For those at Goal Weight - how do you moderately eat sugar/flour products?

For me I really noticed a difference if my carbs crept pass 50 grams per day. I usually kept my carbs to about 40 mg per day during WL. Going under 30 carbs per day and my weight loss would speed up, but under 30 a day for me was hard, so I tended to be closer to the 40 gms per day. That is what worked for me.

I stop tracking in MyFitnessPal when I dive into Carbs, so I have no way to quantify, except to say 'a lot'.

For me when I start going over 100 net carbs or too many carbs at one sitting it triggers cravings and hunger...

Moderation-------------------> The MOST DANGEROUS word in weight control bar none........

Can some people do it..... yes...... most can't

I've read your posts....... I don't think moderation should be your approach.

You/me don't play well with carbs/sugar.......

Lose the weight first.....cut the things out that hamper your WL..... get to goal and than discover where your tolerances are.....

You know yourself better than anyone....

frisco

Hard to accept this fact, but ultimately what you write is true.....  I was hoping the Sleeve would make me more "Normal", to quote Rhea Rob.  The ol' saying still stands: "Where ever you go, there YOU are".

Like just about everyone else, I have discovered/decided I can't eat grains (whole or otherwise) or sugar.  I get two effects from them, one is cravings which many of us deal with.  (Strangely some people don't seem to get cravings from grains and sugar, but I think most people do.  I think most people are under the influence of cravings most of the time.)

The other effect is inflammation and weight gain due to water retention. I've done a lot of reading on this topic, and while I can't cite chapter and verse, the bottom line for many people (and I'm one), is that these foods are inflammatory.  And what does the body do in response to injury?  It rushes hydration (swelling) to the area.  I think that's why I get achy joints from these foods, and some minor weight gain.  (I also avoid potatoes, mostly because given the choice I'd eat them five times a day and nothing else. Another craving, haha!)

I do eat artificially sweetened things, mostly a Premier protein drink each morning, and the occasional protein bar or SF pudding cup.  I have cut down quite a bit on artificial sweeteners - used to drink Crystal Lite by the gallon, now I just drink water - and the small amount that I still get doesn't seem to set up the sugar craving.

Every so often I'll take a forkful of dessert - had a bite of carrot cake the other day that was to die for - or a square of dark chocolate, or a couple bites of bread or something when out to dinner.  These seem not to have the same effect, when combined with the protein/veg/fat that comprise MOST of the meal. 

So anyway, that's what works for me.

Quick and dirty answer...... I don't.

I don't either. Eliminated flour products when I realized wheat sensitivity was causing most of my arthritis problems. The only flour-based product I really missed was crunchy crackers and then I discovered Nut Thins......love them! And they satisfy the chip craving thingy too.

Never been much of a sweet eater, except for ice cream, but can keep deep dark chocolate in the house for when only something sweet will do. I won't overeat it for some reason.....I'm talking 85% dark....almost bitter.

I only eat other sweets and flour products when away from home so it's available in limited quantities or I'm with friends and being with them serves as a natural brake to stop when I should. A single scoop ice cream cone, small bag chips, a couple bites of bread at Italian restaurants are some things I only eat out. I do not keep bread in my house.

I cannot have ice cream in my house either. NONE. AT. ALL. I won't sit with the spoon eating out of the carton, but will refill my bowl until there is none left to put back in the freezer.

I've been at goal for 8 months. Allow myself a range between 175-180. If that scale hits 180 I cut back immediately. I WILL NOT allow it to creep to 181.

It's good you are questioning it, maybe not so good that you are testing it already though :)

For me, I knew the answer pre-op and I didn't really mess with anything wheat/grain/carby till after goal.. and it still has bit me a few times since, and still does on occasion. My ability to 'moderate' can change in a blink, depending on mood, cycle, tiredness levels, etc. Meaning, I never really know if I CAN or CAN'T until I do... Wheat products in general- instant cravings for more (of anything), regardless of how full I feel. The serotonin dump leads to binging too easily, it's one of the very few foods that can chemically effect my brain the way it does and cause this.. truly a "drug-like" effect, not something I struggle with unless I have these particular foods. Needless to say, I have these foods rarely, even in maintenance.. 

Other carbs don't hit me as bad.. wheat, sugar (and alcohol to some extent, alcohol seems to create an open door for sugar cravings.. so related they are in the way the body processes them, sugar is alcohol sans buzz, truly.)  So those can and often do set me up for some struggles when I allow them in. Alcohol/wheat are also instant weight-gainers for me.. I track many things on a chart that hangs on my fridge (weight, cals, net carbs (I do net in maint) and whether I had alcohol.) I started doing this after I noted a pattern- if I drank I'd have cravings for days.. and a stall or gain disproportionate to the calorie/carb intake. Even a glass or two of wine would cause this.. I later learned there is a solid biological/metabolic reason for this with alcohol, never knew/researched until I saw the results for myself. 

I've went on vacation, gained some real weight from over-indulgence (not just the regular water retention that comes) and lost it a few times.. it always comes off by eating a clean high-fat 1200cal a day routine.. but add any of those big three to the mix, and even if I stay in my calorie range, my weight holds steady.. For me though, I find wheat and esp the combo of wheat, sugar and fat to be EXTREMELY triggery.. So for me, it's never "safe" to eat these.. Plus, I can come back from wherever, and get right back on track since I live in a clean-food house.. but if I didn't, all could be lost if I was in a particularly rough patch.. another reason I DO NOT bring stuff home that I cannot regularly eat.. My house=safe, healthy and tasty.. if something cannot be all three, it's not welcome here.

I don't keep bread/pastries/chips in the house, I haven't for years- even pre-op. I have to exert conscious effort to not have it when out unless I really feel it's worthy or I feel crappy/crave-y on top of bloated.. so the long answer- at least for me, and likely many folks out there- it's probably never truly safe, and the fact you are even questioning this.. should give you the answer.

I have a 2 year old and 4 year old and have to pack their food for all day at daycare.  So, we have chips, etc.  I wish I could keep it all out of the house, but that is not possible.