Stopping Junk Food From Coming in my House
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I have three male roommates... I know the annoyance of having people steal your food. Roommate stole over a pound of hard candies I had in my food cabinet. OVERNIGHT. I go through them slow, but there are times I need the sugar. Just because it was in view [two of the cabinets don't have doors, it was designed that way], does not mean it is free to take.MondayJune22nd2015 wrote: »... Just don't eat any food he buys on his own for himself. Think of it in roommate-standards; don't eat someone else's personal stash of goodies. If it 'makes you' buy your own, that's premeditated and not spur-of-the-moment snacking-because-it-is-there, and would then be your own fault.
I agree with PixelPuff, I currently reside with my Mother & Sister & they bring into the house & consume, whatever they want & I never ask them, to not or even to hide it. Since it's their's it'd be stealing if I ate and/or drank something of theirs. So I treat their beverages & foods, the way I'd treat it, in the grocery store. Just because it's on the shelf, doesn't mean; I can steal it. It's forbidden to me, if I don't have enough money & Calories; for it. However since because you generally do share things with a spouse, treat it as something that you wouldn't share with each other; like each other's used toilet paper.
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I have three male roommates... I know the annoyance of having people steal your food. Roommate stole over a pound of hard candies I had in my food cabinet. OVERNIGHT. I go through them slow, but there are times I need the sugar. Just because it was in view [two of the cabinets don't have doors, it was designed that way], does not mean it is free to take.MondayJune22nd2015 wrote: »... Just don't eat any food he buys on his own for himself. Think of it in roommate-standards; don't eat someone else's personal stash of goodies. If it 'makes you' buy your own, that's premeditated and not spur-of-the-moment snacking-because-it-is-there, and would then be your own fault.
I agree with PixelPuff, I currently reside with my Mother & Sister & they bring into the house & consume, whatever they want & I never ask them, to not or even to hide it. Since it's their's it'd be stealing if I ate and/or drank something of theirs. So I treat their beverages & foods, the way I'd treat it, in the grocery store. Just because it's on the shelf, doesn't mean; I can steal it. It's forbidden to me, if I don't have enough money & Calories; for it. However since because you generally do share things with a spouse, treat it as something that you wouldn't share with each other; like each other's used toilet paper.
I had that problem with 1 of my brother's, before my Mother had to eventually make him leave; for an unrelated reason but yeah I had to turn my bedroom closet, into a partial pantry; when he was here.0 -
Probably mentioned before, but you can't expect him to give up his munchies. Dedicate a drawer/cupboard to them and train yourself not to look/eat. There will always be munchies around--a party, some lonely night in the house, going to the movies, etc. You will have to train yourself to withstand temptation. Lock up the cupboard if you have to until you feel you have a handle on your cravings, but they are YOUR cravings and YOU, unfortunately, are the one who has to manage them. Good luck!0
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Faithful_Chosen wrote: »Probably mentioned before, but you can't expect him to give up his munchies. Dedicate a drawer/cupboard to them and train yourself not to look/eat. There will always be munchies around--a party, some lonely night in the house, going to the movies, etc. You will have to train yourself to withstand temptation. Lock up the cupboard if you have to until you feel you have a handle on your cravings, but they are YOUR cravings and YOU, unfortunately, are the one who has to manage them. Good luck!
Yep, he's allowed to have his stuff. My DH still has pop tarts and so forth around the house. Every so often I cave and regret it, but that's on me not him. He generally keeps it out of my sight and I just pretend I don't see it. It's not realistic to be in a 100% temptation free environment - there's always going to be something somewhere!
It would be different if he was taunting you with it or egging you on to eat it, because that's just unkind. But if he's buying stuff he likes and keeping it where he lives, well...yeah. That's allowed.0 -
Could you clean out a cupboard for your husband and ask him to put ALL of his indulgent, calorie-laden food in there? That way, you don't have to see it, and if you open that door it's on you. As opposed to having bags of chips and cookies and things strewn all over the kitchen.
This is a great idea. Out of sight out of mind generally.
Good compromise I think.
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What's next? Stopping all social activities or going out at all just so you can avoid temptation?
