Junk food Junkie!

Am i a shi*tty person because i think this whole thread is ironic? Your name is "NoMoreExcuses"....come on!

You are the ONLY person who can change YOU. It doesn't matter what anyone else tells you, motivates, etc. This is ultimately your decision and something you need to decide on your own.

"We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing."

I guess you haven't gotten to that point yet. The fact of the matter is, this comes from within... and until you're truly ready to make a change you will only fail.

Its a vicious cycle really- half arsed job trying to lose weight because youre not truly motivated and serious, fail, feel bad about yourself and beat yourself up, promise to change, half arsed job, etc.

Decide to break the cycle. Or not... that choice is yours.

Maybe some type of mantra will work? I struggle with the same thing, but my self control is getting stronger all the time.

There's a zillion motivational quotes, read through them until you find one that hits home for you.

"This will not taste as good as being slim will feel" is a perfect one for me. I can have the cookie in my hand already, look down, thing those words, and put the cookie down, because for me it's true.

Similarly, when I get bogged down during a jog, I either picture myself slimmer come beach season or running into an ex and looking good lol. Sometime's I think "Sweat is fat's tears!" hehe.

Replace all your chocolate with exlax chocolate bars

Personally, I'm not one to cut out all the bad foods. I'd rather change them a little to make them better. Like your shortbread cookies, for example... can you find a low-cal recipe and make them at home (send the majority of the batch with your kids)? And your homemade chocolate shake... what about using Almond Milk instead of regular? Or switching to sugar free icecream? Anything to cut the calories back. :happy:

Also, pre-planning really helps me. If you pre-plan your day to include your little induldgences, it'll REALLY help. Just be sure to plan in your sweet treats.

( I know it only says 5 pounds lost. I'm 50 pounds down from where I started, back slid a bit, and restarted my ticker. I've been at this for over a year).

The first step is knowing your trigger foods and why you go for them. Why do you gravitate toward junk food, and more importantly, WHEN do you gravitate toward junk food? Vegging out on the couch - find a hobby other than food to keep your hands busy. I took up crocheting/knitting. Looking for comfort? Find out what makes you truly happy, and substitute with that. A true lack of self control? Well... Knowing what your triggers are and WHY you want to eat them is a start.

Do you keep junk food in the house? If so, that's got to go. If it's there for your husband/kids, have them hide it. I'm dead serious. My husband and I both have foods we hide from the other (his candy bars are in my jewelry armoire!) and that helps with moderation. Out of sight, out of mind. In response to the 'mantra' above, I may sound like a jerk, but I don't believe that skinny 'tastes' good. This isn't about being thin. This is about being healthy. Contrary to popular belief, healthy does not always equal thin, and vice versa.

Veggies and fruits suck. Trust me. I've never liked them, at all, and given the choice I'd rather have something NOT a fruit or veggie. Finding out which ones you like is fun. I enjoy pomegranate, and fall apples (pink ladies, honey crisps) are fabulous. If you're a snacker and not a '3 meals a day' kind of girl, eat smaller meals. Better for digestion/metabolism anyway.

If you need support, feel free to friend me.

My friend and coworker came back from a weight watchers meeting and said she heard something that struck home with her...

A woman in the group reported that she was feeling like she deserved to have a chocolate shake because she had worked hard to get her house all cleaned up. She also deserved to grab a hamburger out since she shouldn't have to cook after working all day. She deserved to sit on the couch and watch a movie with a bag of cookies because she does so much for other people and needs a break for herself....
Then she realized, what she really deserves is to be healthy. She deserves to feel good, both inside and outside. She does so much for other people, she deserves to take time out for her health. She works hard running around and cleaning all day, so her body deserves to be nurished with the things it really needs to keep functioning at optimal levels instead of being bogged down with sugar and fat and greasy foods.

I am a junk food junkie as well. I understand. When it comes to fruits and veggies, start with ones that you like. There has to be a few. Even if its just fruits for awhile, thats fine, just start introducing them. Try no sugar applesauce, low sugar mandarins in cottage cheese, strawberries, raspberries. I don't love carrots, but I don't hate them, so I have a few with my lunch (6-9 baby carrots). They take awhile to eat and help fill you up. I'll pack some grape tomatoes too or cucumber slices.

Then start finding recipes with veggies that sound good. My husband doesn't like a lot of veggies, so I make things like lasagna with a ton of veggies so it's mixed in with cheese and meat. I also puree things like zucchini and add that to tomato sauce. Basically, how you'd get more veggies into a child! :-) Soups and stews are great ways to add in veggies. They are also delicious and diet friendly. Spinach sauteed with a little olive oil, shallot, garlic, and a bit of cream cheese or parmesan is delicious. Don't be afraid to add cheese or meat. Just don't drown it in cheese! lol.

I also will add veggies to things like eggs for breakfast (spinach, scallion, tomatoes, roasted peppers). I will roast a bunch of veggies and freeze them in little baggies for use in things like eggs and soups.

