How do you resist ___(insert junk food weakness here)
37 post(s),
34 voice(s)
Voices: Femme_n_Fit, mettefreja, sprocket, ThriveFit, TheAng, Miaxi, natasha316, reconjsh, wildberry, shypht, blogkitten, aheath, amandajean1, IPBrian, artysporty, Gleedo, jay_stewart70, rebjanderson, sewblue, SummerBreeze, ChadMan, fluffthegoose, sawolf01, astanger, IrishEyes, david2587, xcasxsiex, kathboo2010, carefreethunder, CSF, crjregan1, Grits, hmurchison, and justiss
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Jul 15, 2009 4:12pm
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I used to eat large amounts of junk food every day (think a whole bag of chili cheese Fritos with jalapeno cheddar dip and a family-size bag of Skittles in one sitting), and even when I cut back a bit, I was still eating significant bad-for-me snacks. In the last five weeks, I’ve done pretty well at cutting even that back to one small thing every day or two (think, a tablespoon of mango soy icecream or a small bowl of stove-popped popcorn). But I still have days like today when all I really want is a big bag of the greasiest chips I can get my hands on. How do you all get through days and cravings like this? |
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Jul 15, 2009 4:39pm
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I drink lots of water, keep myself busy, avoid sitting in front of the screen (computer or TV), where I usually give in to my cravings. For me it’s all about breaking a habit – which pretty much boils down to: if I’m sitting in front of a screen, or socializing with friends, there gotta be bad food involved. Vegetable sticks with tzaziki or guacomole is another way to “sin” in a manner, that won’t ruin your calorie budget for the rest of the week. I’ve heard of people, who has developed a reward system for themselves – everytime they resisted the urging for a day, they were given points, when they reached a certain number of points, they allowed themselves a reward (non-food related) – a new piece of clothing, a haircut, a new book etc. Good luck on you journey – one step at a time |
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Jul 15, 2009 4:48pm
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It has been hard lately with temptation. With a heavier workout means more hunger. I have had a sweet tooth lately. So no sugar low fat ice cream or yogurt has helped there. I try to keep the things that tempt me well away from reach. If I have something (even healthy) close by I tend to eat more. I have been loosely following the South Beach. The phase one was a little tough but did help with re-training the body away from cravings. |
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Jul 15, 2009 5:55pm
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That’s a really good question. I think it starts with the commitment to the kind of life you want to lead. Part of my commitment is not to buy junk food in the first place so the temptation is not in the house. It helps that my husband is on board. :) I also always carry some sort of food with me so I am not tempted. I carry almonds, Luna Bars, or jerky with me so I have a snack at hand. When I do get hungry I chew gum or drink tea. I love hot tea, so I make myself a nice hot cup of herbal tea with a good flavor. It puts something in my stomach and the flavor helps with cravings. I think a big key is not to make things forbidden. You are on the right track with a small portion of something you really love. Eventually that small portion will be all you need to satisfy the craving. I like bite sized bags of chocolate (Dove Dark is the best) and I might have 2 or 3 a week. It gives me a treat that is workable into my calories. |
| Jul 15, 2009 7:17pm |
One thing I do is to go ahead and put whatever junky food I want into my food log and then look at that for awhile. That can really put things into perspective and makes me think twice (or more) about doing it. I get some satisfaction too out of knowing I could do it.. if I wanted to.. but end up deciding against it because my stats would be messed up and I’d feel gross later. Also – I just imagine everything tastes like circus peanuts and that pretty much turns off any hunger crazing. Blech. Writing in a journal can help to – I’ve done that when I’m feeling really weak – just keep asking myself why I want it and forcing myself to really think about it. Do I want the food or do I want the emotional release? And in the end – so you eat a small bag of chips, journal it… live with it.. move on. Sometimes the body really is trying to tell us something – maybe what you need is a kick of sodium or something salty – not really chips per say but something to meet a need. I would wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before giving in. Sometimes the cravings pass once you’ve moved on to something else or the trigger that caused it goes away. |
| Jul 16, 2009 3:32am |
