What is your best advice for avoiding unhealthy tempting foods?
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My advice is to practice portion control. Don't eliminate entirely or you may be prone to binge. Cut down on the quantity of junk in your house until you figure out how to control yourself around it. What junk you do keep in the house, portion it out and when you want a treat, grab ONE portion and move on.0
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Truthfully, I have some of the same issues. I often find that I buy things I know that I don't care as much for to make it less attractive for me. If you are trying to keep your will power high to avoid these foods make sure that you are eating every 3 hours to avoid crashing, which makes these foods really tempting. Also make sure you get enough water. It may sound silly but the body uses the same signal for thirst as it does for hunger.0
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MNgal, I have the same problem. My 6'2 husband and growing teenage boys love junk and always have a supply of it. While I'd prefer them not to, it's a battle I'm no longer fighting with my husband.
So I just get them snacks they love which I don't. Much easier to resist if you know its full of empty calories and doesn't taste that great either. I hate Oreos and flavoured crisps so I buy those for them.
Also, have a drink - tea, herbal tea or water, or a diet soda.
I try and keep a list of small non food treats in my mind, like painting my nails, face mask, watching silly stuff or music I love on you tube, a candlelit bath or a great novel. That way you can reach for a non food treat when you want something that makes you feel good.
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I used to love fries and cheese. Now I have baby potatoes boiled and crisped up slightly under the grill, and weigh out 20g of cheese to sprinkle on top. Finding lower calorie, healthier versions that are just as tasty or portioning "junk" into small treats is far more beneficial for long term success and happiness 0
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DH and DS like to eat junk! There is always that in the house. It's tempting. Trying not to want it. What's your best advice for avoiding it? What kind of snacks do you like that help you between meals? TIA.
Would you be willing to throw it all away, not buy it, and not keep it in the house?
The best advice I was given was distraction and change your habits. If you snack in front of the tv at night, brush your teeth, get into bed for the night, and watch a show from there. If you're tempted to snack, go take a shower, or do laundry or clean a toilet!! Try playing a game with your family to focus on an activity.
Some of the suggestions to have healthy snacks on hand are helpful for me. I like apples. I like to blend up bananas with pineapple for a smoothie.
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This is the worst advice. Not everyone can just eat some and fit it into their calories. You see that time and again on these forums. Should a person try that route first. Yes, but if they can't sustain that then other strategies such as eliminating it have to come into play.SergeantSausage wrote: »Best advice: Eat whatever you want. There are no "unhealthy foods" for weight loss purposes. Eat all the "junk" you want, as long as you stay under your calorie quota.
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If I have other snacks available or other food to substitute, I'm able to avoid the tempting foods. Today we had pizza at work and I pre-planned lunch and snacks so I wouldn't be tempted.0
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Seriously, it really does come down to that. I used to think I couldn't just eat one cookie without eating the whole bag. Then I started practicing willpower. I'd walk past the basket of chocolates at work without grabbing one. I tried to eat two cookies at a time and then put the rest back.
I faltered somewhat, but the more I did it, the easier it got.
If you'd asked me six months ago, I would've sworn up and down that I could NEVER be the type of person who could unwrap a chocolate bar, eat one square, and put the rest back. I would've told you it was impossible, that my brain wasn't wired that way, that I could never see myself succeeding like that.
Guess what? That's me, now. I did it. I'm still doing it.
I bought a candy bar at the start of my weight loss journey. At first, I didn't eat it because I never had enough calories that I wanted to waste on it, and because I wanted to devote my calories to better quality sweets. But now it's sort of become my symbolic candy bar. It's sitting untouched in my pantry and, thanks to willpower (and preservatives) I expect it will still be there when I reach my goal weight. At which point I'll either treat myself to it, or maybe throw it out.0 -
I actually found it easier to limit junk when my kids were little. I didn't let them gorge on it, so I felt guilty if I did. Sometimes I would after they were in bed, but generally guilt kept me in check.0
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I would advise against making your DH and DS keep the foods away from you. You don't want to set up a dynamic where other people are your food police. It IS reasonable to decide as a family to keep snacks and treats out of immediate sight, so that when you decide to have them it's purposeful. You may find you like to have a small treat every day, or you may prefer to have them less often. Just fit your preference into your goals for the day. Fill up with a good balance of carbs, fat, and protein, ideally, you'll have healthy carbs (veggies, fruits, whole grains), healthy fats (olive oil, coconut oil, whole fat dairy), and health protein (tofu, beans, legumes, baked/grilled/smoked/sauteed meats) at most meals.
You can do this!0 -
SergeantSausage wrote: »Best advice: Eat whatever you want. There are no "unhealthy foods" for weight loss purposes. Eat all the "junk" you want, as long as you stay under your calorie quota.
