I am eating too much junk and processed food while watching movies and youtube videos. I want to stop as it affects my health. Any suggestions.
Think about how much it costs in total for a month’s worth of junk food for you. Then figure out all the things you could do with that money instead. Helped me a lot when gas is high and I can’t drive to work and also afford junk food
Popcorn. Home made not bought.
Now if you want to go super healthy, air popped with no butter is so low calorie that you can basically not count it. Oil popped is a little higher, but still much better. Its only once you start drowning it in butter that it gets not so good for you. Also if you like it SALTY theres that…
But once you do a little digging into infusing oils and flavored salts and spice mixes, you can make some mind blowing shit. Popping the kernels in chilli infused oil and then hit them with a lemon and garlic salt… fuck yeah.
I said this in another comment, get a water bottle. Our bodies use hunger knowing real food has water in it. But if the water isn’t working out for you, try switching the snacks to something that might be up your alley. Instead of a chip dip or cheese, try salsa. Someone suggested carrot or celery sticks, get a jar of peanut butter just to dip them in. Carrots and peanut butter is amazing. And to make meal time better, start cooking yourself. Watch a ton of cooking videos on YouTube and try making some easy recipes.
Stop buying it.
It’s a lot easier to stop yourself from eating a bag of chips while watching YouTube if it’s not just sitting there in your pantry and you have to go to the store to buy it.
You just have to resist the urge to get the junk food during your grocery trips, not every hour you’re at home and bored.
Exactly what I came here to say.
Try to replace what you currently eat with something else that is snacky but healthy like carrots, nuts or grapes.
I still have some of it in my house, but over the past year I’ve cut down majorly, by refusing to snack during the day, and tracking my calories each day. Just being aware of what I ate made a huge difference. Also, instead of ice cream, I buy TruFru dark chocolate raspberries and just have a few each night. I’ve lost about 50 pounds since last January through diet and exercise.
So many people still don’t realize that weight loss comes down to 90% diet and 10% exercise.
I’d say it’s more like 70/30 personally. It also gives you some wiggle room with a low cal diet. But you definitely can’t just do some running then go out for bucket of KFC all the time.
Calories burned from running isn’t that great of a return.
An estimate is that a 200 pound person burns 792 calories per hour running at 5mph (12min/mile, or 8kph) on a firm, level surface. A 140 pound person burns 555 calories in the same scenario.
Source: https://captaincalculator.com/health/calorie/calories-burned-running-calculator/
It’s much simpler to not consume excess calories, if you maintain a caloric deficit and don’t exercise at all you will lose weight.
So yeah, with a 1500 calorie deficit diet, that’s about a 3rd of what you eat for the day, so like 33%. That’s a pretty big chunk, and easily allows you to snack on occasion and still hit your deficit. I’d say it’s pretty helpful, but diet is still absolutely necessary for any results.
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Lots of stop buying it comments in here. How about: Stop watching so many videos? The best way to stop eating is to occupy your mind and hands. Got any hobbies? Get one that involves using your hands and concentration. You must find something that you personally enjoy. You can’t eat if you’re busy concentrating on something you like doing while occupying your hands! Bonus points if it’s something physical that helps get you in shape.
Also, it might take time.
For completely different reasons I started to draw, like 5 minutes a day (that was tougher than most things I have done, weirdly) and keeping at it for a couple of months.
Thats the way to go from one(less good) thing to another, reliably doing it every day, and quickly (well they say 90 days) it becomes an easy and pleasant thing you like to do.
Did it with jogging too, took longer (as I wasnt in shape for it, had crap shoes, back and muscles) but eventually it became a nice thing to do too.
And it all ads up, helping. I mean life is hard.
Pro tip, one day check out keto, and the idea about stopping eating all kind of sugar (potatoes, candy, snacks, processed food…). Don’t rush it but know that it’s really good for both your physical health(who would have thought eh) but also for your mental health, it’s quite the thing. So maybe one day eh!
Last words; everyone can do it, it just takes time. If you dont have the mental, just take it slower and it’ll come around.
I suggest board games. Helped me quit video games. And if you think that takes off physical activity, well…takes 1 season and one movie to catch up with me on it but Firefly is the best board game (hell…set of board games even) I have and is a lot of work to set up and build for play.
Stop buying it. That’s how we slowed down / stopped.
+1
I’m a little overweight and I avoid buying any kind of chips and snacks because I know I have almost zero willpower.
