getting offered junk food

You get the choice whether you are going to accept food that you don't want to eat. That said, weight loss is about calories in/calories out and the idea is to not give up anything you like, just eat less of us. Moderation is one of the best tools for anybody who eats (and we all do. )

Though it does not work for everyone, what has worked for me has been cutting out the diet mentality where I must eliminate certain foods from my dietary plan. I've lost 43 pounds and I have not cut anything out of my diet that I did not like or was intolerant to (soy and lactose) or sensitive to (excessive caffeine, but I do drink/eat some). Weighing foods and measuring liquids has helped me to stay aware of how many calories I consume, and using a heart rate monitor seems to give me accurate readings.

HAHHA!! Yep!
People get all weird and threatened about it....maybe it's their own insecurities coming out, like they subconsciously want everyone else to have the same dependency on junk as they do. Am I over-analyzing? :P

In my opinion, yes.
I love baking and making things for my friends and co-workers. Most of them are adults, so I would expect them to eat it if they want it, or not eat it if they don't. I personally don't give a **** what anyone else is doing, whether they're trying to lose weight or not. It's up to them to control themselves, not me.

Edit: However, it would be stupid for me to get mad or upset about it if they refused.

First of all stop dieting. Eliminate the word diet from your vocabulary. It's a lifestyle change. You don't need to eliminate foods you like, so it's not a diet. Just stay within the recommended calorie goal of MFP and you will lose weight, if you're faithful about entering your food everyday.

Once you realize that a Big Mac is 650 calories, you can eat it, but you're going to have to cut back on dinner. Weight loss is nothing more than eat less--move more, or calories in versus calories out. It's not magic, it's simple math.

Welcome and good luck to you!

All of this.

You don't have to eliminate "junk" from you diet. Brownies don't make you fat. Too many brownies make you fat.

I used to feel bad about refusing people- especially if I was in their home, and they made something especially for me- but now, not so much. The more you say no, the easier it will get, but those first few times were tough. Sometimes I will just take a bite or two of something if it's waaayyyy beyond my limits, and let them know before dishing it that I only want a couple spoonfuls.

But like others have said, don't deprive yourself. I could never just eat all "healthy" food all day, I would break and end up binging if I did. Then everything's down the drain! Enjoy your meals.

First of all stop dieting. Eliminate the word diet from your vocabulary. It's a lifestyle change. You don't need to eliminate foods you like, so it's not a diet. Just stay within the recommended calorie goal of MFP and you will lose weight, if you're faithful about entering your food everyday.

Once you realize that a Big Mac is 650 calories, you can eat it, but you're going to have to cut back on dinner. Weight loss is nothing more than eat less--move more, or calories in versus calories out. It's not magic, it's simple math.

Welcome and good luck to you!

Exactly!! I totally agree!

HAHHA!! Yep!
People get all weird and threatened about it....maybe it's their own insecurities coming out, like they subconsciously want everyone else to have the same dependency on junk as they do. Am I over-analyzing? :P

Or it could be that people are used to sharing food as a form of socializing with others, and in rejecting their offer of food, it comes off as rejecting them and the interaction. Not everyone labels food as "healthy" or "junk." Some people really do just see a brownie as food and eat it if it fits into their day, and it doesn't mean they are dependent on it. They could just like brownies.

when I go around folks they r always offering me sweets and other junk food
its sooo hard to say no too
does anyone else have this problem??

I remember how long it takes me on the elliptical to burn off that many calories, and if it's worth it, I'll eat it.
Chocolate is almost always worth it.

Take a moderate size piece of whatever, eat it mindfully - pay attention to the taste, the mouth feel, your reaction, how much you're enjoying your indulgence!

But no, I'm perfectly capable of telling someone "no" and sticking to it.
Trying to push me just makes me dig in my heels.

focus on the "junk" you love the most and just fit it into your calorie allotment

Yep. Don't deny what you like, but make it part of your calorie plan for that day.

In my culture, it's considered rude to deny a treat (which is considered kind of like a gift) and it's also rude if you start eating but throw away the leftovers. Or maybe it's just my own pet peeve?? Lol. But anyways, if I get offered, I accept but I won't eat it most of the time. I'd save it up for a treat later or give it to someone else or take it home and put it in the snack jar for my family to eat if they want to. It's hard but you got to get to the point where you can accept things but not eat it or eat a little bit of it and not freak out. Trying to build a healthy relationship with food here...

I only have this problem at birthday parties (cake!) and find it extremely annoying to have food of any kind "pushed" to me. Thanks for a great topic-- it is one that is common, and folks are responding with wonderful suggestions.

Being offered junk food has been a big struggle for me when it comes to losing weight. I work in a bakery, so junk food is constantly offered to me. My coworkers are constantly cutting into the "day old" products to snack on them. Cookies, cheesecakes, danishes, donuts... you name it. Every time they cut into something they'll ask me if I want a piece. This is a daily occurrence, and I'm around the junk for 8 hours a day. It just sits there all day, tempting me.

