Hi,
I've recently noticed that I have been eating a lot of snacks and junk food. It might just be summer boredom. But when I get bored, I find myself eating again. I can never seem to get full. I'll find myself standing over the snacks and looking for which ones I want first. It's gotten a bit worse lately. I just can't seem to stop eating so much junk.
My diet in general is kind of poor. I want to change my diet, but It's hard. I try to, but always end up eating the same old things until I get sick of them. All I eat is basically junk food.
How do I stop eating so much junk food, and change my diet to something more healthy?
Ginger R.
Hi Ginger,
That's tough. Because junk food tastes so good and makes us feel so good when we eat it. You may have to just keeping doing it until the suffering (do you really feel awful about it?) outweighs the pleasure you get from eating it. Until you are suffering in some obvious way ("my clothes don't fit!") the scales will always tip towards the pleasure of eating sweet and salty snacks.
If you want to make a change, you're going to have to come up with some motivation. Here's the task: Write down the top 5 reasons you want to stop eating junk food and improve the healthfulness of your diet. Usually these will be non-descript one-word answers like "health". Well, that doesn't sound very motivating. Take each of these words another step and ask "Why is health important to me?" Keep asking that question of each answer until you come up with a darn good reason to stop eating junk food! For some people it's, 'My parents both have diabetes and I know that's what's in store for me if I don't get down to a reasonable weight' and for others it's more like, 'I feel terrible about myself and look horrible in my clothes--most of which don't even fit anymore--so I never go out with my friends anymore and I miss them'.
Then establish a reward system. Give yourself credit (in the form of a star sticker on a calendar or a dollar in a jar) every time you make the right move, and choose a glass of water instead of a handful of cookies, or a piece of fruit instead of a candy bar. Have an established reward, like a pedicure after 20 stars, or a new pair of shoes when the jar has enough $$ in it. This way you'll be working towards something you want in addition to feeling better about making the right choice. Chances are, you'll feel much better physically as well. And, in time, the junk food won't have the same hold on you, and avoiding it will become easier.
Showing posts with label healthy eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy eating. Show all posts
Monday, June 25, 2012
Monday, November 28, 2011
How Can I Tell What's Good to Eat??
Hello,
I'm a young male who has a very sedentary job. Although I don't weigh a lot and I do get exercise, I know that my diet isn't very healthy. I've seen my fair share of documentaries, researched on the internet, and been given advice by friends and family. Almost all of it seems to contradict each other.
Saturated fats are bad, then they're good, and trans fats are bad. Don't use butter use margarine (can something so artificial really be better?). Only eat raw uncooked food. Cut out all the dairy and meat. Lower your carbs. Buy 99% fat free food, no don't, they just substitute it with sugar. And so it goes on.
My own gut feeling is that we have evolved to crave the foods that are good for us. We cooked our prey from the hunt over fires. There was no bread, fruit juice, soy milk, olive oil etc.
To put it simply, I'm looking for the truth. I want to do the right thing for my body, but I just don't know what that is. Has the scientific community actually come up with a consensus on what a healthy diet is? Is all this contradictory and misinformation just being fed to us by people with a vested interest and an agenda? ---Nat G.
Hi Nat,
You are right! There is a ton of information out there. The key is knowing who to listen to.
If you look at our health agencies, there IS a consensus. The American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Dietetic Association, and USDA, etc all say "Eat more fiber, less fat, less sodium (read: less processed food), more whole grains, and less sugar". You won't find anywhere on these sites that says to cut out an entire food group, eat low carb, or eat all your food raw. And none of them are promoting some food group to sell (such as, say the American Dairy Council or the Pork Board).
Unfortunately we have not evolved to crave what is good for us: we still crave very calorie-dense foods like sugars and fats because without this biological drive there is the chance we could starve to death. And I think cave-men very well may have baked bread over the fire, juiced fruits from the trees, and pressed olives for their oil!
