I've noticed that one of the best techniques in eating healthy is to remove unhealthy food in the house. This really helps in removing temptation. But what if you live with other people who eat unhealthy food. These ppl can be family or friends and they share their food. You can't just tell them to stop buying it. So what techniques do you employ to avoid giving in to temptation because of the close proximity.

Keep your eyes on the prize. It's really a mind set. If you truly understand how bad for you that food is and if you are truly committed to changing yourself, it won't matter what is in the house. I have been back on track for a month and there are snacks left over from Christmas in my kitchen. I can walk right by them and look at them without wanting them because they are a roadblock on my path to where I want to be. Once you get into the habit of eating healthy, eating crappy foods will make you feel sick. I indulged last night during the super bowl and my stomach has been a mess all day because it isn't used to the saturated fat and sugar that I ate last night. If someone was to put a plate full of my favorite junk food in front of me right now I wouldn't eat it because I am used to clean food and the crap makes me feel the way it should.

Just my two cents, but just put your mind to it and don't let anything stop you.

I don't eat it. :)

Seriously, though, it has been a bit of an issue. There were a ton of gingerbread men out around Xmas, and it bugged me. Fortunately, those are gone or in the freezer now.

What I try to do is just make sure that there's always something *good* to snack on if I need to eat something. Can't go wrong with fresh fruits and vegetables.

What I try to do is just make sure that there's always something *good* to snack on if I need to eat something. Can't go wrong with fresh fruits and vegetables.

That's spot on. Keep a sack full of raw carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, celery sticks in your fridge. When you are tempted to cheat, eat about a cup of that veggie stuff. Generally you will be cured of the craving.

Even if the few veggie sticks weren't in your plan for the day, "Cheating" with 40 cal worth of veggies that actually fill you up is better than grabbing 400 cal worth of Doritos or Oreos.

After dinner, brush your teeth and / or chew gum. Chewing gum helps prevent me from raiding the cookie jar.

Keep your food in a box in your room. Disassociate yourself from the kitchen. Ask your roommates to keep all their stuff off the counters and tables.

I know you can't keep meat in a box in your room, so make sure when you're ready to make dinner you're not so starving you'll pig out on garbage while you're waiting for it to heat up.

And obviously if you drink or smoke pot, stop. Those two will wear you down.

After a while you'll be used to having temptation nearby - for now, try to make it as inconspicuous as possible. Good luck!

My roomate keeping bad foods in the house doesn't bother me that much. The thing that does bother me is the eating of my clean food that he does! It becomes increasingly difficult to shoot for consistancy when I find that my roomates eaten and not replaced my cottage cheese. :mad:

After dinner, brush your teeth and / or chew gum. Chewing gum helps prevent me from raiding the cookie jar.

That's a very good tip--I brush my teeth shortly after dinner, which would make any sweet food taste pretty crappy, and necessitate brushing again. So I don't snack. God, I used to be terrible in the evenings--it was like getting the kids to bed merited a special reward, so I'd sit on my ass in front of the computer or TV with scrambled egg sandwich with American cheese on it.

Right now, that doesn't even sound appealing anymore. Keep up the good habits, and the desire for junk will go away. Trust me.

These ppl can be family or friends and they share their food. You can't just tell them to stop buying it. So what techniques do you employ to avoid giving in to temptation because of the close proximity.

Why not? I tell hubby if he wants to eat junk, he can buy it while he's on break at work or have it elsewhere all the time.

I don't give my son a lot of junk, so for him it's a non-issue. The most "junky" thing we have in the house right now are Cheese-It's which he packs with his lunch for school. The bags are already pre-measured by serving size and if he eats them all within a short period of time, I refuse to buy more school snacks until it's the next time to buy them which is every 2 weeks.

Hubby and The Boy can have pizza or something over the weekend. It doesn't bother me if they have it as usually it smells really nasty and I can't be bothered with it.

After dinner, brush your teeth and / or chew gum. Chewing gum helps prevent me from raiding the cookie jar.


I also find chewing gum helps :) After brushing your teeth alot of foods dont taste so good so I see why this helps aswell :P

I eat all the tempting food, always. Thus, I try to avoid it being there.

Also, I read that brushing your teeth can sometimes trick your mind into thinking it is getting something sweet, so just tasting the minty toothpaste can curb a craving for sweets. I suppose gum works the same way. Plus you don't want to put a handful of potato chips in your mouth while you have gum in it. That would just be wrong.

When you're tempted, try leaving the apt for 10 minutes before you eat anything. Sometimes mentally we get fixated on the food and we need to physically separate ourselves from it.

Its sort of like when you're in a supermarket and tempted to buy junk...if you hold out and leave without it,afterwards you're like 'eh, didnt really need it.'

Think of it this way. Every time you say no your will gets stronger. Like lifting weights. You are exercising and pushing your will. The next time junk food comes along remember that you already did denied it once so you can do it again. Eventually people will wave doughnuts in your face with no reaction on your part.

It might be corny but thats how I see it :p

It's sort of like when you're in a supermarket and tempted to buy junk...if you hold out and leave without it, afterwards you're like 'eh, didnt really need it.'

This is so true. I've been in similar situations where the desire to indulge is strong, but after avoiding the temptation and getting into a slightly different situation (being somewhere else, finding something constructive to do, etc.), the temptation is gone.

It reminds me of when my kids get in tantrum mode, and nothing I can say will break them out of it...but if you put them in a different environment for even a couple of minutes, they can get back to normal pretty quickly. It's pretty amazing.

The point is: the desire to eat junk is just a mood. You can fight the mood and suffer through that fight (whether you win or lose the battle), or simply take a little break and let your brain "reset" itself.

Think of it this way. Every time you say no your will gets stronger. Like lifting weights. You are exercising and pushing your will. The next time junk food comes along remember that you already did denied it once so you can do it again. Eventually people will wave doughnuts in your face with no reaction on your part.

It might be corny but thats how I see it :p

Not corny at all. This is a great way of looking at things. Anyone who is used to the focus of physical training can focus on this kind of mental training, too.

It's all about habits, people! So much of my bad eating was habitual...and now that I'm focusing on replacing bad habits with good ones, it's getting easier and easier to eat well.

I simply ignore it. I have a wife and (3) kids ages 16, 9 & 6. Our pantry in absolutely chocked full of cookies, hostess cakes, etc.,. Our freezer is full of pizza, ice cream, etc.,. I absolutely never get into their foods. There is really no magic secret to it, it all boils down to a thing called willpower. In my mind I know that eating those foods will detract me from my goals and my goals are more important than a "momentary" satisfaction of eating junk.

Another way to avoid junk food could be to think about the designated upcoming cheat meal. If you give in to your cravings then that cheat meal goes away as "punishment".