Banning certain food...yes or no?

[Poodlesrock]

I am incredible greedy. I've realised I have no sense of when I should stop eating and as a result I am now obese but I love food.
If I was an alcoholic I would ban alcohol, if I was a gambler I would not go to betting shops or casinos. However we cannot stop eating or we would die.
I was talking to a slim friend. I asked her how she stayed so slim she said I don't eat cake, sweets, biscuits or crisps. Never.

We are always told never to completely ban food as we will want it more but it's got me thinking...maybe if I just told myself 'I don't eat sweets' I'll come to accept it just as an alcoholic would accept that she never had a drink again. What do you think? Is this utter madness? Has anyone else lost/maintained weight this way?

Sugar is very addictive so cutting it out completely can be helpful as you stop yearning for it.
But don't replace it with sweeteners, they are not good for anyone's health.
Good luck.

I guess it depends on the person, I think it's better not to ban things if you think you would miss it too much. I couldn't ban cake, and having it once a week can't be too bad. I'm let myself have a small amount of chocolate, but knowing how moreish it is I'm staying away anyway. Biscuits are banned however as I'm sure I can do without and don't need to have them in the house.

Definitely depends on the person, but banning foods is a dangerous idea for me. I believe that my parents' ideas of "good" and "bad" foods, along with food being mixed up with punishment and reward, are what lumbered me with such a fucked-up relationship with eating in the first place. Over the last year I've given myself carte Blanche to eat anything, and discovered that some of the foods I found completely irresistible before aren't even that nice, and others I thought I had no control around I now eat in moderation.

I am making steady progress with this. I just tell myself that today I won't eat/drink wine/bread/choc/crisps, whichever one I feel like I can do without on that particular day. I wouldn't want to think that I couldn't eat/drink something ever again. I'd just want it more

Good luck

I wrote a thread yesterday saying if had an epiphany whilst doing WW. Id really reduced my proteins intake due to points value and upped my carbs and was constantly hungry and my weight loss had stalled. So I had a total rethink and used the majority of my points instead on lean protein and lots of fruit and veg and I'm no longer hungry and my weight loss has started again.

Protein is key I think. Carbs, particularly refined carbs, keeps you hungry and makes you overeat.

I think if I banned sugar and wheat I'd be forever slim but I'm too scared to do it.
I've banned snacking so I'm seeing how that goes for a while. At least I can still have some toast for breakfast and a pudding here and there.

In my experience banning foods tends to increase cravings and encourages binging. I found using the 80/20 rule much more effective. Allow yourself some treats.

I do my own version of 5:2 diet, during the week no obvious sugar, wine or bread at the weekend if I fancy anything I have it. However my tastes are changing and I rarely do.

It suited me to not completely ban things, so if I was struggling I knew I could have it at the weekend.

Lots of research has been done on how slim people stay slim ( non dieters though) and the result is that they eat whatever they want but only when they are actually hungry and stop after a few mouthfuls.

Amserhaf don't you think the problem with that though is that naturally slim people don't have a problem with overrating, generally they know when to stop and/or have willpower, so can eat whatever they want whereas many fat people don't have that switch so need other methods? Not being difficult, a genuine question.

Thanks for your thoughts/tips everyone.

Nicknack- I like what you're doing I might try that.

Berry it's because naturally slim people have never dieted or had that strong emotional connection to food I think. Dieters have tge overeat, binge/starve mentality .

There are only two things I don't eat while dieting, pastry and double cream. Purely because they are so fatty. Anything else goes, but only in moderation. I find if I ban anything I want it more and am miserable. Being miserable isn't sustainable.

As a previous posted has said I have banned snacking (although banned is a very strong word!). I just decided that it make it a lot easier if I didn't eat between meals. I was a bit hungry for a while but I have got used to it now and don't want anything. It also reduces the opportunity to eat cakes, biscuits and crisps etc!

I still eat them after a meal sometimes but then I am not hungry so I don't eat too much.

