How do you refrain from eating junk/fast food?

[Zulhardy]

Hi guys!

I've recently gotten my Charge HR (March 26th 2015) and Aria. It's been an absolute life changer for me. Before this, I've been sitting on my couch or lying in bed watching TV and I weigh about 122kg then. But now I'm addicted to walking, on most days I hit 10,000 steps except on weekends where I hit maybe 9000 steps. I also hit the gym twice a week. I log my foods religiously on MFP and have tried not to eat anything unhealthy. I eat salads twice a week and portion control the rest which is mostly home cooked.

I've now hit 119kg and I feel great but whenever I walk past a KFC, I feel like getting that 2 piece crispy chicken meal.... And I did.... I logged it in MFP and saw 800 CALORIES. I brisked walk 3km after that...

Strangely however, before I started on this journey, I hardly ever eat fast food because if I don't go out, I don't see a fast food place.

Now I know people say, do not tempt yourself, but living in a city with fast food around every corner, it's not easy. Even the beach I walk at nearby has a food center and McDonalds.

Hope you guys would share how you do it.

[PamelaHazelton]

I was off it for awhile. Had some fast food two weeks ago and it made me feel like crap. That was enough.

[_daniel_]

I'm not sure how I restrain myself, but I do. I know ahead of time where I plan to eat my meals and I stick to my plans, so I really don't even think about it going in to a fast food joint just because I happen to be walking by one.  

For example, say I ate lunch at home at noon and I'm planning to eat dinner at home at 6 PM. And its 3 PM and I'm walking by KFC. I'm I going to go in and eat. No. Why would I do that? I'm having dinner at home in a few hours. I'll just wait until then. 

[ldingeldine]

I  am not going to lie, it is hard, I just look at the calories and figure out how much work I will have to do if 
I injest it. If I want rto treat myself, I work off the calories before I indulge myself. 

Good luck

[RunningFree]

Its all about planning. I find if i have meal plans (for breakfast / lunch / dinner / snacks) then I tend to stick with the plan and avoid junk food. Weekdays I'm a healthy clean eating saint because I plan breakfasts/lunches/dinenrs and snacks. In the weekend I will make big batches of food, portion (and weight) it up and freeze it and thats lunches sorted. Weekends are my worst because I don't tend to plan what I will be eating and then that leaves room for junk and takeaways to sneak in.

I also drink lots of water and drink green tea which helps keep me feeling full between meals. I have also found that when I eat clean (eg fresh fruits and veg, leans meats, nothing processed etc) I don't have cravings for junk and sugary foods.

But planning is the key. Hope thats helpful!

[reuel]

you can still eat them provided you have enough room in your calorie budget ... one KFC meal a day isn't bad especially if you have nutrient dense stuff in your other meals along with exercise to accomodate the calories for the colonel's stuff.

[HelenaFitbit]

I know it can be difficult to stop eating junk food, so instead of going cold turkey, I workout to earn it and plan my day around it 

[bklynite]

Zulhardy I have a day that work in to allow myself to have those items. The good thing is that I can choose to have it or not. If I slip then I evaluate why and try to avoid in the future. If I know that the treat is coming soon then I can usually hold off. Most times those treats don't stay a one time thing. They end up being a regular go to item and I have to limit my access to them. When I am out I don't always carry extra funds for those items either to limit what I buy

[DominicJ]

I dont really

I dont buy treats in the weekly shop, no crisps, no biscuits, no chocloate ect which are the killer, a packet of biscuits is 1000-1500 calories, and lets face it fatties, we've all sat and eaten a packet.

But out?

If you want to walk 2 miles to KFC, eat some junk and walk 2 miles back, more power to you

Have a diet drink and you'll be ahead on calories (probably)

[Trooper]

I lost about a hundred pounds ten years ago. The problem was that I never changed my eating habits. I kept eating Junk Food, Geasy and Fried Food. Sweets, Pie, Cakes, You name it. I counted the calories and lost the weight but over time my body adjusted and began to demand more and more Junk Food. Over time, I started to want less Grilled Chicken and more KFC or Whatachickens with Onion Rings or Fries. The diet Sodas did not help me either! I could guzzle a 42 ounce Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr.Pepper. But the Articial Sweenter made my body crave even more sugary food. 

