Resisting snacks and junk food

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  • crazybookworm
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
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    When I crave ice cream, I make my own frozen yogurt. I use a small tin muffin cup, fill it with yogurt, mixed berries and freeze for 20 minutes. Bam! A single 45 calorie serving that will definitely kill your ice cream craving!

    When I crave chips or something salty:

    1.5 cups of plain air-popped popcorn and I toss in 1/3 cup of nuts and seeds.
    1/4 of nuts and seeds trailmix(I'll also toss in dried cranberries and raisons)
    Veggies with a tablespoon of hummus
    Breton Popped Chips with Salsa
    Kale Chips. I usually make a salt and vinegar variety, but sometimes I'll do a cinnamon and brown sugar one...Delicious!
    Apples with Peanut Butter
    Celery with peanut butter
    Frozen(or regular) grapes

    When I am craving something sweet:

    Homemade apple cobbler: 70 ML of real oats microwaved. Toss in chopped apple with cinnamon and a pinch of brown sugar. 120 calories!
    A Bowl of mixed fruit. This almost always kills my craving for sweets, and it's so versatile! You can change it up each time with your selection of fruit, so you are less likely to get bored,
    Chapman's Rainbow Sorbet
    A square of dark chocolate(I have a square every night!)

    And P.S. I used to be the exact same way! But once you adjust to your new eating habits, you'll be surprised with yourself! After awhile you won't even get those cravings. And if you do, you will be able to adjust to your new portion sizes and moderation.

    Hope this helps!

    Good luck!:drinker:
  • greensaretasty
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    I was able to get to the store today. I had a general list of things to get, things I knew I wanted to get and a few with question marks. I ended up going to three different stores to find everything on my list, as some stores were out of a certain product. I shopped well I think. Despite being a frugal person and hating spending money (or that fact that healthy food is more expensive), I did okay. At times there were extras in my cart, not junk food as I resisted that for the most part, but I am so indecisive it became a good thing here. I am an extremely picky eater and could probably eat the same meal for days on end. I am also extremely indecisive. In the store as I was walking around and seeing something I always asked myself questions.
    Do I really want that food?
    Do I need it?
    Do I need to spend the money on it? It is cost effective in the long-run?
    Will I eat it before it goes bad or expires?
    What can I eat it with that I will enjoy?
    Is it food I will take the time to prepare?
    Will it satisfy me?
    Do I already have this at home? Do I need more?

    Just questions like that. I was able to put some things back as well. I knew I might not eat a 2lb container of strawberries before they go bad, but I can do so with a 1lb container. Which, speaking of strawberries, a great treat for those craving something sweet but healthy, is strawberries and unsweetened vanilla almond milk (that's just the milk I use, you can use whatever). My father used to give us strawberries and cream but it's not so healthy, so I switch it out for a healthier milk/alternative milk. It's great.

    Anyways... The only snack-type of food I got was whole grain rice cakes as I wanted to try them and figure out how I can pair them with other foods and such. Also if I am just on the go somewhere I can grab one and be out the door. Everything else I got was fruits or vegetables or a grain pretty much. Though I did get sweet potato fries, which I love, and let myself get a single serving spinach and feta pizza for later in the week. I had a handful or so of fries (I didn't measure anything out tonight. When I'm less tired I'll look into doing so) and a salad - spinach, cucumber, strawberries, and egg whites with a drizzle of low sodium soy sauce (I don't like greens dry that much and wasn't up for buying a dressing when nothing looked good, healthy, or cheap to me). It was tasty and I feel satisfied with it. Later I'll have some of my chocolate almond milk and some fruit just as a snack. I walked around so much today from store to store. In total I must've walked a couple hours and a bit of those was carrying all of my shopping bags. The sun was out today and it was warm which makes me want to get out and be active more.

    Thanks for all the responses so far. I hope we can all kick the bad snacking habits we may have. I'll have to report back in a few days time to see if I've stuck with this. I plan to this time. I hope I do.

    Also, I don't like gum, which is unfortunate in this case. Also I dislike the taste of frozen yogurt, or any yogurt for that matter that is not soy or almond milk strawberry or strawberry banana.

    And, nycgirlie87, I am into photography as well! I shoot film photography mainly and was a fine arts minor in college.
  • nicoleashley_24
    nicoleashley_24 Posts: 144 Member
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    I find that when I eat junk food, I want more junk food. So, it might be hard at first but once you get the cravings out of your system, stay on track and you'll never even miss the old junk. That said, have healthy snacks readily available for emergency situations. I really love Larabars for that occasion but I can't keep them in my house because they're just too tempting for me!
  • nicoleashley_24
    nicoleashley_24 Posts: 144 Member
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    Do I really want that food?
    Do I need it?
    Do I need to spend the money on it? It is cost effective in the long-run?
    Will I eat it before it goes bad or expires?
    What can I eat it with that I will enjoy?
    Is it food I will take the time to prepare?
    Will it satisfy me?
    Do I already have this at home? Do I need more?

