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-always eat breakfast -never eat too much -never add sugar to anything -don't use too much salt -eat your salad with nothing but a little olive oil -eat as little processed food as possible -eat as little sugary food as possible -never drink soda -never go to mcdonalds etc -never go to starbucks -enjoy what you eat! :)
My best tip is to equate the foodstuff to exercise equivalent. Ask yourself: How much exercise would I have to do to not gain weight by eating this junk? A chocolate bar is roughly equivalent to, say, a 30 minute jog. If you think that what you're about to eat is as bad for you as a 30 minute jog is good (or that they basically cancel each other out), it doesn't seem quite so appealing. Then if you choose the apple i…
For instance, I'm just finishing a medically supervised protein-sparing modified fast where I lost 70 pounds in 5 months by eating only prescription liquid foods and only about 800 calories a day. This has the effect of "rebooting" your cravings. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to some fresh vegetables and fruit right now, and I used to be a big junk food craver. Having said that, you'd think 5 months of not eating anything except protein pudding would be difficult, but it was incredibly easy, and I enjoyed it a lot. And it mostly unscrambled the signals to my brain that said, "Eat all the cookies you can find," that ran 24 hours a day.
If that sounds like you, and your weight or other stats like triglycerides / cholesterol / liver enzymes / blood sugar are unhealthy, you should see a doctor and ask about medical weight management right away. I can tell you from experience that it's a lot easier to lose 20 pounds than it is to lose 70, so you can't win by waiting. Also, a great book on the subject is David Kessler's "The End of Overeating." He goes into great detail on the psychological and chemical triggers that induce hypereating.
Now, on the other hand, if you're just prone to snacking on junk in fairly moderate ways, you ought to exercise a little environmental control:
- Shop at farmer's markets for veggies and corner grocers for milk and staples.
- Don't go to the supermarket. If you do go to the supermarket, only shop the aisles with wholesome foods, and never buy anything on the eye-level shelves (the worst, most processed stuff).
- Don't bring junk home. If you buy something junky, buy only one serving. If it only comes in multi-serving packs, take one serving out, then freeze the rest. Make it harder to dig into.
It's also useful to keep records of your eating. If you have an iPhone, I had a lot of success with the app LoseIt. Studies show that people keep off 50% more weight when they keep records than when they don't. If you're mindful of what you're eating and how you're eating it, you create brief openings in which you actually have a choice to eat or not rather than to just eat mindlessly. It also helps to know what macronutrients (fat, sugar, protein, fiber, salt) you're consuming and in what balance. If it's out of balance, shop in a way that balances it out.
Consider foods that induce satiety. Protein has the highest satiety value - if you have to snack, try a protein pudding or shake first, let it settle in your stomach, and see if you're still hungry. Add water on top of that, because thirst often feels like hunger.
Finally, if you seem to be resolving your hunger, but you still feel an overwhelming urge to eat in spite of not being physically hungry, see a doctor or psychiatrist who specializes in eating behaviors. Most people who compulsively eat have no idea they're doing it because A) it snuck up on them over a number of years and B) everyone around them does it too (consider how many startups we've seen full of thin young folks who turned into chunky folks while they worked together).
Good luck!
Hmmm, where to start: - Switch out junk food for healthier snacks (dark chocolate, nuts, (dried) fruit). Over time your tolerance for junk food will go down and you will want less of it; - If you really want a hit of junk food, just have it. There is no point dwelling on it. I will have one piece of sugary food with my coffee at around 10:00, which keeps me satisfied. Sometimes I binge out after not having a lot for…
Buy organic chips. Figure out WHY you are craving specific things and address that underlying issue. Some examples: For me, drinking lots more sodas at work is usually due to an allergic reaction to something at work that day. I have generally gotten myself healthier and generally consume less caffeine because of it, which is something chocolate and soda have in common. A craving for chips can be due to a craving for…
Is there often a difference between various sources of NaCl? ;)
-always eat breakfast -never eat too much -never add sugar to anything -don't use too much salt -eat your salad with nothing but a little olive oil -eat as little processed food as possible -eat as little sugary food as possible -never drink soda -never go to mcdonalds etc -never go to starbucks -enjoy what you eat! :)
Why starbucks, what is wrong w/ coffee?
I've had great success cutting back on junk by following Reinhard Engels' "No S" diet. http://nosdiet.com/
No Snacks
No Sweets
No Seconds
Except, sometimes, on "S" days
--
If that doesn't work for you, here are some other hacks I or people I know have used with success.
- remove all junk food from your home
- don't buy any when you go grocery shopping
- stop hanging out places where there are a lot of snacks
- Set up a Seinfeld chain http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-se... (Personally I use http://joesgoals.com and keep a chart widget on my igoogle page)
- if you simply must snack... then figure out what snacks are compatible with your diet and put them on the top shelf of your fridge and in the deli drawer... the first place you look for a snack when you open the door.
- tell all your friends that if they catch you eating junk food then you will give them $1,000 (or some other painfully large amount). (Just remember Inspector Clouseau and make sure you have a halting condition)
- if your friends try to sabotage you then drop those jerks. It's not funny, it's not "a joke"... it's getting backstabbed by someone you thought you could trust. Life's too short to put up with that shit
-Make shakes. Almond milk, protein powder, berries and sugar free Jello. Buy like 5 different flavors and you can have strawberry cheesecake, dark chocolate, and butterscotch all for a snack without any of the guilt!
-Sauces will save your life. Pesto, hummus, sugar-free marinara, mustard, lemon, lime...mix and match all of these on various meats and vegetables for truly delicious meals.
-Lots of water. Water satiates you and is good for you. Always drink a ton of it to limit cravings. Green tea and mint tea are also shown to curb cravings.