pieces pepperoni pizza, a cheeseburger, and onion rings and still came in under 1300 calories. Today I had a candy bar and glass of wine. I use MyFitnessPal to track everything and try to stay within the limits. I don't eat a lot of packaged or processed foods because they're just not healthy. On days like yesterday I follow it up with a salad that night, just to make myself feel better for all the junk. Using MFP showed me that my calories were actually much too low, especially with my exercise routine, so I loosened up and didn't stress so much about indulgences. I think it's good to learn how to balance your diet and get into the habit of choosing better options. You get used to a regular burger instead of a whopper, 4 cookies instead of the whole box.

My only forbidden foods are things that cause severe reactionary symptoms for me (wheat and uncultured dairy - the wheat is non-negotiable, but the dairy I can have in small amounts if I'm willing to take the consequences). Eliminating wheat and dairy already removes most junk or diet "danger" food from the picture, but what's left I simply portion out and/or don't eat regularly. My tastes and stomach capacity have changed so much that I can now trust myself even at a food free-for-all (buffets, potlucks, etc.)