This journey that we've begun definitely has its share of ups and downs with fighting the cravings, the temptations, the binging, etc. But yesterday I gained an incredible amount of respect for those of us who live with others who snack and do so in our presence.

My grand nephew (he's 5) is coming for the weekend, so I went to the grocery store to get him things that he likes having. Now, he's a good eater and loves fruit, cherry tomatoes, and string cheese for snacks. But he also loves French toast for breakfast one day, those little powdered sugar donuts another, hot dogs, and potato chips. Oh, and he loves those little fish crackers. And pudding snacks. So, I stocked up on his favorite stuff because that's part of the fun of coming here, but even as I was unpacking the groceries and putting them in a separate sack to put in the pantry until his arrival, the old siren song of eating a bag of potato chips reared its ugly head. I have resisted and will resist, but I can't imagine going through this if I lived in a household of snackers and had to resist it every day.

So hats off to those of you who deal with this.

I totally agree with what you said. It is so hard to have people around you enjoying things that are not healthy (so to speak) and the little voice in the head says... Gee you can have alittle of that.. I think you need the reward for being good for so many days/weeks/months. That little voice gets very loud sometimes and the temptations of the actual food in front of our face just makes it doubly hard.

You are an inspiration to me! Knowing the thoughts and cravings surrounding your grandnehews food and knowing that it is off limits is so cool to learn and know. Thank you for the reminder as we forget sometimes that the little voice is NOT THE ALL POWERFULL Oz... lol.

Thank you for your post!

I have an 8 year old - a very, very active and underweight 8 year old. So I do buy him snacks but I've found a pretty good mix of things that he likes and that I don't, or at least don't like enough to be tempted.

And for certain things, like if he really wants chips, I get him a single serving bag. He still doesn't usually eat all at once but at least it's not a full size bag that would last way too long for me to want to try to resist it.

IT'S HARD!!!

I have an almost 3 year old (and a 3 month old but he doesn't count). My toddler loves full fat cheddar cubes, I do too! But they just don't work for my plan.

But I make him healthier snacks like homemade date & cashew lara bars (but they are 400 calories each!), apples, bananas, greek yogurt, etc.

There's no way I could do this if my toddler was allowed to eat junk all day.

That's his grandpa's job!! Not in my house! LOL. His Valentine's chocolate is sitting up on the fireplace and I keep looking at it, but knowing that would be a new low if I took it

Hi betsy - good post topic!

It is tough living with others in the house who like to (and can) eat potato chips, ice cream, pizza, etc. I live with my husband and his brother, and while I can get the husband eating healthy with me, I never tell him and his brother what to eat. Simply because I don't want them ever telling me what to eat, especially when I want to/have earned a bad-for-me snack.

But it's hard.

I think of it this way: It's their food, and I've already prepped my own food. (Really, the food is for everyone, but this little mind trick works for me.) All in all, they try to be healthy too, but it comes down to the fact that we're all on different stepping stones in our weight loss journey.

I can only imagine the challenge of having children in the house who want those sugary and salty snacks. of course, we try to eat healthy, but there's nothing wrong with a cheat snack here and there. ...Unless you're like some of us who can't deviate from our meal plans or else we see the pounds packing on!

So, indeed cheers to you for saying no to the craving, especially with the snack right in front of you.

Good job and keep up the good work!

My problem is similar, but a little different...

My SO loves sweets (I'm not really a sweet eater - I'd rather have a bowl of pasta ) BUT everytime he eats, he wants me to eat too. I keep telling him no, no, no, no, no! Does he listen? No!
I try to explain I'm not interested, I'm not hungry, It's not good for my health. He says "Oh you don't love me......" If we're not arguing about money, we're arguing about food! How do I get rid of this guy?

.

It's SO hard because I also live with snackers and none of them have weight issues. It's def. a work in self control every single day.

Eh, you get used to it.

It's just another choice we have to make through the day - don't lick the spoon, eat the kids' leftovers, eat off plan food, etc.

I don't stock junky snacks, my kids (2,4,5) eat things like apple slices, cheese, nuts, popcorn, seaweed, etc, and those are their snacks. They love it, and it is much better fuel than sugary junk. Plus it s less tempting for me to give them grapes and a hardboiled egg than Doritos, and it grows their bodies better, too!

My husband is the junky eater, with chips and icecream and the like. The best strategy for dealing with HIM is reminding myself that if I'm not hungry it doesn't matter if he is eating or not, I'm not entitled to eat just because he is

And if I am hungry? I have my own yummy snacks like dark chocolate and pecorino romano to munch on, or nuts I can roast up with seasonings. Heck, I can even make up a packet of bacon if I'm really craving. My snacks are way yummier than his, and I just have to remind myself of that. That ice cream is NEVER as tasty as it sounds in my head.

I think it would be unfair to impose my dietary restrictions on everyone in the house.
We have a lot of healthy snacks in the house but occasionally there are chips served with hots or hamburgers and I am fine with that.
I work with people who will get 6 inches away from me and eat in their takeout I feel trying to get a reaction from me! LOL!
Personal Responsibility rests firmly on my shoulders and I know what I can have and what I can not have.
I actually enjoy baking and cook things on a regular basis that I will not partake.
I find the longer I am on the program the more willpower I exhibit.
Do I miss JUNK FOOD the answer is Yes! But it does not like ME!
So I go on and I console myself by saying I had a good run eating all the wrong stuff..now it's over and if I want to be healthy I have to refrain!
Good luck,Roo2

Lots of interesting feedback. My grand nephews have lost both of their grandmothers and don't remember either of them. I definitely want them to have the grandmother experience and in honor of my sister and because I love them to pieces, I try to give that to them. Fortunately, it balances well because their parents try to make sure that they are developing healthy eating habits. And I try to promote that. But we've all agreed that when they're here and my brother-in-law (their grandfather) is here as well that they get to have special visit treats. Since they're usually here about every 4-6 weeks, it's easy to contain and hopefully they're developing those feelings of being the center of the universe for a few days each month that I remember from my childhood.

But, I think there must be a mental threshold that one has to pass over to be able to just avoid the special stuff without any pangs. Not sure I'm there yet, but definitely am going to avoid partaking in his treats for the weekend.

I live in a house of three generations. My mother in law, my huband, my teenage (underweight) son, and my "needs to watch his weight" 7 year old son.

In my house at all times there is orange juice, full fat milk, skim milk, 2% milk, pretzels, goldfish crackers, homemade cookies, nuts, trailmix, healthy breakfast cereals (WW or muesli), bread - white and ww, ice cream in the freezer (homemade), etc. I'm surrounded by it.

But then, so would I be if I worked out of the home, and it's all around the grocery store. As ArcticMama said, you get used to it.

Like right now, my younger son insisted on having cut-out cookies for Valentine's Day. So, we just made the batter and now we're chilling it. Once I can get past the "dough" stage, I'm safe. And now I've learned about chewing gum while dealing with batter/dough, so I might be OK (though I did sample a wee bit!)

I have a similar issue with my son. While he's not a snacker, he likes lots of things that I try to eat in moderation, such as garlic bread.

What helps me stay away is that I picture how he would feel if I ate it instead of him - like I was stealing food from him. It's HIS food, and I shouldn't eat it.

That does it most of the time.