- Stop buying unhealthy food. Convenience is responsible for most of my calorie sins. Most cravings aren’t strong enough to make me get dressed and walk 20 minutes to the closest food store. - If you like the taste, try to recreate it with strong spices. Spicy food doesn’t have to be bad for you. - Drink a big cup of unsweetened herbal or green tea and think about the real reason you want those chips. Maybe you just want to let go of all restrictions and indulge? Can you indulge somehow otherwise? - Give in. Buy a small bag of the best chips you can afford and enjoy every bit. Try new variants and tastes. Your body is too precious to be filled with cheap generic junk. Good luck. :) |
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Jul 16, 2009 8:48am
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:) Thank you! I don’t actually buy much junk food at all, and my partner is a very healthy eater too. The last thing I bought was that soy ice cream, and those containers can last me up to a month. My problems are my other five housemates and their love of baking and/or bringing home treats and leaving them on top of the fridge for everyone, my absurdly unhealthy office (where birthdays = greasy pizza, cupcakes, and chips, people leave junk food on the breakroom table, and almost every one of my coworkers snacks constantly), and the rather cheap vending machines in the office. I love dark chocolate, so the Dove bites or other small bits of chocolate are probably a really good idea. I’ve been thinking about baked kale as a snack too. You sprinkle a little oil and apple cider vinegar on them with a little salt and bake them, so they’re not deep-fried junk. I’ve heard they’re kind of like chips, but obviously kale is much better. |
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Jul 16, 2009 10:43am
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You are already a lot further than I am in cutting down on junk food. Congratulations! For me, the log helped me realize that I normally wasn’t eating nearly enough “healthy” calories. The first couple of days I felt like I was eating constantly to try and get all my calories in, in a healthy way. Most of the cravings went way down on their own after that. When I did have a sweet snack, and saw how many calories and fat it added to my levels, I came to the realization that I think alot of my “cravings” were probably more based on hunger, and my body just wanted lots of calories, quick. When I keep up with my eating healthily, and don’t let my body get that hungry, then I don’t crave junk food nearly as much. |
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Jul 16, 2009 11:34am
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The reward of looking back the next day/next meal after having completely resisted a craving is pretty incredible. Do it a few times and it’ll be a pleasure you “crave” as well. (too much great advice to really add anything else) Here’s a snack that works for me: |
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Jul 16, 2009 12:32pm
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Oh hon, your snacking desires sound like mine :-) |
| Jul 17, 2009 9:54am |
- Stop buying junky snacks, start buying healthy snacks For me, if I’m craving something like chips – it’s because I want something salty/crunchy. Usually something like crackers + hummus can satisfy what I want – get a bit of the crunch from the crackers, there’s a bit of salt in the hummus, and it’s healthier – while also providing protein. If I want something like a candy bar / sweet – go for an apple, banana, fruit, yogurt instead. Also, try and fit in mini snacks/meals even if you are not feeling “snacky”. If you plan to have some fruit + a few crackers at 11am in between breakfast/lunch – even if you are not feeling hungry, you’re less likely to be making that run to the coffee shop for a donuts instead. One of my favorite snacks is a small bit of fruit yogurt + a small bit of granola. It has a nice combo of sweet and crunchy that usually satisfies most of my cravings. |
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Jul 17, 2009 10:02am
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I resist it by not purchasing it. I love sweets – cupcakes, cookies (esp. Oreos), chocolate, ice cream….the list goes on. To avoid eating them, I don’t buy them and I don’t bake any. It’s the only way I can stop myself. |
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Jul 17, 2009 10:46am
