There have been times that I have been tempted. And when I do give in, I have a bite of something and that is it. Helps me pass that craving without overdoing it. I look at it like this, I can only eat very small amounts of food and it does not make any sense for me to put stuff in my mouth that is nutritionally void. Also, I do not want to revert to bad habits. I do know what you mean about Chinese food. I love it too. But I know that rice is definitely a no no. Fill up on your protein source first and then some veggies. If you really still need something else have a bite of something. I usually always have a sugar free popsicle when I start to get cravings. I let that settle and then if I really want something else is when I go for my bite. For some reason the sugar free popsicle tends to fill me up quite a bit. You can do this.

We went for pho tonight. I gave my daughter and husb my noodles and I ate the meat and veggies. I do the same thing when we have Chinese or Indian....don't eat the rice/noodles. As always, eat the meat first. While I do love the carby stuff, it's in my brain that those things are just vehicles for a sauce or were originally meant to be fillers in lean times, to make a meal go further. So, I have the stuff that's supposed to go on the rice/noodles, but not the rice/noodles. It's been working for me so far.

I moved to Asia two and a half years ago. Chinese food is not my favorite even if a few dishes are nice....first the "real thing" is different from what's available in the US. Plus there's five spices everywhere and the meat is mostly fat. And rice is everywhere too. That said, when eating out I'm almost always able to find something suitable either a cucumber appetizer and a soup or a rice bowl. I usually give rice and noddles to someone, and can eat veggies and chicken/fish. I really prefer Japanese restaurant because at least fish is always available there. You are doing the right thing in giving away the left overs. But look, we are not going to live the rest of our life's in frustration. Eating treats once in a while is perfectly fine.But not everyday. That's why I try no to keep treats at home. No temptation available is the key.

There is no food I stay away from. (OK, I haven't had a Big Mac in three years, only because my former favorite food sounds gross.) A little Chinese food once in a while won't hurt you. We are not on a diet here friends! I eat how I should almost all the time, but if I feel like a piece of pizza, I'll have a piece of pizza. No guilt whatsoever. It's that diet mentality that got me fat in the first place.

my problem is that I feel like having a piece of pizza all day, every day!!!

So, I'm in a constant state of food denial.

Originally Posted by sraebaer

There is no food I stay away from. (OK, I haven't had a Big Mac in three years, only because my former favorite food sounds gross.) A little Chinese food once in a while won't hurt you. We are not on a diet here friends! I eat how I should almost all the time, but if I feel like a piece of pizza, I'll have a piece of pizza. No guilt whatsoever. It's that diet mentality that got me fat in the first place.

I agree about diet mentality adding to weight gain. I went way over and above what I ever imagined I'd weigh before starting this journey. Thanks everyone for the replies. I am going to try getting some sugar free popsicles. That actually sounds good right now (-=

i have a sugar free popsicle almost every night. Love them and they help me get in my liquid for the day.

Ha! Ha! Sometimes I have 2 SF Popsicles!

Are you kidding? Chinese was one of the very few things my tummy could handle the first year once it started accepting any food at all. I think I lived off of chicken lo mien and baked cheetos. Didn't hurt me a bit. Never stalled. Lost all the excess weight by six months. Even surpassed my weight loss goal by 30 lbs within 14 months. Haven't had Chinese in a while. Now I know what I want for dinner. Yum!

I order Chinese food 1-2 times a month on Sundays when I'm lazy. Always get an entrée and my current fave is tangy spice chicken (it comes with a box of rice but I usually toss that), I also order a soup and Szechuan dumplings. I love spice food. I eat a little of each and then I put the leftovers in the smallest glad containers and freeze them. This is how I eat now. I'm 2.5 years out and I freeze tons of things in the small containers. I will eat anywhere from 3 - 5 times a day depending on what it is. I DO NOT DEPRIVE myself of anything. Luckily I'm not a big sweet eater so that is not a problem. I just recently started adding bread back to my sandwiches but am going to stop that again. I have been able to maintain my below goal weight with no problems. I even eat out about 5 times a week whether for lunch or dinner. I make sure I get on the scale every couple of days and watch where my weight is and will adjust accordingly for what I will eat that day to lose the pound or two that I don't want to exceed.

Oh my favorite go to breakfast is I will scramble 18 eggs with hot sausage, cheese and salsa and freeze them in the small glad containers. Makes about a dozen or so at a time and I have my breakfast all ready. Funny thing is I can rarely eat the whole thing lol.