Moderation vs. Abstaining

We have all heard, we can eat certain things in moderation. What exactly does that mean? Moreover, what does it mean for our weight loss goals?

If trying to shed excess fat, you want to create a small calorie deficit (about 500 calories per day). As science has proven, to shed those pounds, we must burn or utilize through our metabolism and activity, more calories that we have consumed through food and drinks. One pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories. Therefore, is you create a deficit of 500 per day, over a period of seven days, you should shed one pound. (Please note, the scale may not show this, as our weight varies throughout the day via water retention and feces).

Lets just say that you have been keeping a food journal, eating three small healthy well-balanced meals, two or three small snacks between meals, drinking plenty of water, and exercising three to five times per week, which includes weight training and cardiovascular exercise. Then you see that package of Oreo cookies on the counter, or that quart of ice cream when you open the freezer. Then this craving comes over you and your mouth begins to water, yearning for that taste. What do you do?! Stop. Ask yourself, “Do I really want this?” “Is it worth it?” One Oreo cookie is 80 calories, one ½ cup of ice cream is 180 calories. Below are three different scenarios.

1. If you are just beginning your weight loss regimen, you will have to think really hard. You are just beginning to learn to adhere to your new eating habits. Here, the answer is probably, “no” it is not worth it. I would rather save myself for a “real” treat. Wow, that felt good. Will power can be extremely empowering.

2. So you are down 10lbs and have 10 more to go. Now what? Same thing, ask yourself, “Do I really want this?” “Is it worth it?” The answer might be no, but what if the answer is “yes” I really want this. Then eat it. Will an 80-calorie cookie or ½ a cup of ice cream do you in? No. Will you wake up the next morning looking like a whale? No. Remember, 3,500 calories in one measly pound of fat. You would have to eat nearly 44 Oreos or 10 full cups of ice cream to gain one pound. Therefore, one or two cookies, or a small ½ serving of ice cream will not affect your goals.

3. So now you have met your weight loss goals, you remain active and eating a healthy balanced diet is now in your habit and is almost second nature to you. You are in the “maintenance stage” no longer having goals to loose weight or to tone muscle, you are there, and look great! You are out to dinner with your family, you were good and ordered the grilled chicken, although you would have liked the burger smothered in onions, you said to yourself that is just was not worth it. Then your spouse and kids order dessert. Great, now what? You were eyeing that cheesecake, now you have to sit and watch your family indulge right in front of you. In this situation, if you are in your maintenance stage, eat healthy, and exercise regularly, you can go ahead and order that cheesecake if you really want it. Your body can afford the calories and will use them. If any excess calories do end up being stored as fat, it will be such a tiny amount, you will never notice it. Be proud of your accomplishment, and pat yourself on the back occasionally with a treat.

Dos and Don’ts

Don’t deny yourself completely. Eating treats in moderation means do not eat cookies or ice cream every night or on a regular basis. However, if you try to deny yourself altogether, chances are your craving for it will become so immense, that you will indulge to the point that you have fallen off the wagon, i.e. ate the entire bag of Oreos.

Do allow yourself to have the occasional treat without feeling guilty. It is OK, you are human, but note the word occasional.

Don’t allow yourself to create irrational food fears. Imagine that you met your weight loss goals without indulging once, and kept a strict diet. What do you think will go through your mind now if you ate ice cream, which you have not eaten in 18 months? Chances are, you will have an irrational fear of it. “If I have that ice cream, I will gain 10 pounds and look disgusting.” No, that is a huge lie. It will take 100 cups or 200 ½-cup servings to eat enough to gain 10lbs. I do not think anyone could possibly eat that much in one sitting. That is why I am all for eating something “bad” occasionally while trying to meet your weight loss goals. If you were able to loose 15lbs while still indulging occasionally, it takes those lies and throws them out the window.

Don’t spend a lot of time justifying why you should go ahead and indulge. Acknowledge what you are eating and why, and be done with it.

Do use the treats as a reward. Your goal is to hit the gym four times a week. Sometimes you only make it three, but this week you made it four. Great, reward yourself with that cookie. You lost five pounds this month and stuck to your healthy eating plan like glue. Great reward yourself with that bowl of Rocky Road.

Do be realistic. We are all going to be in situations where we will be tempted. Unlike alcohol or drugs, with food there is no physical addiction, it is psychological if there is indeed an addiction. Therefore, we are able to indulge in moderation; we can do so without the fear on binging uncontrollably. So if we change the way we think about food, we can enjoy a treat every once in a while, without binging.

Do avoid this dangerous behavior. Maybe you have never even thought of it, but if you have, do not do it, and if you have done it, stop and do not do it again. If you cannot stop, tell your doctor or health care provider immediately.

“Having your cake and eating it too.” This is what I call a type of Bulimia behavior. Some believe it is OK to indulge in ice cream or something high in calories, if they “get rid of it” through self-induced vomiting. In order to meet the criteria for Bulimia, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV), you must first binge on large amounts of food within a 2-hour period, then use a compensatory behavior such as vomiting, and do so two times a week for at least 3 months. But what if its not a huge amount of food, what if its just a few cookies? What if it not two times a week, but only two times a month? It this OK? No, this is what to DSM-IV would classify as Eating Disorder NOS or Not Otherwise Specified. You are still incurring the same health risks as someone with Bulimia, and risk being on your way to having Bulimia. According to the DSM-IV, these behaviors can lead to fluid electrolyte abnormalities, loss of stomach acid, and elevated levels of serum amylace, or an increase in the salivary isoenzyme. The vomiting can also lead to significant and permanent loss of dental enamel. This can lead to teeth appearing ragged, and can chip and increase the frequency of cavities. This is not a safe effective way to adhere to your weight loss goals, and will also create the irrational food fears that I mentioned above. You can have a cookie or two once in a while, its OK.

Please NOTE:
I used sweets as an example in this article, but in reality you could fill in the blank with any food that you think is “bad” pizza, French fries, hot dogs, etc. Replace cookie or ice cream with whatever your temptation is, and the same concept applies.

Melanie Clark Mogavero, CSCS, RYT