Junkfood Addict Needs Your Support
snl4u
Posts: 7
Every morning starts with Coca Cola. Then continues with junk all day long - chocolate bars, more coke, meat, carbs, then dessert. Where do I even begin to break this cycle? I'm so overwhelmed. Help?
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Replies
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Sugar is addictive. I used to drink soda and eat processed food like they were going out of style. It took me 3 months to give it up soda completely. I have found that changing one small thing (like the amount of soda you drink ) at a time and eventually you can wean yourself off of it. It Is an overwhelming process at first but it will eventually become habit! If you have a bad day then start over the next day and try again. Feel free to add me if you need support! I know I could definitely use some in this process!0
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The very first time I quit all soda cold turkey- lost 15 pounds doing only that.
Now I have a diet soda at lunch and maaaybe one with dinner. Pick ONE very small thing and just do it!0 -
I would replace soda with diet pop at least. Take your time and change unhealthy habits. If you crave snacks, try trail mix, or dried fruits, but still in moderation. I know it can be hard to say no to junk food sometimes so it's fine to cheat every once in a while. If you crave something, have it, but in moderation. Set a daily calorie cap and don't go over that. If you do, burn it off by working out so you're still at your calorie goal, and also next time when you crave junk food, you'll remember that you might have to workout for hours just because you didn't give up that bottle of pop0
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I used to spend almost 300 dollars a month on fast food so I feel your pain. These kinds of foods do cause an actual addiction that can be VERY hard to break. What helped me is to eat similar healthy things as a substitute. For example, let's say I wanted Taco Bell. I would get an Amy's frozen enchilada dinner which is healthy and organic. Want chocolate? Have a tiny bit of dark chocolate. Dessert? Skip the full fat ice cream and get frozen yogurt. Soda? Start with diet soda mixed with regular soda (half and half), then go full diet, then switch to something else such as iced tea.
If you need motivation, I used to be a soda addict (drank it every day) and my teeth are literally full of tiny holes because of the acid in it. You don't want hole-y teeth do you?0 -
I was a Pepsi max addict.... I completely cut it out of my diet by weaning myself off it took a while but now i hate the stuff ...Diet drinks are just as bad for you maybe more so due to the added sweeteners0
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Every morning starts with Coca Cola. Then continues with junk all day long - chocolate bars, more coke, meat, carbs, then dessert. Where do I even begin to break this cycle? I'm so overwhelmed. Help?
I used to be this way but with chocolate. When I started my diet (during Easter weekend which was a BAD idea lol) I had a VERY difficult time trying not to think of chocolate. It was so difficult. I just pushed through it and did not eat any chocolate. It was tough but after 3-4 days I started to feel like my cravings drastically went down. Now I feel like I barely crave chocolate and when I do, it's not an extreme craving, just minor that I can easily brush off.
Also, one thing that really helped was lemon water. I read online that lemon water helps to reduce cravings. Everyday I would take a glass of warm water and squeeze half a lemon in it. Than I would take the lemon, cut it into four pieces, and put it in the water. Apparently the skin of the lemon is what will help reduce your cravings, so make sure to keep it on there.
You will get through this no matter what. Just be strong! Goodluck!0 -
I love me junk food too but I found once I gave up soda ( I only sip on ginger ale and very, very rarely have a glass at all.) that the other things seem to fall away slowly on their own. I still indulge in junk food but I'm starting to find other healthier options now. But when I do go for junk food I read the labels now and try to make a smarter choice.0
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I was super addicted to soda for a long time and I will not drink diet soda so that was not an option. My teeth have gone really down hill (I'm 26 and have had about 7 extractions). For me every time I went to go drink a soda I thought about how it was ruining my teeth even more and I just eventually was grossed out by it. It's so bad for your over all health!!! As far as the snacking I know how that goes too and it's honestly mind over matter. You have to really be in the moment when you have a craving and say to yourself is there anything else I can do right now? You can suck on ice chips, chug some water, paint your nails, pluck your eye brows idk just anything to get your mind on something else!!0
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OMMGG the pepsi maxx!! Ugh made me burp like crazy and was literally addictive!0
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I know how you feel OP I was the same way. Always started my morning with sweets and soda. I got up to drinking 48 sodas a week...I did the 30 day water challenge to keep me motivated. I made a calender and for 30 days I drank no soda. I kicked the habit. After about 60 days I gave in and had a few here and there but def do not keep any around the house. Junk food is so hard for me too. I won't tell ya it's easy, cause it's not. I still fight with my food demons...sometimes they get the best of me. But for the most part I stick with it.0
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One thing to look out for when switching to diet soda is that some people (like myself) have bad reactions to the fake sugar that's put in them. I tried switching to diet cola and it gave me migraines. I still have my soda (the regular kind), but I only drink half a day or cut other sweets if I want to fit it in. The best advice has already been shared: just pick something small. Unless there's some medical problem involved, there's no reason to turn your life around all at once. Cut back a little here, move around a little more there. It's a process and making slow changes makes it much easier to stick to.