This is ridiculous. Eating nothing but junk is unhealthy whether you are trying to lose weight or not. You can lose weight on nothing but junk, but to say that would not be unhealthy is just plain wrong.0 -
This is the worst advice. Not everyone can just eat some and fit it into their calories. You see that time and again on these forums. Should a person try that route first. Yes, but if they can't sustain that then other strategies such as eliminating it have to come into play.SergeantSausage wrote: »Best advice: Eat whatever you want. There are no "unhealthy foods" for weight loss purposes. Eat all the "junk" you want, as long as you stay under your calorie quota.
Everyone *CAN* eat what they want and fit it in (modulo food allergies, blood sugar issues, and the like).
One CAN ... but one *CHOOSES* not too.
Grow up and quit making excuses for your Poor Choices. It helps out with a lot more in life than just losing weight.
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I have to disagree with whoever suggested having your kids and husband hide them from you and not let you have it. That's putting it on them, not you to "police" what you eat.
I have a teenage stepson, a toddler, and my husband at home. It isn't fair to expect the whole house to diet when one person is a growing teenager who is active in sports and one is a young child. I buy snacks and things for them that don't interest me much. I have my own snacks that most in the house don't care for. I choose to eat low carb so I have cheese, boiled eggs, jerky, and veggies for snacks.0 -
SergeantSausage wrote: »
This is the worst advice. Not everyone can just eat some and fit it into their calories. You see that time and again on these forums. Should a person try that route first. Yes, but if they can't sustain that then other strategies such as eliminating it have to come into play.SergeantSausage wrote: »Best advice: Eat whatever you want. There are no "unhealthy foods" for weight loss purposes. Eat all the "junk" you want, as long as you stay under your calorie quota.
Everyone *CAN* eat what they want and fit it in (modulo food allergies, blood sugar issues, and the like).
One CAN ... but one *CHOOSES* not too.
Grow up and quit making excuses for your Poor Choices. It helps out with a lot more in life than just losing weight.
Nobody is making excuses for poor choices. Somebody is asking for help coming up with strategies to deal with this long term. It is not as simple as "just stop eating" for everybody. Pretending that it is doesn't make it true, no matter how many times it is repeated. We are humans, not robots. There's more to it than saying yes or no to tempting foods.
OP, what worked for me when I was struggling with this issue was to limit myself to treats once per week. For the first several months, I only let myself have them on Sundays and even then I ate one serving and that's it. Throughout the week if I was tempted, I could tell myself that no, I wasn't going to have it but I wouldn't feel deprived because I knew *for sure* that I would have something on Sunday. After several months, I was able to transition to treating myself a couple of times a week. But even now, I try not to have my most tempting foods in the house in large quantities because I find it difficult to stop eating them once I start.0 -
Thanks everyone for all the advice. I appreciate it! 0
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Eat in moderation/fit into overall calories. I think of my calories as a budget. Cover my needs first, and as room allows: enjoy wants as well.0
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Eat half of what you normally would and log it. That's what I do. When I want a candy bar or a bag of whoppers I divide it into portions for days. Last week 1 bag on vending machine whoppers lasted me 3 days.
Another thing we are doing home is buying less junk and buying more healthy snacks. We like trail mix. Its got protein and is lower in calories than a bag of chips and is satisfying.0 -
Eat half of what you normally would and log it. That's what I do. When I want a candy bar or a bag of whoppers I divide it into portions for days. Last week 1 bag on vending machine whoppers lasted me 3 days.
Another thing we are doing home is buying less junk and buying more healthy snacks. We like trail mix. Its got protein and is lower in calories than a bag of chips and is satisfying.
I don't think the majority of people this thread applies to are worried about fitting in a candy bar or a vending machine bag of candy. I think we're talking an entire box of Thin Mints or something more along those lines.
But I could be wrong.0 -
I like the little red pepper (pimento?) stuffed olives. They'e so full of flavor that they just inundate the taste buds and I usually forget whatever I was craving.0
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Eat half of what you normally would and log it. That's what I do. When I want a candy bar or a bag of whoppers I divide it into portions for days. Last week 1 bag on vending machine whoppers lasted me 3 days.
Another thing we are doing home is buying less junk and buying more healthy snacks. We like trail mix. Its got protein and is lower in calories than a bag of chips and is satisfying.
I don't think the majority of people this thread applies to are worried about fitting in a candy bar or a vending machine bag of candy. I think we're talking along the lines of an entire box of Thin Mints or something more along those lines.
But I could be wrong.
Lol. I'm more half a box of thin mints, but close enough.
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