Vets...what's your sugar, junk food intake?

Just curious, how many vets that haven't had significant regain allow themselves to eat  desserts/junk foods?  How frequently do you allow this, what kind of serving size do you allow yourself, do you only eat sugar free or full sugar desserts?  

I eat jun****asionally, in small amounts.  Sometimes sugar free treats, sometimes full sugar.  If it's full sugar, I make sure the portion I eat is small enough that I won't dump.  I probably have junk food a couple times a week.  By junk, I mean one or two cookies, a low fat ice cream sandwich, a small vanilla ice cream cone from McDonald's (rarely), some tortilla chips with salsa at a Mexican restaurant, etc.

I am 4.33 years out and have had no regain (BMI=21). I'd say I make good food choices 90% of the time. I eat junk a few times a week. I eat full sugar desserts, if I want them, usually at special occasions (birthdays, holidays, etc). I can do things in moderation. Others cannot. You have to figure out what works for you.

Almost everyday......usually full sugar but only a small amount.  For instance I may eat a miniature candy bar a couple days a week.  I've also been known to overdo it and feel awful (nausea for a while and wish I hadn't had so much).

I'm below goal, almost 8 years out. 

At 4+ years out with no regain I do allow myself occasional chip & dip type things. I don't have them at home but will indulge at a get together or party type setting. I can't eat (and don't really want) any sweets due to severe RH. My calcium chewy bites are my daily treats.

Martha 

I will not eat sugar free because of the sugar alcohols.   They give me terrible cramping and diarrhea.  None of them taste good enough to me to go through that misery.  If they tasted wonderful to me, it might be worth it.  Most sugarfree desserts have as many calories and carbs as full sugar versions.

If I want candy I have something like a Hershey Bar or a small bag of M&M's.  That is almost every day.

Once in a while I buy a pint of good ice cream.  I keep it in the freezer and eat one or two spoonfuls occasionally.  After about a month, I throw away what is left in the container.   There are times when I have a piece of cake, pie, cookie or other treats.  I have no cravings and have no problem eating a small amount.  I believe that when we make certain foods forbidden, then we obsess about them and crave them.  I have no forbidden foods, so there is no battle to keep from eating anything. 

It takes time to get to the point where I am.  I had surgery over five years ago.  I had to learn how to make peace with my food intake.   I went through setting up limits, worrying that I would go back to being overweight, telling myself that I had to practice discipline and self control.  Eventually I learned to give up all of those old tapes in my head and see food as something to be experienced and enjoyed.  I have no good or bad foods.  With no rules, no cravings, and no guilt I enjoy whatever I want to eat.

at 5 years out, no regain and maintaing my loss I plan a "treat" every day. The key word is PLAN :)

I like to have a dessert in the evenings, I don't do much sugar free stuff, I jus****ch portions with the full sugar stuff.

 after dinner so I usually have one of the below:

4 hershey kisses

2 small cookies

Fiber one brownie w/cool whip free

100 cal ice cream sandwich

1T peanut butter mixed with cool whip free or vanilla yogurt (OMG it's good! kinda tastes like fluffnutter)

That is pretty much my regular rotation. They help keep me in line and not "cheat" because I know everyday I can have a dessert, so that helps me not to feel deprived.  

 It's all about balancing your food, measure everything, count every cookie and, chocolate kiss. Planning what you are going to eat every day so that you can stay on track and on plan, but still eat the foods you enjoy.

I am 5.5 years out and am currently sitting at my lowest weight since RNY (and have always maintained at under 7 pounds above that weight).

I have some kind of a "treat" almost every day.  I limit it to about 100 calories, and usually it is something sweet (, with real sugar since sugar alcohols bother me more than real sugar) or something crunchy and salty.  Typical treats are 8-10 M&Ms, 2 dark Hershey kisses or Andes mints, a "fun"size mini candy bar, 1/4C of my favorite strawberry Haagen Dazs ice cream (or some flavor of Ben & Jerry's), 2 Thin Mint cookies, or most of a lunch size bag of Doritos/Fritos/Pretzels/chips.

I usually have my treat as "dessert", but I also sometimes take 2 or 3 small bites of a shared dessert if I am out with my family (we always go out for Friday night dinner).  Almost anything is fair game if it is only 2 or 3 bites, but I have discovered that 2 bites is my limit on a good quality creme brulee (the third bite makes me start to feel shaky).  I do dump, but it takes a lot of sugar (and therefore calories) to make it happen (e.g., half a cup of full sugar ice cream will make me nauseous, shaky and lightheaded)

I knew even before I had surgery that I would have to find a way to MAKE moderation  work because I knew myself well enough to know that saying "never again" to a food would guarantee that I would eat it (and probably eat more of it than if I had allowed it in the first place).  Not everyone CAN do moderation though, and I cannot do it with all things.  I have to put Girl Scout cookies in my mom's freezer because I absolutely cannot have cookies in the house because i will eat them, and will eat them in a fairly short period of time despite my best intentions.  Fortunately, she only lives 2 streets away if I really want a cookie or two.

Lora

I am almost 4 years out. I've had no regain.

I pretty much have something in the "junk" category daily, albeit small amounts. I might have a mini dark chocolate candy, or a NSA ice cream bar at night....or if I have 1/2 a sandwich for lunch, I'll have a handful of some kind of chips....1/2 the time they are baked, the other 1/2 just regular (I'm on a crunchy Cheetos kick right now). If my husband and I go out to dinner (twice a month) we share everything....appetizer, entree and a dessert.  I have adult beverages on the weekends.

I have dessert every single night.  I have to have something sweet about an hour after dinner.  My "go to" items are S/F jello, S/F pudding, NSA ice cream bar, S/F hot chocolate or a couple of regular cookies.

Eating this way keeps me from feeling deprived. I do not have "off limits" foods.  I eat what I want, when I want.  Once I gave myself that permission, food lost all the allure.  However, I do not have food issues or addictions.  My way doesn't work for everyone.

I Love you guys....you are who I am inspired to be like for the long run.