I'm having issues

legowrangler

I eat way too much of the wrong thing all the time!!!!!!!! I am always eating junk....... please give me tips!!!!!! I want to be healthy, skinny, and happy!

durbanski

First advice is don't snack. Eat set meals then drink water in-between. I cut out pop and that's how I lost the first 20. Try and cut out fat wherever possible.

I guarantee more to come from others.

Good luck.

- Dustin

hooah_mj

I'll brush my teeth after each meal (carefully planned), I even list EVERYTHING in my food diary at the start of the day, so there's no room for even a little something...

I don't even lick my fingers when I'm in the kitchen...

You can do this...breathe and keep busy.

I have a pedometer I wear every minute of my day...love those clicks. They remind me where I'm going.

anybristow

I know this sounds dumb but try trading in your favorite junk foods for something lower in cals. You could eat them in smaller portions, trade in chocolate candy things for sugar free low cal jello pudding, fruit and sorbet's can be traded for sweet candies and ice cream, even flavored yogurt can be used as a sub for a sweet tooth. Potato chips and dip can be turned into whole wheat pitas and hummus. etc etc. Just find something you like and try it for a week. good luck!
Also, if you mess up and eat something crappy don't beat yourself up, just try harder the next day. Not everyone likes this but I always give myself one cheat day a week so I don't feel super deprived. After a time I still make healthy choices that day, I just might have that cake I wanted and then am able to feel satisfied and know that I can easily make it through the next week.

RachMartin

Try and resist buying the junk foods when you go shopping - having a big meal before your trip to the supermarket should help :-)
And then when you want to eat something you will find no junk food in your fridge / cupboards only fruit - healthy snacks - yoghurts etc that you bought
Half the reason we eat junk is because it's there and it's handy
Good luck
Rach x x

mzmoonlight

My advice is to snack often; eat small meals up to 5 or 6 times per day (making sure you stick to your calorie allowance).
Cut out added sugar (so in drinks, on cereal, cakes and biscuits etc)
Try to fill up on filling healthy food such as protein (meat, eggs, dairy) and carbs such as pasta and potato etc
Stay away from sauces as they can be high in sugar/fat
Avoid bad fats (in chocolate, cakes, fried foods etc) and get your fats from good sources such as avocados, nuts, seeds etc
Go for low fat options, but be careful with calories still (low fat doesnt mean low calories)
I would say dont make too many changes at once. The best way I have found to make good lifestyle (long term) changes is to do it gradually. I like to chose one thing a week and concentrate on that.
Also, listen to your body. If you tend to need to eat in the evenings then save enough calories to do that. In my experience it is not when you eat but how much that controls weight.
Make sure you get exercise too as I know exercise reduces my appetite loads.
Oh and drink enough fluids. I can eat a house on days when I am dehydrated.
Good luck, you can do it!

nakrya

I eat way too much of the wrong thing all the time!!!!!!!! I am always eating junk....... please give me tips!!!!!! I want to be healthy, skinny, and happy!

Plan, plan, plan! Really sit down and plan your meals. I used to eat junk all the time and I still do on occasion, but have cut back tremendously. In fact, I still have have some days where I just binge but that's another story :-).

I make sure my eating is 80% clean, and healthy and the 20% when I do indulge, I don't feel so bad. Do what works for you, but most importantly try incorporating some good stuff into your eating first. When I first started, I just focused on adding more good stuff, slowly but surely, it has now become a habit and I've noticed I'm eating less and less junk.

Also, don't have it in the house. Make it a treat to go out once a week for that 'junk'.

Darkraven

Try and resist buying the junk foods when you go shopping - having a big meal before your trip to the supermarket should help :-)
And then when you want to eat something you will find no junk food in your fridge / cupboards only fruit - healthy snacks - yoghurts etc that you bought
Half the reason we eat junk is because it's there and it's handy
Good luck
Rach x x

This is EXACTLY how I "fixed" my problem of eating bad alll the time. It was hard on the kids to not have their favorite yummy treats around but they got over it and are excited when they ask if what they are eating is healthy and I say yes! (shocking I know!)

aymetcalf

Clean out your house... if the junk food isn't around, you won't eat it. Have healthy snacks available, apples, grapes, etc. Also, use chewing gum to keep chomping without the calories.

karenmacneil

OMG - I feel the same way ... I was getting no where's! I over eat like crazy and I eat tons of junk =(
I suppose I don't really have any great advice but don't feel alone, I log all my food honestly and I find that helps me when I am going WAY over to get my control back.
I have enlisted the help my husband, and he'll check in with me to make sure that i'm eating well - its hard but I know that as the days go on it will be easier.

mbkfireman

Embrace the hunger. You should get hungry every day at some stage. Listen to your body. Eat all the calories you are allocated every day, but no more. For the beginning only eat food you can acurately determine the calories of. The results will spur you on. Leave yourself enough calorioes to eat sociably with your family at night. Good luck.