You have to learn to view food as just that.... food. Avoiding any food that you determine detrimental to your goals isn't healthy. Learning to be in control as opposed to the food being in control takes time but you can't do that if you're constantly trying to control your environment.
Members of your family should be able to enjoy the foods that they like without it sending you into a tail spin. You need to stop labeling foods as good or bad, it's just fuel for your body.
I eat completely differently to my husband but I cook him all the foods he loves and he brings whatever he wants into the house. Does it get tough for me when I'm in certain phases of dieting... Yes of course it does but he shouldn't have to suffer just because of my choices. When we first met it was hard for me being surrounded by foods that were not going to help me achieve my goals but its actually helped in how I view food and helps me maintain a healthy attitude to it.
If your diet is so restrictive that you can't bear any food in the house that you see as a temptation then you need to rework your eating plan. Balance is the key to long term success.0 -
This discussion seems to come up quite a bit on these discussion boards (I'm new so I've been doing a lot of reading of the old posts). The responses seem to fall into two camps: 1) He should do everything he can to support you, including keeping junk food out of sight and even eating the same food as you, and 2) He should not have to give up the things he loves just because you are on a diet.
I think I fall somewhere in between. I don't mind that my husband has food that I have to avoid, but there are things he can do to help me resist. For instance, I need to have enough room in the fridge and freezer for all my lean meats and veggies. No problem there. Where we don't quite have agreement is when he suggests eating out way more than I can afford to (in terms of calories). I hate to have to always be in the position of saying no, but there it is. We are trying to compromise by eating out together once a week.
Could you clean out a cupboard for your husband and ask him to put ALL of his indulgent, calorie-laden food in there? That way, you don't have to see it, and if you open that door it's on you. As opposed to having bags of chips and cookies and things strewn all over the kitchen.
Or you could do the "reasonable" thing and get a divorce.
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This discussion seems to come up quite a bit on these discussion boards (I'm new so I've been doing a lot of reading of the old posts). The responses seem to fall into two camps: 1) He should do everything he can to support you, including keeping junk food out of sight and even eating the same food as you, and 2) He should not have to give up the things he loves just because you are on a diet.
I think I fall somewhere in between. I don't mind that my husband has food that I have to avoid, but there are things he can do to help me resist. For instance, I need to have enough room in the fridge and freezer for all my lean meats and veggies. No problem there. Where we don't quite have agreement is when he suggests eating out way more than I can afford to (in terms of calories). I hate to have to always be in the position of saying no, but there it is. We are trying to compromise by eating out together once a week.
Could you clean out a cupboard for your husband and ask him to put ALL of his indulgent, calorie-laden food in there? That way, you don't have to see it, and if you open that door it's on you. As opposed to having bags of chips and cookies and things strewn all over the kitchen.
I just wanted to say how refreshing it is that someone new to the forums would spend time using the search feature and reading up on the topics/questions that are posted ad nauseum! If more people took time to do this we would probably have far fewer posts/arguments about inane topics!
OP I agree with others that have said that ultimately this is your responsibility to identify ways to deal with the temptations of the foods your husband still enjoys eating. I am a firm believer in fitting in all foods you like in moderation, and that for many people, completely avoiding them can lead to overdoing it and feeling despondent about their actions when they do indulge. However I know many others have success in completely eliminating certain trigger foods temporarily, until they learn how to work it in without going overboard. I'm not sure what the right answer is for you.
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There will always be temptations. You're responsible for what you put in your mouth. Your whole family shouldn't have to diet because of you.
Also, just think of it as his snacks. I'd be annoyed if my husband ate my stuff. Just leave his stuff alone.0 -
OP... you need to change the way you think about food rather than make your husband change. If you know you will "cave" and eat some of your husband's "junk food" why not just plan to enjoy some once in a while within your calorie budget?
Others have pretty much said the same thing I would. You can't and should not force your husband to give up what he enjoys because of your lack of self control. Life seldom makes things exactly convenient for us to achieve our goals. Achieve them anyway. You have to learn how to function in the real world some time.0 -
Faithful_Chosen wrote: »Probably mentioned before, but you can't expect him to give up his munchies. Dedicate a drawer/cupboard to them and train yourself not to look/eat. There will always be munchies around--a party, some lonely night in the house, going to the movies, etc. You will have to train yourself to withstand temptation. Lock up the cupboard if you have to until you feel you have a handle on your cravings, but they are YOUR cravings and YOU, unfortunately, are the one who has to manage them. Good luck!
