I need a little advice from all you wonderful 'losers', specifically on resisting the food in the house that may not be bad for everyone, but is bad for you. For me specifically, it's carbs. If I eat carbs more than one meal per day, I gain weight, my sugar levels go wonky, and I feel exhausted. Of course, that means the foods that call loudest to me are breads, pastas, corn... ...you get the idea.

On the other hand, my 16 year old is a big soccer player (4-6 times a week) and burns needs carbs to burn. And, although he doesn't mind veggies, etc. he also needs junk food, especially when his friends are around.

So I guess aside from more or stronger , I'm asking for some positive reinforcement from you gals (and guys!), and perhaps some tips if you have any.

That's hilarious. Nobody NEEDS junk food.

If he's 16, then he can go get his own junk food, and not bring it into the house. If you talk to him and tell him you are trying to get healthy, he should understand. What 16 wouldn't like their mom to look good? ...especially when his friends are around.

For me, it's just about being committed to sticking to my plan. Alot of it has turned into habit now, so most of the time I don't look at those kinds of foods as "mine."

When I am tempted to go off plan, these are some things I do:
- If I'm hungry, I eat something healthy
- Distract with something that clashes with eating (like painting my nails, going for a walk, talking on the phone, or cleaning)
- Go over my list of reasons why I want to lose weight
- Go over my list of positive affirmations, i.e. "I can do this," "Other people have lost weight, so can I," "I am committed to reaching my goal," etc.
- Journal my feelings

I hope some of that was helpful. Best of luck, you can do this!

" he also needs junk food" this is too funny lmao

I've been having the same issue. My dh has gotten into baking so he's been getting a kick out of making a variety of pies. I'm thinking every other day or 3 days he's making a new pie. Last week it was an apple pie then a Peach pie. This weekend he made a pecan pie. Even though I was having painful gas pains, I'm glad it made me not to dare think about having a slice. LOL
We never have this sort of temptation in our house since we banned all junk food a couple years ago and only stocked up on fruit.
I loved the peach pie and had a slice a day and thank goodness I haven't gained any weight but if this keeps up I will be.

I have a 19 mo old son. I buy him those little puff snacks and fruit/yogurt bars. I would never sit down and eat one of his snacks. Can you look at the carb-loaded food in your house as NOT YOUR FOOD? If your son "needs" junk food - then it is HIS food to eat, not yours. Think of it as just not being an option.

My mom isn't watching her weight but I'm watching mine and since the beginning she's always brought in junk food for herself. At first it was hard but now I don't even notice it half the time. I rearrange the shelves so that sometimes her food is behind mine so I won't see it in plain sight or I keep my own food right out in the open so that I'm not tempted with hers.

I keep my foods in my own special cabinet and part of the refrigerator. And granted, when I do buy Doritos, Pringles, Dips and hamburgers/hotdogs for my nieces and nephews (we pool party often) I do not consider those MY foods.

I agree with the above remark about it just not being an option. It is not your food. You might have to adopt that mindset. Just an idea... ;-)

i know how this sounds, and trust me, I have been in your shoes!! BUt in all honesty its about finding the willpower to avoid those things.

like when I stepped on the scale and it read that I was close to 220 pounds something just clicked in my brain and i found the willpower to stay on track. I knew I didn't want to gain any more weight and eating those foods weren't making me happy.
just ask yourself, if i eat that will I be happy after ward's, how will i feel?

That's a really good way to say no. That helped me when I quit smoking. I thought "well, I REALLY want to smoke, but after that cigarette how will I feel?" And I knew how I'd feel, crappy, defeated, and wanting more. So I just said no.

I have the same problem. Where I'm living, I have NO control over the food in the house. It's full to the brim with junk food, and it is a dieters worst nightmare. I'm still not used to it honestly, it's very very tempting. I advice trying to get rid of it, and if you can't, you must learn to live with it. It just takes will power like other people said. Also having plenty of options when it comes to food you want that's in plain sight helps a LOT. Good luck, it's hard but you can resist.

Oh, I hear you...my dh is proud of my accomplishments on fitness but he buys stuff, ice cream/cookies/marshmallows/chocolate bars/ and keeps them in the house..it is SO VERY HARD for me to resist, and sometimes I fail. But mostly I succeed at resisting. I just try like heck to remember my goals, and how frustrated I'll feel if I do give in. Sometimes it helps for me to sip tea, but usually I have to go upstairs, brush my teeth for the night, and read upstairs.

In all honesty, an athletic teenage boy needs 3000 calories a day or so to maintain. It's hard to eat that many calories without eating some high-fat foods. They don't have to be Doritos and brownies, but lean chicken and veggies isn't going to get you there. It's reasonable to ask them to keep the Doritos and brownies out of the house, but he's going to need access to bread and full fat cheese and peanut butter and breakfast cereal--stuff that is perfectly healthy for a teen boy, but tempting and a bad idea for a grown woman trying to lose weight.

I agree with everyone that you have to just stop thinking of those foods as the kind of thing you eat. This is what is really meant by a "lifestyle change". It's actually easier than you think it will be once you get used to it.

Thanks for your replies -- you're all right. I need a good kicker, to kick me in the butt! But you've also reminded me of the important stuff, and that's what I need. Tips I especially retained for me are:

By the way, if you'll allow a little Mom bragging -- my son's team just finished his season undefeated, with only 6 goals against.

Those are great tips gleaned from this thread! And congratulations to your son and his team, that's awesome!

I don't have a teenage son, I have a grown-up husband who eats food I don't, so I have the same issues.

Another to add to the list, that I've 'stolen' from Kriket84 on another thread: