Struggling with junk food.

theycallmearth

I've been struggling for quite some time and could use some advice from the MFP community.

I need to break the bad habit of eating junk food. That is the one thing keeping me from my health goals. I exercise on a regular basis so I've got that nailed down. But I am consistently making unhealthy food choices. Bad idea, I know. But I can't seem to stop doing it.

So what can I do to stop this bad habit of eating junk food? Any and all advice would be welcomed.

cmriverside

Make your decision at the store.

If I don't buy it, I don't eat it.

Sounds simple, but it's true.

Do you eat the whole package when you buy it, or are you someone who can have a couple servings and put it away? I eat the whole package. So there are some things I just don't buy unless I accept I will eat the entire 1500 calories in one day.

clicketykeys

Don't buy it. Do your meal prep before going to the grocery store, and have a list in hand when you go there. At the top of your list, write "DON'T DO IT!" or some other reminder to yourself.

Keep some snacks you feel good about - I have carrots, celery, and broccoli as my go-to snack when I get the munchies. I make my own dips in my new blender (yey!) which reminds me, I need to look for recipes for olive tapenade.

Cchioles

Food Prep Helped Me With This Initially, Than It Just Became Habit.. Give It A Shot.. If You Have Healthy Food Readily Available Before You Get Hungry, You Less Likely To Eat The Junk Foods

kommodevaran

I second the posters above. A little doesn't hurt you - if you can eat a little, don't worry, just enjoy yourself, and eat a little. But if you eat a lot and it makes it difficult to get in enough real food, just don't buy it. Plan your meals - make sure you plan meals you actually like and know you will want to eat, if you trip here, you're doomed - and write a shopping list for the items you need to make those meals, take the list to the store and follow it. Problem solved.

lemurcat12

When do you eat it? When you say you are making poor choices, do you mean for meals? If so, plan ahead. Make eating the things you want to eat easier by having them on hand, prepping in advance, so on.

If you mean you are eating extra food between meals that don't fit in your calories, that's sometimes just about breaking the habit. Just tell yourself (assuming that it's true) that you are eating plenty and don't need to eat outside of planned times. OR, if you do need extra calories and are legitimately hungry more frequently, plan snacks that fit in and are more satiating and make it easy by having those available and ready to go (and if you can control your environment, don't have the things you tend to grab around).

Some do better with a smaller number of larger regular meals, some do better eating more frequent smaller meals. You just figure out what works for you.

I incorporate some higher cal/less nutrient dense foods I love into my overall diet (usually a little something after dinner), but I totally agree that getting over the habit of mindlessly reaching for such foods all the time is important, and also getting into a habit of eating regular nutritious meals, for the most part.

Lounmoun

Think about meeting your nutritional needs and don't stress about calling a food junk or unhealthy. Think about what nutrients the foods actually have.
Think of choosing food like spending money. Your calories are your currency. Your body's needs are your expenses (protein, fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, water, etc). Nutritional content of foods is like the value of the item. If the food doesn't have much nutritional content for the calories then it is not as good of a value.
Get enough protein, eat several servings of vegetables and fruits, try whole grains. If you've done that with the bulk of your calories then eating something with low nutritional value isn't a big deal.

I find prelogging foods in my food diary helps me make better choices because I can see how a food fits with my whole day.

JeromeBarry1

Quantify your description of "consistently making unhealthy food choices". Elaborate and elucidate, please.

theycallmearth

A lot of really good advice. Thank you to everyone.

PennWalker

cmriverside wrote: »

Make your decision at the store.

If I don't buy it, I don't eat it.

Sounds simple, but it's true.

Do you eat the whole package when you buy it, or are you someone who can have a couple servings and put it away? I eat the whole package. So there are some things I just don't buy unless I accept I will eat the entire 1500 calories in one day.

Second this ^^

I can't eat junk food in moderation, so I don't buy it. I will go through the whole package like a pig at the trough.

BUT it's good to have treats so you don't feel deprived. Avocado in salad and raw almonds do it for me (or add peanut butter to celery sticks).

upoffthemat

Pre planning your meals may be a great way to get around it. Plan a little junk food in and stick to it.

arditarose

Just stop. Don't bring it in the house. Find a few lower calorie options or make room once per week for the thing you really want.

A lot of people preach moderation on here. I personally find self-control fatiguing and would rather pick low calorie options, and splurge every once in awhile.

Arizona_C

Hi, my problem has been eating sugar stuff before going to bed. Itried to avoid it evening after evening, always ended up in the cupboard.

Now I put my headphones on as soon as I enter the kitchen after 11pm; I've found a youtube talk engouraging healthy choices. I only have to hear that soothing sincere voice to keep me off sugar. I go to sleep straight after, lol

theycallmearth

Thanks everyone. I believe meal prepping is something I will definitely look in to.