Exactly this.
OP, as long as your husband is being supportive and not shoving the food down your throat or insisting you eat the foods you are looking to avoid, what is the problem?
There will always be situations where you need to choose between going along with your plan, or indulging and eating foods you would consider to be more unhealthy. Are you going to avoid restaurants all together? Potlucks? Cookouts? Are you going to live like a hermit with only your healthy, pre-purchased groceries surrounding you, content in a little bubble with the foods you deem to be worthy? Probably not.
It sounds like you just need to continue to practice and teach yourself restraint. And if you happen to snag a chip or a cookie in the process, enjoy it, log it, and move on.
Just because you have cookies and chips or whatever he enjoys around, doesn't mean you need to indulge.
Good luck!0 -
Could you clean out a cupboard for your husband and ask him to put ALL of his indulgent, calorie-laden food in there? That way, you don't have to see it, and if you open that door it's on you. As opposed to having bags of chips and cookies and things strewn all over the kitchen.
This is a great idea. Out of sight out of mind generally.
Good compromise I think.
^^ This ^^0 -
Several good ideas mentioned, but you also said you were trying to eat "more clean". I definitely understand cutting out stuff if you have no self control, but another thing to consider is that you don't have to eat clean to lose weight. You can weigh out a single portion of the food you're craving and work it into your daily calorie goal. I've found it is easier for me to stick to my diet when I don't cut out the things I really love to eat. I no longer have some "wagon" to repeatedly fall off of.
Granted, it took me a while to get here, and for a time, I couldn't have the foods I craved in the house (I was single at the time). If you are having problems with self control, one thing I did was not have it around and then I'd have a single serving out of something high quality. I had no control for ice cream, but I found a local place that weighed out a single portion of gelato for product control. I got really intense (and some rather strange) flavor combinations, and I learned to appreciate a single, 3oz serving. Now I can have it in the house again and still only eat a single weighed out portion.
And I agree with others, you can't prohibit your husband from eating what he enjoys (which, you've acknowledged you have no intention of doing). But, having him hide it, it almost sounds a little disordered. I agree that he should have a cabinet that is his that you never open. But, if you find that you can't prevent yourself from going into that cabinet, maybe it would help to speak to someone professionally about your relationship with food.0 -
Op, I like the idea of asking your husband to switch to buying single serving packages of his stuff. I'm much more likely to grab "just a couple" chips from a big open bag than I am to open a new single serving package.WinoGelato wrote: »This discussion seems to come up quite a bit on these discussion boards (I'm new so I've been doing a lot of reading of the old posts). The responses seem to fall into two camps: 1) He should do everything he can to support you, including keeping junk food out of sight and even eating the same food as you, and 2) He should not have to give up the things he loves just because you are on a diet.
I think I fall somewhere in between. I don't mind that my husband has food that I have to avoid, but there are things he can do to help me resist. For instance, I need to have enough room in the fridge and freezer for all my lean meats and veggies. No problem there. Where we don't quite have agreement is when he suggests eating out way more than I can afford to (in terms of calories). I hate to have to always be in the position of saying no, but there it is. We are trying to compromise by eating out together once a week.
Could you clean out a cupboard for your husband and ask him to put ALL of his indulgent, calorie-laden food in there? That way, you don't have to see it, and if you open that door it's on you. As opposed to having bags of chips and cookies and things strewn all over the kitchen.
I just wanted to say how refreshing it is that someone new to the forums would spend time using the search feature and reading up on the topics/questions that are posted ad nauseum! If more people took time to do this we would probably have far fewer posts/arguments about inane topics!
+1This discussion seems to come up quite a bit on these discussion boards (I'm new so I've been doing a lot of reading of the old posts). The responses seem to fall into two camps: 1) He should do everything he can to support you, including keeping junk food out of sight and even eating the same food as you, and 2) He should not have to give up the things he loves just because you are on a diet.