Another thing I do, is instead of eating a burger and fries, I'll have a burger, but with some cottage cheese and fruit on the side, or a salad (I dip my fork into the dressing), or carrot sticks and strawberries. This way, I don't feel deprived. I actually feel lighter, if that makes sense, because the veggies and fruit aren't as heavy as fries.

With sweets, sometimes, you just have to have them, and that's ok. I try to work them into my diet when I know I need them (like that time of the month). I try not to keep them in the house, but that can't always be helped. Sometimes, I'll replace a meal with something like ice cream, or I'll keep my other three meals low so I can have a treat within my calories. I'm trying to make these occasions less and less, but it does happen, and I accept that. I've learned that if I beat myself up about it, I will just go further down the ice cream hole. It's not easy, but I am working on changing my attitude towards myself to be more positive. It works better for me...I respond well to positivity. I treat myself like I would a friend with the same struggles. I look for answers and try to change WHILE forgiving myself.

Last thing - before I end my ridiculously long post. Try things like Kind bars, homemade trail mix, flavored greek yogurt, chocolate dipped strawberries or white chocolate bark with dried fruit and nuts. They are delicious and might take the sweet craving away with less calories.

I hope you find what works for you!

ETA - oh, and learn to listen to your body signals. Are you really hungry? Is it your hormones talking? Are you just bored? I'm working hard to learn mine and to LISTEN to them. Sometimes it is easier than others.... ;-)

Well, it's not a magic button, but you can start by saying outloud: I don't eat cookies or I don't eat pie rather than I can't eat cookies or pie. Your brain responds differently to these two messages. Can't equals depravation whereas Don't equals choice. Your mind believes what you tell it. As others have stated, you have to reach the point that being fit and healthy is more important to you than the taste of chocolate pie. Then you start telling your brain that this is what is going to happen.

I have read some of the comments and would like to say first, don't let the negative comments discourage you. Also, because I only read some of the comments this may be duplicate information. I noticed in your post, you acknowledge that God has helped you through situations. This situation is not any different, He is concerned with every area that concerns you.

Be encouraged, once you start it gets easier AND you will find that eventually you will not want the bad things (as much). Sweets will become a treat and not a way of life.

Try taking bikini pictures of yourself and then look at them whenever you want to reach for the goodies. It kills the appetite.

I love sweets! So the biggest thing that helped me was to accept that you can still have these things BUT in moderation. In other words I allow myself a treat everyday. I save 100-150 calories for something sweet (or a glass of wine:drinker: ). Skinny cow has great products under 150 calories. Or sometimes I'll have a few pieces of hershey's kisses. It's all about moderation and making sure it fits into your calorie goal. Get out there and exercise, eat healthy, save a few calories for a treat at the end of the day!

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding!!! We have a winner. Have done exactly what Lizzie says above for the last 6 months and lost over 55 pounds to date. I prefer Godiva chocolate though and love those skinny cow truffle bars. I have a dessert almost every night.

The thing that helped me was to start REALLY small. Go from having soda every day to every other day. Then cut dessert from after lunch AND dinner to just after dinner...etc. This is what I did and having tried and failed to lose weight a million times before, this is the only thing that has ever worked for me. Like you said, you are breaking old habits and creating new ones. You will have weak moments where you are sick and tired of being healthy and just want a damn milkshake. Give in or not, but know that it will set you back if you do.

Take baby steps. Take it literally one day at a time. It's a long process but worth it I promise!

As cmcollins001 pointed out - you already have it figured out. Now take steps!

My ah-ha moment came one month ago (almost exactly). I was standing in my bedroom upstairs so stuffed from grazing all day and eating dinner that I was beyond miserable. Then I started thinking about the sherbet in the freezer. And all of a sudden the scales fell from my inner eyes, and I realized that I was doing it to myself and would continue doing it to myself unless I changed my life.

It was a revelation. I'd always excused my behaivor as "I can't help it," "it's like some munchie monster takes over my body". None of that was true. I was stuffing myself because it made me so miserable that I couldn't face the hard issues in my life.

The same is true of you, I believe. You absolutely can control it. You can do what you want to do.

I am the same way! I try not to keep junk in the house so if I really want it I have to go out and get it. I get the nagging craving for something chocolatey every night after the kids go to bed. But if its not in the house I can't eat it, if I'm lazy, in pj's, or my husbands not home I can't go out and get a sugar fix.

Eat 80% healthy and allow yourself one treat a day. I had dessert instead of dinner often to keep my calories in check, but breakfast and lunch were really nutritious. It's even better if you have to go out for one dessert if you really want it. That keeps it to one serving size. Shave your calories by reducing portions. A chocolate milkshake is doable at half the portion, and drink it slow so it feels like more. My favorite ice cream treat is Dreyers slow churned, half fat, in an ice cream cone = 140 calories. Have something before the treat so you don't use multiple high calorie treats to fill up. Your brain will make better choices if you get the daily nutrients in FIRST. Often it's craving nutrients, but in today's world it gets confused by sugar, salt and fat.