Eat the foods you want in moderation & within cal range or just eat healthy?

I am on the fence about that one.  I have been really good, but tonight, I am tempted by pizza. Do I have a slice or two, or do I not give in and just stick to my healthy diet of chicken, soup, no bread or pasta, 100 calorie snack packs, 120 calorie cereal, 90 calorie cereal bars and water?

If you want the pizza, I'd say have it.  You should still be able to enjoy the food you like :)  There are also low-cal frozen pizza options if that sounds more tempting to you.  But when I want pizza, I order pizza hut, and just have a slice or two.

Dear God, child -- give in, fit the pizza into your life.  Do you plan on going the rest of your life without eating pizza (I sure as heck don't)?  Pizza has essential food groups, so it's not without redeeming features.  And better to fit a slice or two into your meal plan every couple of weeks than restrict away from it and end up eating a whole one (I know, I've done it).

For this whole thing to really work, you have to be eating foods that you will continue to eat after you have reached goal -- other wise you are doomed to a very boring meal plan and a HUGE probability of rebound weight gain.

I'm not saying go hog-wild, everything in moderation -- moderation included -- but find the space for a little joy, and if pizza is the joy, go for it.  If a bowl of lentils is your joy, go for it.  If your joy is chocolate cake -- well, make it yourself with black beans -- and GO FOR IT!

I love pizza myself - I say go for a slice or two.  One thing I did to make it easier to fit pizza into my diet is to go cheeseless.  If you're going to a pizza parlor, and they make good sauce, this is surpringly tasty, and really cuts down on the fat.  I initially tried this because a friend of mine has a hard time digesting cheese, and learned to prefer it. 

I agree with Coach K, but I would temper it a little bit and say do this once a week. I may choose In-N-Out as my cheat meal one week, then Chick-fil-A one week and pizza the next. So I still get the foods I want but one meal a week not 21 meals a week.

Brent - thats actually a pretty good idea...I dont think I could do that though.. lol  I find fast food addicting... If I have McDonalds one day, I'll want Taco Bell the next and so on. 

But, with that being said, I too agree with Coach K.  If you KNOW that you cant eat just a few pieces, i dont suggest eating pizza.    I KNOW that I cant order pizza without eating until I'm sick. 

Some people are like this, like me.. .and others arent.    Just dont deprive yourself, but dont over-indulge either..  balance and moderation are key!

Good luck!

How many cals are in 2 slices, roughly? I don't want to screw myself with eating two of 'em. I can totally limit myself to two. I don't really want to mess up my whole diet, so I am straying away from fast food, soda, etc...but I like pizza as a treat, so I think that is what I will do. PLUS, I AM staying within my 1400 calorie range, so I think I should be okay, as I have only eaten 690 today.

Just eat the two slices and call this your "cheat day" if you want. Do you already do that? If not, something to consider, that way you won't feel like you're depriving yourself of any of the food you love. 

Well, there are a LOT of calories in pizza, but go ahead and have it! If you want to count it, look up a national chain and find something similar to the one you're eating. Life is too short to not eat the things you love sometimes, and sticking to your diet perfectly might cause you to forget it altogether. I'm jealous; I want pizza right now!

Original Post by stlgirl:

Brent - thats actually a pretty good idea...I dont think I could do that though.. lol  I find fast food addicting... If I have McDonalds one day, I'll want Taco Bell the next and so on. 

But do you end up quiting diets or doing the whole yo-yo thing? You are already fighting the urges now to eat at those places. I find that going once a week to one meal that I plan for and adjust my daily calories for helps reduce the urges and cravings for it because I know I never have to wait more then 6 days to get something again. It also helps you prioritize what you really love, I haven't been to TacoBell or McDonalds since I started losing weight because I don't want to waste my weeks cheat meal at one of those places when there are places I love more that I want to get to. lol...

 

 

Oh, and Pizza is probably around 250 to 300 per slice and not to mention the saturated fat, grease, oil, carbs, sugar and such. Sound good still? ;-) Ya... it does to me too. lol

The last time I found myself in a food court, nothing healthy looked good.  So I bought 1 slice of pizza, salad, and a bottle of water.  The pizza tasted good!  And I still lost weight that week.   

