I was just sitting here trying to figure out what to write for my next post, and my wife stood up and asked if I would like some of the chocolate and peanut butter swirl brownie that she made the night before.

Yes please!

Then she asked if I would like some Reese’s peanut butter ice cream on top.

Yes please!

Recipe here!

Why in the world would I say no to something so delicious? My wife loves baking and she bakes delicious things all the time. I’m never going to restrict this and tell her not to make anything sweet and delicious just because I need to lose weight. All that would do is make us both sad and depressed.

I say all of this because of one main thing. People always think I am giving something up on this journey. It’s definitely not true. There’s nothing that I have denied myself. I find that as long as I am eating filling, nutritious meals and staying within my normal calorie goals, there’s always room to fit in some dessert.

Often, if I know that I am going to have a calorie heavy dessert, I will plan my day accordingly and try to balance out my calorie goals to make room. If it’s unexpected, and I really want it, I am totally going to have some, but maybe a little less than normal, and it will pretty much always get weighed or measured. It always gets added into my food log, no matter what it is, and how many calories.

This doesn’t just pertain to dessert, however. Maybe you want that exciting new fried food at the fair, or you see a delicious looking burger that you want to try. Do it. Whatever it is. Maybe take half home, or maybe share it with a friend or spouse. Get the main dish without the sides. Make one of your other meals smaller to make room for it. Make small concessions in order to have what you really desire. Keep on track while feeling like you are “cheating”.

I love that I have lost so much weight this past year while never denying myself what I want. I think that’s a really big part of what makes me able to maintain this steady progression. I don’t want to constantly deny myself the small pleasures of a tasty snack. Just make the effort and work it into the overall day. If it’s a larger item, I would usually turn it into a meal. There’s definitely times when my wife and I have gone to Marble Slab and each had a big bowl of ice cream and exciting toppings for our dinner. What you have to realize is that once in awhile, that’s perfectly okay. There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself as long as you make an effort to keep track of how often the treats happen.

My tracking app actually includes things like fries, ice cream, and candy in my “positive daily patterns” like this:

I eat soooooo many things that people always say you shouldn’t have on a “diet”. I don’t want to cut things out of my life. I don’t want to constantly long for a taste of something that I cannot have. So I just make sure to fit that thing into my daily calorie budget. Maybe instead of eating a bag of chips like I used to, I will have a small handful. Enough to get the taste, enjoy the snack, while not ruining my steady, regular weight loss.

Please people, don’t cut the things that you love out of your life. Just cut back on the amounts. You can easily eat whatever you want and still lose weight. Just make the effort to count calories and fit it into the daily amount of calories that your body needs.