VIDEO: The Easiest Way To Stop Eating Junk
What's the easiest way to stop eating junk? The first step is to confront the silly excuses we make for why we do things that contradict our goals. Once we take a good hard look at our mindsets, it's time to make our environments safe, get our supporters on board, and learn how to indulge responsibly.
1. Get real about The Silly Excuses you Make
Here're a couple of real emails that I've received from clients:
"Been finishing some things that I had in the fridge and finishing the beer I had so it's not the best. Will be better going forward though."
and
"My mom dropped off a pie, so we've been finishing that up this week. The week went well except for that."
and
"I got a 6-pack of my fav cupcakes. I had to. They were 50% off."
I could go on, but you get the idea. These clients were confessing to eating something that was completely at odds with the goal that they'd committed to. Why did they self sabotage like this? Simply because the unhealthy foods were in front of them.
Does that sound like a recipe for success? Or does that sound like a lame justification of behaviour that is only going to take you further from your goal?
The Easiest Way To Stop Eating Junk is this: Don't Rely On your Will Power
2. Don't Keep unhealthy foods in the house
This is the basic rule when it comes to treats. Don't set yourself up to be tempted.
If you have food in your house right now that's not compatible with your diet, give it away or throw it out. Today. That is quite simply the easiest way to stop eating junk.
Don't feel bad about throwing unhealthy food in the garbage. I repeat. Don't feel bad about "wasting" food. If your goal is health, then you shouldn't even consider that junk as food. It's not going to nourish your body or your objectives.
This still holds true if it was on sale or was a gift from a dear loved one. Throw it out with no shame. Actually, feel proud of yourself.
Keep your eye on the prize: your goal, why it's important to you, and what it will take to get there. You'll always have a reason to eat poorly, and if you keep telling yourself that it's OK for various reasons, how will you change?
3. Ask for the support your need
I know this is difficult if you live with others who don't share your nutrition plan. In that case, you need to negotiate with them. Ask them not to buy the foods that you find most tempting. Instead, try to find foods that they're OK with, but that aren't so tantalizing for you. For example, if you're a sour-dough bread addict, but don't care for wraps or pita bread, see if your spouse/kids/roommate will be just as happy with wraps instead of your favourite bread.
The point is this: instead of seeing only the obstacles (and there will be some), focus on finding solutions that make being consistent just a bit easier.
4. Learn HOW TO ENJOY TREATS responsibly... FROM TIME TO TIME
For most people, I recommend my Treat Rule. You can download a free PDF that explains it here.
For more tips on dealing with incredibly tempting, scrumptious treats, and other important nutrition fundamentals, check out my introductory course on healthy eating: Nutrition Simplified.