I hate junk food, but I love it. It has ruined my life. I am 120 lbs overweight and I am miserable, but I cannot stop. Eating unhealthy is my favorite, but worst part of the day. IT is all I have right now. I hate it though, but I want it, I crave it all day. I really want to be a health nut. I am sick of this, but I have trouble quitting. I quit so many times. I started when I was 17 saying I will just eat this junk and start tomorrow. I am almost 30 now doing the same thing. I am hooked on this food and I do not know what to do. I tried Overeaters Anonymous, but do not really like it. Please help anyone. I also have interstitial cystitis if anyone know what that is, but I still eat bad stuff knowing it will put me in pain.
I'm sorry you suffer from interstitial cystitis. I hope you are taking meds that are helping you. As for the junk food, you're not alone. Many of us here LOVE junk food and hate what it does to our bodies. The only way that I know of to break the habit is to set out to break it. Start. Maybe that means you eliminate one thing at a time. Maybe that means you go cold turkey. For me, it means I eat limited foods for 6 days a week, and allow myself junk on one day a week. It's probably not the most ideal solution, but it's the most ideal solution for me, and it's allowing me to lose weight without feeling deprived. My diet would not work for someone who does not have the willpower to resist junk on the other 6 days. It also would not work for someone with a binge-eating disorder. It might not work for you, I don't know, but something will, and you need to not give up! You need to find some way, your best way, to break your reliance on junk food. It's going to take commitment and determination, because your body is going to fight you on it, but you can do it! Just take it one step, one day at a time. Set out to do it and do it! Good luck!
These are some tools that have helped me get back on the wagon. I don't always use them all, and sometimes I get on faster than other times. See if they might help you.
Start with breakfast and lunch. Those are more controlled times for me, when I'm only feeding myslef and I'm less likely to snack. So if I get a healthy on-plan breakfast and lunch, my evening food can be a bit more flexible as I'm easing off the junk.
Choose one snack to keep, and stop buying the others. It's much harder for me to binge on just Cheezits, than it is if I can eat some Cheezits, then candy, then peanuts, then ice cream. The flipping back and forth from sweet to savory allows me to eat more without realizing how much. Work your chosen snack into your plan.
Choose a plan that has some flexibility. I know I have to limit carbs pretty drastically to lose without hunger, but some of the plans are too inflexible for me. So I use a carb/protein ratio framework from one plan, and food choices from another, until I have a plan that works for me and is flexible enough to deal with family outings.
Keep a list of NSVs. The scale never moves as fast as I want it to, and I can easily get discouraged. I keep a note on my phone where I list my Non-scale victories, from walking for 30 minutes, to being able to wear a size smaller pants.
Participate in support boards. Whenever I'm solidly on-plan and losing, I am on the boards almost every day. I need to read and post and see that I'm not alone. It's when I stop reading/posting on the forums that I'm likely to slide back off the wagon.
Expand your recipe repertoire. Find a recipe that fits your plan that sounds yummy. Make it. If you and your family enjoy it, add that to your regular rotation of meals. If you do that twice a month, in a year you'll have a whole different repertoire of healthy on-plan meals you're cooking.
Find on-plan substitutions that work for you and your family. If you are cutting back on carbs, but are used to rice or potatoes as a side dish, experiment with cauliflower rice or faux-tatoes recipes.
Enjoy your food! Don't eat stuff you don't like just because you're "supposed to." This is a long-term journey, and you have to like what you're eating or it just won't last.
Find a plan that satisfies your hunger. For me, cutting carbs is the trick, and when I'm in the "sweet spot" of carb reduction, I can walk down the bread aisle of the store and not be tempted. Or turn down chocolate chip cookies my daughter made (or only eat one instead of half the batch).
Wow, souch good advice above!!! Don't think I could even add anything.
I guess I could point out that one of the first choices people change isn't their eating but actually what they drink. Don't know if you drink lots of soda and juice, but a simple effective start is as easy as having a glass of water between sodas an alternating that is the first thing I did to start! I also had to get the junk food right out of my house until I was ready to invite it back in. Can't eat what isn't there.
Hi there, so sorry to hear that you are struggling - you'll get lots of support and great advice here, I am sure!
I did want to recommend a book to you, as it was a book that really helped transform my life and bad habits. Since you mentioned OA wasn't much help, and I found that therapy/support groups weren't any help to me in my quest to stop binge eating. I picked up a book a few months back called "Brain Over Binge" based on the principals of "Rational Recovery" (which is a book aimed at alcohol and drug addiction).
I'll be honest, I've read both books - and I've reread "Brain Over Binge" since my original read, just to reinforce the message and techniques when I wasn't feeling as resolute. The messages ring really true to me, and might be helpful to you. I always felt there were "two" of me - the real me, that wanted to eat well, be healthy and control what I put into my body and that "other" me that just wanted food, food, food! After reading it, I understand the dichotomy a lot better and I'm really able to get through the urges and cravings. Definitely worth a shot if you're up for it!
The one thing that has made all the difference in my life is daily meditation. I have been using a specific meditation for breaking addictions, and since I consider myself a sugar addict, it has really helped me a lot. I don't crave junk any more, and I am free from being ruled by food. It has literally changed my life.
I have IC/BPS also. It sucks, let's face it. The goal is to make it suck as little as possible. Are you somewhat regulated treatment-wise? Are you having a fair number of good days or weeks? I had some wild weight fluctuations when I was first diagnosed and not managed well; severe pain can make junky food seem very appealing, or can take away appetite altogether. Once I had it under better control, it was much easier to establish good dietary habits. The diet modifications necessary are rough too, but having worse pain because of eating non-IC foods is rotten.
Do you know your absolute worst pain triggers? Mine are coffee, champagne, orange juice, and spicy food. Can you start by eliminating those as "absolute no" foods first? Also, do you use Prelief to help with your food/drink induced pain? The IC Network patient forum has some great threads on this topic; they also have weight loss/maintenance threads but they're not always very active.
I think the most useful thing I've learned in my IC journey is to be kind to myself. We deal with the pain as best we can; it's no good hating yourself for doing whatever it takes just to get through the day. Can you replace "junk" food with some form of kindness that you can look forward to, e.g. a warm bath or 10 minutes with a book (and a heating pad or ice pack if either helps your pain)? Please feel free to PM me and we can talk off-thread. Jen
Well I moved to Portugal to cure my problem but that is a little extreme Just because in Portugal even though fast food is available its not as easy as other countries. For example where I live I have to drive 15km for the nearest McDonalds or Pizza Hut and there is no takeaway delivery service, pizza shops etc like there is in the US & UK.
The food is nicer in cafes and it is so much healthier.
I used to have way too much and now I hardly do. I was starving last time I was in the shopping centre (august) and had a big mac and some small fries. I couldn't finish it as I thought it was disgusting - and I probably used to eat more of it than you and have lost over 80 pounds.
If I was you I would look at learning recipes so you can make your favourites at home. We make our own burgers, kebabs etc and they are so much healthier.
Or start by reducing your takeaways from say 3 times a week, to once a week to eventually a monthly treat and then from there you can see how much you want it.
Another reason for craving fast food is that your body is craving fat so maybe look at having more avocado in your diet or snacking on nuts.
I want to cut out all junk food.
that is the first thing I did to start! I also had to get the junk food right out of my house until I was ready to invite it back in. Can't eat what isn't there.
