Honey, don't you want some ice cream?

I get it as well... my wife will get junk food because she can handle it (5' 90lbs), but gets mad when I won't help her finish off the chocolate cake. I'm not really a big fan of sweets, but I will indulge every once in a while.

I also have the issue of trying to get my kids to eat healthier as well now. This was brought  up on a previous post, but it's a major challenge in today's society. Especially with crappy school lunches and sugar cereals. I'm trying to ween them slowly off this junk, as if they were addicted to cigarettes or something. The trick is getting better quality food that dressed up in colorful "junk food" type boxes.

A study just came out that stated that "Obesity is socially addictive." Essentially, the study says that if you have friends, spouses, or family that are obese, you are more likely to be obese. Even people who had friends or relatives that lived 1000's of miles away and were obese, were 57% more likely to be obese. It seems there lives a peer pressure and social acceptability around obesity and those that are overweight, like to see others mimic their behaviors and their size.

I have an example. I have a friend who is 230lbs.  When I gained 10lbs and 1 pants size last winter, her response was, "men like curvy women. You don't want to be a stick." I knew I wasn't eating healthy or making good fitness choices and I wanted to change it. But she felt the need to express that it's a good thing to be larger.

 Not entirely sure that this relates to your post, but I thought it did in a roundabout way. Is your wife overweight?  Does it make HER feel better if YOU eat too much?  What is your strategy for helping your wife overcome this or for you to resist it?

I eat ice cream almost every night.  Or at least I have some sort of dessert every single night after dinner.  I'm 5'8" and weigh around 130 lbs.  I figure that I'm exercising and I darn well earned it.  The thing is that I really control my portion size.  A dessert serving of ice cream is equal to 1/2 measuring cup.  Other choices might be one Oreo cookie or tonight I had a homemade cookie the size of an oreo cookie.  Just one.  That is the key.   I deny myself no food that I love.  I just eat less of it.  Of course my dinner was a yummy spinach salad loaded with fresh veggies from the garden.  Ok and a homemade corn muffin, but no butter on anything like that.  I had my protein for breakfast and lunch so I stuck with just the salad for dinner. 

When I go out to eat, if I want a cheeseburger and fries than I get it.  Most times I order healthier than that, but I don't go out to eat very often so I get things I might not eat otherwise.  I order a meal and right off the bat I divide everything in half and box up half to take home.

With all due respect ... being 5'8 130 lbs I doubt you have ever had a weight problem so you are giving a false sense of security to those who do struggle to keep their weight in check.  Saying things like 'I'm exercising and I darn well earned it' doesnt help!  In order to lose weight you need a calorie deficit, self control and smart choices.  This is exactly what the poster is talking about ... people that try to hijack a calorie deficit, self control and smart choices.  You seem to have self control and that is great you have found a way to make it work.  Unfortunately it is much more complicated for the majority of us out there and moderation doesnt help (IMHO).

I don't see how you can assume that because a person is thin/fit/healthy or whatever now, that that person has never had a weight problem. I lost 35 lbs a few years ago. Sure, I wasn't morbidly obese, I didn't have 100+ lbs to lose, but I went from being overweight to a healthy/slender weight. And I had (a small amount of) ice cream every night while doing it. How is saying this giving anyone a false sense of security? I did the math: I knew how many calories I took in and how many I burned and I just figured the ice cream into the equation. And let me tell you: guilt-free, "I am still in control of my eating" ice cream tastes even better.

Yes, I want some ice cream too.  But I am not so comfortable with you calling me "honey"

thank you.

Exactly!  I was never severely overweight, but 3 years ago I was 20 lbs heavier and never worked out.  I was in danger of having to buy all new clothes because I was bursting the seams.  I got fed up and decided to lose weight.  Did it by calorie counting and daily exercise and lost 20 lbs in 18 weeks.  And yes, during that 18 weeks, I ate a small amount of ice cream almost every evening.   I also on occasion ate a slice of pizza or had a cheeseburger.  All in small portions and with calories figured out to keep my daily calories where it should be.   It took a lot of mental willpower to achieve the portion control necessary, but now it is just a way of life.  I'm a big believer in portion control over totally denial of the foods I like.

We've gone through this in our house, and it can be tough. 

Sometimes, I'll have the ice cream (or chips, or cookies).

Sometimes, I don't. 

It was lots easier when we were diligent about not bringing that stuff home.  Then, I got the whole "Why do we have to suffer because you've gone healthy??"  from the resident juveniles.  Since I'm heartless, it's not too hard to ignore their protests. 

Courage, I know what you mean. 

A couple of years ago, I was over 200 lbs, 25% body fat, and firmly pressing against my waist band.  I decided to clean up my act and started exercising and eating better.  Over the course of the next 18 months or so, I got down to my current weight, 170, and feel soooooo much better.   I'm now less than 10% bodyfat.

I did a lot of reading about diet.  I try to make good food choices the majority of the time.  Whole grains, lean meats, fruits, vegetables, good fats, limited sweets, limited refined grains, limited bad fats, etc.  Unfortunately, my wife doesnt have the same level of interest in eating better and exercising.  Its been like pulling teeth trying to get the family's diet improved.  Changing from white bread to whole grains practically took an act of congress.  Using peanut butter without tons of trans-fats in it? Oh, that was a battle. 

Very frustrating on a lot of levels. 

Just hurry up and get to "healthy, fit and fast" and then you CAN eat everything in sight!

Doing IM training I'm always hungry unless it is a rest day ....... and then I'm just hungry MOST of the time.

I just have one questions: What's ice cream?