anyone else struggling to cut junk food?

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BeautyFromPain
BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
in Food and Nutrition
i'm trying really hard but keep slipping up, if anyone else is like this... we could buddy each other and support and motivate each other when needed?
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  • MusicKeepsMeSane
    MusicKeepsMeSane Posts: 309
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    I keep having this problem too. Sometimes I just crave sugar or salt and junk food is just there... will definitely try to help support you!
  • fat2fab4life
    fat2fab4life Posts: 253 Member
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    oh man i am so with you on this one i am always planning my day and doing really good until the afternoon when i see chips and crave all sorts of crap and ruin my entire day
  • mestupscout
    mestupscout Posts: 82 Member
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    I have two papers to write and all I can think about are cheese doodles. That's my study food. Even the dog is confused.
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
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    I tried giving up cold turkey...failed. Led to cravings and binges. Every night I allow something small like a 100 cal pack, Skinny Cow, Smart One sundae, or dark chocolate. Once a week I get a treat. :)
  • jeninne
    jeninne Posts: 412 Member
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    Gee I imagine you will get some major agreement on here. I get so mad when I shove a cookie in my mouth or eat at burger king!! I workout way too hard to mess it up. I have tried to stick to a Hershey kiss once in a while... Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.
  • kjannan
    kjannan Posts: 248 Member
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    I keep a packet of mints in the cupboard for after tea when I feel like something sweet. Otherwise, if my calorie intake allows, I have some pudding. Can't be doing too badly as I'm still losing weight :)

    I couldn't live without sweet stuff!!
  • dlsa6190
    dlsa6190 Posts: 1 Member
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    Whatever I have a taste for I eat just enough to satisfy the craving...less than a serving size. Also, I always record it in my food log to make sure I stay within my daily numbers. I also exercise 5 days a week (even when I don't feel like it). Be strong!! LOL!!
  • fatboypup
    fatboypup Posts: 1,873 Member
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    i had chocolate cake for lunch and beer and chips for dinner ;)
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    I know this is gonna sound really weird - but, I gotta tell you it really worked for me.

    If I get that severe, 'damnit Im on the hunt for some chocolate and I will take lives if it means to reach it' need for chocolate... or any junk really (LOL!)... I would grab some ice cold water, chug a glass...

    Then I would go and brush my teeth!!!!!

    I told this to my Endocrinologist and she about fell out of her chair laughing! For some reason, the minty-sweet flavor really does take away my need!!!! I make sure to brush my tongue too...... and people laugh when they say "your teeth are as white as your skin!".... Im so pale! Heeeeeheeheeeehee

    I no longer have that craving - the whole mental-thing of "brush your teeth for the night" thing is like a "ok, no more eating'" reinforcement... let's face it, when you brushed your teeth as a kid, that meant it was getting ready for bed, or you had something REALLLLLLLLLL ooey-gooey-naughty good and you have to brush your teeth..

    Well.... Im sticking to my guns....errrr...uhhhh toothbrush!
  • MinaAriel
    MinaAriel Posts: 138 Member
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    Think about when you are going to come into contact with junk food. My hubby is a huge snacker and insists on chips. So after failing over and over again to avoid the chips, I just bought healthier alternatives. Blue corn tortilla chips and Baked Cheetos came home with me. It's not health food but I'm not deprived. It's a smarter choice in the end.

    I go on a lot of play dates and I've learned that there will be baked goods and flavored coffee. I make sure to bring my thermos with my lighter options and/or water and chewing gum. I had half a slice of the delicious apple bread and then popped a stick of Chocolate Mint chewing gum in and I didn't even think about having another nibble of the bread because my mouth was busy.
  • Jelleebean
    Jelleebean Posts: 212
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    i haven't given anything up really... i have something 'bad' every day... as long as my cals allow it... why deprive yourself? just have 2 cookies instead of the whole bag. have a couple of squares of chocolate, rather than the whole bar. portion out a bag of corn chips, rather than eat the whole bag.
    i just finished an apple caramel parfait cup because i wanted something sweet... no point in giving everything up, other wise, one day you will find yourself infront of 3 empty bags of cookies, a bag of potato chips, and still lurkin for something else to binge on.
  • bstamps12
    bstamps12 Posts: 1,184
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    Try to find healthy alternatives to the food you crave: Special K Cracker Chips are a great alternative to regular chips; Fudgsicles have 40 calories and give you that chocolate ice cream fix; dry unsalted peanuts are a healthy snack you can munch on while getting in lots of protein and healthy fats versus the unhealthy fats in other junk food; there are tons of crackers you can buy instead of chips; yoplait has lots of yogurts in delicious flavors you can get your sweet tastes from with only 110 calories, etc.

