I've never seen a persons daily meal include junk food.

I had a hershey's milk chocolate bar last night... 210 calories and killed my sweet tooth craving. I personally find its easier to have something like that once a week, it keeps me from snacking on junk all the time because I know I have that special chocolate prize coming up.

Wow! I don't know who your friends are but my friends always log a little "junk" food in their diaries. I think that they don't have a whole day of eating "junk". Usually they log protein foods, veggies, fruit and breads and then maybe a couple of cookies or an ice cream sandwich or glass of wine....say less than 10% of their daily diary. I eat volumes of food but still try to save a little room for a few cookies. It's a life style. Who wants to go through life and not enjoy a little sugar? I did cut out pizza for now because it majorly stalled my weight loss. Really don't miss it as much as I thought that I would. I keep my snacks in a drawer and make sure that I get at least 70 gms of protein and my fiber requirements....then I go to the snack drawer. Sometimes I wait until after midnight...I work the night shift so it works for me. I have lost 54 pounds...6 more to reach goal and have been on here a little more than 1000 days.

I log cookies, candy, soda, etc. I'm going to be honest in my diary. I would only be cheating myself. And my diary is open to my friends.

rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »

Ok, I'm back on. You guys are the best. It's good to know that so many of you still eat delicious foods, and still lose weight. I would hate to know that I had to eat grilled chicken and broccoli every day, oh, and a salad with low cal dressing. Not that there's anything wrong with those foods, but I'm not usually in the mood for just "healthy food" If I can have just a little "junk" every day, that is comforting to know. Also, I reread my original post, and to clarify, I mostly had in mind diet books and tv gurus when I said I never see people including junk in their diet. Thanks guys, for all the replies on this subject.

Keep in mind that those people are trying to sell you something, whether it be a product or a program to follow. There's not a lot of money to be made in advising people that they can lose weight eating all the foods they enjoy, in moderation, that the only thing that really matters is CICO... Believe me, many people here would love to profit from the "eat less move more" concept but it's just not as flashy for some reason...

rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »

I've heard so many people claim that they eat whatever they want, as long as they stay within their calorie limit, but I've never actually seen a sample diet that included junk food, i.e, cookies, chips, etc. Do any of you guys diaries include junk? The reason I'm asking, is because I find it really hard to stay on a diet that doesn't include at least some of the foods I love. I become grumpy, and just kinda depressed in a way, because junk food makes me feel good, if only for a little while. I would just love to know that I'm not the only one that thinks like this. I cannot manage, however, to just eat junk in moderation, without totally binge eating on the stuff. Do any of you have a way to incorporate sweets into your diet, without ending up on a binge? What's your secret, so to speak?

You mean do we ever log sweets? I log ice cream all the time -- I usually have about half a cup after dinner. I only just started logging again, but if you go back a few months you can see that (or check Monday).

How I do this is to focus on my calorie limit and eating a really healthy diet overall with enough vegetables and protein and all the rest, and to eat satisfying and tasty meals I enjoy. I don't snack in an indiscriminate way, but I have dessert after dinner if I have the calories. I stick to the calories I have, generally. I also schedule in other times to have foods I enjoy but which are harder to fit in than most of what I eat -- for example, one of the members of my book club bakes amazing stuff, so I eat light earlier that day to make room for my planned indulgence and I usually get in a harder workout on the weekend anyway. This is similar to how I fit in stuff like my favorite Indian restaurant. Once you tell yourself it's okay to have it if it fits in your calories (so there's no feeling of "I'm cheating" or "this is the last time, better make it count") BUT that it needs to fit in, it seems easier to control.

Crucial for me, though, is also understanding when and why I tend to overeat. I don't overeat after a satisfying dinner if I have dessert. If I eat because I had a crappy day or am sad or stressed or angry or simply at work where I'm used to using eating to put off stuff, I tend to find it harder not to overeat (although I can stop myself with force of will it's harder than it should be and sometimes I don't want to). So best for me is to make snacking at work really rare and only for special occasions and not to eat much outside of mealtimes. So I'd say give it some thought as to what your difficulties are.

rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »

Thanks WinoGelato. That's what I thought. Usually, when I read an article from the latest guru, which in this case, is Dr. Axe, it sounds so convincing and believable, but at the end, he tries to push supplements. I get so tired of these kinds of people, that I should just stop listening to them, correct?

