No willpower

I find pre-logging (seeing what the impact is before I have something) is very powerful help if I'm tempted to make a bad choice.

Ice cream is probably the only "junk food" we ever have here. We don't stock soda, chips, cookies or anything of that nature - never have - so it isn't a stretch for me to rationalise that I don't really need that bowl of ice cream and the calories it contains. Substituting is one approach that can work for many: it'd be better to have some Greek yogurt with fresh or frozen blueberries since it's both tasty and has a better macro profile than ice cream.

I disagree with the notion that denying one's self is a bad approach especially if we look at what we are denying ourselves in context. The human body doesn't need Oreos. Or Ice Cream. If this is about developing life long habits I question whether someone can develop a life long habit to restrict their junk-food eating desires to one single 100 calorie package of junk food a day. For a life time. What happens when resolve breaks down?

It only seems logical to me to change that habit. Make the cookies a rare treat, not a daily occurrence.

Healthier foods can be a problem too. A spoonful of peanut butter could tempt me but I've not had that in ... eons ... despite keeping a ready supply of natural peanut butter on hand for the rest of the family. One look at the calorie count (essentially pre-logging in my head) is enough for me to switch that part of my brain off. A substitution works too: I find I get a lot more enjoyment, and fewer calories, out of a palm sized serving of whole almonds than I do from the peanut butter.

Keeping the junk food out of the home is a sensible first step but don't stop there. Examine the healthier foods that can be problematic sources of calories and be sure you have a strategy for those too. Pre-log.

When you know that you have no willpower and cannot say "no" to certain foods then find a way to get them. I tell myself that I can have x food as long as I earn enough calories to eat it. If you are going out to dinner go workout and add 500+ calories to your daily availability so you can eat guilt free. It feels less like "i need to eat as much of this while I'm at it because i can't later" rather than "I can enjoy this meal because I already worked out and will still have calories to spare when I go to bed".

I need to eat after I work out too. I stop at the grocery store and pick up an apple , sometimes stuff to make a caprese salad, or some skinny cow ice cream bars. Tell yourself "if I am still hungry after this I will allow myself a naughty snack" but usually you will find yourself satisfied with real whole foods like cheeses, nuts, and fruit. I have to drive past mcdonalds on my way home from the gym and you know how often i have to talk to myself to keep myself from turning into it? ugh Play tricks with your mind, if you tell it "never" it will crave it more.

Oooh! I like that "saying it out loud" bit.

I was also going to say, try taking your own approved treats over to the BF's house so you're not so tempted with his.

NOW....

Cook some bacon. Mix equal portions of cream cheese & butter, heat and add chives. That should cure your hunger. that has gotten me through more than one sugar craving.