[Walker7]

I use gum. When I feel a craving I pop a piece and wait for it to pass. Usually I just want to chew something (I do this a lot when making dinner; I used to snack a lot when I was in the kitchen (a handful of this, a handful of that adds up fast). If gum doesn't work then I try to grab something easy/high protein (often string cheese) and drink some water to keep me from eating something worse.

[LocoMutant]

I go with nuts and dehydrated fruit with no salts or sugars, no preservatives.  It's hard at first you gt tons of cravings, but after a month I didn't even crave them anymore.  But as with anything it's up to you and your will power, and how much you want to lose the weight.  I've lost 64 pounds so far and am 11lbs away from my goal of 225.  Always remember you can't out run your fork.

[edinbald62]

As has been said already will power has a lot to do with it, but would add that noting when your craving occur and planning accordingly.  One of my worse times is tea time, so I tend to go out for exercise then fruit and water if the craving returns.  I'm trying to increase my exercise  routine with the help of my fitbit so that output is always more than my input

[josephz2va]

I just went back to going to where my focus was 10 years ago. Before falling for fake traps like Dr. Oz pills and I was 170. Cutting out all the bad foods (Donuts, Power Bars, Protein Shakes, Candy, Chocolate) and only consuming the good foods (Fruits, Veggies, 1-2 eggs a day, along with my dietitian's prepared meals). Never needed pills then nor shakes to see fat loss or weight loss.

When people say you're losing too much weight, I'll ignore them. That's progress. Not needing to fall back. Need to keep my aim on 150 lbs and 8% and staying away from temptations.

[SuperStephSteph]

I equate my love for junk food as roughly the same as an alcoholic loves booze. When I'm off junk food even one snack can leave me spinning out of control so I just have to avoid it completely. I won't go into a fast food place and at the grocery store I only purchase healthy items. I do allow myself 1 "cheat" day a month, but I make sure to log all the calories into MFP so that I am still holding myself accountable. Also I feel like I end up enjoying the food more knowing just how hard I actually worked for it. I wish I could just have a snack here and there, but my body wants snacks all the time lol. I take the AA motto for drinking and use it for junk food...avoiding junk food "one day at a time"! 

[LauraBug]

I dont really. I take one rest day a week, in which I allow myself to indulge my craving. That being said, I dont absolutly pig out but allow myself that hamburger and fries or pizza and dont really worry about the calories. Generally I find that heavy greasy foods bog me down and I can tell my work out preformance suffers, so that gives me a little extra insentive not to eat them during the week. But if I know I want to have a few beers or a scoop of ice cream that day, I will go ahead and add it to MyFitnessPal that morning, so I can plan the rest of my day around it and still indulge my craving a little. 

Best of luck!

[DharmaGirl5]

I went vegetarian about 30 years ago, never go into those places because there's nothing for me to eat there.

[Zulhardy]

Hi guys!! Thanks for the replies. I haven't had KFC since then and I no longer crave fast food. But I do eat the occasional Reese nut bar.

Just a little bit more on what I've achieved so far.

I've gone down to 117KG. I've started on the rowing machine in the gym instead of just using the treadmill and oh boy, does it give a workout.

[RivalDealer]

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@Zulhardy wrote:

Hi guys!! Thanks for the replies. I haven't had KFC since then and I no longer crave fast food. But I do eat the occasional Reese nut bar.

Just a little bit more on what I've achieved so far.

I've gone down to 117KG. I've started on the rowing machine in the gym instead of just using the treadmill and oh boy, does it give a workout.

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I picked up a waterrower on ebay pretty cheap, you are right, they are a great workout and it gives me something to do when the weather is miserable 😄