Also, eating a bit less than usual on each meal, like knowing when you’re feeding and when you’re just eating for pleasure.
Maybe I won’t lose any weight but I hope to gain as less as possible.
This is the way. It’s easier to have will power at the grocery store. Stop buying that crap and you’ll have a harder time binging.
Also eat before going grocery shopping. It helps with the impulse.
It’s also buying the right stuff.
Veggies and protein take a long time to digest. So you feel full longer.
Junk food is way more calories and easily digestible, so you eat more of it.
Soda is an extreme example. You can take in 500 calories in fluids and your stomach feels completely empty.
A serving of kidney beans will stay in your stomach most of a day. Throw some hot sauce on them and you’ve got a cheap easy snack that will keep you feeling full all day.
People always want to focus on calories, but not all calories are created equally. You need to pick stuff that’s also slow to digest or your body is going to keep telling you that you’re hungry.
Especially when changing your eating habits
Also, using a shopping service like Instacart helps me avoid impulse purchases. I make my list, put it into the cart, and don’t add anything not on the list.
It does cost more, but I actually spend less per trip because I can take my time to comparison shop and look for items on sale. “Do I need beans, or do I have some in the cupboard?” “Oh, they have that seasonal cookie I love, I should grab a box whil they are available.” If I’m not at the store, I don’t have that problem. I justify it to myself by the time saved times my normal wage being far more than I spend on the delivery fees. Reducing the bad snacks in the house is just another perk.
For me, just going to the grocery store after a full meal eliminates virtually all of my impulse buys. I typically go out to eat during that shopping trip, so it’s less effective for OP’s concern, but if they took the extra step to cook a healthy meal at home first I think it would be a helpful stopgap.
I really like the idea of shopping services, but going to the store with a paper list feels like less work than messing around with the shitty apps, answering the shopper’s “is this substitution okay?”, and then interacting with the shopper when they deliver.
Laziness takes many forms. 😬
Agreed. Perhaps buy/prepare healthier options and have them conveniently available. Like popping your own popcorn for example vs getting microwave popcorn. I have an air popper. After popping some I add olive oil and salt. Store it in a ziplock for the wk. or I’ll buy Skinny Pop, ingredients are the same: popcorn, oil, salt…I really like popcorn.
And once you’ve stopped, listen out for the voice that says “just this once, as a treat, I’ve been good” because that voice lies
(You’ve not been good)
Make a shopping list and be strict with yourself about what you add to it. Then restrict yourself from buying anything not on the list so that you stick to it. Best way (that I know) to be deliberate about what food comes home with you.
Find hobbies or projects or do stuff with friends to the point that you don’t have time for movies and youtube
When you’re at the store, don’t buy junk food. If it’s in the house it’ll be extremely difficult to say no to, but while shopying it’s easier to make a more rational decision. Also, plan your meals for the week and maybe meal prep
don’t buy it. ever. and if people bring it over make them take it back. make grocery lists before going to the store with healthy snacks you like on it or meal plan filling meals. and eat before you go to the store so you shop with your head, not your stomach lolol.
and if people bring it over make them take it back
Forgot to mention it in my post, but absolutely this too. People loooove pawning off junk food to friends. It’s an easy gift.
Talk to a therapist. Work out what’s really bothering you, or at least how to be more mindful.
Basically we all need to learn how to hack ourselves.
Whatever that may look like for you is fine, so long as the hacks don’t cause secondary problems then whatever works works.
Your Ritual = sit, watch, snack on crap, repeat until ??
So maybe try and replace each bit, one at a time, and see what you can bear to white knuckle long enough for it to transform into an enjoyable habit:
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Sit -> walk on treadmill / exercise bike / whatever while you watch, or go outside for a walk while you listen to podcasts etc
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Watch -> listening to podcasts and music or video audio frees up your eyes to be doing a crazy or hobby while you listen. This also means your hands will be occupied and not snacking.
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Snack -> swap in fresh sweet crunchy veg (carrots, sweet bell pepper etc) or popcorn (no butter ya sneaky bugger) etc
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Repeat until ??? -> Portion control. You don’t take the whole bag of chips out of the kitchen, you take out a small bowl full and that’s your limit
Pick whichever one you want.
Change is hard. We kinda hate it. But it’s worth it.
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Don’t buy it, or switch to things like nuts or popcorn that you can eat a lot of without it being too unhealthy.
This is just bad advice. Nuts are very calorie dense, so you can easily put yourself in a calorie surplus for the day.
