Toss the junk food? I disagree.

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PJilly
PJilly Posts: 21,728 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I often see "Get rid of all the junk" as a weight-loss tip. I understand having junk right under your nose is a temptation, but I think it's really important to tackle that head on rather than run from it. My dad was diagnosed with diabetes more than 20 years ago. He didn't have any choice but to drastically change his eating habits, so he did, quietly and without making a fuss. The last thing he wanted to do was be a burden to anyone else. He never expected anyone around him to change their habits or hide what they were eating just because he couldn't have something. I admire him so much for handling himself that way and for setting a perfect example for how to take personal accountability to make permanent changes in his eating habits.

I am thankful I had my dad as a role model. When he passed away last year, I knew it was my time to make changes for the sake of my own health. He has been my inspiration, and I've been determined to do what I need to do for me without insisting everyone around me change what they're doing. The surprising benefit for me has been that having "bad" food around me doesn't make it hard for me to do what I need to do. It is such a liberating feeling to know that nothing anybody else does is going to lead me down a path I don't want to go.

So, I know the way I think about this goes against what many experts recommend, but I honestly think we'd all be better off if we started out without eliminating the temptations. Otherwise, I think we either set ourselves up for failure down the road when we're inevitably faced with temptation or give ourselves a built-in excuse for failure, or both. Neither of those is very awesome.
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Replies

  • Jenn97355
    Jenn97355 Posts: 103 Member
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    I love what you said, and I agree. If we do not learn to be strong enough around "junk" food, then we will eventually fail, and all our progress will be for naught. My husband eats different things than I do, but I have learned that just because it's in the house doesn't mean I have to have it! I just have alternatives for me...and this way, I also am not teaching my 9y.o. daughter bad habits. At least I hope not,lol
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    I think this is a GREAT point of view. The fact is, is that the world is and always will be full of temptations, and unless you hide away or confine yourself to very select environments, then you will have to deal with temptation. I'm lucky enough to live in a house with people who are (mostly) trying to eat well, avoid junk, etc. Because of that, we don't have too much junk food. However, my younger brother still buys regular peanut butter, sugary cereals, etc., and my stepdad loves his ice cream for dessert. Every once in awhile I'll have some ice cream, but that cereal isn't even appealing to me anymore - I've learned that what once tempted me no longer does, and for that I think I'm much stronger. I also work in an office where people frequently put out goodies for people to take, so dealing with that temptation has been good for me.

    The best thing I've ever read about this is from the Beck Diet Solution (don't let the title fool you - it's actually a fantastic book about teaching yourself the skills/mindset you need to successfully change your eating/lifestyle habits). It said to think of the willpower to say no as a muscle - the more you use it, the stronger it gets. If you don't exercise it, then it will remain weak. Applying this to this thread, if you remove all temptation, then you're not making yourself exercise your "saying no" muscle.
  • guidosgal
    guidosgal Posts: 581 Member
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    No truer words are spoken. (((APPALUSE))))
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I completely agree with you! I've watched Losing It With Jillian Michaels and she tears through the people's kitchens and throws out 90% of their food. I could never do that to my kitchen. I still keep a bag of Dove caramel chocolates on the counter. In plan sight. Available to grab at any time. But I eat one maybe every few days when I want something a little sweet in the evening. I don't feel tempted to devour a whole bag because it's a taboo thing. I think the key to long term success is to let oneself have little indulgences on occasion. I plan a calorie buffer on those days from working out a bit extra, or eating lighter meals for a treat. I had pizza last weekend. 2 slices of veggie. It was delicious AND I was under calories! I didn't gain an ounce, in fact I lost a pound this week. It's just proof that you can't cut out everything or it will never last. I could never give up ice cream, there's a carton in the freezer. But I haven't eaten any in 2 weeks at least. It's just there when I want a treat. The problem exists when someone can't control the urge to binge on large amounts of junk food, then I can see a benefit to not having any in the house. I've never been a binge eater, so I can keep it around and it works well for me.
  • anthemfamily
    anthemfamily Posts: 24 Member
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    I agree, all the same stuff in my house as before. My husband and children do not have weight problems. If I feel I really need something I find a way to work it in by either smaller portions or more excercise. The first bite or two of something is usually the best. It's been said hundreds of times but, nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