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I have to say that avoiding things at home is fairly easy if you don’t even bring things home. But like you said you have a unique situation where room mates keep stuff in the house that you don’t want to eat. And work has parties that cause issues. 1. Don’t even take a bite of their food. If you are like me once you have tasted it, it is much harder to say no. I can’t even have a bite of something because then I will not be able to resist it later because now I have the flavor in my mouth and mind. 2. Ask the room mates to put things out of sight. Either in a basket with high sides so that you have to get it down to look through what is in it, or put them in a cabinet behind closed doors. Then you are not seeing them every time you enter the kitchen. My theory is such: put a steak in front of a dog and he can only resist for so long. Put junk food in front of me and I can only resist so long. 3. Office parties. Offer to bring some thing. Find a great healthy dessert or side dish that tastes so good that you don’t want the other junk. 4. Plan a head and enter what you want to eat into your food log. (Like others have suggested). For instance tonight I know I am going to a pizza party. I am bringing low calorie fruit dip and tons of fruit and veggies. I all ready have entered my one piece of pizza so for the rest of the day I know how many calories I have left to make sure I stay with in my limit. In the end you have to keep reminding yourself that you are in control. Think of your goals and put things into perspective. While that may taste really good it is going to slow down your progress! But also remember, one mistake or one bad meal does not mean life is over. So if you give in to your craving move on and make the next bite count!! |
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Jul 19, 2009 11:03am
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I find my biggest weakness is when I’m heading back from a late night at work (Chili’s) where the food has been driving me crazy all day and then I realize I have no food at home i can just eat, I have to cook – that’s when I snap. so to counter this I go grocery shopping and make sure I ALWAYS have microwaveable food. Like chicken drumsticks or pot roast packets or whatever. I follow a low-carb lifestyle, it works for me, so its easy enough to have hard-boiled eggs and cheese sticks in the fridge. It’s all about finding what works for you…. And the whole putting it in your nutrition tracker is not a bad idea…I can see that making me change my mind really quick. |
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Jul 21, 2009 3:25pm
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Daily burn has been ultra helpful for me. I plan all my meals out for the day and any deviation from this requires that I rework my plan. I made a commitment to myself to hit my goals so I do. If I eat a doughnut than I have to reallocate my calories so my plan works. First this is quite a bit of work that I am quite frankly too lazy to do, but it also makes me recognize the emptiness of junk food calories. For instance a Krispy Kreme Sour Cream Glazed Doughnut (the kind I shoot for if I am eating one) is 300 calories. I eat 300 – 400 calories per meal so basically if I eat a doughnut I eliminate one meal from my day. Which do you think will better fill me up. |
| Jul 22, 2009 3:56pm |
I used to live ontop of the cheesecake factory, and the godiva cheesecake was to-die-for. I havent’ eating cheesecake for two years now. Quite frankly it would be a punishment to eat one (cause it will make me sick). Be proactive and not be defensive about your weakness. Buy food in advance, healthy food. A very good trainer said the first thing to buy is a big bag, to bring all your food premade and water. Only eat what is in your bag. Give it some time (like a month or two). After you eat healthy, its punishment to go to birthday parties and eat greasy steaks, butter potatoes and strawberry cheesecake YUK! I crave my chicken breast after those meals. |
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Jul 27, 2009 8:11am
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What IPBrian said about reallocating calories IF you do eat something bad (doughnut) is spot on. I always have a mars bar (chocolate bar) each morning and work that into my daily calorie allowance, simple. I didnt think that kind of thing would be ok to do, but the trainers on The Biggest Loser USA show (Gillian and Bob) say its perfectly ok to do that, and in fact Gillian does the exact same thing herself with regard to chocolate too :) |
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Jul 29, 2009 9:27am
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Right now I am not resisting very well. For me it all boils down to going to bed at a reasonable time so that I can get up and eat breakfast and make my lunch. I am a night owl so I generally go to bed way to late, have trouble getting up, skip breakfast and grab a coffee and doughnut, eat something less than healthy for lunch, grab whatever for dinner or get fast food, stay up late and snack. Too tired to exercise or prepare healthy food. I gotta break this cycle, and it involves discipline, turn off the tv, get some sleep, and eat right and exercise. |
| Sep 1, 2009 10:45pm |
