Cant stop eating junk!! :(

KristaMac88 · July 2019

I did so good a few months ago doing low carb - no cheats and working out. Lost 15lbs. Have fallen off and gained 5 back. Im so addicted to junk its disgusting. And ud think that..or how disgusted I am looking down seeing my rolls would be enough to stop. But I cant. I start every day off good, try and not eat late at night and not till later in the morning after my coffee. And breakfast and lunch will be relatively healthy and low carb. Supper we try and meal plan and do low carb. Not keep junk in the house..BUT I sit all day at work and am alone for the last hour and its theennnn that the cravings hit hard. To keep me awake and i eat out of boredom and cannot help myself to get junk food to snack on. Same with if i go get groceries or something alone. That damn junk food isle beside the check outs. I keep telling myself im going to stop then when the cravings hit i just gu buy it and devour it with no regrets at the time. HELP!

puffbrat · July 2019

Many people find that low carb curbs their cravings and helps them stay on track. Other people like myself feel restricted and do what you have described. It is possible that low carb is just not right for you. Instead you may want to consider leaving some calories each day or week for a treat to still stay within your goals without feeling restricted. I eat dessert nearly every day and am successfully losing.

KristaMac88 · July 2019

Worth a try! I find since I started paying attention and doing low carb whether its bad or not that's all I focus on. Maybe i need to track calories and not worry about the carbs in stuff.

smoofinator · July 2019

You don't want to restrict your diet a great deal, because that can lead to burnouts and binges. Overly restricting yourself has the potential to make you miserable and, therefore, more likely to abandon your progress after a while (I'm speaking from experience).

Losing weight comes down to a calorie deficit, regardless of what you eat (including carbs). Some people prefer a low-carb way of eating because it allows them to stay fuller for longer, but fat loss is only about eating fewer calories than you burn. That's it. No food is “good” or “bad” for weight loss as long as you’re in a calorie deficit. You could lose weight eating only buttered donuts as long as you burn more calories than you consume. Unfortunately, because buttered donuts are very calorie-dense (a lot of calories for a small amount of food), you’d be hungry quite often. Eating foods lower in calories allows you to eat more, so you stay fuller for longer. Eating only buttered donuts would also adversely affect your overall health after a while (not getting enough vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc.), but weight loss is all about calories – Eat fewer than you burn, in whatever form suits you, and you’ll lose weight.

I tend to do better with a higher-carb diet (I don't get as hungry throughout the day), but many other people prefer a low-carb, high-protein/fat diet to help with their satiety, but that's all it's about – feeling full so you don't eat above your calorie limit.

Here's a great post that lays it all out: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

Good luck!

richman69 · July 2019

Krista, one other thing...you could be suffering from a bit of nutritional deficiency. If there’s a mineral in the food you’re craving that you’re body is low on, it’ll almost force you to eat it! Body is smart :-). Case in point, i used to get chocolate cravings late at night and the doc told me i might have a Magnesium deficiency! He gave me a high quality supplement and amazingly enough the cravings stopped immediately. Crazy, huh?! Make sure you’re taking a quality vitamin and mineral supplement when you’re trying to modify body composition as you’ll usually need it! Just a thought. Good luck!

justynaszm · July 2019

a long time ago I tracked only calories and no carbs and stuff and still was loosing weight. I did excercise a lot.

KristaMac88 · July 2019

Thank you all!

I may try the mineral supplement thing and see if it helps! I had magnesium for leg cramps when I was preg so I may still have some.

So I know everyone says eating fewer calories. Should I just go with what MFP gives me? Which is 1200..? I know I usually eat more than that in a day but I honestly dont know how many i eat in the run of a day normally when im not tracking..

NovusDies · July 2019

KristaMac88 wrote: »

Thank you all!

I may try the mineral supplement thing and see if it helps! I had magnesium for leg cramps when I was preg so I may still have some.

So I know everyone says eating fewer calories. Should I just go with what MFP gives me? Which is 1200..? I know I usually eat more than that in a day but I honestly dont know how many i eat in the run of a day normally when im not tracking..

