How To Stop From Eating Junk Food – Simply, With Ease
Want to know how to stop from eating junk food? Here’s how to finally stop and start loving healthy food again.
Let’s chat about how to stop from eating junk food.
Now I should warn you.
This post isn’t filled with a million diets that you need to do to stay healthy and lose weight.
The truth is we already KNOW intuitively what we need to do, don’t we?
Consume less rubbish, avoid overeating, exercise regularly and take in fewer calories than you require for your day.
HERE’S EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS IN A NUTSHELL:
Eat too many calories than you need or can burn off = weight gain.
Eat the right amount of calories = stable weight.
Eat less calories than you require (+ bonus if you include exercise) = weight loss.
(Yes, yes, I know there’s a lot more to it but still…once again this is the general, basic formula in its most succinct form).
Now I should note that I’m not a dietician or health expert by any means (even though I do ironically have a diploma in nutritional therapy – ironic because if you know me well you’ll be aware that my favorite food will always be homemade pizza!)
Instead I’m a busy mom who knows and understands full well that life can sometimes get in the same of our priorities and that health sometimes falls down the list…usually just below kids and work stuff.
That IS what this post is about: how to shake yourself out of that mental rut or block that prevents you from being the healthiest version of yourself.
I know, I know, I have been there many times myself.
You have the BEST of intentions – you want to be super healthy, exude good health and feel FANTASTIC like all the other health nuts insist you will feel if you stop eating crap and start treating your body like a temple like Gwyneth Paltrow probably does…
BUT…
But…
For some reason when someone offers you a donut, you take it.
For some reason you accept a second helping of dinner even when you are already full.
Or you eat the leftovers from your kid’s meals instead of throwing them in the rubbish bin (thereby treating yourself like a rubbish bin).
(I should admit now that when my kids were little my breakfast usually WAS whatever leftovers they left on their plate. Please tell me I wasn’t the only one!)
Sigh.
Anyway it is time for us to snap ourselves out of this mental “I’ll be healthy TOMORROW” health rut.
HERE ARE 10 TIPS AND STRATEGIES TO KEEP IN MIND AND HELP YOU STAY ON TRACK.
HOW TO STOP FROM EATING JUNK FOOD
TIP 1 – KEEP THE CRAPPY FOOD OUT OF YOUR HOUSE
This is the most important tip.
If you don’t have crappy food in your house (chips, chocolate, lollies, or whatever else you deem to be junk food) then you can’t consume it mindlessly or whenever you have a temporary craving.
HOW TO STOP FROM EATING JUNK FOOD
TIP 2 – HAVE ALTERNATIVE GOOD FOOD THAT * YOU ACTUALLY LIKE * IN THE HOUSE INSTEAD
There’s little point in stocking your fridge with hummus and celery if you hate hummus and celery.
Same goes for quinoa and chia seeds (funnily enough I like all these examples – I however don’t particularly care for broccoli and other steamed veggies – if I cook it, it will sit uneaten for a few days in the fridge until I throw it away).
Stuck on healthy alternatives?
Google recipes for healthy snacks on the internet – there are hundreds, if not thousands to pick from.
Choose something, make it and keep it in stock.
HOW TO STOP FROM EATING JUNK FOOD
TIP 3 – YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED BEFORE THE CRAVING ACTUALLY HITS
A craving is a bit like an earthquake or tsunami – even if you feel the rumbles of a future potential disaster coming or suspect it may be just around the corner, when it hits IT HITS HARD.
And when it comes you need to be prepared.
You need to have those carrot sticks already cut up because trust me, the last thing you will feel like doing when you are craving junk is pull out a potato peeler to peel carrots.
You will need to have those yummy date and coconut balls already made up and ready to pop into your mouth.
In a nutshell YOU WILL NEED TO BE PREPARED IF YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT RESISTING TEMPTATION.
HOW TO STOP FROM EATING JUNK FOOD
TIP 4 – ALWAYS KEEP THIS QUOTE IN MIND: LET FOOD BE YOUR MEDICINE OR MEDICINE WILL BECOME YOUR FOOD
We don’t just wake one day and have Type 2 diabetes. We don’t just wake up and find ourselves obese.
Usually those ailments come from years of bad eating and terrible food choices.
We need to remember that what we see in the mirror every morning is an accumulative result of all our actions.
Eat well and you will look and feel good.
Eat bad and you will look and feel crappola.
It really is that simple therefore we need to keep this in mind every time we put something in our mouth.
If you don’t one day you may be popping pills and medicine first and foremost in your day in order to keep your body running smoothly and as God intended it to work.
HOW TO STOP FROM EATING JUNK FOOD
TIP 5 – BE INTENTIONAL WITH YOUR EATING
You need to THINK before you consume food.
Are you really that hungry?
Are you confusing hunger with some other feeling like boredom, sadness, frustration or anger?
Is the food that you are choosing giving you all the necessary nutrients that your body needs?
Is it going to make you feel energetic or lethargic?