I think banning certain food types can work but only if you're the type of person who can plan ahead or instantly work out what the best choice is.

For me, I'll often eat out (see other thread on this) or have a working lunch and I know an egg sandwich on wholemeal bread will fit into my calorie counting. I don't have to worry about the bread.

It's important to me to be able to have "normal" food rather than food which marks me out as different so for me it's about portion size and making relatively good choices.

I have stopped snacking though. I limit myself to a bag of snack a jacks now and again or fruit.

I have banned chocolate as a snack. As a result I very rarely snack as nearly all snacks available contain chocolate. I will still have deserts with chocolate in them (though I rarely have deserts as I am usually too full) so have not cut it out completely.
I find this really works well for me, though I can see that it would not work for everyone.

I think 'banning' is a bit extreme.

I think you need to recognise what foods you simply cannot live without limit them.

The stuff you are not fussed about dont have at all. I'm not too bothered about chips, crisps, rice and pasta but love cake and cookies so will occasionaly treat myself.

Might sound bizarre but it helps if you dont bake cake at home, you end up eating the entire cake! Just go out for cake instead

I've got my weight under control for the first time in my adult life doing slimming world. No foods are banned. Most foods are not weighed or limmited with the exception of sugar, fat, flour and most processed foods. So unlimmited veg, lean protein, even potato, rice and pasta.

Each day you have an allowance for fats/ sugar/ processed food of what they call 15 syns. A syn roughly equates to 20 cals. So thats a 300cal allowance to use at leisure.

We hear so many things about good and bad foods and come to our own conclusions. Pre slimming world I would have thought a bit of toast with jam and butter was a far more sensible snack than a mars bar. Now I see it as highly processed bread with fat and sugar and not that different in calories.

I'd rather have a nice slice of cake or some small pieces of cheese with a couple of crackers, on a hot day an icecream or sometimes a large glass of wine.

I'm not for banning things but realising that it needs to be a choice that I enjoy but accept that I've made my choice and tomorrow is another day and another choice.

I have found that Bannister sugary food has made all the difference to my appetite (decreased) and willpower.

As long as I avoid that stuff I can happily live without it. I know that as soon as I take a bite of a doughnut, a cake or a cookie, I'm fucked!

*banning, not Bannister!

Sugar cravings are terrible, I think it's maybe linked with candida sometimes? I've gone from wanting to snack all day to comfortably having three meals and not needing to snack.

"Pre slimming world I would have thought a bit of toast with jam and butter was a far more sensible snack than a mars bar. Now I see it as highly processed bread with fat and sugar and not that different in calories. "

I find this to be a worrying statement open to wrong interpretation. It entirely depends on the size of Mars bar, type and size of bread, type of spread used and the jam.

I am pretty sure that I have just worked out that (with the type of bread, spread and marmalade that I use) 2 slices of toast has approx half the calories and fat as a standard (not fun, snack or duo) size mars bar. Not to mention that I am sure that the toast is far healthier for my teeth

I read somewhere that three mouthfuls of something is enough to kill a craving and eating any more than that is greed. I'm trying really hard to remind myself of that when I'm feeling the need for sugar.

I've recently massively increased my intake of healthy fats and it has made a huge difference. I'm having full fat milk and yoghurts, I've swapped my low fat soup/salad at lunch for avocado, houmous, etc and my go-to snack is now apple slices with a dollop of peanut butter instead of a sugary cereal bar. Usually I'm feeling "picky" an hour after lunch but I've been lasting all afternoon with just one coffee.

There are plenty of studies showing why one way or another way of eating works for weight loss. You can pick holes in most of them or find conflicting research.
I like Dr Sarah Myhill's take on why no dairy, no sugar and no wheat. Quite apart from the fact that without those three, you are left with very little in your diet that is not healthy. You would have to learn new ways to eat but there is a lot of writing to support it from a long term health perspective.
It would be hard to do if you feel you are depriving yourself and hanging out for your next treat but of you feel you are nourishing your body and securing your long term health it's easier.