The motto of dietitians is "everything in moderation".... you can't win if you're jumping from one diet fad to the next, chasing the latest 'good for you' food group and eliminating entire food groups, such as all dairy foods. Our food guide pyramid still makes sense: choose a variety of foods from each group every day, limit your intake of fats and sugars, and get some physical activity to balance it all. (see http://www.myplate.gov/ ).
I'm a young male who has a very sedentary job. Although I don't weigh a lot and I do get exercise, I know that my diet isn't very healthy. I've seen my fair share of documentaries, researched on the internet, and been given advice by friends and family. Almost all of it seems to contradict each other.
Saturated fats are bad, then they're good, and trans fats are bad. Don't use butter use margarine (can something so artificial really be better?). Only eat raw uncooked food. Cut out all the dairy and meat. Lower your carbs. Buy 99% fat free food, no don't, they just substitute it with sugar. And so it goes on.
My own gut feeling is that we have evolved to crave the foods that are good for us. We cooked our prey from the hunt over fires. There was no bread, fruit juice, soy milk, olive oil etc.
To put it simply, I'm looking for the truth. I want to do the right thing for my body, but I just don't know what that is. Has the scientific community actually come up with a consensus on what a healthy diet is? Is all this contradictory and misinformation just being fed to us by people with a vested interest and an agenda? ---Nat G.
Hi Nat,
You are right! There is a ton of information out there. The key is knowing who to listen to.
If you look at our health agencies, there IS a consensus. The American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Dietetic Association, and USDA, etc all say "Eat more fiber, less fat, less sodium (read: less processed food), more whole grains, and less sugar". You won't find anywhere on these sites that says to cut out an entire food group, eat low carb, or eat all your food raw. And none of them are promoting some food group to sell (such as, say the American Dairy Council or the Pork Board).
Unfortunately we have not evolved to crave what is good for us: we still crave very calorie-dense foods like sugars and fats because without this biological drive there is the chance we could starve to death. And I think cave-men very well may have baked bread over the fire, juiced fruits from the trees, and pressed olives for their oil!
The motto of dietitians is "everything in moderation".... you can't win if you're jumping from one diet fad to the next, chasing the latest 'good for you' food group and eliminating entire food groups, such as all dairy foods. Our food guide pyramid still makes sense: choose a variety of foods from each group every day, limit your intake of fats and sugars, and get some physical activity to balance it all. (see http://www.myplate.gov/ ).
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Eating Healthy versus Eating Disorder
Confidential to K.M
I hesitate to provide you with all the ways you can reduce your calorie intake, count your calories, monitor your weight, burn the most calories, etc. because I am concerned you may be flirting with disordered eating.
While I do not suspect you have a full blown eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, certain parts of your letter indicate you may benefit from counseling at this time instead of more information on dieting. Being afraid to gain weight, focusing the majority of your morning planning what you'll be eating the rest of the day, and other thoughts concentrated on calorie-burning are a way of controlling things in your life when there are so many other issues over which we have little control. Perhaps a trusted therapist will be able to help you deal with so many of the other aspects and one day your weight will not be something on which you focus 24/7. Other options are eating disorder therapy specialists, outpatient eating disorder units, and local support groups. Most hospitals can direct you to assistance in your area; I hope you'll take advantage of it and get your old happy self back!
I hesitate to provide you with all the ways you can reduce your calorie intake, count your calories, monitor your weight, burn the most calories, etc. because I am concerned you may be flirting with disordered eating.
While I do not suspect you have a full blown eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, certain parts of your letter indicate you may benefit from counseling at this time instead of more information on dieting. Being afraid to gain weight, focusing the majority of your morning planning what you'll be eating the rest of the day, and other thoughts concentrated on calorie-burning are a way of controlling things in your life when there are so many other issues over which we have little control. Perhaps a trusted therapist will be able to help you deal with so many of the other aspects and one day your weight will not be something on which you focus 24/7. Other options are eating disorder therapy specialists, outpatient eating disorder units, and local support groups. Most hospitals can direct you to assistance in your area; I hope you'll take advantage of it and get your old happy self back!
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