How can i eat ‘junk’ food in moderation

It might be more helpful to think of this as an addiction.

Alcoholics can still go to the pub, they just can’t drink alcohol. You can still go to KFC or McDonald’s or wherever, you just can’t eat what you used to eat. Most fast food places do healthier options - salads and wraps are alright, and you still get to enjoy the social aspect.

And like an addiction this doesn’t have to be for forever, it just has to be for today. Forever is an overwhelming amount of time. Every day that you wake up and say “today I’m not going to eat junk food” is a great day, and if you slip up? Well that’s fine, tomorrow is a brand new day.

All or nothing thinking is quite common in addictions.

thank u! i don’t eat junk food every day tho, like it’s so rare only when i go out with friends or the easter egg werk binge apart from that, when i’m at home i have no issues because i just won’t eat it. the meal i’m fine with even if it is a burger rather than a salad and maccies, but it’s the snacks. we’ll eat pizza and then there’ll be crisps at the table and i’ll sit and eat them like i can’t stop myself

Perhaps you may designate a day in a calendar as your "Junk Food Party Day", which makes you eat 'junk' foods once a year.

I hope this helps.

A bit unrealistic surely? What if you're not hungry that day?

Maybe eating less before the designated Junk Food Party Day will partly solve the problem so that you can mostly devote your eating hours to junk food, I guess.

I'd think maybe something like 1 cheat meal a month rather than 1 day a year would make more sense. One huge day of gluttony will just sick many people out, leaving them feeling guilty and oily for days. And as far as the carrot and stick approach goes, I think 'a year' is too weird a unit of time to measure food in... like I think if you told a group of people 'I only have cheat day a year!', they might think you were in some sort of cult or had something wrong with you.

I’m getting back on track after a week long binge (it was bad) down 14kg & i’ve got 7-8kg to go (i’m hoping 2 of those kgs will come of pretty quickly bc it went up bc of the binge so water retention). thing is i just can’t eat junk food in moderation. i’ve been eating healthy and loving it since nov, no binges, no cravings, healthy enjoyable meals that i want to keep eating even once i hit my goal weight (lifestyle change!). but when i do have ‘junk’ food i just cannot stop myself. my parents gave me an easter egg last week and i thought i’d be able to have a little bit every day but no i literally ate the whole thing in one day (350g of lindt chocolate in ONE DAY ontop of all the other binge food), if i don’t eat any chocolate crisps biscuits i’m absolutely fine but once i have one i just can’t stop. on that binge day i fancied some ritz crackers, i had the serving size of 7 crackers, then ended up eating the whole box!!!

i’m fine not having junk, i genuinely rarely crave it, if i do want sweet stuff i’m happier eating fruit than biscuits and chocolates but food is also a social thing that i want to enjoy (especially once i start eating at maintenance in probably a month or two) and sometimes i DO fancy chocolate, crisps etc and every time i try to honour those cravings i end up eating my whole kitchen?! like with the ritz crackers, i didn’t restrict myself, i allowed myself to eat those crackers but whenever i eat something ‘junk-y’ i want to shovel it all in my mouth rather than just having a serving and moving on with my life

p.s i’m not under eating, i feel SATISFIED and fine overall, i genuinely just can’t control myself with ‘refined’ & processed food. i just avoid it bc i’m find without it but i’m asking this bc sometimes you do want just a LITTLE or you just can’t avoid it bc social life etc

i feel bad that i can’t eat in moderation because my little brother had to bake stuff for a school thing and i refused to eat it because i know i can’t control myself, he looked so sad bless him, in that kind of situation i wish i could’ve just tried one piece, enjoyed it and moved on but the times i’ve tried to do that, i’d go and eat the entire batch :/

I think it's about learning how to control your addiction. Have you restricted yourself of these foods previously? A lot of nutritionists actually recommend incorporating something like a small dessert into your daily diet instead of 'cheat days' and that kind of thing, as you can often end up undoing your week's work.

I’m getting back on track after a week long binge (it was bad) down 14kg & i’ve got 7-8kg to go (i’m hoping 2 of those kgs will come of pretty quickly bc it went up bc of the binge so water retention). thing is i just can’t eat junk food in moderation. i’ve been eating healthy and loving it since nov, no binges, no cravings, healthy enjoyable meals that i want to keep eating even once i hit my goal weight (lifestyle change!). but when i do have ‘junk’ food i just cannot stop myself. my parents gave me an easter egg last week and i thought i’d be able to have a little bit every day but no i literally ate the whole thing in one day (350g of lindt chocolate in ONE DAY ontop of all the other binge food), if i don’t eat any chocolate crisps biscuits i’m absolutely fine but once i have one i just can’t stop. on that binge day i fancied some ritz crackers, i had the serving size of 7 crackers, then ended up eating the whole box!!!

i’m fine not having junk, i genuinely rarely crave it, if i do want sweet stuff i’m happier eating fruit than biscuits and chocolates but food is also a social thing that i want to enjoy (especially once i start eating at maintenance in probably a month or two) and sometimes i DO fancy chocolate, crisps etc and every time i try to honour those cravings i end up eating my whole kitchen?! like with the ritz crackers, i didn’t restrict myself, i allowed myself to eat those crackers but whenever i eat something ‘junk-y’ i want to shovel it all in my mouth rather than just having a serving and moving on with my life

p.s i’m not under eating, i feel SATISFIED and fine overall, i genuinely just can’t control myself with ‘refined’ & processed food. i just avoid it bc i’m find without it but i’m asking this bc sometimes you do want just a LITTLE or you just can’t avoid it bc social life etc

i feel bad that i can’t eat in moderation because my little brother had to bake stuff for a school thing and i refused to eat it because i know i can’t control myself, he looked so sad bless him, in that kind of situation i wish i could’ve just tried one piece, enjoyed it and moved on but the times i’ve tried to do that, i’d go and eat the entire batch :/