resisting food in the house
 

If you live with someone and they keep junk food in the house, how do you find the willpower to not eat the stuff? I live with my parents, and there's sometimes cakes, donuts, chips around. It would be alot easier if it just wasn't there...but it is and will be, since I can't control what other people in the house want to buy and eat.

I have some food in the house that I buy for my kids: cookies, ice cream, candy, etc. They are very slim children and I don't feel that just because *I* can't eat the stuff, that they shouldn't be allowed normal childhood treats.

If it's bothering me, I just disassociate myself from it. If I'm counting out cookies for their lunchbox, for example, if I feel tempted I just tell myself they're rocks; I'm just counting rocks. I don't eat rocks. Or it's birdseed. I can handle birdseed without wanting to eat it. This is birdseed. And so on...

Right now I'm in a good groove and I don't feel tempted at all, but in the past, that disassociation trick really worked for me.

Also, I drink a lot of tea. I'm trying to retrain myself to reach for the tea rather than anything else.

We can't always control our environment, but we can control our response to it. Good luck!

i would put everything for my kids and hubby that i couldn't be around (without wanting to eat it all) in a separate cupboard. it's low, not in the pantry, and has a child lock on it. now i could get any of it if i REALLY wanted to but i don't. it's not in MY pantry :D

I would get your own little stash of foods that are okay for you to dip into. I know I have no problem making a special trip out for junk food if I don't have any when I am craving it. I have things like fat free Pringles, or vegis with a couple tablespoons of full fat sour cream, maybe a 100-cal snack pack. But I make sure it's all on my own little shelf.

I make my mother hide anything I know I do not have the willpower to stay away from. Most things I can handle now, like chips and cookies. I just look at the acomplishment I have made already in my weightloss and then ask myself is it really worth it?

It might show a sign of weakness, asking her to hide things, and of course it's extremly embarassing to say. But until I feel I have the complete confidence that I can stay away from certin foods, its what works.

Have you talked to your parents about this? My husband and grown son have junk in the house but we worked it out. It is kept out of sight so I am not tempted. There are a couple of things, Cheetos and carrot cake, that I just don't think that I can resist so they have agreed not to have those 2 things in the house. I imagine that your parents will be willing to work with you.

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I just have quit cooking for my husband. On days I would cook all kinds of food I really got into it. My poor husband has been having to cook and feed himself lately but he doesn't seem to mind. So far so good. I just try not to buy anything except what I am going to eat and I can't seem to buy anything but that and stay on my diet. One day at a time and things can change-that's just for today.

Ooh, I feel your pain! I live with my parents and little brother...and little brother works at McD's and brings home a Big Mac and fries practically every night. And for some reason we always have a fully stocked cookie jar. And pizza on the weekends. But, I buy my own food and I think having the mentally of "That food is theirs, this food is mine" really helps. I can't have something that doesn't belong to me!

This is all very good advice, thank you for sharing it. It helps to know that none of us are alone in the battle to lose weight...Mushy20

I struggle with this!! My big enemies are the chips and crackers that my roommates buy. I break down and eat them a lot, and then I buy some to replace them, and the cycle continues. :lol: It's something I am trying to get a handle on.

I am like foxxy... I just think of the junk that I buy for the kids and for my husband as "their food". I would get mad if they ate some of "my food" and so I extend the same courtesy to them. I will admit to have the odd potato chip from my daughter's bag if she is eating them at the time, but she doesn't like to share. :lol:

Does your brother bring you home the McDs and you just turn it down? Sometimes my parents will bring me home fast food and I'll feel bad not eating it and just letting it go to waste.

I think its all how ya look at it, I see it like this, I am the one with the weight problem so I am the one that is limited with what I can eat and I am the one that has to be strict with my intake whether its a cherry covered cheese cake sitting on the table or the apples, I look at it with the same eyes, if it ain't in my "diet" I don't eat it. Now I also look at it this way, I am only human and having a treat now and again is what will allow (and what HAS allowed me) to be successful with the weight loss.

