Ugh, changing habits is so hard.

I've NEVER eaten healthy. Sugary breakfast cereals, chips for lunch, full-sugar soda, pizza and no excercise. I'm not THAT big of an eater though, so it's not like I ate a whole box of cereal, a whole tub of icecream, half a pizza, etc. I'm not even overweight (133, BMI of 24.3) but I know that I AM capable of being WAY healthier.

I just can't seem to stay away from the junkfood. I had cheerios for breakfast and was eating them and then without thinking just loaded them with SO much sugar!

How did you guys quit eating garbage 24/7? How can I make healthy food more fun?

Most people find it is best to just quit cold turkey. Maybe you could try just keeping 1 or 2 of your fav junk food items in the house and refrain from the rest. Just start introducing veggies and fruits into your diet for substitute of a junk food you got rid of. Some fruits can be so sweet that it could pass for a dessert.

if you do the grocery shopping in your house, just stop buying the food. dont let yourself order pizza, stuff like that. its hard and i've been struggling with my weight for many years, but i try to not buy crap food, the only stuff i cant live without is my cereal, it has to be the generic lucky charms that comes in the bag. i love those. they are my vice

i still eat junk.  in moderation though!  not like before...  LOL  like today, i had chips for breakfast, and i counted out 1 serving.  i used to eat a whole bag.  the big one!!!

then since breakfast, i had a V8, an orange, and a banana.  i'm still thinking about the apple.  next, i'm gonna have some salad & baby carrots.

if i have had a "good" day of eating, i have a little chocolate at night; but if i was already "bad", i won't eat my chocolate. 

i guess what i'm trying to say is to ADD good foods to your diet.  they will compensate for the junk.  :D  and check your analysis!

I stopped buying chips and snack food a couple years ago when I started living on my own. Since then, I never want them.

Then I fell in love with smoothies, but couldn't afford to be buying them all time, so I got a blender and fixins and had smoothies for breakfast or lunch almost every day.

When I realized I needed to lose weight and eat better, I'd been making a lot of pasta and rice because I love it, but I learned to stop eating the whole box (2-3 servings) and to put some in tupperware for lunch the next day, so I still got to eat the things I liked.

Next step was to stop buying fast food for dinner the 7 days a week I was at work during dinner hours. Voila- PB&J!

Somewhere in there I learned to say "No" to my girlfriend who would always cancel working out with me and invite me over for pizza instead. That was REALLY tough. When your friend asks if you want pizza, the answer is always yes. I'm a college student and I LOVE pizza. It's like the best damn drug in the world.

I never planned to quit junk food in steps, but that's how it worked out.

HI! I had the same problem, but I am overweight, and I had a binging problem as well. I tried to make myself eat healthy, but you're right, junk food was more "fun", and I had to make this new lifestyle fun too.

I am only 17, so I usually don't grocery shop, but I made a big list and went. That in itself was fun because I could get exactly what I wanted. I got a bunch of fruits and veggies, luna bars, special k and fiber one cereal, 1% milk, etc....

I have been so motivated now! I think the main thing is this site. It constantly is teaching me new things...well I guess the people on here are! I have found that knowing why we need certain foods has really helped me. Maybe it will encourage you too :)

When I first started changing the way I eat, I found it a lot more fun to add stuff to my diet than to take stuff away.  I told myself that I could eat whatever I wanted, as long as I ate 7-8 servings of veggies a day, 2-3 servings of fruit, 40 grams of fiber, and 50 grams of protein.  As long as I stayed under my maintenance calories, I could eat whatever else I wanted.  The thing was, once I had fulfilled all of my requirements, I totally wasn't hungry.  In fact, I was completely full in a way I hadn't been in a long time.  I think a lot of cravings come from nutritional deficiencies that our bodies are trying to fill.  Once I was giving my body what it wanted, it didn't want any of the junky stuff.  

Of course, there are some cravings, especially chocolate, that are chemically motivated.  My body "requires" the wonderful chemical compounds in chocolate almost every day. However, because I was so full from produce, protein, and fiber, I found that I could satisfy this craving with a small, potent piece of dark chocolate, instead of a king size snickers bar.

"They" say it takes 21 days to change any habit but I have a feeling "they" were not counting calories when they made that statement!

I wouldn't suggest totally cutting out your junk foods all of a sudden.  I've never believed in "dieting."  Any "diet" that you do, as soon as you start eating regular again, you WILL gain the weight back.  It's about changing your lifestyle - for good and forever. 

I try to eat healthy the majority of the time.  However, for example, I LOVE mexican food.  I'm always going to love mexican food.  I'm not going to go completely without for months in order to lose weight, then stop "dieting," eat the things I like and gain it back.  Instead, what I will do, is eat healthy as often as I can.  On the days I stop off for mexican food, I try to eat healthy but REALLY LOW IN CALORIE AND FAT CONTENT items for the rest of that day.  It helps to counteract the effect of the splurge. 

I personally think it's important to allow yourself the things that you like IN MODERATION.  Then it isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle.

But that's just my two cents.

I found I have a lot more willpower in the grocery store than I do at home, so focus on making your good choices there.  Buy healthy foods, but also be aware of what you crave, if you crave sugary drinks, look for a healthy substitute, like fruity teas, or flavored waters.  If you completely deny your cravings you will be more likely to have a lapse. 

Another way to go is moderation, if you crave chocolate have a small but high quality portion.  One square of a really good chocolate bar is far better than handful after handful of M&M's.

Looking at your profile you sound well informed, just in need of motivation.  This is a great website for that, there are plenty of success stories around, and even more still working at it but who have made huge progress.

Good Luck

 

I use to be the same way.  Just ease yourself off and experiment.  Play with your food!  Trying new foods and different combinations is half the fun.  It's all trial and error.  Some healthy cereals, for example, are soooo good-some just plain suck.  Instead of piling a lot of cheese on something-cut back with less, but a stronger flavored cheese.  If you get creative, you may not even miss the sugar and fats.

Also, and maybe this could be a discussion thead unto itself, I'm 26 now and have been noticing that my tastes have changed over the last couple of years.  Flavors I never use to like have become new faves.  And I seem to be naturally cutting back on sugars.  I use to love sugary cereal too-now I think, how did I eat this stuff.

Maybe it's all just a natural progression.

There is nothing wrong with eating junk food when you are not overweight... what you need to do is to ADD the healthy foods to your diet to supplement it. Then you can gradually cut down on the junk as you get used to eating the good stuff... you don't have to make a 180 degree change overnight. Trying to go cold-turkey on junkfood tends to lead to impulse-eating and binging because nobody can go without yummy-tasting stuff forever.

Try switching from the high-sugar low-fiber cereal you're eating now to one of the flavoured varieties of Fiber One - the caramel crunch one tastes pretty much like regular 'junkfood' cereal except it has actual food value! Instead of eating soft white bread, try whole-wheat, or whole-grain, or one of the more healthy varieties... buy a small bag of chips for lunch and eat it with a sandwich, instead of having a jumbo bag by itself. Make sure you eat at least one piece of fruit and some vegetables every day... and so on.

this is a great post and actually got some good advice. I had a similar question in the health and support section and was very surprised because of some the responses I got. I am going to tag this.