junk food addict urgent help

[perpetual123]

guys iam a junk food addict and i think thats the major reason iam 40 pounds overweight can someone suggest me how to prevent the craving for it i mean i exercise on a regular basis but this is taking it off.Any advice or suggesstions on how to stop it plzz??

[Apple]

Hi perpetual123,

From personal experience it sounds like that you have some serious imbalances in your diet. When my diet is plagued with too many extremes (too salty, too fatty, too sweet, ect...) I, as well, have a tremendous craving for junk food. When I eat whole grains (brown rice especially--not white) and I introduce lots of vegetables into my diet my cravings calm down and go away. My problem is, is that I have experienced many blissful periods of not craving any junk food, but if I don't watch it I find my cravings return, thus indicating imbalances that need adjusting...Again!!! ARRRG!!!!

I have found that good nutrition is a constant battle for me...sounds like it is for you too.

hope this helps a bit

[kaycilyn]

try to have some carrot sticks with tasetful dips at home... when you are craving for a junk food try it as a replacement.. then after that try other healthy foods..like salads and fruit juices.. i hope it works for you.

I would try gradually incorporating more healthful food choices and reducing the junk food. For example, instead of potato chips, opt for soy chips, or veggies and a hummus spread. Instead of refined sugar, opt for some fruit. I agree that when I make sure my intake of whole grains (brown rice, millet, rye, quinoa) is adequate, I don't feel any blood sugar imbalances which means I don't crave junky foods. Also, pick up a good macro cookbook (I like Christina Pirello) and start trying out the recipies. Some items may seem unusual (such as seaweeds, miso, ume vinegar, brown rice syrup, etc.) but they're worth adding to your pantry.

As for "urgent help", I'm not so sure that's possible in macrobiotics. I'm finding it's more about long-term, gradual lifestyle changes. Since I've been eating "mostly macro" (about 9 months now) I've noticed I crave different foods and don't even want the junk. I actually crave a nice dinner of steamed greens, grains, beans, and miso soup.

Good luck!
Josie

Hi
I have found that the only way I have been able to stop the junk cravings is to totally give up wheat and dairy products...and give up the "white food groups"..for example no sugar rice potatos flour...and everything as minimally
processed as possible...organic if possible...and the less sodium the less my
taste buds seem to scream "feed me"...I hope eventually to re-introduce alittle oatmeal and brown rice...but for now its working...I call it diet boot camp...I have been on it for 7 weeks and lost about 30 pounds...thanks mb

My answer is similar to the last. I just can't do moderation. If I eat a little junk food, I will overeat with a never ending hunger for the rest of the day. Have you noticed that almost every processed food on the planet contains corn? (even most wheat breads). Corn should be added to your avoid list. Pick 1-2 servings of whole grain carbs (shredded wheat squares are my favorite). Have one serving of protein per day. I prefer Alaska salmon (this is low in mercury) or chicken/turkey. Then have unlimited fruits and vegatables and preferably raw. The more raw your diet is, the more healthy it is. Cooking immediately destroys all enzymes and much of the vitamins. It "digs your grave with a spoon" and is suspected to cause 90% of illnesses including cancer. While raw carbs and protein is mostly gross (lol), it is easy to achieve with produce. Keep a wide variety of fruits and veggies on hand. The Mediterannean diet is the only one that consistently shows healthy results so be sure to include some healthy fat each day. Choose salad dressings that have olive oil (and NO CORN) and occassionaly have some almonds or other healthy nuts.
It can be really hard to break the processed/cooked food habit but the results are amazing! The pounds FLY off even though you don't have to limit how much you eat.
I think this diet just makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. Our bodies are adapted to milions of years of eating habits yet cooking has not been around that long and should be a minimal part of your diet. It raises the glycemic index of the food, concentrates the calories, and removes the very enzymes that nature adds to help you digest the food. (yes, plants "want" their fruits and veggies to be eaten to spread seeds.)
Once you drop a few pounds, adding an exercise routine gets much easier.
Please don't skip brainwashing. You will be bombarded by advertisements, friends and relatives all pushing bad food choices. You need to fight back. Renew that library card and immerse yourself in diet books, natural cures, exercise books and anything else that will help you stay on your diet.
If you cheat, don't give up. Get back to healthy eating as fast as you can. I find that the later in the day you cheat the better.
I'm amazed at how healthy eating ends the never ending hunger nightmare. I always felt something was wrong with me. Even when my stomache was full, I would still want more. That problem has just disappeared.
I now resolve to excuse myself from what everyone else is eating. I just have the salad or what I can work into my diet. If I don't think there will be anything healthy, I bring my own or just don't go. When people invite you to dinner, tell them about your diet. If they don't want to accomodate you, don't go.

[Apple]

You stated that corn needed to be avoided. What's the deal with corn??

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Have one serving of protein per day. I prefer Alaska salmon (this is low in mercury) or chicken/turkey. Then have unlimited fruits and vegatables and preferably raw. The more raw your diet is, the more healthy it is. Cooking immediately destroys all enzymes and much of the vitamins. It "digs your grave with a spoon" and is suspected to cause 90% of illnesses including cancer.

That is a retarded thing to say.
Are you crazy??? First of all, how is something being 'low in mercury' a GOOD thing?? I don't think ANYTHING that potentially has ANY mercury in it should be eaten at all, let alone every day.
And Cooking absolutely does NOT destroy all enzymes and vitamins right away. That's another stupid comment to make. Sometimes OVER-cooking can leech out some of the nutrients, but also- sometimes cooking the food changes it just enough to help make the nutrients more available for your body to digest.
The only person who would "SUSPECT" that cooking vegetables 'causes 90% of illnesses, including cancer' would have to be someone who knows absolutely nothing about what science has discovered regarding vegetables and how your body digests them.
I'm surprised that someone who advocates educating yourself on how to be healthy would be so uneducated as to say all of this.

[Apple]

"That is a retarded thing to say...That's another stupid comment to make

These insulting remarks in the reply from an unregistered person should not be tolerated in this forum. I don't know who is responsible for removing this reply from this thread. It's been up for a while without any intervention. It's giving off a bad vibe.

[soysycophant]

i agree! that post was not constructive criticism at all. please keep your comments appropriate and considerate.

i agree with many so far in that u should substitute junk with a healthy equivalent! sometimes i get jealous when i see someone's chocolate cake or milkshake, but then i just go home and make a macro cous cous cake or a soy shake and i feel even better then if i had the "real" junk food. soemtimes we look to particular food high in sugar or salt b/c of emotional reasons too, or sometimes a food is missing from one's diet. any imbalance, be it emoptional or physical , can lead to cravings. so either face the source of the craving or distract yourself with a bit of fruit! =D