getting back on track

rearea2022
rearea2022 Posts: 1 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am stuck on eating junk food. What do people do to get back on a healthy diet?
I start eating well for a week or two and then fall off the wagon. I need some advice, please. Can you help?

Replies

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,885 Member
    Drastic changes rarely stick. So I would suggest gradual changes.
    So, for example (random examples since I don't know your situation and what junk food means to you):
    - if takeaway meals are your weakness, try to reduce from 7 days a week to 5 times
    - and/or make your takeaway meals a bit healthier: split the order over 2 meals instead of one, and include a side of salad (watch the dressing!) or cooked vegetables to help fill you up
    - instead of banning your favorite junk foods: consume smaller portions and/or try to find lower calorie alternatives (zero sugar versions, lower fat versions, alternative foods with a similar mouth experience)
  • frhaberl
    frhaberl Posts: 145 Member
    Great advice by @Lietchi.

    I think it would be helpful to know that it is about junk food that brings you back to it after a week or two. Is it that it is faster/easier to get/prepare? Is it the taste? Is it the habit? Is it a form of celebration/comfort for you and/or your family?

    I agree that drastic changes are harder to sustain, but understanding what drives your behaviors and finding healthier substitutes or additions can be a good path to making those changes.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    I agree with the others above, but would add this: Even most junk food has nutrients. Eating entirely calorie-dense, nutrient-sparse foods ("junk") is a bad plan, but it can be fine to include some treat foods within calorie goal, especially when there are calories available once major nutrients are lined up well for the day. That's assuming a person can moderate those particular treat foods, of course.

    IMO, the Really Big Goal here is to find a sustainable total way of eating that can work long term, ideally forever, in order to not only reach but also stay at a healthy weight permanently. Quite a few people try to eat all healthy, all superfoods, no junk foods, etc. If that's sustainable, swell. But moderation of treats can also be effective, IME.

    IMO, the best solution is an individually sustainable pattern that balances appropriate calories, reasonable overall nutrition on average over a day or few, tastiness, affordability, practicality, and a few treats sometimes purely for joy.

    When I was losing weight, I decided I wasn't going to do anything to lose weight that I wasn't willing to continue forever to stay at a healthy weight, other than the sensibly moderate calorie deficit to trigger the gradual loss. I do value good nutrition, so that was part of the picture for me. For sure, I included fewer treat foods during loss because I had a smaller calorie budget, but I did include some. In maintenance, I can calorically afford somewhat more of those things, but I do try to keep it reasonable, and get my nutrients in most of the time before spending calories on treats.

    I've been in maintenance for 7+ years now, and I can't imagine that that would've been possible if I tried to eat only theoretically healthy foods to the total exclusion of chocolate, deep-fried foods, craft beer, desserts, chips/crisps, etc. Figuring out during loss how to fit those in in manageable amounts/frequencies has helped me keep them in perspective in maintenance, too . . . not to mention enjoy my routine more than if I felt I needed to be some kind of superfood saint every single day. Maybe that's just me, I don't know.

    I'm betting you can find your right personal balance, too. Best wishes!

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