Do u ever allow yourself a treat ?
 

what i mean is... do you ever have something totally OFF the SB plan ? If so, how does it affect you ? does it kick in cravings or can you have one treat then just keep going like it's nothing ?

The reason I am asking, my son's 5th birthday is the 30th and of course we are having birthday cake ( DQ ice cream cake ), and just wondering if it would be ok if i had some or would it totally mess me up ?

How do you handle birthday parties etc ?

Movin' toward Cruisin' with NKOTB!
 

I try to stick to the 3 bite rule. I enjoy 3 bites and throw it away!

I felt the same way last week. I went to 4 parties last weekend and most of the food were on the "No" list. One of the parties had a huge platter of fresh warm mini pastries, freshly queeze juice, mimosa, mini quiches, champagne and chocolates everywhere. I was at the party for 3 hours and only had coffee.

I had a hearty meal before the party, it helps with the cravings. My BF (also on SB) and I were keeping each other in check. We kept ourselves motivated by talking trash: he wants 6-pack abs, no more love handles, let our friends pig out so we will look hotter in comparison, how I will be a skinny b*tch at our wedding, etc. It was all nonesense, but the trash talk kept me laughing the whole time and forgot about the food.

The problem with having one thing "off plan" is that, for me, it is usually followed by a lot more stuff "off plan". If you can stop after the cake, I don't think it would hurt your loss so much, but it might cause cravings again and problems later on. I like the idea of having a few bites and stopping. Unfortunately, for me, that's really hard to do.

For SB, it depends on what phase you're in, I think. In P1, no I do not allow myself a treat. I stay on plan. P1 for me is the phase to kick the cravings, as the good Doc says, so I will not compromise myself with a treat. P2, I would allow myself a small treat for a special occasion. But I'd be careful what treat I had as some things will definitely set off my cravings. Big style.

I have learned that having stuff that's wildly off-plan basically causes me to feel like total, utter crap the next day--or even for a few days. To be honest, the cake or pizza or booze or whatever is just not worth it to me. I'd rather feel awesome. So, it's not so much about the cravings or being worried that I'll go completely away from plan, it's just that I don't want to feel horrid after.

I learned the hard way from having a few drinks last week (vodka & seltzer, not even terribly off-plan)... I was sicker than I've been in years! I am certain it's because of my new way of eating... I was not really a drinker to begin with, but I would never have gotten so ill from just three drinks!

Agree with WarMaiden... just not worth it

I remember asking this question a wee while ago...about Thanksgiving. What I was told helped A LOT!

the advice given me was to remember that there will be always be birthday cakes. How important is staying on plan and your health to you? Remember nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

It spoke to me because I know my resolve sometimes is not as strong as I think if I allow sugar to come back in and lounge on my hips!!! Good luck in whatever you decide.

It really depends on the treat. I'm pretty sure there is some high fructose corn syrup in that cake, and for me that's a "treat" that takes a lot of work to recover from. HFCS causes outrageous cravings for me so I've learned to stay away from it. I do, on rare occasions, have a homemade goodie though.

While everyone is different the only off plan treat I ate while actively losing was a plate of fried seafood (no fries) about 7 months into SBD and I planned my other meals that week carefully to accommodate the extras.

I am having some cravings right now. I will have some jello to curb my sweet tooth and make some more tonight.

On phase II, I usually allow myself a "treat" every few months. If I have too many treats though, the cravings really kick in - and I end up having to "phase I" it for a while.

I've learned that on phase II, I can have a square of dark chocolate occasionally. If I do cakes and such (like during the holidays), the cravings really kick in - so I try to avoid them until my one "treat" day.

i absolutely cannot allow myself a treat because if i do that is the end of my diet and it's all over for me!

i think the consensus here is that it really isn't worth it!

I'm not on South Beach, so take my input with a grain of salt, but I would have a piece of cake for my kid's birthday. I would and I do. One piece of cake will not undo all of my efforts. I know it can trigger cravings for some people, so if it does for you, maybe it is better to be safe than sorry. But this way of eating is for the rest of my life---and that includes my kids' birthdays. A perfectionistic view of "never ever" eating such and such again is far more harmful to me personally than the view that a piece of cake here and there can fit into an overall lifestyle of healthy foods and exercise.

YMMV, of course.

this is my personal opinion on this too. a few weeks ago it was my son's BD and my DIL made a red velvet cake with real cooked icing. I had a small piece. But it was at their house and I didn't come home with any. That was the trick, even if I wanted more (and I did, wow I did) it wasn't in the house. So If I were you I would have a small piece and make sure someone else took home the leftovers.
If I told myself never ever, then this woe would not be doable. This is for the long long haul. But you still need to manage the frequency and amount of anything "off plan" whatever your plan is.