Eat healthy 95% of the time, two times a week, enjoy! It keeps you sane and on track :)

 

I have been 100% all week, tonight is a burger and 6 wings! 

I have 710 cals to play with for tonight. 2 slices of pizza leaves me 114 cals left, so pizza it is <3

Food Court pizza:  just to share, a family member ate pizza at a food court and lost weight...........food poisoning!

I've been buying DiGorgnio small pizza (700 cal) cause I'm like #5 and will keep eating it if theres more around. 

Life is short, enjoy some pizza, then tomorrow start fresh.

I think that pizza sounds even healthier than "chicken, soup, no bread or pasta, 100 calorie snack packs, 120 calorie cereal, 90 calorie cereal bars and water" I hope you're getting other food groups in.. like dairy, fruit and veg, and just didn't mention those

I make pizza on a whole weat pita, with lots of tomatoe sauce, veggies, and light mozzarella cheeze. Pizza is pretty healthy if you can find a parlour that makes whole grain crust, and add lots of veggies. try and stay away from pepperoni, bacon, sausage etc. 

I had pizza tonight actually. Domino's. 2 slices of the classic hand-tossed = 420 calories. Plus a salad. A larger dinner for me, but I've had very little to eat all day, so I won't be over my limit. Domino's, as far as I know, is probably the healthiest chain pizza you can eat.

I've changed the way I eat pizza...it's healthier and cheaper for me now.

Instead of ordering the pizza ~$20, I buy a frozen pizza from Trader Joe's ~$4 (BBQ chicken is my favorite).  I don't have to worry about how many slices I eat, if I pig out and eat the whole thing, it's 760 calories.  If I pig out on the ordered pizza I don't even want to think of the calories!  It's a far healthier pizza as far as I can tell and I also make a bag of frozen veggies with it.  I plan to eat 1/2 the pizza, if I want the second half, then I make sure that I've eaten all of my veggies first. 

i love combining both...like i love apples and other healthy foods, but i do have rice, ice cream, and pizza...in moderation i eat anything.

I love pizza as well, but I've found a quick, easy, and healthier way to make it at home -- use a tortilla/wrap or a pita as a crust.  They make perfect little individual pizzas, and you can load them up with whatever toppings you like.  Just use a spray of no-stick cooking spray, pop it on a pan, and throw it in the oven for 15 minutes.  On of my favourites is piled high with veggies, and topped with low fat mozza.  Another's a bit outside the box -- I use a teaspoon or two of szechuan, then add some chicken breast, peppers, a bit of low fat mozza, cilantro, and grated carrots.  The options are almost endless, and if you watch your portions, you can have an entire one for the calories of a few slices from a take-out pizza (and they're cheaper, too).  I find I prefer them.

Of course, if it's chain pizza that you're craving, you can't deprive yourself completely and totally.

I say yes, eat what you want in moderation.  You need to learn to do this at some point.  Life is too short to not eat the foods you love, and I LOVE FOOD! 

Eat it, enjoy it, savor it, don't think about guilt or calories, nothing but how delicious it is.  When you're done think about how satisfied you are, or maybe you're not, that's possible too.  Enjoy the experience for what it is, and don't beat yourself up over it.  It's just food, it's not evil.  Learn to make peace with it if you can.  I know it's a very difficult process but it's one that you'll need to learn for when you reach your goal and have to figure out how to eat normally again.

for me it is best to avoid altogether the foods that I know are bad for me so that I won't overeat. With that said, at times, for instance when on a trip and the food options are limited and way off my diet, I will eat just a bit of the food that isn't good for me. Everyone is different in this way, but I find that this is the best plan for me. I would suggest that you have one slice - and cut it into small pieces so that you can savour each piece and really enjoy the experience. I also like very much the idea of making/buying healthy pizza - there is nothing wrong with pizza dough made from whole wheat flour, low fat cheese and some toppings (I am vegetarian so I can't speak to the meat options). If you do this once every week - two weeks I am sure that it won't mess up your eating schedule.