Yes.

I got through seasons. I will live off junk for a couple of weeks and then crave veggies and eat very frugally for a few weeks (totally due to preference) and then begin the cycle again. I go where my taste-buds take me.

I have logged days where all I have eaten is some condensed milk and a few biscuits. I felt really tired, but I chose to do it so I did it, no regrets (and still in calories).

I eat McDonalds every Sunday of my life, which is no big deal as a Quarter Pounder with cheese and an Apple Pie - skip the fries and the soda - fit easily into my calories if I skip breakfast and have a modest dinner.

I eat pizza every week and I am talking about the whole thing, not just a stingy slice or two. My trick is to compensate by skipping a meal here or there, so that it all works out.

I have had people drop me as a friend on MFP because my diary offends them. I am well rid of them, methinks (Yeah, if you are reading ladies, I know you deleted me! ha ha! If my eating junk is that disruptive to your own self control, I think you might need therapy!)

I'm not perfect. I have junk food all over my diary. I have a weakness for cookies. The other day I had a muffin. But I work it into my calories at the end of the day. I work out a lot and try to burn it off. Its my way of enjoying a treat without overdoing it on a "cheat meal" or "cheat day".

rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »

I love these message boards. Real people keeping it real. You know you can count on someone when there's no money involved. I love it!

OP since it seems like you are relatively new here and still trying to figure out what approach is going to work best for you, I strongly suggest you read the stickied posts at the top of the different forum sections. This one in particular, along with the other links embedded within it, is one of my favorites. This puts the whole process into a very straightforward, "real" perspective which I think will resonate with you.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here/p1

entwife wrote: »

I include some treats in my diary. In the past I have tended to totally cut out junk, or just overeat it - it's been an either/or situation for me and its hard to just have a little bit. I'm getting better at it though, and I don't have a 'secret', but a few different things have helped me turn my thinking around so that junk food just isn't cutting it for me any more.

1. mindful eating - asking myself questions - why do I want this, do I really want this? Is this habit, hunger, boredom. comfort?
2. Body scans - mentally scan myself from head to toe and ask which bit of my body really wants this food?
3. Rating my hunger - 0 is starving, 10 is bursting full - where do I fall on that scale? Am I really hungry or do I need rest / drink / fresh air / company etc
4. Not judging myself - so I ate it, I must have had a reason. What was the reason and would I do the same thing again tomorrow?
5. Menu planning - working out satisfying meals that I enjoy and have the ingredients ready for
6. Allowing treats - life is short, food is pleasurable. I can have junk food whenever I want it, so why not have an apple now and a treat later.
7. Education - probably my biggest motivator was learning about the effects of diabetes and heart disease. I don't want to have my toes amputated or have a heart that can't pump blood around my body, thank you very much. No chocolate cake is worth amputated toes!

this is really helpful!

I'm usually better but yesterday I had half a chocolate croissant with breakfast, a small blonde brownie with lunch, half a Klondike bar with dinner and a few chocolate almonds. And it all fit into my maintenance calories (even with room to spare - the fish for dinner was way lower cal than I had initially realized).

nordlead2005 wrote: »

Also realize that bigger guys will always be able to snack more than smaller girls. Set your limits based on you, not on what others are doing.

It was pretty liberating when I realized just how much I can snack every day while losing a significant amount of weight. Being a 6'+ male has perks. Namely in that I can eat pizza and ice cream every day (if I want).

abatonfan wrote: »

Yup. I'm having pizza for lunch today. I don't eat "junk" that often, because it's super difficult for me to fit it within my macro targets (and because I'm a volume eater and can't eat that much "junk" for the calories).

Fellow volume eater here so my first priority is eating voluminous foods for the calories. I do fit junk food in here and there if I'm not having a 'hungry' day. My diary is open but I'm eating at maintenance/slight surplus these days so it's easier to fit junky treats in.