HELP!!! I CAN'T STOP EATING CRAPPY FOOD!!!

[dovahkiin]

I feel like I do two good meals a day and then blow it all with a crappy third.

 

How can I break this horrible cycle. 

 

I'm exercising according to the program, but I can't seem to keep my eating on track.

[The Swedish Ninja]

I totally understand your problem, but to be able to help I/we need more info:

- What are your goals (only eat Paleo, never eat sugar, eat sugar once a week etc)?

- What do you consider "crappy" (an all out binge or a meal at a fast food place)?

[dovahkiin]

My goal is to eat as closely to the mediterranean diet as possible, while practicing proper portion control. 

 

A crappy meal would be like the pizza I ate last night... i had two slices with a glass of red wine: not the best but not the worst either. my problem is that afterwards (later in the evening) i was hungry again and ended up eating 3 more slices and washed it down with a full flavored irish beer (I'll admit, good beer is my Achilles heel).

 

so reflecting, it feels like binge eating is the major issue I struggle with right now.  

[Disil]

I'm quite similar actually or at least used to be on most days. What really helped me was set rules and guidelines I tried abiding by as much and often as possible. One of the rules that really helped me was "no huge amount of carbs during the last 6 hours of the day", with the thought in mind that "I don't use them for energy anyway, I'd rather eat something protein heavy with veggies as a side". So every time I would want to eat something bad (which comes down to refined carbs most of the time), I'd check the clock and very often I'd realize that it's quite late and so I didn't eat anything bad anymore, because I'd feel like I waste the energy the food would provide since I would go to sleep soon and all the excess carbs would end up on my hips and belly. Simply imagining this helped a lot. In the end, if you're actually at a caloric deficit, nothing should end up on the hips/belly anyway no matter what food group it's from, but it worked for me so I stuck with it.

 

Another way, but probably more difficult is the complete elimination of problem foods. If you are not at the point yet where you have enough willpower accumulated to only eat those foods occasionally and in small amounts, it might be easier to abstain certain foods completely by putting them on a "I don't eat this anymore" list. In your case that could be beer, or pizza, or pizza and alcohol, or all fast food and all alcohol, or all processed food...the wider this goes, the more difficult, but also more efficient it is. Of couse you don't have to hold up this elimination indefinitely, but it might be very helpful to do so until a goal is reached and it can also help improve your perspective on and relationship with certain foods. As an example, at one point last year, I hadn't had pizza, fries or ice cream for about 6 months. I'm now at a point where I occasionally eat all those (and others) again, but: 1) I really enjoy them a lot more than I did before, and 2) I only eat them every now and then, which helps immensely to uphold 1 and also keeps my bodyfat in check.

You have to know if and how much you can cross off the list and for how long, but complete restriction in certain areas is a good method to give yourself an extra willpower boost in situations like described by you, where you can simply say to yourself "I don't eat X anymore" and be done with it. No arguing in your mind, no excuses why you might/should/could do after all, if it's on the list then it's not an option end of story.

[The Swedish Ninja]

I agree with Disils second suggestion, perhaps it's best for you to eliminate problem food for a period of X- Weeks. This is going to be hard, especially for the first week, but then it gets easier.

 

If you are up for it, then here is how I suggest you do it: (inspired by Steve's article (be sure to check the links within the articles as well)

 

- Start now: Not tomorrow, next month, or until it's an "even" date. It´s monday today, no excuses.

- Find your motivation: Why do you want to eat healthy?

- Find support: A spouse, friend or this forum to help you (as you already have begun with by writing this post)

- Be accountable: Declare your goals "to the world", and then update it with your progress

 

And last but not least: POWER THROUGH! You are going to have a voice that says "ohh, but just a little bit of pizza" or "yay, one week finished, celebrate with pizza". Tell that voice to f**k it self (pardon the french) and just keep going.

 

As you can see in my signature, I have similar problems, and have set up a status bar to keep my self accountable. 

 

Good luck!

