What is your best advice for avoiding unhealthy tempting foods?

I don't avoid it. I enjoy it in moderation.

My main tactic has been to buy only fun size candy. I'm much less likely to eat a lot of it if I have to unwrap a bunch of little individual pieces. Fun size snickers are like 40 calories so I just have one or two of those and I'm pretty happy!

I also have an inspirational quote collage on my fridge, which helps me avoid the garbage.

Keep it off the counter/out of sight.

Don't buy stuff for them that is your personal weakness. I don't buy salty chips for my kids even though they like them and they don't have a weight problem, because I have trouble keeping my hands out of them. I DO buy them packaged cookies and ice cream, because those don't happen to be a problem for me. I don't bake much, and I asked our nanny not to bake with/for the kids, or if she does, to take the leftovers home with her because I struggle with home-made baked goods.

Make sure you have treats you like in the house. I like sugarfree frozen yogurt, fresh berries, light cheese, turkey pepperoni, air-popped popcorn, diet soda, coffee, and herbal tea. If there's something good I can choose, I'm less likely to feel deprived.

I also keep a small stash of really good treats (expensive chocolate etc) on a "mommy" shelf. No one else is allowed to touch it. I'd rather eat one chocolate truffle than a whole bag of potato chips. Yum.

MNgal43 wrote: »

What's your best advice for avoiding it?

I only eat at mealtimes, so snacky foods are mostly something I don't think about, since I don't snack much. (For me controlling when I eat works much better than having rules about the foods I eat. For meals I tend to think in terms of nutrient dense foods anyway, so although I will include some less nutrient dense foods when calories permit--finish dinner with some ice cream, for example--I don't have to worry about getting out of balance with what I eat.)

What kind of snacks do you like that help you between meals?

If I decide that my meal and workout schedules are such that I would do better with something between my normal meal times (like a late afternoon snack if I workout during the day and eat late, which I've been doing lately), I schedule it in like a meal and have something prepared or available, what I don't do (since I doesn't work for me) is just go rummaging for something I might like or allow myself to decide when hungry that some treats around my office might be nice. For planned snacks I typically like something with some protein and fat, as well as carbs--yogurt + fruit is always good, but sometimes I bring a mix of nuts and dried fruit, or a protein bar. Depends on how many calories I will want.

I'm not interested in donuts or pastries so those can come in the house and even sit on the counter without me grabbing one.

But salty stuff is another matter. If I *know* I'm going to have some (why kid myself) I weigh out portions and place the little bagged portions in the cookie jar. Problem is, I then use up 120 or 160 calories on that stuff, or more if I eat more than one portion. I log it and see how it affects my weight loss.

Sometimes it does cause water retention. That sometimes makes me not grab a bag. It's a learning process for me still, even after a year of logging everything I eat. I'm a slow learner. But, I don't sit down with the entire bag anymore, so at least I've accomplished that!

MNgal43 wrote: »

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.

Best advice?

Moderation.

And throwing out the notion that any food is junk.

In between meals, I eat Greek Yogurt, popcorn, candies, ice cream, bread pudding, cottage cheese, fruit, cake, and other things-just not all at once, every day, or all the time.

To quote someone from another thread, I practice avoidance. It's easier for me than moderation. Whichever you practice, it requires willpower. Passing all those cheap cookies and cakes in the grocery store is not always easy. I do my best never to shop hungry because of this.

I agree with the poster who buys snacks she doesn't like for her family. I have 3 kids and just never buy potato chips because they are my favorite (the kids prefer Doritos anyway).

Also, are there certain times of the day that you are more susceptible to snacking? I am fine up to about 3 p.m., then I start wanting that junk, so that is the time I go up and use the treadmill. By the time I get back downstairs, the craving has passed. Usually.