Luckily, a well-trained body goes a long way towards helping a slightly off-kilter mind. Thanks in part to my new found "limitations," today I can walk away from cake or limit myself to one or two bites—but that's taken years of training.
It's safe to say that junk food addiction is a very real thing. The first place to look for proof is the ever-mounting pile of scientific evidence, including a recent study out of Sweden showing that the hormone ghrelin, which activates the brain's reward system and increases appetite, reacts similarly to sugar and alcohol.
Luckily, a well-trained body goes a long way towards helping a slightly off-kilter mind. Thanks in part to my new found "limitations," today I can walk away from cake or limit myself to one or two bites—but that's taken years of training.
It's safe to say that junk food addiction is a very real thing. The first place to look for proof is the ever-mounting pile of scientific evidence, including a recent study out of Sweden showing that the hormone ghrelin, which activates the brain's reward system and increases appetite, reacts similarly to sugar and alcohol.
Why we're hooked on garbage
There are the increasingly decadent foods we have 24-hour access to. In his book The End of Overeating, Dr. David Kessler theorizes that manufacturers have, over the years, engineered the balance of fat, sugar, and salt in junk food to the point of making it irresistible. He refers to our gluttonous response to this crackified food as "conditioned hypereating."
Most of this current thinking revolves around physiological factors, such as the fact our brains are hardwired to seek out highly caloric foods as a "feast or famine" instinct. By adulthood, most of us are a hodgepodge of neuroses and psychoses for whom a Twinkie has become a security blanket, so this urge to splurge will never completely vanish. Sure, you can retrain your body to crave healthy food, but your psyche may never stop seeking validation, Hostess® style.
There are the increasingly decadent foods we have 24-hour access to. In his book The End of Overeating, Dr. David Kessler theorizes that manufacturers have, over the years, engineered the balance of fat, sugar, and salt in junk food to the point of making it irresistible. He refers to our gluttonous response to this crackified food as "conditioned hypereating."Most of this current thinking revolves around physiological factors, such as the fact our brains are hardwired to seek out highly caloric foods as a "feast or famine" instinct. By adulthood, most of us are a hodgepodge of neuroses and psychoses for whom a Twinkie has become a security blanket, so this urge to splurge will never completely vanish. Sure, you can retrain your body to crave healthy food, but your psyche may never stop seeking validation, Hostess® style.
How to keep that addiction under control
If you're going to break a sugar habit, it's going to take time, patience, and willpower. But take it from someone who used to work her way through an entire box of cereal for breakfast: If I can do it, so can you. Here's where to start.
- Clean all the junk food out of your home. Think of the stereotypical image of the woman getting dumped by her boyfriend and climbing into bed with a tub of Ben & Jerry's®. If that tub wasn't in the freezer to begin with, odds are that she would have instead settled for a soak in the tub.
There's also "unconscious eating" to worry about—when you just grab a bag of fried carbs while you're sitting in front of the tube and stuff your face for no reason. If you don't have access to the junk, the only bag you'll be able to grab for will be filled with baby carrots. If someone brings some junk over for a dinner party, enjoy it with them and dump the rest when they leave.
- Make 80% clean. Relax with that other 20%. Just because your kitchen cupboard no longer looks like a movie theater concession stand doesn't mean you can't live it up sometimes. If most of your diet is super tight, you're doing great, so cut yourself some slack. When I made my first big push to clean up my diet, Friday was Cookie Day. I ate like a saint 6 days a week, but every Friday I had a giant chocolate chip cookie.
Knowing I had Cookie Day to look forward to made all those carrots on the other days much more palatable.
- Make a comforting ritual out of eating healthy. The fact that Cookie Day was a ritual was also quite helpful. Unhealthy eating is often ritualistic—something comfortable and constant that you can depend on. Not only can you have your own Cookie Day—a conscious, controlled, weekly moment of indulgence—but you can replace unhealthy rituals with healthy ones.
For example, I used to drink Dr Pepper every day - multiple times a day. It was my source or caffeine. (I don't like coffee) So, I rationalized that it was my cup of coffee, but it lasted all day. When I realized it wasn't doing me any favors, I replaced it with water. The 21-days-to-form-a-habit thing has no scientific backing, but eventually a behavior pattern will set in. In my case, after three weeks I stopped missing Dr Pepper.
- Discover new, yummy fruits and veggies. There's a lot of weird, healthy food out there. Sometimes, we avoid fresh produce because we're either bored of the same old oranges or there's a stigma associated with particular produce. Dad just forced you to eat asparagus one too many times. If this is a problem for you, buy fruits and veggies you don't recognize. If you don't know how to prepare it, do an internet search for "(produce name) + recipe." You might stumble on a new flavor that completely blows your mind.