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Eat more protein. I know its random, but I challenged myself to eat 130g of protein today and I was not hungry for dinner and had only eaten 1100 calories but knew I needed to eat more so finally am sitting down to dinner now. But I actually have not been hungry at all today.
So try upping your protein. Start your day with 20-30g protein and you might crave less.0 -
Hi there,
As you can see you are not alone in this!!! I used to be sooooo addicted to crisps or chips...and I couldn't wait to finish work to buy a big bag of potato chips on my way home....
That was my daily routine....
It took me a few weeks to change that habit and now I carry all day, everyday at all times in my bag, un salted mixed nuts and dried foods so whenever I feel peckish or have an urge for crisps...I just open my container and have a few...
I have never been addicted to a soda or any fizzy drinks so I don't really miss them....
Try to take one step at a time...don't expect to change all your unhealthy habits in one go....
For example, switch your coke to a diet coke and stick to that for a week....the next week try a sugar free chocolate bar or a cereal bar instead of your regular one etc.
Best of luck!!! You can do it and you need to believe it!!!0 -
Small steps. Give up one thing at a time. I replaced chips and dips with fruit. When you get the munchies for "junk food" get up and move, drink some water, eat some fruit. Start with replacing 1 bad habit with a good one. Go from there. You can do this!0
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As with anything else that is addictive I would do a "cool turkey" method. Gradual cut down of sweets is a good thing. If you are going to partake in the sweet stuff at least cut down the amount of it that you eat. For example (true story) I went to the gas station and bought reeses cups and I only ate the two out of four in the package. I saved the rest for when my husband came home so he could eat them for dessert.0
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There are two basic choices. You can quit cold turkey, though this can be rough. It works for some people. Or you can cut back. Drink fewer sodas. Start by cutting out one soda a day. You could also try smaller portions. Coke products are now available in the smaller cans. Something which may help is substitution. Instead of having a soda, try some juice or, better yet, some water. One of the main precepts of MFP is that you make incremental changes in your lifestyle which you are willing to sustain for long periods of time, preferably the rest of your life. Also, putting in healthy habits to replace old habits. Take baby steps if you need to, especially at first. Build a support group here to help you. It also helps to have your friends and family support you. If you want to cut something out of your diet, don't keep it in the house. Make healthy changes and take control of your food so it doesn't control you. Good luck!0
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i think maybe just having a little weightloss success can go a long way.
you have to also want the change but ease into it.
can you at least eat within your caloric range and eat "some" junk? start there. i think once you see something working you might be inspired to then start replacing the junk with more healthy items, or at least start out with a balanced breakfast.
some other things to think about is why you aren't taking care of yourself...0 -
Eat more protein. I know its random, but I challenged myself to eat 130g of protein today and I was not hungry for dinner and had only eaten 1100 calories but knew I needed to eat more so finally am sitting down to dinner now. But I actually have not been hungry at all today.
So try upping your protein. Start your day with 20-30g protein and you might crave less.
This is worth a try, maybe increase your fat intake as well.0 -
That was me!! This is going to sound completely crazy but what helped me stop eating loads and loads of junk was brushing my teeth. I know, strange right? I brush my teeth after every meal and now don't crave all the junk I use to. Before I would eat constantly. Candy bar after candy bar, junk after junk. Now if I eat anything I brush my teeth afterwards and I stops me from eating more in that one sitting.0
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I'm starting to think we need a Third World intervention.0
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Here's my suggestions,
Switch to Organic Cola like BlueSky, it's not very good but totally satiates the craving for Coke, Then you can ween yourself off of cola eventually. Diet Coke is basically a chemical concoction so it's better to have organic cola than diet because in the long run, you'll aim to limit Coke to restaurant meals or to Saturday nights or something like that.
Now, junk food solution that works, trust me. I LOVE my bad food habits. Head on down to Fresh Market (hope you have one in your town) and grab 3 or 4 bags and start filling them with trail mix. Pick one that's super sweet, (like the one with marshnmallow and dried pineapple) (or the one with lots of yogurt and chocolate covered raisins) and some that are extra healthy and have good variety of components, and one to satisfy your salty-cravings. Then when you have a snack craving, always reach for your healthy mixes but when you have that killer sweet or salty craving you'll have a better option ready to tackle those urges in a healthier way than junk food!
These are not as bad for you as junk food but will still nip cravings in the bud and allow you to snack throughout the day like you (just like me) presumably do with junk food Then next time you go, get less sweet and salty and more healthy.0 -
It's been said, small steps.
If you don't have a problem with aspartame, then instead of the switch from Coke to Diet Coke, try out Coke Zero. I've found that it tastes more like the sugary Coke. That's coming from a Diet Coke junkie, who switched it up to Coke for a bit (all the articles about how bad the artificial sweeteners were for you etc) but who's been drinking "diet" for so long that she couldn't handle the sugar.