You would start with the number MFP gives you for an appropriately weekly weight loss goal. Many people select 2 pounds to go quickly and that is not healthy if you are closer to goal.

MichelleSilverleaf · July 2019

KristaMac88 wrote: »

Thank you all!

I may try the mineral supplement thing and see if it helps! I had magnesium for leg cramps when I was preg so I may still have some.

So I know everyone says eating fewer calories. Should I just go with what MFP gives me? Which is 1200..? I know I usually eat more than that in a day but I honestly dont know how many i eat in the run of a day normally when im not tracking..

Without knowing your stats it's hard to say if 1200cal is appropriate for you. I find MFP defaults to 1200cal on the nose when people pick too aggressive a deficit for the amount of weight to lose. Perhaps you're being too aggressive?

FWIW, I've lost 55lbs so far. I still eat "junk" - ice cream, chips, chip & dip, sodas, etc. But I've vastly changed the amount and frequency and in some cases the type of "junk" I have. They're things I'm not planning to permanently give up so I made myself figure out how to make it work. It took some trial and error, tracking food definitely helped.

Rammer123 · July 2019

Im gonna go out on a limb here and say, based off your picture, and the 88 in your username assuming you're born in 1988. I would say 1,200 is VERY LIKELY going to be a very low caloric intake for you.

Without more details on your, height, weight, activity level, its tough to say for sure.

Five0Six · July 2019

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

Without knowing your stats it's hard to say if 1200cal is appropriate for you. I find MFP defaults to 1200cal on the nose when people pick too aggressive a deficit for the amount of weight to lose. Perhaps you're being too aggressive?

MFP's default suggestions often drops the calorie level as low as it will go (especially for women) at 1,200 - and even then because that's as low as the site possibly allows. Many people select 2 pound a week loss and burn out because 1200 is sincerely difficult to stick to.

It can be more useful to check out how many calories you need to maintain your current weight and shave some calories off that. You can then set that as your goal and see how you do. I took off a 100 calories, but your mileage may vary.

Here's the top hit on Google for this. All you do is plug in your numbers. https://tdeecalculator.net/ There's other ones more recommended by longterm MFP members, but I can't find them. Hopefully someone will jump in here to help!

amgreenwell · July 2019

Start shopping online and picking up your groceries instead of going into the store and walking past the junk. it is amazing how much money and calories I've saved myself over the past year in shopping online and picking up. LIFE CHANGING!
As far as sitting all day and then being along the last hour. I hear you. I sit all day at work. Make sure your desk is full of healthy snacks; nuts, cheeses, granola, things you can snack on little by little and still be satisfied. Try to eat six small meals a day instead of three. I eat at least six times a day and stay under about 400 cal per meal. I work out in the morning before coming to work so I know exactly how many calories I have to work with during the day. I log all my food in the morning too so I know exactly what I can eat.
I never cut out any certain food groups. So low carb and all that never worked for me. I just stay within a certain amount of calories and if I go over one day then I stay under the next.
you can do this!

cheriej2042 · July 2019

I hear you about the junk good in the checkout and the constant sales on candy bars screaming at me (buy!buy!buy!).
I get cravings in the late afternoon so I have a snack of either almonds, blueberries, or a think thin 150 cal snack. Also I do find the natural sugar in fruit kills my craving and the fiber fills me up.

rachelpelucca · July 2019

I have been there and still struggle from time to time unfortunately. One thing I found that helps me is that I don’t allow myself to get to the point of so much hunger that I just want a bunch of junk. I always keep healthy snacks to munch on so that I don’t need to branch out and find something else. Hope this helps, you can do it!

KristaMac88 · July 2019

Thanks everyone! I still want to lose another 20-30lbs. Im sure i can afford to lose more at being 5'4 but every couple pounds helps me feel better! I dont think I chose the 2lb per week goal, maybe 1.5, ill have to double check! That idea about grocerie shopping online doesnt sound bad!! Lord knows after just moving and eating out for like a week straight we need to save money so that might be worth a try! I guess i need to figure out my foods and get back to counting calories not carbs and not flip flop diets or try and tell myself if I eat carbs or any bit of junk ive failed for the day.

Cant stop eating junk!! :(

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