I just want you to consider one more aspect of it. I’ve seen this discussed and backed up with scientific articles but I’m too lazy to find and include them in my post. Basically, all your cravings originate from your gut and your gut is ruled by the bacteria that have made your gut their home over the years. You’ve colonized your gut with a particular set of bacteria by giving them what you eat.
Now, if you change that food pattern, these bacteria, that control the gut, will make your body release chemicals that will make you crave for food that will keep them alive. Realise this and act accordingly. Being conscious about it has helped me overcome many food related ‘addictions’ i had like that of soda, of wafers. I still fall prey when I consume sweets continuously for a few days during festivities. Everytime it is the same struggle against the cravings, but I realise I’m just fighting against the settlers in my gut, brave it for a few days and notice my cravings become dull over time. Probiotics like kimchi, saurkraut, kefir, kombucha etc. help to some extent but ultimately it is more of a mind game.
Make what you will from my advice, but it does work for me. I wish you all the best in your fight against your gut settlers.
Are you hungry or just bored and looking for extra stimulation while enjoying some entertainment? Have you considered a fidget toy or something to keep your hands occupied? A puzzle? Knitting? Chewing gum?
A friend of mine stopped their addiction by developing the habit of putting junk food in the freezer. The freezer makes it taste better but forces you to wait out the craving because it has to get cold.
Everyone is saying don’t but snack foods, which is one step. But if you don’t have some form of healthy snacks on hand, you’re just going to revert back to it. I suggest dehydrating fruits and having nuts and seeds available so you can still snack but not feel bad about it.
Dried fruit and nuts are all super calorie-rich options.
Fresh fruit will be healthier. It’s still possible to overdo it, just more difficult.
For something basically impossible to eat many calories with, vegetables kick butt. Cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, cucumbers, and so on are the way to go.
You have what is called an “addiction”. An addiction is a self-destructive behavior you can’t control. Or rather, that you can control but not with the normal ease at which you normally control your own actions.
There’s two ways out of an addiction. One is far more effective than the other.
The method that’s more effective short term, but less effective long term, is willpower. Just force yourself to hold off on those treats. Wait five minutes, then dig in. Next time, try waiting six minutes. Just brute force your way out of the behavior.
The method that is less immediately effective, but far more effective long term, is to heal your psychological trauma so that moment-to-moment consciousness is not painful. This will remove the base motivation for pleasure-seeking, making that junk food mildly attractive, but nothing more.
In my own experience with addiction, brute forcing an addiction merely leads to another addiction forming. The only lasting addiction relief I’ve gotten in my life is from deep psychotherapeutic work, with men’s groups, with zen training, with individual therapy, and with native american healing ceremonies.
If your addiction were to alcohol or crack or something else that debilitated you, I’d recommend starting with the brute force method just to get breathing room. But a junk food addiction is more subtle, and doesn’t immediately debilitate you, so my recommendation is to go for the trauma healing strategy.
However, if your job is at all in danger, then I recommend the brute force method to begin with, because the inflammation caused by junk food will affect your job performance and if there’s any danger of losing your job then you need to take immediate action to protect it.
Most people here recommend stopping something not taking into account that it may not last long. One slip and you’re back. No addiction is cured by stopping immediately. You cannot simply get rid of a habit in one day. It has to be steady and progressive so that there’s zero stress during transition.
First, start combining junk food with healthier meals. Like once a week, have something semi-healthy. Find something that tastes right for you. It may be not completely healthy, but the main thing is that you should enjoy it. Then start expanding it to more days per week. Repeat until the week days are all “semi-healthy” food. Next step, do the same but lean towards even healthier food, repeat the same process. Start marking cheat days on your calendar, when you can eat whatever you want. At this point you want to make eating healthy food a habit, and cheat days (1-3 per month) as an exception.
I used to drink lots of Lipton Ice Tea. First I switched to some other drink but with less sugar. Then I switched to Cola Zero. Then I started drinking mineral water. Now I basically drink just water and occasionally some Coke Zero. Same scenario also worked for smoking.