    Traci
  • Precious_Nissa
    Precious_Nissa Posts: 416
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    I love how you said it all and i agree for the most of it but I can also say I disagree to the junk food part because if we had so much self control we wouldnt be in the predicament we are in....It takes time to get strength to overcome temptations when fighting this battle....Now in our home, we didnt technically do away with junk food, but we did make changes and instead of regular oreos, we get the 100 calorie packs, or we get fat free pudding, fat free icecream etc.....I believe that everyone should treat themselves....not for their success but to keep from going back....if i want something i have it, i just make sure i dont go over on calories and i make sure i dont overeat on it to where i am hurting myself any longer....

    but I really do love this post.....thanks for posting....
  • Shawna_831
    Shawna_831 Posts: 316
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    My house has junk food still. I monitor my kids intake of it and I just don't touch it (maybe once in a blue moon). It's all about control. My family has juice/ punch every night with dinner and I drink water. My kids take a honey bun to school with lunch and I take a banana.
  • jheller
    jheller Posts: 194
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    I agree with you in a certain sense. Its called junk food for a reason. Its junk for our bodies. High fructose corn syrup, loads of fat, chemicals, white flour etc. None of that is good for us. One thing I used as an excuse to cut back on the types of snacks I buy my kids is that I wanted to healthier, I wanted them to be healthier and they are starting to understand just how bad this stuff is for you. I'm no saint, I still have the occasional fast food hamburger or Hostess treat but for the most part I don't and my family doesn't either. I buy one junk food snack a week for them - a box of cupcakes, or rice krispy treats, Oreo's but that's it. I used by much more then that. Now they snack on "real" food not processed.

    I don't think anyone should impose their diet needs or habits on others but as mother's (I don't know if you fall in that category) I think its a great opportunity to educate and change the habits of our families for the better. I don't need to rid the house of junk food because I'll eat it - I do it for health reasons. I'm not tempted by cookies or cake or ice cream. I feel good about myself that I can just say no and it doesn't bother me.

