need tips for eating healthy in a junk food home.

deadlybeth
deadlybeth Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
All the snacks, meals, and just all the food we have is junk. I'm the only person in my family actively trying to loose weight so not being able to choose what food I have to pick from is really not helping. Does anyone have any tips that will help?

Replies

  • hanneberries
    hanneberries Posts: 119 Member
    buying your own food is honestly the easiest. ask if you can have an allotted amount a week, i'm assuming you live at home with your parents, tell them that they don't need to buy as much anymore, as you'll be purchasing your own ingredients, and start from there. that way there's no pressure for them to be buying food for you, and you'll be able to control everything on your own.
  • daw0518
    daw0518 Posts: 459 Member
    This is honestly something I've never been able to master. It's always difficult for me to stay on track if I'm visiting my parents, for example. I don't think it's impossible, it's just difficult. Perhaps you could find some good recipes for lower calorie meals that you think the entire family would like. Also, I would just start purchasing some of your own food. I love having all kinds of veggies to munch on [mini peppers, sugar snap peas, baby carrots, cucumber sticks, tomatoes, green onions] and I usually make my own veggie tray with them all so that I can easily open it & grab some handfuls to eat with greek yogurt ranch when I'm hungry. You could buy sandwich thins if your family likes to eat regular bread, and hundred calorie packs of cookies and chips, if you like those. I also like to marinade & bake large amounts of chicken breast so I can cut it up & keep it cold in the fridge for salads for the week.

    It's kind of extreme, but maybe you could get a mini fridge for your own stuff. That might make it easier for you to visualize the changes you want to make.

    Lastly, I would say don't be totally afraid of the 'junk' food. You can still eat it in moderation!
  • Gmtribble90
    Gmtribble90 Posts: 463 Member
    I personally deal with this to an extent. My mom likes to do most of the grocery shopping and meal prep, so I requested some slight changes at first, such as whole wheat pasta and breads, then moved on to going with her sometimes and buying myself some whole wheat tortillas, veggies, and light dressings for wraps and fruits or veggies with hummus for snacks...granola and a little peanut butter works on the tortillas as a snack wrap if you have worked out and have the calories. For dinners, I ask for my chicken/pork to be baked with seasonings for flavor and stick with portion control on the canned veggies, fries, mashed potatoes, etc. that she serves as sides. Also, while everyone else is having sweet tea and soda, I'm drinking iced water from the tap.

    Just remember, you are not alone and your body will thank you for making better choices. If you have a job, set aside a little for snacks and meal alternatives (even if it's just some salad stuffs and chicken breasts for protein...you know, in case the fam's dinner is just WAAAY too unhealthy and full of calories). I do this and and feel much better when I see my clothes fit better.
  • CariJean64
    CariJean64 Posts: 297 Member
    Are there some decently healthy foods you could keep in your room? For example, a box of crackers and a jar of peanut butter, granola bars, apples, bananas, nuts...? If you can manage your portion sizes, those are possible options. You wouldn't even need to go into the kitchen and be tempted by other things.

    When you need to make meals, eggs can be eaten anytime. Canned soups might be an option (watch the sodium levels, though), or lean meats that you could slice for sandwiches. Maybe you could get some pre-cut veggies to eat raw or steam/cook for your meal.
  • joepage612
    joepage612 Posts: 179 Member
    This isnt the best answer by any means but you can lose weight on junk food or low quality standard american food if you just count calories.
  • deadlybeth
    deadlybeth Posts: 4 Member
    The refrigerator idea is pretty genius and yeah so far I've gone out of my way to make sure we have some healthy options like wheat bread and more fruits I'm working on getting more vegetables in the house also.
  • fitsporation96
    fitsporation96 Posts: 117
    Hi
    I know how hard this is, I know it is even harder to resist temptation, I would suggest locking it out of sight if possible? or stock up on protein bars that are fulfilling enough to subside your cravings.
  • skittle316
    skittle316 Posts: 128 Member
    I can't eat 90% of the food in my house, the only time I binge is when my mom makes food I can eat. After a while you don't care for the food. Just last week I made 30 banana nut muffins and 2 banana chocolate chip breads. I had NO IDEA how it tasted, i just looked for recipes and made them. Today it's still in the fridge, everyone loves them and i'm still confused at how they taste. I love to cook, but if it's for my family I never get to know what they enjoyed, if it's for me I have to wait till the next day.

    I don't want to eat them and know that i don't need them. Leave the food there, and do something else and eat something else.
    Getting rid of temptations is one of the worst things you can do if you want the weight loss to stay lost. You'll get tempted saying no long enough will stop the urge of you going to touch them. There is cake,muffins, frozen yogurt,etc from my mom's birthday, but I couldn't help but binge on fried spinach, meatballs, cheese and cooked fish. A binge sucks, but this was food I really WANTED to devour. Better it be that, than stuff I know don't benefit me nutritionally and emotionally.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Don't worry about it. Eat what's in the house, just less of it than the rest of the family. Stick to a calorie deficit and you'll still lose weight.

    You can also buy your own food and ask to keep in in a cupboard/section pf fridge that's just for you. Not sure how well that'll go over with the fam, though.

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