Anyone have tips on how to ignore temptations of junk food?

ddsb1111 wrote: »

I started dieting at 9. It wasn’t until I turned 27 that I wanted to really do things the healthy way, you know, mentally and physically. No more quick diets, pills, binging, and starving. No more words like “forbidden”, “bad”, or “cheating”.

When I started my journey to heal my relationship with food it wasn’t easy. I was still quite terrified of certain foods for a while. I had to keep trigger food out of the house for about a year so I wouldn’t binge, but I knew nothing was forbidden. I started with single servings, just to get used to the idea of eating certain things without shame or guilt. Eventually I realized I wasn’t addicted at all. I was just living under ridiculous restrictions and expectations for too long. Now those foods have absolutely no power over me.

Looking back, it reminds me of a really toxic relationship. I left the belief systems that weren’t serving me, and I found a healthy way of living for the rest of my life. We need to be careful what we tell ourselves, we just might believe it. And that belief system can make you stuck, or can set you free.

I'm confused by what you have labeled as a belief system. Seems you are saying that you had been determining what you could/should consume by how you felt emotionally about that particular item as opposed to your actual experience on how different foods affected your health. On the other hand, maybe you were just talking about the toxic relationship?

That's great if you were able to change your way of eating just by talking yourself into it. There is a lot to be said for giving ourselves pep talks. Attempts to talk yourself into eating things that our body doesn't process correctly falls short for a minority. What is believed or not believed has nothing to do with sugar's affect on that minority.

For me, reality bites and I know I have to exclude added sugar, and high glycemic carbs (which our bodies quickly turn into sugar) as much as I can to control my insulin resistance. My food restrictions have nothing to do with belief or will power. Well, maybe a little bit when my wife leaves her snacks out on the kitchen counter. Each of us are different and I am happy that you have found what works for you.

DFW_Tom wrote: »

ddsb1111 wrote: »

I started dieting at 9. It wasn’t until I turned 27 that I wanted to really do things the healthy way, you know, mentally and physically. No more quick diets, pills, binging, and starving. No more words like “forbidden”, “bad”, or “cheating”.

When I started my journey to heal my relationship with food it wasn’t easy. I was still quite terrified of certain foods for a while. I had to keep trigger food out of the house for about a year so I wouldn’t binge, but I knew nothing was forbidden. I started with single servings, just to get used to the idea of eating certain things without shame or guilt. Eventually I realized I wasn’t addicted at all. I was just living under ridiculous restrictions and expectations for too long. Now those foods have absolutely no power over me.

Looking back, it reminds me of a really toxic relationship. I left the belief systems that weren’t serving me, and I found a healthy way of living for the rest of my life. We need to be careful what we tell ourselves, we just might believe it. And that belief system can make you stuck, or can set you free.

I'm confused by what you have labeled as a belief system. Seems you are saying that you had been determining what you could/should consume by how you felt emotionally about that particular item as opposed to your actual experience on how different foods affected your health. On the other hand, maybe you were just talking about the toxic relationship?

That's great if you were able to change your way of eating just by talking yourself into it. There is a lot to be said for giving ourselves pep talks. Attempts to talk yourself into eating things that our body doesn't process correctly falls short for a minority. What is believed or not believed has nothing to do with sugar's affect on that minority.

For me, reality bites and I know I have to exclude added sugar, and high glycemic carbs (which our bodies quickly turn into sugar) as much as I can to control my insulin resistance. My food restrictions have nothing to do with belief or will power. Well, maybe a little bit when my wife leaves her snacks out on the kitchen counter. Each of us are different and I am happy that you have found what works for you.

I don't doubt your personal experience in the slightest, or question your choice of tactics. We're all different, and different strategies work best for each of us, for varied reasons.

At the same time, I think that you may be seriously underestimating the potential effects of mindset, as a generality. What is believed or not believed does seem in fact to affect physiological response to food. It goes beyond the usual notion of "pep talks".

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21574706/

I'll leave the question of whether you misread the PP between you and the person who posted.

Again, not saying there's anything at all wrong with your choice of eating strategy. I fully support people choosing any reasonably healthy eating strategy that works well for them personally, for whatever reason they may choose it.

Reducing high GI foods and sugar is compatible with healthy eating, certainly. Of course, like virtually any other positive single dietary intervention - simply reducing high GI and sugar doesn't guarantee healthy eating. I'm sure you'd agree that there's more to healthy eating than that, however beneficial the GI/sugar reduction may be for a person.

I agree with what I think PP is saying, that how we think about our food can be another piece of the puzzle, in practice. I suspect that's especially true for someone with a history of shame, guilt or similar emotions associated with particular foods. While orthorexia isn't explicitly recognized in DSM V as an eating disorder, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) includes orthorexic behaviors.

Like any other "disorder" in the formal sense, individuals can struggle with the same sort of issue despite falling short of true "eating disorder" status. For these people, and of course those with diagnosable ARFID, changing belief system certainly seems like part of the solution.

Maybe that wasn't part of your struggle. It wasn't part of mine. Still, as I've read more posts from others here, I've come to be quite sympathetic with those for whom it is a problem. Though I feel kind of bad saying it - I'm also grateful that my beliefs and attitudes toward food/eating didn't present me with those particular challenges.

Best wishes!

