[readorable]

Hey there.

I just joined the forum today and I wanted to give a quick hello and introduce myself. My name is Rea and I'm a student. My weight has always been an issue (both between highs and lows) but in the past two years I've really made a change to get healthier.

I started my most recent attempt to hit that "goal weight" in February of 2008 with my weight at 176.6 pounds. Since then I reached my lowest in August 2009 at 131.2 pounds. By that point I was so happy with all that I'd achieved I stopped caring so much and started going up again. When I finally hit 150 pounds by the end of September I was feeling like crap and knew I had to make that commitment once again to reach my goal. I'm down to 145 pounds now and I'm hoping to reach 125 pounds by the second week of January which is my birthday.

My biggest vice are baked goods. Cookies, cupcakes, pies... mmm. I try very hard not to eat them during the week but on weekends I tend to let myself "cheat" and I end up going completely overboard and gain back whatever I've lost during the week. If anyone has any suggestions for what I could do to help muffle my tummy's cries for these goodies would be much appreciated!

Anyway, I hope to be active in this community and I'm always willing to chat so send me a message sometime! (:

[KaraCooks]

Hi and welcome!

I'm wondering if maybe allowing yourself these things as a part of your regular meals, rather than considering them a "cheat" would help with the cravings. I wonder if you're not setting yourself up for a binge just by playing the mental game of "cheating" with yourself.

I personally prefer not to use the word "cheat" with regard to my eating. I either allow myself the foods I want (and make sure to fit them into my calories) or I plan to "treat" myself with a little bit.

Now, that said, there is one food that I simply cannot have - chips. I will eat chips until I blow up if I let myself. I cannot even have them in my house. If I'm going to have chips as a treat, I have to buy one small snack sized bag so that there simply aren't any more for me to eat.

But maybe if you allow yourself a couple of cookies each day? Or a slice of pie for dessert (there are some good weight watchers type pies and cakes you can get that are reasonable for calories and fat)? Maybe knowing that you can have a little bit of what you love w/out having it be a "cheat" might help break the cycle?

[readorable]

I usually don't use the word "cheat" to talk about food either but I'm not sure what sort of terminology is used on this site. I call them treats at the end of a good week. As to your suggestion (which I really do appreciate!) I've tried both ways of waiting until the end of the week and not having any in my house until then. Unfortunately, I don't live alone and although I've asked repeatedly if sweets could be kept out of the house, somehow they always manage to find their way back in. I've also tried giving myself one sweet a day which works well until I crack and sneak an extra one (or three... shhh.) which I really don't like afterwards.

I guess I need to strengthen my willpower a bit. Ha ha.