As for snacking (and junk food cravings), make a deal with yourself. You have to drink at least 8 oz of water and wait 20 minutes before having that snack. Believe it or not, 9 times out of 10, you'll forget about the snack or the craving by doing this. It also helps to get your water in (always a good thing especially if you're a caffeinated soda drinker because the combo of caffeine and sugar can help create the thirst that seems like hunger pangs, at least it does for me) and it gives you a time limit to find something else to do instead of eat that junk food.
Junk food and soda are still alright, just in moderation. You've got this!0 -
Here's my suggestions,
Switch to Organic Cola like BlueSky, it's not very good but totally satiates the craving for Coke, Then you can ween yourself off of cola eventually. Diet Coke is basically a chemical concoction so it's better to have organic cola than diet because in the long run, you'll aim to limit Coke to restaurant meals or to Saturday nights or something like that.
Now, junk food solution that works, trust me. I LOVE my bad food habits. Head on down to Fresh Market (hope you have one in your town) and grab 3 or 4 bags and start filling them with trail mix. Pick one that's super sweet, (like the one with marshnmallow and dried pineapple) (or the one with lots of yogurt and chocolate covered raisins) and some that are extra healthy and have good variety of components, and one to satisfy your salty-cravings. Then when you have a snack craving, always reach for your healthy mixes but when you have that killer sweet or salty craving you'll have a better option ready to tackle those urges in a healthier way than junk food!
These are not as bad for you as junk food but will still nip cravings in the bud and allow you to snack throughout the day like you (just like me) presumably do with junk food Then next time you go, get less sweet and salty and more healthy.
Your suggestion is to replace sugar with sugar? That seems helpful.0 -
Sugar is addictive. I used to drink soda and eat processed food like they were going out of style. It took me 3 months to give it up soda completely. I have found that changing one small thing (like the amount of soda you drink ) at a time and eventually you can wean yourself off of it. It Is an overwhelming process at first but it will eventually become habit! If you have a bad day then start over the next day and try again. Feel free to add me if you need support! I know I could definitely use some in this process!
Lots of people have said this in varrying ways but it's great advice. Going cold turkey often leads to binges. Slowly making the changes can be a lot easier.
I used to drink a 24 ounce Rockstar every single morning. I had to or I wouldn't wake up and function (or so I led myself to believe). It was my breakfast essentially and looking back that's so terrible! So I started by cutting down to a 16 ounce Rockstar. Did that for a few weeks. Then I started not finishing that 16 ounce Rockstar. After a few more weeks, I was drinking a soda in the mornings instead. Still "bad" but not as bad. Finally I got to the point where I rarely have a soda and most of the time I stick to water. Little changes do make a difference. Just be patient and work on one at a time. Don't overwhelm your self. It's easy to get discouraged and give up so shoot for something doable and start there. The more you start to succeed with the small changes, the easier the bigger ones will be.0 -
What helped me was to eliminate soda in all forms, regular and diet. I drink water, with a squirt of Mio or crystal light liquid. Probably not as good for me as pure water, but it's a nice balance. For the first couple of weeks it was difficult for me to go without my diet pepsi, which I drank ALL the time. It gets easier.0
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This is just a suggestion, but have you considered doing a juice fast? I had an addiction to Pepsi (about 2-2liter bottles per day) and lots of junk and I used a juice cleanse to kick my habit. I only drink water or green tea now and I don't even miss soda. In fact, since my fast a lot of the sugary treats I used to love seem waaay too sweet and it's easier to turn them down.
The juice fast wasn't all rainbows and butterflies but it was so worth it in my opinion 0 -
I'm not a fan of eliminating anything and a good diet will never ask you to. I will say though that at 120 calories a can you might want to consider switching to a diet coke for your regular drinking. Growing up I could easily polish off 4 cans of coca-cola in a day, maybe even a single sitting while having meal like a restaurant. When I switched to diet I noticed almost immediate weight loss.
You can have the coke but cut it back, it's only empty calories that won't help keep your tummy full. As for the other junk foods you can have all of these on this diet, hell you can lose weight just eating twinkies (ignoring obvious lack of vital nutrition). Just scale it back a bit and count your calories. Going to the gym will help you earn extra calories to snack with.0 -
This is just a suggestion, but have you considered doing a juice fast? I had an addiction to Pepsi (about 2-2liter bottles per day) and lots of junk and I used a juice cleanse to kick my habit. I only drink water or green tea now and I don't even miss soda. In fact, since my fast a lot of the sugary treats I used to love seem waaay too sweet and it's easier to turn them down.
The juice fast wasn't all rainbows and butterflies but it was so worth it in my opinion
seriously? No, just No.0 -
Seriously, why not?
Have you done one?0 -
Seriously, why not?
Have you done one?
There's no reason to deprive your body of food when you follow an effective calorie deficit and healthy regimen of macros, with the occasional allowance of treats and other foods. Intelligent people are capable of managing an effective sustainable diet without forcing their body to suffer through days of drinking only juice which is hard on the brain and other organs.0
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