My willpower comes from how I feel now compared to just a year ago and thats enough to resist any temptation......most times anyways ;)

As Ever
Me

It helps me that I keep a basket of my special treats. No one is allowed to get into it, and I know that I can always get myself a small treat (100-200 calories) from my basket. In fact I usually plan at least one treat space into each day. That way I don't have to feel like I'm totally regimented because I can just grab whatever treat I happen to feel like. I use to just buy small individual packets, but with prices the way they are, now I'm getting the big pkg and just dividing them up into little sandwich bags (btw make sure that you are not hungry when you are doing the actual dividing! Things will disappear....)

My husband tries to be very understanding about not buying crap. Honestly he doesn't need it either and he knows it. But the other day, he comes back from a quick trip to the grocery with a bag of Oreos - ::sigh::. I tried to ignore them and ended up eating 2. The bag is still in the cupboard and I've been good. Here's the funny part. Apparently I was thinking about them because I blurted out loud "Ya had to buy Oreos, didn't you?!" He just looks at me, kinda stunned, and says "Oh, I didn't think you liked them cuz you never buy them." To which I replied "Uh, yeah, there is a REASON I never buy them!" We just laughed about it and I haven't touched them since...

I am in the starting phases of dieting and I dont think I could handle junk food in the house. It is waaaaay too tempting...especially when I get bored. I live with my boyfriend and we are dieting together...so it is perfect...nothing but "good for you" stuff...

:lol: This sounds so much like my house!

One day my husband was telling one of his friends how much I like to do laundry...I'm like, "what the heck are you talking about? He said, "Well you are always doing laundry, I though you liked it..." :dizzy:

We also have junk food in our house on occasion, and usually I'm not tempted. Seriously, once I set my mind to getting well, you could sit me in the middle of the worlds largest buffet and I could resist.

I don't keep that much here at the house. Of course, we all know you can binge on most anything. My kids get to buy their own lunch at school on Friday. I put 0 restriction on their accounts and if they want straight junk, they can have it. Interestingly, they get somewhat of a balance. On Sunday they get frozen yogurt cones. Otherwise, my poor kiddos don't get much junk. We do keep kashi cereal bars and organic rice krispy treats. They usually get one of those for snack every day.

Thanks for all the great advise. I think everone has this problem when dieting

Don't deprive yourself. YOu want some chips....go for it. Take the serving size, or maybe half the serving size and pair it with something healthy like some sort of veggie dish. Don't want to do that?? Don't. What would eating those chips really do for you? You'll get the taste...and be happy about it. But what about nutrients? Fiber? did you just waste your calories on those chips? Think of what you could have ate with the same amount of calories that was much better for you and actually felt like food.

I thought it was interesting you put they have restrictions on their "accounts". Does the school have some sort of atm card stsyem. You pay each month or so and your children can use their lunch card like an atm card? And you can put restrictions on those cards.... Weird. I always just got some money and could buy what I wanted.

He did it once and yeah, I did just turn it down. He knows better now :p

Now he brings it home for himself, but he'll always offer to share some fries or a sip of his Coke or something. It's a battle saying "No" to a fry, :lol: Now I just have him bring home a fruit and yogurt parfait... I love those things!

Don't feel bad not eating it if you didn't ask for it! Once your parents have bought it, it could either go in the trash or in your stomach...and the trash won't gain any weight from eating it :lol:

If they bring it home for you, it sounds like you may need to sit down and talk with them. Have you told them you don't want it?

Yes, they have sort of an "ATM" card these days. They are prepaid and have their photo and info. on it. When the cafe' lady punches in their selections, it alerts her if the child is having something they shouldn't and she will tell the child to put it back if need be. This is a major city though so it may be different elsewhere. I like having the power to limit though if I need to. But like I mentioned, I don't restrict my kids--they only purchase on Friday.