Unhealthy addictions

sarahknight623
sarahknight623 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I have been tracking calories since August 16, and sept 9 I joined the gym. Out of the last 15 days I have gone to the gym 11 days for an average of an hour and a half each time (other than the first couple of times). I do an hours worth of cardio and half an hour weights. I am learning so much about my body, healthy food and healthy habits.
I realized the other day though that I am actually afraid to have any type of unhealthy food that I used to eat all the time (think food from spaghetti to chocolate bars, chips and pop). Since I started this journey, I’ve not had a single piece of junk food (oh, and did I mention I have just recently separated from my husband of 15 years?). I actually don’t even crave the old type of food, although the other night I was at a friends and they were having chips and dip and I so badly wanted some, but my fear did not allow me any. I feel like, if I have even one of something, I’ll just slip right back into unhealthy ways and I really want to stay healthy! Is it like I have read about alcoholism where you risk losing control after being sober by having a glass of wine? Should I just never eat junk food again? And really….it’s not a bad thing if I can’t.

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    i dont know that thats a healthy relationship with food, but everyone does what works for them, you know?

    you are still new to this, and in a way, still in the 'honeymoon' phase. Kind of like 'new relationship energy' when you get into a new relationship when everything is perfect and you dont see the persons flaws? you only see birght and shiny and new and perfect? same thing.

    ive been at this since 2014. lost a TON of weight. literally more than what i currently weigh. I had chips with lunch and reeses peanut butter pumpkins yesterday. was still within my calorie goals for the day.

    spaghetti isn't UNHEALTHY. spaghetti sauce is actually loaded with nutrients. especially if you make it yourself and can control the sugar content (though that really only matters if you have glucose issues). and pasta- our bodies needs carbs. I'm not a pasta person, per say (just not my thing, though half my macros are carbs)- many people substitute zucchini noodles for traditional pasta or lower carb pasta either by choice or necessity to control blood sugar).

    You will find what works for you. For some people, total abstinence is what they feel they have to do. But for many, doing that long term, would lead to binging and totally falling off the wagon, so to speak (I know for me it would). That is why no foods are off limits for me, and for many. If I can make it fit, its fair game. Always has been. And for me, it works. That said, there are foods i dont KEEP in the house, because if i did, i wouldnt be able to leave them alone (like peanut butter cups). I only buy them when I have planned for them.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,892 Member
    Maybe you can envision a life without 'junk food', but I can't. I need to eat foods I like, and that includes treat foods on a regular basis.

    The word 'healthy' has very different meanings for different people. I, for example, don't understand why you would class spaghetti as an unhealthy food.
    I rather think of foods on several scales:
    - more or less calorie dense
    - more or less nutrient dense
    - and are they contributing to my goals (for example sufficient protein for building muscle)
    As long as I'm getting te nutrients I need through vegetables, fruit etc and mostly (but not only) home-cooked meals, I'm fine with eating some less nutrient rich and/or more calorie dense foods, as long as it also fits into my calorie goal.

    Deprivation, in my view, leads to excesses/bingeing for many people.
    I'd be more afraid of that than of 'junk' food itself.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    The definition of "unhealthy" varies from person to person and country to country. For example, I live in Italy and we eat pasta regularly. People here would laugh if you said that pasta, pizza, breads, or chocolate were unhealthy. It's better to think in terms of "calorie dense" foods. Some foods have so many calories that they have to be limited by most to fit into their daily calorie budget. Portion sizes are the key, and being very careful of sauces and oils that are high cal.

    Elimination is where most people tend to go. It seems so easy, but doesn't last forever--hence regain. I would suggest not demonizing any food, just try to eat a balanced diet and get in your macros. This will serve you well for the rest of your life. Good luck.
  • talltrees500
    talltrees500 Posts: 25 Member
    I try to not make off limit any foods, just limit amount and frequency of less healthy items. I’m recently separated too and actually finding myself less stressed and increasingly motivated.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    There is nothing inherently unhealthy about spaghetti or pasta or pizza. They can be calorie dense, but that doesn't have anything to do with their nutritional quality. Dark chocolate also has a lot of positive nutrition. Other things like chips and whatnot don't contribute all that much to nutrition, but I eat them on occasion. What I'm doing overall is what matters...good nutrition doesn't happen in a vacuum of this particular food or that particular meal...what's going on overall is what matters.

    Personally, no...I could not cut out "junk" food for all of my remaining days...but I can balance them out. I don't really even consider them "junk"...I call them sometimes foods.
  • coryhart4389
    coryhart4389 Posts: 73 Member
    I have nearly an identical mindset to you (OP), completely eliminating certain foods that I don’t think contribute to my fitness goals. In the past I have gone 4 or 5 years, most recently I’m on a year and 1/2 streak. However, I have always failed long term and gained weight. This time I’m hoping for a permanent result with the help of MFP, food tracking, and my Garmin watch. I will continue my elimination plan for as long as possible, but at some point I will add “junk” food back in while still being in my caloric goals. I believe this is a better long term plan. I enjoy some foods to much to never eat them again and my repeated failures only seems to confirm this. As many have stated here, never is a long time!

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