Do you ever celebrate?

[Abby Normal]

I've been doing really well on my weight loss, eating and exercising. I'm down 5# since the beginning of the year, which is huge for me. I had decided earlier this week to reward myself by going out to lunch today. I've been looking forward to it all week long. But now that the day is here, as much as I really want to eat it, I'm feeling guilty.

I've been telling myself that I have to allow myself some rewards, or I'll give up. It's my favorite pasta dish that one of the local restaurants makes. I love it. On a scale from 1-10 (10 being pizza, beer and cheesecake for lunch) I'd rate it around a 4 for calories and fat.

So is it a step to keep me going or a step back words?

[The J]

You need to allow yourself to eat things like this in moderation. The only way to sustain weight loss is to have made a lifestyle change. You'll obviously eat this dish again some time in the future, so why not figure out now how to make it fit into your dietary schedule? This is a great opportunity to eat something a little bad for you and then determine how you'll compensate for it in the future.

[Abby Normal]

That's what I've been thinking. It just feels so ...bad. Maybe it's just because it tastes soooo good.

[Deleted]

I think it is very important to reward yourself. If you enjoy it that much and you're only eating it occasionally, you should go for it. Don't feel guilty.

[tractor]

You need to do it. It's OK to reward yourself every few weeks, even if you fall off the diet treadmill once in a while. Remember, you didn't gain the excess weight in just a day, so taking day off your diet isn't going to magically put it back on. I take about every 5th week off, stay out of the gym and just enjoy good old fashion regular food. What will get you is if you decide one day wasn't so bad, why not make it a whole month. Go out, celebrate your recent weight loss, then get right back after it, maybe plan on some ice cream when your down another 5lbs.

[kadee]

Do it but only eat half....then you'll only feel half as guilty! ;D
Bring the rest home to have a bite every now/then & you will soon loose some of those cravings!
Don't punish yourself....treat yourself when you have reached a certain point BUT only knowing that it is a TREAT not a new habit!

[Artemis Windsong]

Body by Jakes' rule is one night a week, usually Saturday night, you get to eat whatever you want. If it's M&Ms then eat them in moderation. It's not a license to really pig out but to squash those cravings.

I have cut out sweets this week. I gave my GS1 and GGS2 a tin of butter cookies at Xmas. GGS2 who will be 2 y.o. soon, offered me a cookie. I didn't take one and he did. Darn. I should have taken that cookie. He said something to his Dad although, he doesn't speak clearly, yet. All I can do is imagine. That was my 2nd goofy thing today.

The 1st goofy thing was I had finished my workout at the fitness center and was getting ready to leave. The manager was bouncing on a fitness ball, eating an apple in her office. If looks could have snatched that apple, I would have.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

There is also something to be said for giving yourself non-food rewards, too

[Frugal Nurse]

Jan 30, 2011 21:45:17 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

There is also something to be said for giving yourself non-food rewards, too

That's what I was going to say! I usually reward my weight loss with a massage or a new outfit or something. When I'm trying to lose weight, I typically refrain from purchasing new clothes until I'm at my goal. So treating myself to a new outfit every 5 pounds or so helps me stay motivated (I LOVE shopping for clothes), and keep me looking put together while I'm losing and none of my clothes fit perfectly!

I'm kind of an all-or-nothing girl. If I start eating like crap at one meal, the next meal I will think "well, I ate like that last time and it was ok", and that starts a dangerous line of thinking/eating/gaining weight! So I just try to make healthy choices 99% of the time (I will let lose at birthdays and holidays, but that's it!)

[thyme4change]

I would agree that eating a crappy meal isn't a reward. I think you could have just about anything in moderation. I had 1/4 cup of ice cream on Saturday. Maybe that was sort of a reward - but it isn't like I had to eat a half gallon to get the enjoyment. The reward for eating well and taking care of your body is being healthy - not that you get to undo all your hard work by pigging out on whatever you want.

Besides, the longer you are able to resist certain things - particulary really processed foods, fast foods, and very sweet items - it is likely they won't even taste that good once you have them. If you do need to binge, I would go for a very high quality version of what you want. So, if you think a Twinkie is a reward, try going to an expensive bakery and buying a fresh petit four. Sure, it will cost you $4 instead of 75 cents - but you will realize how crappy cheap food is.

[Abby Normal]

So for an update. I did go out and eat my favorite pasta dish on Friday. It was amazing. I didn't gain any weight and still lost a bit over the weekend, so I was pretty happy. I just can't make it a habit.