- Carry healthy foods with you at all times. If you carry a purse or a backpack, throw an apple or some raw nuts in there. In this Fast Food Nation, it's pretty easy to find yourself in situations where you're hungry and, shucks, you just have no choice but to buy a donut because that's the only thing you have access to.
You don't have that excuse if there's a snack in your pack. Here are a few to consider:
- Fresh fruit (Apples and oranges travel well!)
- Dried fruit (It all travels well!)
- Raw nuts
- Whole-grain crackers
- A Shakeology® packet
- Binge on healthy foods. I'm probably the only person who will ever give you this advice since it's a wee bit questionable. Every once in the while, something emotional triggers me and I need to eat junk. Someday I might completely conquer this urge, but not yet. When I feel this happening, I hit the fridge and "pre-binge" on healthy foods, mainly raw veggies. Sooner or later, the ice cream or chips come out, but by that point, I'm so full of carrots or spinach that I'm not physically capable of doing too much damage. Dysfunctional? Maybe, but a vast improvement over the alternative.
You might be one of those lucky souls who just decided to walk away from the candy counter and never looked back. Good for you. I'm not one of those people. Eating right is much easier than it was 2 years ago, but it's still a process. That said, the rewards are innumerable, so why don't you set down the pudding pop, grab a peach, and join me?
Renee
Smith
If you're going to break a sugar habit, it's going to take time, patience, and willpower. But take it from someone who used to work her way through an entire box of cereal for breakfast: If I can do it, so can you. Here's where to start.- Clean all the junk food out of your home. Think of the stereotypical image of the woman getting dumped by her boyfriend and climbing into bed with a tub of Ben & Jerry's®. If that tub wasn't in the freezer to begin with, odds are that she would have instead settled for a soak in the tub.
There's also "unconscious eating" to worry about—when you just grab a bag of fried carbs while you're sitting in front of the tube and stuff your face for no reason. If you don't have access to the junk, the only bag you'll be able to grab for will be filled with baby carrots. If someone brings some junk over for a dinner party, enjoy it with them and dump the rest when they leave. - Make 80% clean. Relax with that other 20%. Just because your kitchen cupboard no longer looks like a movie theater concession stand doesn't mean you can't live it up sometimes. If most of your diet is super tight, you're doing great, so cut yourself some slack. When I made my first big push to clean up my diet, Friday was Cookie Day. I ate like a saint 6 days a week, but every Friday I had a giant chocolate chip cookie.
Knowing I had Cookie Day to look forward to made all those carrots on the other days much more palatable. - Make a comforting ritual out of eating healthy. The fact that Cookie Day was a ritual was also quite helpful. Unhealthy eating is often ritualistic—something comfortable and constant that you can depend on. Not only can you have your own Cookie Day—a conscious, controlled, weekly moment of indulgence—but you can replace unhealthy rituals with healthy ones.
For example, I used to drink Dr Pepper every day - multiple times a day. It was my source or caffeine. (I don't like coffee) So, I rationalized that it was my cup of coffee, but it lasted all day. When I realized it wasn't doing me any favors, I replaced it with water. The 21-days-to-form-a-habit thing has no scientific backing, but eventually a behavior pattern will set in. In my case, after three weeks I stopped missing Dr Pepper. - Discover new, yummy fruits and veggies. There's a lot of weird, healthy food out there. Sometimes, we avoid fresh produce because we're either bored of the same old oranges or there's a stigma associated with particular produce. Dad just forced you to eat asparagus one too many times. If this is a problem for you, buy fruits and veggies you don't recognize. If you don't know how to prepare it, do an internet search for "(produce name) + recipe." You might stumble on a new flavor that completely blows your mind.
- Carry healthy foods with you at all times. If you carry a purse or a backpack, throw an apple or some raw nuts in there. In this Fast Food Nation, it's pretty easy to find yourself in situations where you're hungry and, shucks, you just have no choice but to buy a donut because that's the only thing you have access to.
You don't have that excuse if there's a snack in your pack. Here are a few to consider:- Fresh fruit (Apples and oranges travel well!)
- Dried fruit (It all travels well!)
- Raw nuts
- Whole-grain crackers
- A Shakeology® packet
- Binge on healthy foods. I'm probably the only person who will ever give you this advice since it's a wee bit questionable. Every once in the while, something emotional triggers me and I need to eat junk. Someday I might completely conquer this urge, but not yet. When I feel this happening, I hit the fridge and "pre-binge" on healthy foods, mainly raw veggies. Sooner or later, the ice cream or chips come out, but by that point, I'm so full of carrots or spinach that I'm not physically capable of doing too much damage. Dysfunctional? Maybe, but a vast improvement over the alternative.
Renee
Smith
Independent
Diamond BeachBody Coach
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