I’ve said for years, the one thing I envy of people quitting alcohol or other drugs, is the simplicity of the rules.
In their case the rule is just “No”. At every time, place, or circumstance, no matter what, it’s just “No”.
It would be so nice if food was that simple.
Seriously. Quitting cigarettes is childs play compared to eating healthy. I’ve managed to not smoke for years after quitting cold turkey. I’ve been trying to lose weight for a decade or more with varying degrees of success and failure. If I could just never have food and be fine, I would have been healthy a long time ago. But your body requires food, often multiple times a day. And life doesn’t always give you the time or options you need to keep healthy. And not even getting into the horrible nutrition education I’ve had my entire life, it’s like everything was set up for me to fail, and then everyone’s mad at me for failing, like it wasn’t the expected outcome.
It’s serious medicine and not right for everyone but if you’re seriously obese then consider discussing Semaglutide or similar medications with your doctor. For some people it had been a game changer. It can make it easier to eat a small portion and then stop and it can quiet the persistent food thoughts. The side effects can be too much for some folks and it’s definitely something that shouldn’t be started without doing research and discussing with a physician. But it can make dietary changes much more attainable.
I made a kind of deal with myself that if I wanted baked goods and sweets I had to make them myself. Since then I’ve learned to make brownies, cookies, ice cream, sorbet, chocolate ganache tarts, pancakes, and more. It’s fun, allows you to be creative, and the extra work of having to make if yourself keeps you in check.
@Steve @shish_mish There is one rule I follow: no packaged snacks. Any snacks I want, I make at home. I got into it for environmental reasons, but after I went vegan, it was the main principle stopping me from going for all of those vegan junk food options. Instead, I make bliss balls and, occasionally, cookies or other treats. Those combined with fruit make great snacks while not destroying my health.
Oh, I also pretty much always go for WFPB recipes, even for snacks.
It sort of is that simple. There are no addictive ingredients in whole foods. Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, non-processed proteins. People just have to make better decisions at the grocery store.
