Any former junkfood 'addicts'?

I say former because I wanted to know if anyone has been able to break the habit longterm.

I've been a lover of junkfood in many forms since I was a kid but now I'm getting older I want to try and enhance/protect my health.

I have been eating pretty clean over the last week and a half.  Not super strict but very little processed food/sugar etc.  It actually feels like a lifetime, lol, although it hasn't been that hard and I have been feeling better, less moody, although still as tired as ever.

The things I crave most would be potato chips (especially kettle chips) and hot salty fries..I mean fries were my thing, people have commented on it, lol.

I wonder if I open the door to that sort of food again will I just go back to my old ways?  I have gone through extended periods of pretty terrible eating over the years.

I feel like things are different from other times I've tried to be healthy.  As of right now I'm motivated to keep going.

I'd be interested in hearing about other peoples experiences/stories.

Yes, I was a former junk food addict.  Anything fried and salty, just name it.  I still love fried and salty foods, but not like I use to.
Every Friday night was a whole bag of chips.  Don't have that anymore.  You will find that the more whole foods that your body gets that your taste buds will change.  It took about six months to get to the point where I didn't even miss it anymore.

I am also a lover of fried/salty foods, and I have been able to break the habit of overindulging in them over the course of the past year.  I did it by not keeping them in the house at all, and only having them when I was "out" (so that I couldn't overdo it).

During the past month, I bought Kettle Chips twice because I had people in for a casual supper and was able to weigh out a 1 ounce serving for myself, enjoy them thoroughly, and stop, even though there were chips left in the bag.  In fact, I still have a partial bag on the counter, and haven't been tempted to have them again.  Last year this time they would have been gone the day they were opened.  So, it is possible to cure yourself if you give yourself a little time to make a new habit of eating more nutritious foods.

I have a sweet tooth, and anything loaded with sugar is hard for me to pass up. It has undone many a diet for me. Before I was pregnant with my daughter, I was a stunning 115 of toned muscle, and was completely effortless. I could eat whatever I wanted, however much of it, and never gain an ounce. So my diet while pregnant and afterwords was, shall we say a "train wreck"? My naturally high metabolism nose-dived. Working at a pizza place didn't help any either. So I went from 115 to 182 in little over two years. 21 years of bad habits die very hard.

It's only been about two weeks for me on my current diet, but usually it would only take a couple days for me to crave ice cream, or cookies, or anything with chocolate. This time, I didn't give into those cravings early on (like on day 2), and it's been getting easier and easier to get over them without indulging.

In my case, simply not even looking at it and acknowledging it exist is the way I have to go. Either that or I give right in. One can't hurt right? Then it's two, then it's "Oh what the heck? I can start my diet again tomorrow..." And then all my hard work goes right down the drain. It's been this way for over a year now, at first I just wanted to lose 20 pounds, but every time I've started then caved in, I gained about 5-10 pounds. Now, I have to lose 50 pounds.

So yeah, my recommendation is to just resist the urge. Give it until your diet is routine before treating yourself to a little something. From PPs, it sounds like it's easier to indulge a little then just stop and not ruin everything that you've worked so hard for.

Good luck! I hope your will-power is stronger than mine (doesn't take much)!

I've had a very "clean" diet since starting on a weight loss effort in June. Have lost 17 pounds with many more to go.

I am currently reading Dr. Kessler's book, "The End of Overeating," which is all about the addictive nature of processed foods that combine sugar, fat and salt and has suggestions on how to overcome the craving for junk food. It's helping me stay motivated.

I was a Ben & Jerry's whore, like twice a week I'd kill a pint of that stuff.  Now I've learned that maybe that's not so smart but I still have a hard time around cake....i love cake

I can't say I've been going incredibly long term, especially since I had a relapse as soon as I saw the fro-yo machine in the dining hall, but I recently started using the mantra that came naturally at home: "it's not real food."  When I started counting calories, I would save plenty of calories for sweets, which left me with very few calories for healthy stuff, so I sort of had to think back to when I was a kid and dessert was a treat, not the course after lunch and dinner.  I also try to look at things like Smarties, chocolate, cookies, and goldfish with the idea that it's not nourishing food but rather something equivalent to cardboard.  My downfalls are still ice cream and warm brownies, but, hey, I'm going one step at a time!

My nana made her little minion when i was around 7. when nana had a cookie, i had a cookie..etc. so yeah i certainly have a sweet tooth and love all that processed food. when i was in my junior year of high school i just stopped eating it. i was in that weight loss mode. just mentally didnt want it anymore, realized that the taste of it and the joy i felt eating it wasn't worth how bad i would feel later when i took a look at myself in the mirror. when i stopped eating junk food i dropped 30 pounds pretty fast and was happy.

somehow i got back into my old ways and i am finding now it is not as easy as it once was before to say no. oreos freakin call my name at night.

i am still trying to figure out a healthy balance in my life. it is either i am in total control of my eating or im out of control. i am not sure what triggers a change in me but thats life. just gotta live and learn.

i think my only chance of getting better is getting out of my parents house. they keep so much junk in this house that i am going crazy. it isn't helping me at all.

Hey OP,

I've been managing my junk food intake fairly successfully for just over a month now, even though I only started my diet and exercise program two weeks ago. I've got a lot more energy and sleep easier at night since I started this, hope it helps:

Planning meals a week in advance. It helps keep me aware of my food intake.

Only buying what's on the grocery list when I do the shopping.

Swap out my favourite junk foods for healthy alternatives.

If I'm eating out with friends (which I do on occasion), I make up for it by exercising extra to cover it that day.

It might take a while for you to wean yourself off junk food but it's definitely worth it! Hopefully between everyone's posts here in your thread, you'll find tips that help you to reach your goals. Best of luck.

:D