TLDR: steadily find better alternatives. Never make sudden change. Make it a habit. Rinse and repeat.
I think that the real answer is that different things work for different people.
Personally when I make changes in my life I always go 100% straight away. I have a really hard time with half measures. Like when i wanted to lose 5 kg I started logging everything i ate and just was super strict with ny kcal intake for a year to not gain it back, no cheat days. And when i went vegan a few years later i did that cold turkey.
Go to the grocery store when you’ve already eaten.
Allow yourself to purchase 1 kind of junk food per week only (it’s ok to have a treat, going whole hog can just make you go back to buying crap). Purchase health snacks as alternatives to the rest. Personally I go for things like cashews, carrots, and healthier chips (I can’t eat anything with gluten, so already forced to avoid some things. Because of the GF health craze that hit some years ago, a lot of GF foods are fairly healthy, so you may want to look at those to make it easier to start selection).
Schedule time to do meal and snack prep. Watch something while you make it, I like to re-watch shows so I don’t have to pay a lot of attention to them while I cook. I work from home, so it’s mostly stuff I can combine with other things - tons of rice, chicken I can add to rice to make fried rice or drop in some soup with rice noodles, etc. You’ll need to figure out what type of foods you want quick access to.
Lots of stop buying it comments in here. How about: Stop watching so many videos? The best way to stop eating is to occupy your mind and hands. Got any hobbies? Get one that involves using your hands and concentration. You must find something that you personally enjoy. You can’t eat if you’re busy concentrating on something you like doing while occupying your hands! Bonus points if it’s something physical that helps get you in shape.
For completely different reasons I started to draw, like 5 minutes a day (that was tougher than most things I have done, weirdly) and keeping at it for a couple of months.
Thats the way to go from one(less good) thing to another, reliably doing it every day, and quickly (well they say 90 days) it becomes an easy and pleasant thing you like to do.
Did it with jogging too, took longer (as I wasnt in shape for it, had crap shoes, back and muscles) but eventually it became a nice thing to do too.
And it all ads up, helping. I mean life is hard.
Pro tip, one day check out keto, and the idea about stopping eating all kind of sugar (potatoes, candy, snacks, processed food…). Don’t rush it but know that it’s really good for both your physical health(who would have thought eh) but also for your mental health, it’s quite the thing. So maybe one day eh!
Last words; everyone can do it, it just takes time. If you dont have the mental, just take it slower and it’ll come around.
Are you a cheapskate or easily motivated by money? Set yourself a modest junk food budget for a month and track your spending. Set a financial reward for yourself (buy something you want) when you hit that target. Then set a lower target and a longer term reward. Forgive yourself if you go over, and don’t give up.
Junk food is so expensive now that you’ll blow through that budget in no time. Realizing how much this addiction costs you (like weed, smoking, drinking, gambling, etc) is often a great way to make the decision to kick the habit. Even if you can’t stay within the budget, keep tracking your spending. The goal is to reduce if stopping cold turkey isn’t your thing.
If this isn’t for you, what everyone else said might work too.
Make a shopping list and be strict with yourself about what you add to it. Then restrict yourself from buying anything not on the list so that you stick to it. Best way (that I know) to be deliberate about what food comes home with you.
Like others have said one of the easiest things to do is simply don’t buy the junk.
Personally I found that the real game changer is finding a healthy snacking alternative. For me this is almonds and dried apricots. They’re still quite a ‘dense’ energy snack but it scratches the sweet tooth itch and is much more filling. Plus you get the added protein, fats & micro nutrients that you would usually miss in processed items.
Try out some different alternatives (my wife loves to snack on dates and Greek yoghurt for example) and try mainly just to focus on finding something you enjoy so you can swap the habit.
Think about how much it costs in total for a month’s worth of junk food for you. Then figure out all the things you could do with that money instead. Helped me a lot when gas is high and I can’t drive to work and also afford junk food
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