Lady_C_the_1st

Try and remember that by eating foods full of salt, sugar and additives that you will get a high from that food then you will crash. You will then want more sugar and more junk to get that feeling back again, it is a bit like a drug! If you get into this cycle it is difficult to break out of. Go cold turkey on processed foods and you will no longer crave them as your body will be wanting healthy and nutritious foods.

It is much easier then to have these foods once in a while as a treat, as long as you don't get sucked in to this cycle.

Good luck. xxx

jw17695

I went organic! I buy everything fresh (no preservatives). If I really want food then I make it myself. No pre-packaged anything. If it can sit on a shelf for a year and be "ok" imagine what it does to your body. ewww.

jw17695

Oh yea, and brushing teeth definitely helps. Its hard to eat and enjoy food with that minty taste in your mouth.

Jlennhikes

There aren't any easy solutions if you're just not there mentally yet, but I recommend putting everything you eat in your food diary. Something about seeing those calories adding up in black and white helps me stay on track. And if you can't say no to the fattening food, cut your portions in half to lessen the damage

jw17695

This might not work for everyone but I find if I eat higher amounts of carbs in the morning and lunch, and do lower carbs closer to dinner and/or night, the weight seems to come off easier without trying so hard. It seems like I can burn off the carbs during the day pretty easy (I have a fairly active job). I also do higher protein at night because that's when I workout.

nicandjim0315

I see you have gotten alot of advice. What truely helps me is 6 small meals a day spread three hourse apart. With every meal or snack I make sure I have a fruit or vegetable. I dont drink anything but water (sometimes with a lemon) and I try to have 2 cups of green tea. I dont use any artifical sweetners considering 1 teaspoon of sugar has only 15 calories. As for calories thats all I count I dont even look at the fat. i dont eat anything that I dont know what it is or has in it. I hardly exercise but I do walk my daughter around the neighborhood. Do this and weight will literally FALL off I cant stop losing weight. Sometimes I acutally can control my hunger but the next day I start over and dont punish myself for it. Good luck

sonjavon

The planning is crucial... If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I make sure to have low-calorie snacks on hand at all times... veggies and hummus, apples, oranges, mini rice cakes.

For a little while cut all added sugar from your diet. By doing that - you detox your system.

There is NO NEED for you to be hungry. I eat every 2 hours. Do I occasionally "want" something? Yep, sometimes I do and occasionally I have something that I just "want". But eating a variety of textures and flavors seems to help keep down some of the cravings as well.

Eat lots of vegetables and fruit... I have a salad and a piece of fruit with almost every meal.

I do not buy junk food... most of the time. BUT - I have a son and a husband who occasionally like to have a treat... so I buy them "individual bags" of snacks if they want them... and they go downstairs on a shelf in our basement... I will not deal with opened bags of donuts, chips, candy, etc. And I do not need crap sitting on my counters or in my pantry.

Tell yourself that you CAN and WILL do this - you have to give yourself positive reinforcement. And of course, exercise helps... when you get endorphins pumping through your system, it actually makes you less hungry!

Good luck!

loze85

When you go to the supermarket grab a basket and hit the fruit and veg first. Grab everything that looks interesting and then then there isn't much space for the rest This is my latest ploy and it works well! I choose pineapple rather than biscuits - I now have my supermarket route planned exactly. Plus I walk back with the shopping for extra fitness points

jennylynn84

I do not buy junk food... most of the time. BUT - I have a son and a husband who occasionally like to have a treat... so I buy them "individual bags" of snacks if they want them... and they go downstairs on a shelf in our basement... I will not deal with opened bags of donuts, chips, candy, etc. And I do not need crap sitting on my counters or in my pantry.

This is great advice! I do the same thing! We only have "junk" food in the house in prepackaged bags. We buy 100 calorie packs. You can much on an open bag of chips or cookies and consume a ton before you realize it. But if you go back for ANOTHER 100 calorie pack... personally I know my "I want to be thin" psyche can't handle it. lol.

I agree with everyone else about planning. By 10:00 a.m. I have entered in all of my food. If I have wiggle room with what I have planned I can add a little treat or something nice for myself (a tall skinny latte or one mini reeses cup...). If not... well that's just how it goes, huh? You've got to get into the habit of it. I plan even my morning and afternoon snack. That way when my stomach growls or it gets to be that time, I grab ONLY what I have already planned.