I found that the biggest thing that has helped me, is that I stopped telling myself that I "can't have it". Instead, I started asking myself if I "really want it". I'm a little competitive with myself, so if I've had a few good days of staying under my calorie goal, I hate messing that up and going over it. So when I'm offered junk I ask myself "Do I want really want that?", and then consider how many calories I have left, and what I want to eat for the rest of the day. If I have 700 calories left for the day, and still have to make dinner later that night, I'll likely end up saying no to a 300 calorie donut, because I know I want to make a good sized dinner.

I'll also turn down junk food by planning to have a slightly more healthy treat later. So, instead of telling myself "I can't have this cake, I'm on a diet", I'll tell myself "I don't want this, because I'm going to have some sorbet later today". It's amazing how that little shift in mindset can make it SO much easier.

And the most important part? Allow yourself to have some treats on occasion. If you have a day where you're going to make a really light calorie meal, allow yourself to take a treat. Restricting yourself too much will likely just make you break and go back to the junk - that's what always happened to me. The more I work on truly eating in moderation when it comes to junk food, the easier it gets to turn away from the temptation.

Just keep working on it. It gets easier!

First of all stop dieting. Eliminate the word diet from your vocabulary. It's a lifestyle change. You don't need to eliminate foods you like, so it's not a diet. Just stay within the recommended calorie goal of MFP and you will lose weight, if you're faithful about entering your food everyday.

Once you realize that a Big Mac is 650 calories, you can eat it, but you're going to have to cut back on dinner. Weight loss is nothing more than eat less--move more, or calories in versus calories out. It's not magic, it's simple math.

Welcome and good luck to you!

Absolutely, 100% true! Moderation in all things! You can still eat that cake if you simply account for it in your calorie goal for the day. Sometimes just eating a very small amount can satisfy both you and them! My church gave out chocolate truffle bars as a Mother's Day gift. I was able to make it last about a month buy only eating one bite on days when I was craving chocolate. Also, if you are in someone's home and they offer you food, a nice way to get around this is "No, thank you. I'm not really hungry. But I'd really appreciate a glass of water if you don't mind." That way, they don't really feel rejected, and they feel like a good hostess, but you aren't left eating something just to be polite.

First of all stop dieting. Eliminate the word diet from your vocabulary. It's a lifestyle change. You don't need to eliminate foods you like, so it's not a diet. Just stay within the recommended calorie goal of MFP and you will lose weight, if you're faithful about entering your food everyday.

Once you realize that a Big Mac is 650 calories, you can eat it, but you're going to have to cut back on dinner. Weight loss is nothing more than eat less--move more, or calories in versus calories out. It's not magic, it's simple math.

Welcome and good luck to you!

Best advice ever btw........... only refuse if you can't afford it in your calorie goal or have no desire to eat it.

Being offered junk food has been a big struggle for me when it comes to losing weight. I work in a bakery, so junk food is constantly offered to me. My coworkers are constantly cutting into the "day old" products to snack on them. Cookies, cheesecakes, danishes, donuts... you name it. Every time they cut into something they'll ask me if I want a piece. This is a daily occurrence, and I'm around the junk for 8 hours a day. It just sits there all day, tempting me.

I found that the biggest thing that has helped me, is that I stopped telling myself that I "can't have it". Instead, I started asking myself if I "really want it". I'm a little competitive with myself, so if I've had a few good days of staying under my calorie goal, I hate messing that up and going over it. So when I'm offered junk I ask myself "Do I want really want that?", and then consider how many calories I have left, and what I want to eat for the rest of the day. If I have 700 calories left for the day, and still have to make dinner later that night, I'll likely end up saying no to a 300 calorie donut, because I know I want to make a good sized dinner.

I'll also turn down junk food by planning to have a slightly more healthy treat later. So, instead of telling myself "I can't have this cake, I'm on a diet", I'll tell myself "I don't want this, because I'm going to have some sorbet later today". It's amazing how that little shift in mindset can make it SO much easier.

And the most important part? Allow yourself to have some treats on occasion. If you have a day where you're going to make a really light calorie meal, allow yourself to take a treat. Restricting yourself too much will likely just make you break and go back to the junk - that's what always happened to me. The more I work on truly eating in moderation when it comes to junk food, the easier it gets to turn away from the temptation.

Just keep working on it. It gets easier!

This is how I look at it as well. In my mind, it's just not worth it. I've never really liked junk food, candy, cake etc except what I've made myself, so once I got over that I'm-being-really-rude-not-accepting-this-food guilty feeling it was relatively easy.

You do get used to refusing, and people get used to you refusing and then stop offering and everyone's happy.