    It sounds like your dad did the right thing for your family and that's great. I'm just saying that our journey in weight loss can be a great opportunity and excuse to make our families healthier as well.
  • gnrshelton
    gnrshelton Posts: 358 Member
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    Well I'm on the other side of the fence. Its great in theory if everyone had great willpower but in reality most people don't or they wouldn't need help losing weight. The one benefit I see in getting rid of junk food is that after a few weeks you don't feel the cravings for it as bad as you once had and don't need to buy it. This is not to say that you won't be tempted. There are holidays and parties and people who don't eat what you eat to temp you. So I figure there is enough temptation out there to work through..
    But all in all to each his own and the people who can resist temptation. More power to them for resisting. Good for you to learn from your fathers misfortune. My husband is diabetic and also doesn't make a fuss when people eat things he can't. But I feel whats the problem with making it easy on yourself. I still enjoyed your post though.
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,728 Member
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    The best thing I've ever read about this is from the Beck Diet Solution (don't let the title fool you - it's actually a fantastic book about teaching yourself the skills/mindset you need to successfully change your eating/lifestyle habits). It said to think of the willpower to say no as a muscle - the more you use it, the stronger it gets. If you don't exercise it, then it will remain weak. Applying this to this thread, if you remove all temptation, then you're not making yourself exercise your "saying no" muscle.
    That makes so much sense, and I can say from experience, it's been true for me.
  • bellanean
    bellanean Posts: 220
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    I cant control myself around junk foods, esp icecream. I just need to not be around it while I get to my goal weight.
  • agdeierl
    agdeierl Posts: 378 Member
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    I definitely respect what you've said, but I think the ideal goal for most people should be somewhere in the middle. I mean, there are varying degrees of "junk". I think, if by junk you mean anything that's not lean protein, whole grains, and fruits and veggies, then I completely agree with you, because that's not realistic. We need to learn to eat in moderation with "junk". But what I consider "junk" is stuff that I feel really is better completely avoided, like spray cheese or something. There are so many super processed foods out there that literally are nutritionally junk, and nobody should eat them, because some of them are downright devastating to our health...for instance Popsecret homestyle microwave popcorn has 8 times the safe amount of trans fat you can ingest in a day...and we want to avoid that anyway! I think "junk" like Popchips, Sunchips, lowfat ice cream....things like that are not really all that bad and it should be learned how to enjoy these in moderation but leave the real junk behind for good!
    As far as exercising the "resisting junk" muscle, i agree that this is important, but you don't need a single product of bad food in your own house to exercise this muscle. Look around you. EVERYWHERE there are horrible food choices. fast food places everywhere, bad restaurants, bad choices at business conferences, fairs, etc. Just leaving the house, you will exercise this "muscle." Why make it easier to give in to temptation by having stuff in the house?
  • ChubbieTubbie
    ChubbieTubbie Posts: 481 Member
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    We still keep junk in the house, but I am no longer tempted by it. I had to wean myself into being away from temptation, though--I started off buying the kids snacks I wasn't a huge fan of, so it was easy to say no. Now that I no longer crave snack cakes and cookies, I can buy the things I used to absolutely love without blowing it. Now sometimes I still indulge in a swiss roll, but before I used to eat 2 or 3 of the individual packs in one sitting. Now they're too sickening sweet to me to eat more than half the package at a time. I used to love chips, and I could easily eat 3/4 of a bag of potato chips with a half can of cheese dip for lunch, now I eat a handful of goldfish crackers instead. While still junk, it's an improvement. And I plan to continue improving my choices until I'm completely healthy.
    I'm also not one of those 'cold turkey' people, though.
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,728 Member
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    I cant control myself around junk foods, esp icecream. I just need to not be around it while I get to my goal weight.
    Sure you can. Maybe you *don't* control yourself around junk foods, but you *can.* I'm not saying it would be easy, and I'm not even saying that you should have it around you (obviously, you need to do what you think is best), but you *could* decide to have it around and still control yourself – just like your signature says: "Rule your mind or it will rule you." Do you worry about what will happen if you have junk food around after you get to your goal weight?
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,728 Member
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    I definitely respect what you've said, but I think the ideal goal for most people should be somewhere in the middle. I mean, there are varying degrees of "junk". I think, if by junk you mean anything that's not lean protein, whole grains, and fruits and veggies, then I completely agree with you, because that's not realistic. We need to learn to eat in moderation with "junk". But what I consider "junk" is stuff that I feel really is better completely avoided, like spray cheese or something. There are so many super processed foods out there that literally are nutritionally junk, and nobody should eat them, because some of them are downright devastating to our health...for instance Popsecret homestyle microwave popcorn has 8 times the safe amount of trans fat you can ingest in a day...and we want to avoid that anyway! I think "junk" like Popchips, Sunchips, lowfat ice cream....things like that are not really all that bad and it should be learned how to enjoy these in moderation but leave the real junk behind for good!

