Is it important to have “treats”?

Some people seem to think it is better to go cold turkey on sugar/dessert and other treats. Others prefer to allow themselves to eat those things in moderation. What works best for you when you’re trying to lose weight? (Personally, I like to have some treats!)

I do better if the only thing to snack on in the house is popcorn, pretzels, and carrots…

That being said, I have 4 young kids in the house who like their treats, so I’ve had to learn to pass them by, but it got a little easier once I started doing math:

Your thoughts are logical… but the peanut butter cups that call my name don’t always concur.

Maybe it is a matter of revising your idea of “treats”.  To me, a fresh mango is a huge treat.  Better than chocolate.  Well okay, nothing is better than chocolate.

But I think treats are very important. I also think they can be relatively healthy.  Besides, one or two peanut butter cups won’t kill you.  The problem lies in inhaling the whole bag.

The problem isn’t with the occasional treat; it’s with overindulging. I can’t keep multiple packages of “treats” around because I overdo it. When I really want a treat, I buy a single serving. If I buy a gallon of ice cream in the supermarket because it “costs the same” as a cup of frozen yogurt from the yogurt shop, I end up eating way too much!

I have a real all or nothing attitude, and I know it’s something I need to work on, but I’m not there yet. Maybe when I grow up… While I like the idea of snacks, I can’t stop at just one. I do better if I stick with things like fruit or hummus with veggies. I’m not tempted to go overboard with those!

My downfall is a full bag of treats, particularly at the PC. Eating one treat leads to another, to another and, before I know it I’ve eaten way too many. If I have treats in the house, I portion control them in little zip bags as soon as I bring the treats home. Then, I only bring one bag to the PC.

My downfall is snacking while I watch TV. I lose track when I’m engrossed in a program and wind up eating more than I planned.

Cutting out treats just makes me irritable, so I keep them in my daily diet. I count calories by keeping a food journal and fit in snacks that don’t make me go over my daily calories. The key is portion control - it’s okay to eat a serving size of 3 cookies - it’s not okay to eat half a bag of Milano cookies!

Everthing in moderation

I can’t stop with just one. Therefore, I do not like to keep them in the house. However, my hubby would starve to death without them, so I try to buy ones that I’m not particularly fond of, to help curb the cravings.

For me, I can stop with one piece of wedding cake or dessert when out in public, but not when I’m at home alone, KWIM?

Kelly—I just read a study that was published that said people who watch crime shows eat more, because it causes them to consider their own mortality. Do you watch a lot of crime dramas? Of course, I eat watching television, too—and I like Ugly Betty as much as CSI: Miami!

For most people, the all or nothing approach to sugar and snacks is doomed to failure. You may be able to follow a diet for six to 12 weeks without sugar, but what usually happens is the diet ends and your self control goes out the window! That first little taste of sugar send you spiraling back to your old eating habits and weight gain.

I’m a snacker, so I’ve had to learn to find things that satisfy me that aren’t high in sugar and still satisfy my sweet tooth. I try to avoid those processed 100 calorie snacks, because I never eat just one serving. One of the things that works for me is frozen grapes. When I come home from the grocery store, I wash them, pluck them and put them in a gallon freezer baggie. At snack time, I put two handfuls (about 3 oz) in a bowl. They’re sweet and in some ways remind me of a Popsicle. I can eat that bowl for 58 calories, and have another in the afternoon, and even a third bowl if I’m really in snack mode. Because grapes are high in natural sugars, I avoid them when dieting, but I’ve learned they are a better option than many low calorie alternatives.

I’m experimenting with other fruit. Blueberries work, but they aren’t as sweet as grapes.

Donna S.

For me, I have to have treats so that I don’t feel deprived. Fruit is “good” food to me, not a treat, lol, though I do love it. I know I probably shouldn’t approach treats as “bad” but this way, I feel like I’ve been rewarded when I have one.

I’m able to stop at just one if I really sit and savor it instead of inhaling it. The good thing is, even though I have 3 young kids at home, I don’t like cookies and chips. I prefer chocoate as a treat and when I do eat it, it’s at night after they’ve gone to bed, where I can eat a piece in peace and quiet and really enjoy it.

Crime shows, eh? Well I do enjoy them and I too like to eat while watching TV which is not a good habit. It leads to mindless eating. Snacks and mindless eating opens the door to overeating on snacks without even realizing how much we’ve eaten. Plus, we don’t really enjoy the taste of our treats as much as we could because our minds are engaged in the program we’re watching. I wonder how much weight I could shed if I just stopped eating while watching TV?

Donna

My nutritionist and I worked out a deal that allows me to have two 100-calorie treats per day. Now, I stay away from anything with high-fructose corn syrup, so I don’t get those calorie packs of Oreos or whatever. Usually it’s two-three pieces of individually-wrapped chocolate, like Dove.

A long time ago, I decided just what kinds of treats I really needed. So I don’t “need” cookies (although working in an office environment during the holidays makes this resolution difficult to control!!), pie, and cake as much as I need chocolate and/or ice cream.

So, ice cream, once a “balance the half-gallon on my chest while I watch a rerun of Will and Grace every night” is now a once-a-month treat, and usually no more than a cup or two.

The chocolate every day, in portions I can control, helps keep the evil away.

Hi TK,

Moderation is the key to success. If you never have a treat and feel deprived—and least for me—causes an eventual meltdown and overeating on the very things I’ve sworn to stop eating. An all or nothing mindset tends to keep in the “nothing” mode more than staying on my diet. So if I allow myself some treats in moderation, I eat less of those treats. For example, during this holiday season, I’ve eaten two cookies here and there. In the past it would have been at least six at a time.

Thanks for sharing!

Donna

I’m having trouble with treats. The plan I’m following allows me to have chocolate, nuts, seeds and olive oil (MUFAS). This is great but I really need to take control of my snacking. I think, “I’m allowed to have chocolate,” but this works against my progress because I don’t think about how much I’m actually eating.

I need to find a balance. I have compulsion issues, maybe; just eating without thinking. Sometimes it’s better for me to have foods that are completely off limits. It’s just easier than controlling myself, if that makes sense.