I am a junk food junkie! How can I make the transition to a healthy diet as smooth as possible without going through junk food withdrawals? I don’t know if I can give up those sweet and salty foods.
The key to weaning yourself away from junk foods is first to make sure your diet has plenty of satisfying, good-for-you foods. If you skip meals, you set the stage for being hungry, which can feed, literally, into possibly feasting on candy, chips, and other sweets and snacks to satisfy your appetite.
Now, about junk food in general. I’m not an advocate of making any food(s) forbidden. History has taught me that once you make certain foods off limits, they can become uncontrollable cravings in your life. So if I want an extra, I have it, but I use this simple trick: I buy snack items in individual-size servings.
If I am dying for a piece of candy, I go to the nickel candy display at the supermarket, and I buy no more than a dime’s worth. If it’s something salty I’m after, I buy the kid’s lunch-box size bag of pretzels or chips. This way it’s easier for me to gauge the amount I am eating. After a bag, I’m typically satisfied and on my way.
For my frozen dessert desires, I bypass the half-gallon container of low-fat ice cream, because I am apt to scoop out a cereal-bowl portion at a time. Rather, I buy ice cream either in pre-portioned half-cup servings or on a stick.