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There is a series of videos available on the net titled, "I Used To Be Fat". They are from an MTV program in which overweight teens who have just graduated from high school are given trainers who put them through a grueling summer of exercise and diet (although we don't really know much about the diet except they cut out junk food and eat what looks like a low calorie low carb diet).

One of the young women goes off the diet and eats hot dogs and fries and soda pop. She makes the comment--I worked so hard I felt I deserved it. Where does this attitude come from? Maybe it is from a reward system that well meaning parents everywhere (I've done it myself) use---you were so good I'll give you a cookie. Or--you got a great report card, let's go out for ice cream sundaes. Junk food is somehow equated with success and reward.

Why do we think of food as a reward? Why when we are doing so well with diet and exercise do we think we deserve a reward of something we know will sabotage our efforts to achieve good health? There are plenty of other little rewards we can enjoy that don't involve eating.

This segment of the show opened my eyes. Yesterday the family got together to celebrate Easter. I brought my own food but there was a whole lot of tasty food to eat that I normally wouldn't have in my house. I was tempted to say--every day I stick to my way of eating, so I deserve a little treat. But I should really be asking myself-- do I deserve diabetes? do I deserve heart disease? do I deserve to gain back the weight I worked so hard to lose? No. I deserve nourishing food and good health.

Didi P.S. Overeaters Anonymous has a saying--"A bite means a binge". Maybe there are some who can take a little taste and stop at that. Unfortunately I am not one of them. Complete abstinence from unhealthful food is the only thing that works for me.

BRILLIANT!!! You are soooo right, and I LOVE that saying from OA...never heard it before...Thanks for sharing...I feel like we are kindred spirits in this! Food addiction is REAL...and it is a REAL ADDICTION...physical, mental, and emotional! Would we say to an alcoholic, "You've been so good lately, you really deserve a DRINK???"

What I do deserve: Health! Happiness! Confidence! Peace! Joy! Long Life! ...Easter candy?????? You can keep it!

Great Post!

I grew up with the food reward system. ANd every holiday was a food event. Even going to Disneyland was food stop to food stop. (In those days the lines were not as long)
It has made a struggle for sure. You just have to keep remembering that being able to tie your own shoes, bending over to pick something up, parking in the farthest spot, all these things are rewards!!
A while ago there was a thread "what could you not live without"
It refered to people who say they cannot go on this WOE because of "needing" some certain food.
I was thinking of this, while out walking, and realized I don't want to do without the freedom to walk. The enjoyment of good health.

A bite is a binge - that is a good one to know! Thanks for sharing that.

I cannot take just a bite either, Didi. I learned that for sure just yesterday.

I had one small glass of Martinelli's unsweetened apple cider after Easter dinner, as my dessert. It is just sparkling apple cider, but it is juice, so a concentrated sweet.

It tasted a little too sweet on the first sip, but then I just could not keep away from it..I had three more glasses before I poured it down the sink (no-one else was drinking it.)

I guess it was giving me a dopamine hit (I don't have any sweets at all normally) that I just was not prepared to resist. But if I had not had any, I would have been fine.

We should never eat any food for which "one bite is a binge". We should never eat any food which one bite of leaves us craving more.

Obviously this means different people can have different treats. Some might tolerate small amounts of off-plan food on rare occasions just fine. Some might suffer if they deviate from MWL even slightly. We're all different, but we can allow ourselves occasional treats on special occasions, so long as we define "treat" and "special occasion" accordingly. For one person it might be a special piece of fruit for dessert. For another it might be a little chocolate. For another it might be hummus with a bit of tahini in it. Some people might even be able to eat a bite or two of turkey at Thanksgiving, like Dr. McDougall has done in the past.

Above all, we should never define "treat" or "special occasion" loosely enough that they affect our health or impede our goals.

-Norm