Junkfood Addict Needs Your Support

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  • sunybuny420
    sunybuny420 Posts: 6 Member
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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.
  • LVCeltGirl
    LVCeltGirl Posts: 473
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    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!
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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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.

    Your suggestion is to replace sugar with sugar? That seems helpful.
  • geekishgirl
    geekishgirl Posts: 117 Member
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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!

    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.
  • DataSeven
    DataSeven Posts: 245 Member
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    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.
  • GenZombie
    GenZombie Posts: 117 Member
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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 :smile:
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    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.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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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 :smile:

    seriously? No, just No.
  • GenZombie
    GenZombie Posts: 117 Member
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    Seriously, why not?
    Have you done one?
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    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.
  • GenZombie
    GenZombie Posts: 117 Member
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    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.

    You need to take a step back and evaluate yourself before you start saying things like "Intellegent people...." as if I am unintelligent for offering my opinion or choosing a different path than you. I've seen you offer nothing helpful, instead disputing other people's suggestions. It's sad.
    And if you have never done a juice fast then you wouldn't know that you drink juices from fresh, raw fruits and vegetables all day long. Your body IS sustained. I was not hungry, although I did crave junk food. Cravings are not real hunger.
  • Telomin
    Telomin Posts: 45 Member
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    One of the first things I did in this journey to REALLY get healthy (even though I'm not super healthy all the time) was to switch coca cola to coca cola zero. Then it might take a little while to get used to. But once you're used to it it will taste SO much better than regular cola.

    And I don't know how you can eat like that all the time.. You must often be nausious and be sad then super-hyper than sad again?

    And how is your economy? 'cause this sounds super expensive!

    And if you are really determined to loose weight, start drinking more water! Like one cup before every meal, one cup when you wake up and one cup before you go to bed, and then about 5 cups inbetween the day. Always have a water bottle close to hand that you can drink if you start to feel thirsty (like instead going to buy a cola), this will not only help your health, but save you some money too!

    And then little by little when you are used to comething new, change another thing.

    don't worry too much about having to change everything at once. Just one small thing at a time is still a step forward :) So don't stress too much about it, just do it and you will start feeling better about everything in no time :)

    good luck!
  • PurpleCupcakes01
    PurpleCupcakes01 Posts: 141
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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 :smile:

    seriously? No, just No.

    Just water and green tea as in no food?? For how many days?
  • GenZombie
    GenZombie Posts: 117 Member
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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 :smile:

    seriously? No, just No.
    Lol no I meant that the only liquids I drink now (after the juice fast) are water or the occasional cup of green tea.
    Just water and green tea as in no food?? For how many days?
  • laurenawolf
    laurenawolf Posts: 262 Member
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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 :smile:

    We had a weight loss challenge at work, and a juice fast is what gave me the kick to eliminate crap from my diet. I still drink a Dr. Pepper every now and again, but not all day long like I use to do. I only did the juice fast for like 3 days, because I go sick, but it still helped!

    If you don't want to do one, then maybe lean towards the diet soda of choice or buy flavoring for water. I am addicted to the little Mio squirt bottles that you can buy at the store. I also found that I love diet Dr. Pepper more than regular dr. pepper.

    It's not easy giving up delicious junk food, but it's worth it. You can still eat your favorite stuff, but eat it in moderation!
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    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.

    You need to take a step back and evaluate yourself before you start saying things like "Intellegent people...." as if I am unintelligent for offering my opinion or choosing a different path than you. I've seen you offer nothing helpful, instead disputing other people's suggestions. It's sad.
    And if you have never done a juice fast then you wouldn't know that you drink juices from fresh, raw fruits and vegetables all day long. Your body IS sustained. I was not hungry, although I did crave junk food. Cravings are not real hunger.

    Unless you are providing your body with an effective amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber, you are doing it no favors. There's no reason to do a 'cleanse'. It's much better to make a sustainable, effective change that will work for the rest of a person's life than to confuse your body by throwing changes at it like cleanses and diets and things like that. I've offered helpful advice many times throughout these forums over the last couple of years. In a sustainable, healthy way.
  • guinevere96
    guinevere96 Posts: 1,445 Member
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    Lots of people here have been posting about giving up soda, and I agree fullheartedly with that. That is where I started, and literally just doing that and changing nothing else, I lost 12 pounds after a month. It made it so much easier to give up the rest of the junk foods in my life, I have a particularly bad time with pastas and pizza, but its all about portion control and healthy, awesome tasting alternatives. But seriously, just starting with the soda will make a big difference and will make everything seem so much easier!
  • muggzie399
    muggzie399 Posts: 116 Member
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    I also had a problem with Coke. I would drink when ever we were out and there were times it was more than one. Guess it was better than me drinking alcohol.

    My real problem came with eating ice cream in excessive amounts. No, I mean excessive. I found MFP and caught on to it. I have really regulated my diet. I watch my calories like never before. I have lost 5 lbs. in two weeks. Oh, and yes, while measuring my meals I have had like a 1/2 cup of ice cream that fit into the quotation.:wink:
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
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    What helped me:

    I used to eat some form of refined sugar or highly refined carb with almost every meal and snack. I then made a deal with myself: I'd have it once a day. Not every meal, but once a day. So, that might be a piece of dark chocolate at lunch and a small bag of Skinny Popcorn after dinner. The total number of calories could be no more than 250.

    Over about a month, I found that I was forgetting to eat those 200 calorie treats. So, I made a deal to eat them once a week. Now, I still eat air popped popcorn on occasion (cheaper than Skinny Pop...), but it is maybe once a week.

    Also, focus on eating good stuff. If you can set a goal for yourself: I'll have 4 cups of veggies and two whole fruits a day, you'll find that it is easier to focus on eating more and eating less of the other stuff won't be your total focus.
  • pandafoo
    pandafoo Posts: 367 Member
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    I love junk food too so I can relate! Making small changes one at a time will be much easier in the long run. So don't start by cutting out all junk food immediately. Perhaps if it's soda, start reducing the number of cans you drink every day, try that for a couple weeks, then replace the soda with the diet fruit-flavored drinks, and eventually to water or sparking water flavored with fresh fruit slices. Then after you've managed the soda aspect, move on to potato chips and make small transitions so that you eventually eat something like homemade sweet potato fries which are a healthy kind of carb. With ice cream, you can try shifting to sorbets instead... and with chocolate, instead of eating a whole bar, transition toward eating just 1-2 individually wrapped chocolates (the Dove ones are divine!).

    Mindless eating is dangerous esp with junk food. So portioning out what you eat first, putting away the bag, and then savoring each bite is helpful. For example, you can invest in a kitchen scale to weigh one serving size of potato chips.

    You shouldn't feel obligated to cut out all junk foods or other foods you enjoy from your diet. As long as you don't exceed your caloric goals, everything is fine in moderation. You can do this!

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