[lumberjane]

What really helped me for dealing with hunger while dieting was having healthy, nutrient rich, and preferably low calorie alternatives on hand.

If you have time, think critically about your craving. Are you just bored? Or are you actually hungry? Give yourself a minute to think on it, that whole get in touch with yo boday yadda yadda. It helps!

Then, if you are actually hungry, try and determine what your body is telling you it needs, and reach for a healthy substitute. When I crave something savory like pizza, I go for chicken or fish, or even just a (seriously) gi-hugic bowl of salad with a tasty, Low calorie dressing (remember to measure out two tablespoons). When I'm craving a candy bar, I go for some fruit or even a homemade power bar (they are actually ridiculously easy to make, just putting nuts and dried fruit with a little bit of dark chocolate in a blender).

Chugging a glass of water first is also a pretty good idea if you don't mind frequent bathroom trips, haha

You'd be pleasantly surprised with how well veggies and water fill you up satisfyingly (and how much salad greens you can eat just to get to 100 calories worth! It's seriously a truckload).

It might also help to think of the in between 'healthy' snack as just a speed bump for your craving; a set of things you have to try first before having the pizza. Of course the ideal is that you have a glass of water or two and a huge normous salad and then you feel full enough to stop there, but if it keeps you from having only one slice of pizza instead of five or six, then that's progress too. It'll be enough to keep you from impulsive eating, and if you just think of it less like 'a gross salad rather than pizza' and more like 'most likely after this salad I won't even really want that pizza', you'd be more likely to do it.

TLDR try filling up on veggies and water first and see if this doesn't keep you fuller longer

This is just what works for me btw, your mileage may vary good luck meng

[crazykhajiitlady]

This one is here to help! (love your username )

 

Eliminate all of the "bad" foods from the house - if it isn't there for you to nom you won't have to worry about it. Give them away if you feel bad throwing them away. Just get rid of them all. Sucks, but that's the best way to avoid eating stuff you shouldn't be eating till your body starts to no longer crave it so much. 

 

Generally, it is a good idea to try to work with as much food as you can where you have to  cook it/prepare it yourself from scratch. There are a lot of easy recipes out there (even healthier versions of pizza!) that you can try. I find most of mine on Pinterest or Tumblr, but you can also use Google (or the resources provided on this site). Foods high in protein will keep you satiated for longer - so chicken breast or hearty fish (Salmon is my favorite) plus some veggies like broccoli, brussel sprouts or carrots will definitely not leave you hungry later on. 

 

Give yourself healthy snacks to eat whenever you want. Since I'm opting for mostly paleo, I have a lot of nuts and seeds, along with jerky. Fruits and veggies are great too - I will eat blueberries now as a "dessert" or after work snack that is sweet and enjoyable, and is good "munchy" food.

[Guzzi]

Yeah, I'd second this^^^

If you can't resist the temptation just get rid of everything "bad" from the house. Don't buy any when you go food shopping, and fill the cupboards with "healthier" alternatives (whatever those terms mean to you)

If you can't resist a third slice of pizza, then own up to that and don't order pizza in the first place, or buy a smaller one so that there's no leftovers. Do what it takes to remove the temptation. Most of the time we snack out of boredom rather than hunger anyway, so another good tip is when you start trolling through the kitchen cupboards looking for "Hmm... I dunno what I want...." do something. Anything. You're bored and fidgety, not hungry.

There's some good advice been offered in here, I hope some of it helps.

[dovahkiin]

Thank you to everyone for the very helpful and inspiring posts... you've given me a lot to work with here!

[Barfly]

You will stop craving junk food in a surprisingly short time. The lifespan of a taste bud is about 10 days. Hang on.

[BarbEricScotaku]

Wanna know how I stopped my craving for ice cream once and for all?

 

 

I ate so much, in one sitting, that an hour later I vomited my guts out.

 

 

Now every time I think of ice cream, or put a jug in my cart, I remember that disgusting experience, and put it back on the shelf.