    Fill up on healthy food and get in a healthy mindset before you go grocery shopping, then you are more likely to be able to say NO to buying the junk food at the store...then when you get the cravings later at home, you don't have the junk food to turn to, you can have your healthy snack and move on. This is something I really struggle with...if it's in the house, I will eat it! But finding and buying the healthy alternatives to my cravings means that I can't just grab the bag of Lays when I want to, because it's not there! I even eat raw radishes for that crunchy texture that I crave.

    It is often textures (crunchy, chewy, gooey, etc.) or tastes (sweet, salty) that you crave instead of the junk food itself. Associate the healthy foods with those textures & tastes instead of the junk foods.
  • SmallerBecky
    SmallerBecky Posts: 177
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    Another good idea I learned from this book called Water With Lemon is to prepare fruit in advance (cut up what needs to be cut up, etc.) and have it ready in the fridge and/or have bowls of fruit sitting out in the open where you will see them. Eating three pieces of fruit per day is supposed to help with the sweet tooth...and you need all those antioxidants and vitamins! I had been avoiding fruit for a few years because people kept saying how bad it was to eat all that sugar. Well, I just ended up eating sugar in candy and pastries! So, which is worse?! I eat fruit now, and my cravings for other sweet stuff aren't so bad.
  • mako425
    mako425 Posts: 6 Member
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    I still eat junk food, just in smaller portions. As long as I stay within my calorie goal, my conscience is clear.
  • bmqbonnie
    bmqbonnie Posts: 836 Member
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    I'll never cut junk food! Reasonable portions and exercise help me to fit it in. I eat pretty healthy like 80% of the time. 100% of the time isn't sustainable.
  • JennJayBee
    JennJayBee Posts: 45 Member
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    I'm a HUGE junk food junkie. Here are the substitutions that I've found for when I get "the cravings." For the most part, portion sizes seems to do the trick.

    Munchies (crunchy) = mini rice cakes (any flavor)

    Ice cream = ICE CREAM. No seriously. Buy those little birthday party cups in individual sizes. Just one will set you back less than a couple hundred calories for a snack.

    Salty = Almonds

    Chocolate = There are a number of low-fat or fat-free and sugar-free individually packaged brownies on the market. This usually curbs my craving at just one, and at around 150 calories or less. Fiber One has some nice bars at just 90 calories!

    Fruit Snacks/Candy = These are my other big weakness aside from chocolate. I'm a sucker for gummies, in particular. Dried fruit of any kind usually does the trick on this one. Trail mix is also good here. And here's the strangest one... PRUNES. Seriously, try one. I like the Sunsweet prunes with orange essence. They taste just like some of my favorite fruit snacks, and 5 big prunes equals only 100 calories!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I'm a junk food aholic.

    More than that, I'm a sugar a holic. I tried at the beginning to give it all up. I was successful for a short period of time and then I found myself becoming increasingly resentful about the whole thing. I decided that I needed to live an "everything in moderation" lifestyle because all or nothing wasn't going to work for me.

    I eat what I want, when I want it. I just eat the portion size of it. I make sure that I do not eat the donut for breakfast - I eat it after I've had a nutritional meal. I eat cookies. I eat cake (without the frosting now, please). I can't imagine going the rest of my life without enjoying the foods I love. That is too much like a diet and not a lifestyle change.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    see the problem is as well, that i work in fast food - so it is constantly there.
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
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    I keep having this problem too. Sometimes I just crave sugar or salt and junk food is just there... will definitely try to help support you!

    I know it isn't a candy bar or anything, but lately I've taken to eating baked sweet potato with cinnamon on when I crave something sweet. I found some at the store that are already wrapped and ready for the microwave-they take about 10 min to warm up. It's warms, sweet, filling, delicious and healthy. I also like dried fruit (of course try and get the stuff without added sugar), it may not be as good for you as fresh fruit, but it's still better than a candy bar.
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
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    see the problem is as well, that i work in fast food - so it is constantly there.
    I worked fast food for 9 years, I totally feel your pain.

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