Lots of good suggestions. Not having them around is probably the most helpful. As an aside, a weird thing that happened to me when I went on a Keto diet was that after about 2-3 weeks, my cravings for sweet things disappeared. That might just be me. I know after eating sweet stuff Christmas day and New Year's Eve the cravings were back, and now a week into the New Year eating Keto for the last 7 days, they are starting to decrease again.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

DFW_Tom wrote: »

ddsb1111 wrote: »

I started dieting at 9. It wasn’t until I turned 27 that I wanted to really do things the healthy way, you know, mentally and physically. No more quick diets, pills, binging, and starving. No more words like “forbidden”, “bad”, or “cheating”.

When I started my journey to heal my relationship with food it wasn’t easy. I was still quite terrified of certain foods for a while. I had to keep trigger food out of the house for about a year so I wouldn’t binge, but I knew nothing was forbidden. I started with single servings, just to get used to the idea of eating certain things without shame or guilt. Eventually I realized I wasn’t addicted at all. I was just living under ridiculous restrictions and expectations for too long. Now those foods have absolutely no power over me.

Looking back, it reminds me of a really toxic relationship. I left the belief systems that weren’t serving me, and I found a healthy way of living for the rest of my life. We need to be careful what we tell ourselves, we just might believe it. And that belief system can make you stuck, or can set you free.

I'm confused by what you have labeled as a belief system. Seems you are saying that you had been determining what you could/should consume by how you felt emotionally about that particular item as opposed to your actual experience on how different foods affected your health. On the other hand, maybe you were just talking about the toxic relationship?

That's great if you were able to change your way of eating just by talking yourself into it. There is a lot to be said for giving ourselves pep talks. Attempts to talk yourself into eating things that our body doesn't process correctly falls short for a minority. What is believed or not believed has nothing to do with sugar's affect on that minority.

For me, reality bites and I know I have to exclude added sugar, and high glycemic carbs (which our bodies quickly turn into sugar) as much as I can to control my insulin resistance. My food restrictions have nothing to do with belief or will power. Well, maybe a little bit when my wife leaves her snacks out on the kitchen counter. Each of us are different and I am happy that you have found what works for you.

I don't doubt your personal experience in the slightest, or question your choice of tactics. We're all different, and different strategies work best for each of us, for varied reasons.

At the same time, I think that you may be seriously underestimating the potential effects of mindset, as a generality. What is believed or not believed does seem in fact to affect physiological response to food. It goes beyond the usual notion of "pep talks".

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21574706/

I'll leave the question of whether you misread the PP between you and the person who posted.

Again, not saying there's anything at all wrong with your choice of eating strategy. I fully support people choosing any reasonably healthy eating strategy that works well for them personally, for whatever reason they may choose it.

Reducing high GI foods and sugar is compatible with healthy eating, certainly. Of course, like virtually any other positive single dietary intervention - simply reducing high GI and sugar doesn't guarantee healthy eating. I'm sure you'd agree that there's more to healthy eating than that, however beneficial the GI/sugar reduction may be for a person.

I agree with what I think PP is saying, that how we think about our food can be another piece of the puzzle, in practice. I suspect that's especially true for someone with a history of shame, guilt or similar emotions associated with particular foods. While orthorexia isn't explicitly recognized in DSM V as an eating disorder, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) includes orthorexic behaviors.

Like any other "disorder" in the formal sense, individuals can struggle with the same sort of issue despite falling short of true "eating disorder" status. For these people, and of course those with diagnosable ARFID, changing belief system certainly seems like part of the solution.

Maybe that wasn't part of your struggle. It wasn't part of mine. Still, as I've read more posts from others here, I've come to be quite sympathetic with those for whom it is a problem. Though I feel kind of bad saying it - I'm also grateful that my beliefs and attitudes toward food/eating didn't present me with those particular challenges.

Best wishes!

Ann, thank you for taking the time to help resolve my confusion on what ddsb1111 was saying in the previous post. I have never really understood the emotional approach to eating that others talk about, (and at 67 probably never will). I'm assuming (with trepidation) that any of the Eating Disorders being talked about are based on one's mental outlook towards what is being consumed.

I'm too simple minded to think drama should play any part in our way of eating. If a person finds they can't eat something like sugar, or meat, or grains, or ... (for whatever reasons), then they just need to stay away from it as much as possible. Period. Not to punish themselves, nor to make room for a binge day down the road, but because it is bad for them. A decision they need to make for themselves based on experience, not on belief.

... I think that you may be seriously underestimating the potential effects of mindset, as a generality. What is believed or not believed does seem in fact to affect physiological response to food. It goes beyond the usual notion of "pep talks".

One's mental approach/mindset/beliefs can benefit us in some ways, but sometimes they run up against the harsh reality of what actually results. Basing choices, whether good or bad, on what I would call mind games shouldn't be a part of our way of eating. I'd rather rely on guidance based on emphirical evidence and experience than I would on what I was able to talk myself into believing. Having any kind of mindset towards food is detrimental, IMO, and I can see how that could lead to eating disorders down the road.

I have to keep all forms of processed sugar out of my home or I will go on a massive binge.
I've been known to break open a chocolate bomb just to eat the chocolate, or eat a whole bag of baking chocolate chips! 🤮 Yes, I have issues.
Atm, I'm working on addressing this issue through therapy, but in my reality there is no such thing as moderation when it comes to sugar.
I wish I had some advice for you, but I want you to know, you're not alone and the struggle is very real for some of us! 🤗

Don't have them near you or substitute with something else less calorie dense. If I get hungry, I usually have beef jerky. Satifies eating something and I know I'm getting in more protein.

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Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition