Moderation strategies

[Aidanqm]

Hey gals,

Does anyone have strategies or tips for incorporating moderation into their diet? I want to avoid the trap of "all or nothing" thinking that can lead to binge eating or restriction.

Here are my ideas so far:
* Only diet for four days at a time, then take a one or two day break at maintenance calories.
* Schedule two or more "free meals" with friends or family per month
* Have a small snack or food that isn't on your diet in the evening

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

[tina722]

Are you trying to lose weight? You are quite small already.

Besides that I have a couple different thoughts:

For me, moderation means I have no restrictions on food and no set plan. Instead realize I don't need to eat everything that's available. I choose what's most satisfying, will fill me up and will fit my macros. I have a calorie and macro range that I want to hit for each day. If I'm full and don't want to eat (dinner, dessert), I don't, most likely I'll be more hungry the next day and eat those calories then.

"Incorporating moderation" depends on how obsessed you currently are.

[toodlepip]

Hey gals,

Does anyone have strategies or tips for incorporating moderation into their diet? I want to avoid the trap of "all or nothing" thinking that can lead to binge eating or restriction.

Here are my ideas so far:
* Only diet for four days at a time, then take a one or two day break at maintenance calories.
* Schedule two or more "free meals" with friends or family per month
* Have a small snack or food that isn't on your diet in the evening

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

At 5'4 and 110 lbs why in the name of god are you dieting?

[Aidanqm]

Tina, thanks for the tips. I'm leaning out more for the 2013 running season. I have a spring marathon, syttende mai, and a ragnar relay. I'm a runner, not actually into bodybuilding or weights much... every bit counts when you're running 26.2 or more miles. I've found the strategies that body builders use to lose fat really helps for running as well.

[sy2502]

In my experience, the worst for moderation is having forbidden foods. That's the best way to have crazy cravings. If there are foods you really like, try to incorporate them in small portions into your diet, that way there's nothing special about them. Also going really low in calories is another way to set yourself up for binge disaster. Other than that, it takes time to change the psychological patterns of binge eating. Take it a little at a time, and don't beat yourself up too much if you sometimes slip.

[Miranda]

try look at all foods in terms of energy density per serving relative to how much you have allotted for the day.

[catskills]

try look at all foods in terms of energy density per serving relative to how much you have allotted for the day.

Miranda, can you explain what you mean by this in just a bit more detail. Thanks.

[Miranda]

Miranda, can you explain what you mean by this in just a bit more detail. Thanks.

well, different foods have different energy densities and all that energy combined makes up your daily intake. end of story.

have you noticed that a lot of foods people deem 'bad' are merely very high in calories per serving compared to something 'good'? the actual issue is that you have to be mindful about eating calorie dense stuff because it adds up quite quick. not that it is going to turn you into an immoral person or some sort silliness.

contrast that to the 'good fats' everyone raves about for example. olive oil is the most energy dense item per serving, because it's 100% lipid. yet there are people who think nothing of it to drown a salad in, eh, EVOO, because it's 'good for you', even though one tablespoon has 125 calories.

anyway, say you're set yourself up at 2,400. one slice of apple blueberry crumble pie has 260 calories (or two tablespoons of heart healthy olive oil - now would you rather have apple crumble or olive oil? lol). once you've eaten it, you've still ~2,100 calories left. if you eat two slices, 1,800. 1,800 calories is a lot of volume if you choose relatively energy sparse stuff, which is most lean meats, starches, vegetables and so on.

if you happen to eat half a pie, as i've done on occasion that means you've put a 780 calorie dent into your allotment. that's still no biggie, because there's still 1,620 left. now, if you know that you're going to eat energy dense stuff later in the day, then make room for it. if you find out that it's not worth it for you to 'save up' calories and eat less during the day . . . then don't. eat the dessert earlier on, if you want. if you don't want to, then don't. you're an adult. you're in command of your own actions. you are also to take responsibility for the consequences of your own actions.

how you eat your food is important, too. if you mindlessly shove in stuff on the go, you won't be able to savour and enjoy it. it's even more of a problem if the things you eat are all very energy dense (candy bars, chips, etc.) that add in a lot of calories per serving without you even realising it.

there's no enjoyment and then you beat yourself up emotionally later because you ate something you 'shouldn't have' and 'we accidentally smashed a porcelain teacup let's smash the whole kitchenware set shall we' mentality kicks in.

mindless eating also detaches you from the body's signals. if you're not fully aware of the fact that you're eating and that it tastes good, the brain won't be fully able catch up and send satiety cues that tell you to stop eating. i'm loathe to do anything else when i eat - walk, watch TV, read a book etc. - because i find it downright disgusting to eat if i'm not 'up for it'. i won't even have music play in the background because it messes with my head.

anyway, what i'm trying to say here is that of course you can 'fit in' anything into your diet without binging/purging and mentally beating yourself up and make progress. it's all about calories in vs calories out in the end.

[catskills]

Thanks Miranda, that explanation helps a lot for someone like me (hope it helps OP too). One thing it definitely helped clear up was why a huge salad (supposedly what I should be eating) never filled me up and left me bingeing on a bag of chips a few hours later. Where as a tiny bowl of pasta did wonders.

Unless of course I drown the salad in a couple of tbsn's of olive oil 8).....which I will be doing from now on next time I decide to have salad for a meal!

[Miranda]

Thanks Miranda, that explanation helps a lot for someone like me (hope it helps OP too). One thing it definitely helped clear up was why a huge salad (supposedly what I should be eating) never filled me up and left me bingeing on a bag of chips a few hours later. Where as a tiny bowl of pasta did wonders.

Unless of course I drown the salad in a couple of tbsn's of olive oil 8).....which I will be doing from now on next time I decide to have salad for a meal!

if you [un]intentionally starve yourself throughout the day - either by eating too little calories, and/or overexercising - then of course you increase the likelyhood of binging later on, if you're that type person. not because there's something 'bad' about any particular food[s], but because your energy availability is too low.

you can stretch self-imposed starvation for a while, but the body will always win in the end. it'll send signals that WILL make you eat, sooner or later. if you're a binging type and can't stop once the floodgates are open . . . well, don't push yourself into that corner in the first place.

a no-brainer solution would be to spread out your calorie intake so you feel sated throughout the day, not 'schedule' a binge and then later 'purge' through exercise or more starving.

[catskills]

Yes thanks, I have been doing that recently and it has been working. I also have to be much more accurate with my calorie counting because thinking that my maintenance is "somewhere around....." is probably causing me to undereat some days which also isn't helping because I am trying to eat at maintenance.

[Aidanqm]

Thanks a bunch for all the helpful information and tips. Going into the holiday season, I want to do my best and practice moderation. I like the idea of taking portion sizes into account and not making foods forbidden. My binge eating in the past stemmed from a calorie range that was too low. I'm working on finding a calorie range that will work for me.