Is it going to make you feel invigorated or barely functioning?
THINK. THINK.
THINK first instead of just consuming food mindlessly all the time.
HOW TO STOP FROM EATING JUNK FOOD
TIP 6 – KNOW WHAT FOODS GIVE YOU STRENGTH
You probably already know that eating some stuff makes you feel totally crap and drains you of energy for the day. What foods fall onto that list?
Let me guess: it is food that is laden with preservatives, salt, sugar and unhealthy saturated fats?
Now let me guess what makes you feel healthy – fruit, vegetables, fresh meat and fish and foods that flush your body with all the nutrients it needs?
Make a list of everything healthy that you can eat so you don’t feel like there is nothing for you to consume when you are doing your best to be healthier.
And make it a LONG LIST too please so that you don’t ever feel like you are deprived of good choices in life. You do have options so please choose wisely.
HOW TO STOP FROM EATING JUNK FOOD
TIP 7 – DON’T EAT CRAP WHEN YOU ARE FEELING BORED
Don’t eat crappy food just because you are feeling bored. When you are bored, you need to get up off your bottom and do something fun.
Maybe take a bath or read a book, go for a walk or partake in a hobby – eating crappy food does not count as a viable or recommended extracurricular activity!
Do you really need that cookie or is it just a flighty feeling that you will regret two seconds after you consume it?
Do you really want those crisps or are you so used to eating something – ANYTHING while sitting down on the couch watching a movie?
You need to break that bad habit – yes, it will take time but even bad habits can be broken if you find something to replace it with (a good herbal tea could come in handy here!)
HOW TO STOP FROM EATING JUNK FOOD
TIP 8 – STOP REWARDING YOURSELF WITH FOOD
Please don’t just shovel crappy food into your mouth for no good reason. You aren’t a dog – there is no reason to reward yourself with food when something great happens to you or to soothe yourself after a failure.
You also don’t need food to make yourself feel better.
Find other ways to make you feel really good – things that REALLY work, like a nap or massage, long walk or a hot bath.
Just compare how you feel after a luxurious, rare daytime nap or a nice, relaxing bath versus after stuffing yourself with a block of chocolate – I promise you, there’s a difference.
Usually one of those acts you will regret and the other you don’t.
HOW TO STOP FROM EATING JUNK FOOD
TIP 9 – DON’T EAT IF YOU AREN’T EVEN HUNGRY
The purpose of food is to fill our bodies with the nutrients it needs.
That is all.
If you aren’t hungry don’t go into the kitchen and start looking into the fridge for no good reason at all.
Do you even know what hunger feels like or are you constantly shovelling food into your mouth so you never have a chance to feel this natural state between meals?
Trust your body to tell you when it needs more food.
Listen to what it wants for a change.
Sometimes your body just needs time to process its’ last meal.
Sometimes it actually needs and wants a break instead of trying to cope with the next lot of food you have given it unnecessarily.
You are made up of both a body and a mind and sometimes they simply aren’t in sync.
Sometimes your mind insists that it WANTS something that the body doesn’t really need and it results in crappy feelings that your mind needs to battle with later as a consequence.
Try being kind to your body and listening to what it actually needs and wants for a change.
HOW TO STOP FROM EATING JUNK FOOD
FINAL TIP 10 – KEEP IN MIND YOUR REASON FOR MAKING GOOD HEALTH A PRIORITY IN YOUR LIFE
I’m guessing there are a lot of great reasons why you make and need to make good health a priority in your life.
You want to live a long, beautiful life.
You want to set a good example for your children.
You want to stop feeling lethargic, drained and tired.
Or maybe you simply want to FEEL GOOD again.
Whatever your reason you need to keep it in the forefront of your mind whenever you start your day and when you reflect back on the choices you made later that evening.
It is all up to you how you choose to treat your body so choose wisely.
HOW TO STOP FROM EATING JUNK FOOD
IN THE MEANTIME HERE ARE TEN QUOTES FOR YOU TO KEEP IN MIND:
I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you. Joyce Meyer
It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. Mahatma Gandhi
Health is like money. We never have a true idea of its value until we lose it. Josh Billings
The best way to fix a problem is to fix it before it’s a problem. Jeremy Hammond
Health is the greatest possession. Laozi
Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it. Heather Morgan
When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless and intelligence cannot be applied. Herophilus
Eating crappy food isn’t a reward – it’s a punishment. Drew Carey
Sorry there’s no magic bullet. You have to eat healthy and live healthy to be healthy and look healthy. End of story. Morgan Spurlock
So take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live in.
DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH EXERCISE? THEN YOU NEED TO READ > THIS < FOR LAZY MOMS
DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH CLEANING? THEN YOU NEED TO CHECK > THIS < OUT RIGHT NOW
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I’m Frances Vidakovic – a mindset & action coach for quietly ambitious women who want to stop overthinking and finally take aligned action. I help women achieve their goals and follow through on what matters, without sacrificing their sanity or soul.