I think I fall somewhere in between. I don't mind that my husband has food that I have to avoid, but there are things he can do to help me resist. For instance, I need to have enough room in the fridge and freezer for all my lean meats and veggies. No problem there. Where we don't quite have agreement is when he suggests eating out way more than I can afford to (in terms of calories). I hate to have to always be in the position of saying no, but there it is. We are trying to compromise by eating out together once a week.
Could you clean out a cupboard for your husband and ask him to put ALL of his indulgent, calorie-laden food in there? That way, you don't have to see it, and if you open that door it's on you. As opposed to having bags of chips and cookies and things strewn all over the kitchen.
My husband loves to eat out too. What has worked for me is to find meals at several places we like that don't break the calorie bank. A smaller sandwich (or just the pulled pork, no bread) at the BBQ place with green beans as a side, grilled chicken with a side salad, grilled salmon, a plain baked sweet potato and steamed veggies at the steak house are some personal examples. If he wants to eat out when we haven't planned to I tell him which places will fit the calories I have.
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I deal with the same thing at my house. Just work it into your daily caloric intake and/or macros. I always leave room for things like ice cream, cereal, peanuts, chips, etc. at the end of the day.0
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I hate to say this, but your husband is right. It's not fair to him to ban certain foods from the house. You have to learn the tools to deal with temptation and not devour things you don't want to eat. Try working some of your favorites into your calorie budget so you don't feel deprived.
I like peanut butter in it's original form, but I don't like peanut butter flavored snacks. I get my husband peanut butter cookies as often as I can. He loves them and I know I'll never eat them. As long as he has cookies, he doesn't care what flavor they are.0 -
This discussion seems to come up quite a bit on these discussion boards (I'm new so I've been doing a lot of reading of the old posts). The responses seem to fall into two camps: 1) He should do everything he can to support you, including keeping junk food out of sight and even eating the same food as you, and 2) He should not have to give up the things he loves just because you are on a diet.
I think I fall somewhere in between. I don't mind that my husband has food that I have to avoid, but there are things he can do to help me resist. For instance, I need to have enough room in the fridge and freezer for all my lean meats and veggies. No problem there. Where we don't quite have agreement is when he suggests eating out way more than I can afford to (in terms of calories). I hate to have to always be in the position of saying no, but there it is. We are trying to compromise by eating out together once a week.
Could you clean out a cupboard for your husband and ask him to put ALL of his indulgent, calorie-laden food in there? That way, you don't have to see it, and if you open that door it's on you. As opposed to having bags of chips and cookies and things strewn all over the kitchen.
Or you could do the "reasonable" thing and get a divorce.
That escalated quickly.
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I'm going to be a little contrary here.
Of course it is the husband's house too, and he has the right to have whatever foodstuffs he wants in the house. And certainly OP is going to have to learn with temptation. No question on either of these.
That said, I would jump on a grenade for Mrs Jruzer. So if she asked me to stop bringing certain foods into the house, I would do that out of love for her. I would certainly work with her to come up with a long-term plan that we could both live with, but there's no way I would just ignore her request. Marriage should be about loving compromise in cases like this.0 -
I gave up trying to change the behaviors of my family members. Now they bring in whatever they want. Yes, it makes it much more difficult for me to stay on track. They could make it easier for me. It is not important to them.
I used to resent their actions. Now I consider it just one more thing to overcome. Other people here have other obstacles.Please give me strong suggestions to have the willpower not to eat junkfood if it is in my face.
Sorry, no great answers here. I also cave occasionally and am trying to make it less frequent. Hm - here is one- I find I do not eat junk food if I am busy. Fixing the house, cleaning, walking - I don't have hands free for the bag of chips.0 -
Hubby is right. Also - that's his food he bought for himself - so hands off. If your coworker bought themselves a treat they kept at their desk you wouldn't go over and take it and eat it yourself. Or if someone at the table next to you at a restaurant ordered dessert you wouldn't go over and grab it from them. Same with your hubby's treats - those aren't for you so leave them for their proper owner. Change your mindset a bit and you've got this!
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