    As far as exercising the "resisting junk" muscle, i agree that this is important, but you don't need a single product of bad food in your own house to exercise this muscle. Look around you. EVERYWHERE there are horrible food choices. fast food places everywhere, bad restaurants, bad choices at business conferences, fairs, etc. Just leaving the house, you will exercise this "muscle." Why make it easier to give in to temptation by having stuff in the house?
    I'm not talking about varying degrees of junk that are acceptable for me to eat. I'm talking about being able to abstain from eating the junk without having to remove it from my presence. I don't need to insist my husband eat the same way I do just because it would be better for him. He's a big boy, and he can make those decisions for himself, just like I do.
  • agdeierl
    agdeierl Posts: 378 Member
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    Ok. I'm definitely not encouraging anyone to start controlling their husbands. Hopefully, your husband will make healthy choices of his own accord. All I meant by my post was that I feel that there are many seemingly "innocent-enough" junk foods that aren't just fattening--they cause diseases with the chemicals that are in them. Even our produce and meats are not safe with the way food is being brought to our table in this country. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the powerhouse company I'm thinking of that deals with our produce, but the chemicals going in have been proven to cause cancer in lab rats! That's why organic produce is the best way to go...unless things change drastically. So you can only imagine what highly processed junk food does to our bodies. That's all I'm saying. Some of those foods are dangerous.
  • stringcheeze
    stringcheeze Posts: 286
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    The one benefit I see in getting rid of junk food is that after a few weeks you don't feel the cravings for it as bad as you once had and don't need to buy it.

    This. Why even set yourself up for failure by having it around? Your will power might be there today, but where will it be when you're feeling low and the "junk" in the cabinet is calling its sweet siren song to you? Why not replace the naughty stuff with healthier snacks and the next time you come across junk, you'll have no desire to eat it because your cravings for it has been replaced with something healthier.
    I don't need to insist my husband eat the same way I do just because it would be better for him. He's a big boy, and he can make those decisions for himself, just like I do.
    Maybe I misunderstood this, but why wouldn't you want your husband to eat healthier, regardless of the big boy pants?
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,728 Member
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    Ok. I'm definitely not encouraging anyone to start controlling their husbands. Hopefully, your husband will make healthy choices of his own accord. All I meant by my post was that I feel that there are many seemingly "innocent-enough" junk foods that aren't just fattening--they cause diseases with the chemicals that are in them. Even our produce and meats are not safe with the way food is being brought to our table in this country. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the powerhouse company I'm thinking of that deals with our produce, but the chemicals going in have been proven to cause cancer in lab rats! That's why organic produce is the best way to go...unless things change drastically. So you can only imagine what highly processed junk food does to our bodies. That's all I'm saying. Some of those foods are dangerous.
    Agreed, but that's a whole different subject. :smile:
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,728 Member
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    This. Why even set yourself up for failure by having it around? Your will power might be there today, but where will it be when you're feeling low and the "junk" in the cabinet is calling its sweet siren song to you? Why not replace the naughty stuff with healthier snacks and the next time you come across junk, you'll have no desire to eat it because your cravings for it has been replaced with something healthier.
    I don't deliberately tempt myself by buying my favorite snacks, but I won't toss out things that other people want to have around because I'm worried about giving in. What I eat and don't eat is completely up to me. I've already decided I'm not going to eat crap, whether it's calling its sweet siren song to me or not.
    Maybe I misunderstood this, but why wouldn't you want your husband to eat healthier, regardless of the big boy pants?
    Of course, I want him to, but I can't force him to, and I'm not going to try. That's part of the lesson I got from my dad. My decision to be healthier is my journey. I can't force it on anyone else, but I hope I can inspire my husband to take that journey himself by setting a good example. The rest is up to him.
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
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    Here's a quote I firmly believe in:

    "If it comes into your house, you or someone you love will end up eating it."

    I can't bring junk food into my house. It exists in the world, and it's available enough. I appreciate that we "need" to learn self-control or willpower or whatever, but I don't bring that crap into my house in anything bigger than a single serve container. Because any container, no matter how large, becomes a single serve container. I've faced that reality of my self.

    Just leaving my house I'm faced with enough temptation/pressure to eat junk. Advertisements for it are everywhere, it's everywhere and it's cheap and in your face. Why on earth wouldn't I want my home to be a sanctuary from that?

    Just my 2 cents.:flowerforyou:

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