    Just questions like that. I was able to put some things back as well. I knew I might not eat a 2lb container of strawberries before they go bad, but I can do so with a 1lb container. Which, speaking of strawberries, a great treat for those craving something sweet but healthy, is strawberries and unsweetened vanilla almond milk (that's just the milk I use, you can use whatever). My father used to give us strawberries and cream but it's not so healthy, so I switch it out for a healthier milk/alternative milk. It's great.


    Random thoughts...

    You can freeze most fruits and veggies pretty easily! It's great to do when items go on sale!

    I recommend picking up a few vegetarian cookbooks. I love Isa Chandra Moskowitz's books, but currently I'm using a lot of recipes from Appetite for Reduction.

    I make my grocery list at home each week and take note of what recipes I plan to make call for, what I have in my house, and what's on sale at the store (I get the ad in the mail but also can find it online).
  • AuntieMC
    AuntieMC Posts: 346 Member
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    bump
  • cwjuergens
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    My craving for dairy (ice cream, cheese, sour cream, milk, and so on) has definitely lessen since I found out I had vitamin D deficiency. I now take over the counter vitamins to take of this...the regular vitamins weren't enough. If you're able, talk to your doctor about having blood tests completed to determine if you have any vitamin/mineral deficiencies. Otherwise, I always keep gum nearby when I get into a snacking mood for sweets and carbs.
  • squirrelzzrule22
    squirrelzzrule22 Posts: 640 Member
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    If you can, keep busy. That is the one thing that stops me from mindless boredom snacking. Go for walks, take a class, hang outside with friends, anything you can do to stay out of the house until meal time!!
  • ladi_luk
    ladi_luk Posts: 9
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    Write a list of things you need to do around the house, and when you get the urge to snack - do a chore. Or go for a walk.
    I find the sweet herbal teas (like raspberry etc.) are great for the after dinner sugar craving. I usually eat dinner around 6.30 and hold out until about 8.30, then have a herbal tea. It usually kicks the craving.
  • CMay16
    CMay16 Posts: 144 Member
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    Write a list of things you need to do around the house, and when you get the urge to snack - do a chore. Or go for a walk.

    ^^ Great idea!! :)
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
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    i only get those types of cravings when i give in to those types of cravings. I was recently on vacation and ate donuts for breakfast everyday. It took me a week and a half to get rid of the sugar cravings that resulted from just eating 2 donuts for breakfast for 4 days.

    What finally kicked it was a good hard workout - and not eating that crap anymore.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    Try Intermittent Fasting for a couple of weeks. I suggest a plan that calls for you to eat every day, but in a specific eating window.
  • crlyxx
    crlyxx Posts: 186 Member
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    Just remind yourself that that slice of cake you're about to buy is 1) a waste of money 2) bad for your health/waistline 3) you only get to enjoy it for a few minutes until it's all gone.

    Not a very good trade-off.
  • greensaretasty
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    Just remind yourself that that slice of cake you're about to buy is 1) a waste of money 2) bad for your health/waistline 3) you only get to enjoy it for a few minutes until it's all gone.

    Not a very good trade-off.

    Good point. I know exactly how it is. Sometimes I'll get a craving for something specific (usually a baked good or treat from Whole Foods - curse living just over five minutes away), and eat it on my way back. I have to force myself to wait until I get back to my apartment as I know if I eat it on my way back I'll likely forget about it. I am trying to be more careful with my food choices these days as I want to be able to enjoy m y food and remember it. I don't just want my eating to be mindless an go to waste. Food might taste good in the moment but afterwards it just goes away.
  • Mrsciderqueen
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    What works for my partner and I (and in no way a professional opinion):

    Working out after the bad stuff. Especially going for a walk. Exercise actually makes you less hungry so we go for a walk after dinner so don't feel like snacking anyway.
    Drink lots of water.
    Have little treats (measured) in the house and know how many calories they are worth each. Kiddy packets of chips, fun size chocolates & weight watchers ice-cream as a reward when you have been working hard. The small packets will help you to stop eating more than you intend to.
    Log it into MFP

    My partner used to eat a whole bag of chips a day + have dessert before MFP. He has been really successful in curbing the munchies because he has not felt deprived of the food he enjoys. Using MFP he can still achieve his calorie goal having these things in moderation.

    Obviously it is better if you don't eat these things but you'll be more likely to stick to the diet if you are enjoying it. My daily goal is 1200 and i can still manage to get under my calorie goal with my morning coffee and weight watchers sundae.

    Best of luck :)
  • vwkauffman
    vwkauffman Posts: 39 Member
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    I was the queen of bad snacking...especially at night after my daughter fell asleep. I'd sit on the couch, catch up on a TV show or 2, and eat Oreos or ice cream - way more than I'm happy to admit. And I drank diet soda throughout the day. Now, I have ice cream once a week and keep my evening snacking to a minimum. I will occasionally have popcorn or a handful of frozen grapes.

    I have found that water helps. A LOT! I have a glass or bottle of water near me practically all the time.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
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    Sometimes just knowing the calorie count in a snack is enough of a deterrent.