Junisahn

I plan my whole day of eating at breakfast and I budget everyday for ice cream - 1 serving - at night. If I crave something that goes beyond my budget (like granola a few days ago), I make myself earn it with exercise before I can eat it. I soon realized that while I didn't mind walking for a 1/2 hour to earn 1/4 cup of granola, I sure as hell was not going to walk 2 hours to eat a whole cup. It's a mental balancing act for me.

Laceylala

Just like others have said...plan plan plan. Log ALL of your planned calories at the beginning of the day and change as needed. Make a meal plan for a week at a time so you take the thinking out of it on a day to day basis.

ZebraHead

I am just a guy with no real knowledge in the nutrition/diet area. Please keep that in mind.

This is just my personal approach - As the saying goes: 'Different strokes for different folks'.

First - Record everything you eat. Don't cheat on yourself, if the food isn't listed in the DB go find it and record it as accurately as possible for everything you put in your mouth.

Second - Look at every calorie you consume before you eat it. Make the determination if that food is in your best interest to your long term goal and make a short term goal to PUT IT DOWN if it's not part of your plan.

Third - Plan your meals for the day (and the week ahead). Once you have foods you have decided to use in your 'new life' it will be fun (I find) to plan your meals, set out the calories. Make a list of these foods and shop them after a week or two you will have a good grouping of the foods you should have and will be able to mix and match and create enjoyable meals that you will feel good about eating. I recommend staying away from high sugar fruits. Meats for me are Fish (all kinds oh yeah), lean beef, turkey, chicken. All manner of veggies (raw, steamed, grilled, broiled). Salads with salmon, turkey, or chicken on them with your favorite low cal dressing (yum).

Fourth- (This really is just for me maybe not for you; you decide) - I cut out all grains, no breads, muffins, cerals, corns, (no taters either). I like it alot.

Fifth - Snacking is acceptable but find the right snack in the right proportions. And record them accurately.

Sixth - I have seen where some folks have a blow out on MFP, tell their story and pick themselves up, an move on. Just keep moving forward.

Seventh - plan some 'get up and move around' activities away from the house (or at least away from the kitchen).

Seventh- DON"T PANIC--- You can do this, take the first step (away from the junk).

P.S. - Drink your water.

lawkat

What kind of junk are you eating? I find that if I write down what I eat before I put the food in my mouth, it is a wake up call. Once you see that number in front of you, it makes you think if that 300 calorie candy bar is worth it because it will cut into your daily intake.

One thing I am big on is trying to find the source of your hunger. Are you eating because you are actually hungry or is more to fill some kind of emotional need? There is a huge difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger. I used to eat when I wasn't hungry due to either boredom, stress or anger. One day I stood there and thought, why do I want this particular food? What am I getting out of eating all of this food when I am not even hungry? I have to think about why I am eating when I am not hungry. It takes time to realize the difference. I also learned that I didn't have to give up the things i love. I can have them in moderation so long as I keep track of what I am eating and don't overindulge.

If you are eating foods that you don't like and giving everything up that you do, it makes eating junk and overeating easier to do.

LynnW52

Try and resist buying the junk foods when you go shopping - having a big meal before your trip to the supermarket should help :-)
And then when you want to eat something you will find no junk food in your fridge / cupboards only fruit - healthy snacks - yoghurts etc that you bought
Half the reason we eat junk is because it's there and it's handy
Good luck
Rach x x

I couldn't have said it better myself! I quit buying a lot of my temptation foods altogether, and thank God my hubby likes stuff that I don't At first it can be hard, but you will get used to it. If you have certain things that you just CAN'T live without, try to find an alternative to it. Have you checked out Hungry Girl? Lots of different swaps that won't leave you feeling guilty and ruin your day.

Good Luck girl! :flowerforyou:

SuzieQT

One thing that helped me when I was first getting started was to look at food through exercise. For example one of my all-time worst indulgences is a small Carmel Frappe from McDonald's which has 450 calories. (Yes it is a ton for the amount you get, only 12oz!) I'd have to walk 120 minutes at a leisurely pace (2.5 mph) or do 40 minutes on the elliptical on top of my regular exercise to burn that off ! (You can look at it based on whatever exercise you want.) So then I just ask myself, "Do I really want to do the work for the treat?" Sometimes its yes so I make sure I burn it all off, but more often than not I decide against the high calorie treats. Try something like that and maybe it will work for you too!

Elokyn

Try and remember that by eating foods full of salt, sugar and additives that you will get a high from that food then you will crash. You will then want more sugar and more junk to get that feeling back again, it is a bit like a drug! If you get into this cycle it is difficult to break out of. Go cold turkey on processed foods and you will no longer crave them as your body will be wanting healthy and nutritious foods.

It is much easier then to have these foods once in a while as a treat, as long as you don't get sucked in to this cycle.

Good luck. xxx

Thank you, that's really helpful! I didn't know that!