[Barfly]

Wanna know how I stopped my craving for ice cream once and for all?

 

 

I ate so much, in one sitting, that an hour later I vomited my guts out.

 

 

Now every time I think of ice cream, or put a jug in my cart, I remember that disgusting experience, and put it back on the shelf.

Same here - but with rum.

[arwenavery]

If I were you I would plan to have 4 meals. 4 meals with high quality protein and veg and fat (and carbs if you are eating them!).

 

If you eat enough at each meal there won't be room for another, also if you are having a meal at 10pm there isn't a "bold" aspect to it.

 

And I would remove alcohol altogether, alcohol kills your ability to say no and increases desire for high fat, high salt foods.

 

I used to have a binge eating disorder and this is what helped me.

[MalleusMaleficarum]

Okay, mediterranean. That's good, I can help you comply with that because I use all the same ingredients as the basis of my own diet.

 

What is it you end up craving that causes you to blow it by meal 3?

[GetOffaMyRunway]

Want to hear the really silly way I kept myself from throwing my diet all the time?

 

I made a sticker chart. Yes, I can be motivated in the same way as a five-year-old.

 

There are columns for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, plus an overall column. If a meal was totally paleo I get a big sticker that fills up the square, and if it wasn't totally paleo, but still was healthy, I give myself a smaller sticker. If I ate the aforementioned pizza meal I'd put a big X through both dinner and snacks. The chart lasts for one week. Most people would probably reward themselves if they got a certain number of stickers but I just like stickers and hate seeing Xs. This method allows me to keep track of my diet without obsessing over a food journal or feeling terrible if I mess up.

[Gogor]

All good advices here, so I'll share some of mine, that were given to me.

 

Are you hungry or just bored ? Ask yourself: would you like to eat an apple? If answer is no, then probably just bored.

 

Addicted to snacks? Go nuts. And seeds. Instead of chips, go for unflavored tortillas. Try out almonds, even roast them for a bit in your oven. My best pick: pumpkin seeds. You get to peel each and every one, and that just slows down the entire process. Dried raisins and cranberries cure sugar rush, and dried fruit instead of candy.

 

Drinking a lots of soda? Here's a motivational video. Consider soda / alcohol a special kind of beverage, to be taken on special occasions. Drink water.

 

And instead of "Well, just this once..." , try "No, thanks. I'm on quest."

 

Keep on keeping on!

[Vennika]

I really get you. Stopping the unhealthy eating is so difficult, and it's a journey I'm still undertaking myself.
I've found the trick that works is filling my house with "trick" foods, things that either curb your appetite or taste unhealthy when they're not. For me, this means lots of teas and health bars (although be careful of which health bars you buy!).
Trying not to spam here, promise! But the best way I get my stuff is through iHerb.com. It has your teas, snacks, supplements, all that, and my coworkers and I use it all the time. Your order comes in 3-4 days and they ship just about anywhere. If you want to check it out, my code gets you $10 off: CLG358. Yes, that helps me out, but I genuinely think you could get real use out of this. Hope it helps!
 

[JessTosterone]

I switched to paleo three weeks ago and it's been working really well for me. What helped me were blogs like Paleomg, Nom nom paleo, and clean eating with a dirty mind. They create paleo versions of my favorite unhealthy food. I'm sure there's a paleo recipe for pizza somewhere out there. 

[Barfly]

I switched to paleo three weeks ago and it's been working really well for me. What helped me were blogs like Paleomg, Nom nom paleo, and clean eating with a dirty mind. They create paleo versions of my favorite unhealthy food. I'm sure there's a paleo recipe for pizza somewhere out there.

...paleo Twinkies? *drool*

[JessTosterone]

...paleo Twinkies? *drool*

 

Vanessa from Clean Eating is amazing. Have you seen those snickerdoodle cookies?! I'm making them once I'm done being lazy. ^^ Might take another week though. Netflixing Doctor Who takes priority.

[Barfly]

Netflix marathons are the only kind I'll ever do.