Hmmm

cassyd12345

I am prone to eating junk I am trying to stop but have noticed that this has taken away quite a few of my meals. Are protein shakes a good way to go?

raniaucf

I find putting a spoon of natural peanut butter in vanilla shakes help my junk craving a little

Cheryl188

Stop buying junk. If it's not in your house you can't eat it.

HypersonicFitNess

Agreed; stop buying junk..replace with produce. Eat lots of fresh, raw veggies and if you like dip it in hummus of your choice (my favorite is roasted red pepper) or salsa, "Sals-sa"

phildawson75

Eat more filling foods, and drink a pint of water with meals. If your stomach is full your brain is less likely to have snack urges.

I would say just limit the amount of junk food you buy, or if you live with people ask them if they can keep chocs etc out of sight. There's more chance you'll eat something if you can see it when you open the kitchen cupboard/ fridge.

If you're trying to lose weight replacing them with peanut butter or houmous isn't great imho. I love both but you still should only eat them in moderation. A choc bar could be 100 cals whilst a small spoon of either "healthier" food could easily be more cals and that's before adding up the cals of what you're eating them with. ie add another 100 cals for a slice of bread. Obviously the more nutritional food is going to be better, but calories are calories.

Going cold turkey on any food isn't great, if you don't buy any "bad" nice food then it's increasing the chance of bingeing next time unless you have immense willpower. There's no need to eat super clean its just about sticking to how many calories your putting into your body and how much you're burning off each day. A treat now and then is fine, and more maintainable in the long run.

Whilst protein is proven to suppress appetite, I'd suggest eating food and only using them supplement if necessary. It's also pretty costly buying decent whey protein. You don't want to be buying any Body Fortress crap.

AnvilHead

Protein/meal replacement shakes are not the way to go in the situation you're describing, because they don't teach you about willpower, portion control or proper eating habits. Protein shakes are intended as a way to supplement protein intake when you're not getting enough from whole foods. You'd serve yourself far better by getting your eating habits under control and learning to eat proper amounts of "real" food so your diet is sustainable in the long term.

Weight loss is simple, but it isn't easy. Read this thread for some great advice:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

cassyd12345

Thanks everyone!