When I go grocery shopping, that is when I tend to get cravings for sugar, chocolate, cake etc. I have a sweet tooth! So I find if I avoid the aisles with the junk food in it, then I’m doing well hehe. If the food isn’t in my pantry to be eaten then I can’t endungeoned on it! |
| Sep 19, 2009 6:09pm |
I’ve known several people who have died from complications of diabetes. Do some research on the disease and you might think twice about what you put in your mouth. I’m not saying that junk food causes diabetes but an unhealthy diet increases your risk of getting the disease. I wouldn’t want to have to give myself an insulin shot everyday of my life. |
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Oct 23, 2009 2:16pm
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I have weak moments don’t get me wrong. But the way I control it is I know it takes 3500 calories burned to lose 1 pound! So I sure don’t want to add the calories that is in a bag of chips to my nutrition to only have to try and burn that much more. Best to stay away from those kind of calories if you want the weight to come off. |
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Oct 23, 2009 2:24pm
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I plan my meals each day and if I know I am going to a birthday party and going to eat cake and ice cream (for example) I just plan for that in my daily intake. I remove 100 cal from lunch and 100 from dinner and there you are… A small piece of cake and maybe 1/2 a scoop of Ice Cream! I do find that leading up to the treat I feel like I need a HUGE piece mmmm that would be good. But I just get a small piece take small bites and drink water in-between each, I feel like I ate the whole cake and am satisfied! Chad |
| Nov 5, 2009 3:24am |
I have a really bad problem with eating when I am not hungry. I just love to eat food so much. . .both healthy and unhealthy foods. I live in a college house with 45 other girls and there are dozens of bags of chips in the pantry constantly, and people bake all the time. I feel like I’m addicted to sugary and salty carbohydrates and I can’t stop baking things as well. I feel like I’m out of control and I don’t know how to convince myself that losing weight would mean so much more than the temporary satisfaction of indulging in nutritionless food. Does anyone have any advice? |
| Nov 5, 2009 9:00am |
I would start a journal- not a food journal but a written one. Get a nice notebook or journal and whenever you start to feel out of control, write it down. Try to figure out what it is that is triggering this need to eat when you aren’t hungry. Also, before you eat something – stop and wait, start with 5 minutes, then go up to 10, etc. Go for a walk, read a book – find anything else to do that might take your mind off of it. Then make sure you are eating a healthy diet, getting enough of the right balance of nutrients. Fresh veggies, fruits, lean proteins, etc. |
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Nov 5, 2009 10:04am
Contributor
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I do a couple things. 1) I follow a food “budget”. I use weight watchers but there are many systems out there. I know how many “points” i get in a day and any unplanned eating gets heavily scrutinized. Warning bells go off in my head now when I reach for something I hadn’t planned to eat. It’s like budgeting for money, little unplanned, technically unnecessary purchase comes along and you have to ask yourself, do I have the “extra” cash to buy this, and is it really worth it. Sometimes answer is yes (like in the case of a couple Reese Peanut Butter Cups over halloween for me), sometimes no (like every Thursday when they have donuts in the office here). It’s hard and it takes discipline and practive but having been on it for over a year now, I can tell you it will become second nature to say no rather than yes. 2) I log everything that goes in my mouth. I have a written food journal. This one (http://www.amazon.com/BodyMinder-Workout-Exerci…). Because they only cover 13 weeks and I have been doing this a while, I am on my 7th book. Don’t let the fitness diary name fool you, entire right side is devoted to logging what you eat. 3) I weigh everyday. This holds me accountable. I don’t want to be up in weight so I have to ask myself if <insert> is worth it. Yes, weight fluctuates day by day and throughout a single day. This is why I weight every morning before I have had anything to eat or drink. That is the best way to mimimize the discrepencies. There will still be fluctuations, but that is where physicsdiet.com comes in. You log this weight every day and physicsdiet gives you your average weight. The more data you enter, the more true the “average” becomes. If you can not care what the scale says so much and just rely on that average to tell you how you’re doing, it helps TREMENDOUSLY. Nothing more motivating than seeing a slight gain on that scale because you ate 2 bowls of Dan Good Chili (just 8 weight watchers points, but hearty in mass), but your average still shows a weight loss. |
