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How To Stop Eating Crap All The Time

I have received lots of emails from well-meaning readers over the years who think I’m too hard on myself (and them!) about food because I sometimes write about resisting temptation and cutting back on calories. I do appreciate these emails (and I always reply to them) but I will never apologise for or stop talking about portion control and sensible eating. There are hundreds of thousands of people who struggle every day with making healthy choices and resisting the urge to eat whatever the hell they fancy for dinner every night. I’m one of them. I love food and I’m very good at over-eating.

In the last few years, I’ve really got on top of my eating by cutting way back on sugar and eating low carb high-fat foods but occasionally old habits sneak up and I find a lot of ‘sometimes’ foods sneaking up and becoming ‘everyday’ foods. Like I’ll have an Atkins low carb chocolate bar every now and then but I try not to have them every day. Why? Artificial sweeteners aren’t great and I also don’t want to get into the habit of having something sweet every day. If I stop concentrating my once a fortnight treat becomes a once a week treat which then becomes a twice on the weekend treat… you see where I’m going with this.

If I stop concentrating, my eating habits can very questionable very quickly. Here’s what I do when I want to cut back on the amount of crap I’m eating…

stop eating crap

1. Don’t make crap your only option

If the easiest place to get food near your work is a service station or a greasy food truck and you buy your lunch every day, you’ve set yourself up for failure. It’s totally fine to grab a schnitzel sandwich once every few weeks when you’re running low on groceries but avoid putting yourself in situations where you have to make poor choices daily. Pack healthy snacks, pre-prepare your meals and don’t put yourself in a position where you’re forced to have fried stuff every day.

2. Pay attention to how gross you feel when you eat crap

Without fail, I always feel sluggish, headachey and full of regret whenever I overdo it on non-nourishing foods. I feel great after one Tim Tam… after five Tim Tams, I wish there was a place you could go to safely and painlessly have food extracted from your body. If you’ve overdone it on snacks and sweets, pay attention to how gross you feel and remember that feeling next time you’re considering eating a whole packet of Maltesers.

3. Think quality over quantity

If you absolutely adore wine and can’t think of anything better than having a glass of beautiful merlot with your dinner, don’t waste calories on a big handful of yucky jelly beans at morning tea. Calories are like money so make sure you spend them on things you love, rather than things that just happen to be there.

4. Be calm and rational

Try not to over think it. If you’ve made a decision to cut back on sugar, just own it and do it. Not having a piece of cake at morning tea isn’t going to ruin your day unless you let it. Just take a deep breath, make yourself a cup of tea, say ‘No thanks!’ and don’t give it another thought.

5. Don’t give in to peer pressure

If your friend is hungover and wants to order a giant plate of chips, that’s totally fine but you can still order something healthy. If you’re trying to cut back on drinking but one of your mates wants to go on a bender, you don’t have to do it with them. You are actually the boss of your own body and you get to decide what goes in it… not your mate who’s having a last-minute blow out before she starts a giant diet the next day.

How do you cope with resisting non-nourishing foods? Any tips to stop eating crap all the time?

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8 Comments

  1. Mykki 5 years ago

    I’ve actually found that after cutting out sugary, greasy, and otherwise unhealthy foods for a while that I actually stop craving them altogether. And when I do eat something like that, I can only handle it in small quantities or I get sick – and that’s a GREAT way to put yourself off wanting to do that again.

    There was a poll on Twitter earlier today about the best way to eat Oreo cookies. And I couldn’t think of one, because they don’t even sound appetizing anymore. As a kid I could have eaten a whole package!

    So for me, it’s about being committed to eliminating them from my diet until I no longer crave them. Then I don’t even think about it. How awesome is that?

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 5 years ago

      Me too! Proper sugar taste really coppery to me now, almost like blood and if I over do it (Same with Mr Smags) we both get sugar nightmares and they’re HORRIFIC. So not worth it. Oreos are gross – weirdly burnt tasting. I wouldn’t waste calories on them either!

  2. Missy D 5 years ago

    I make sure I don’t have ‘junk’ food in the house – that way if I want it, I have to go and get it. And I have to really want it to bother going to get it. For me, it’s all or nothing. I’m not someone who can have one square of chocolate and go, ‘Mm, yum. That’s enough!’ I will totally eat the whole thing if it’s there, so I make sure it’s not there.

    I also have lots of snacks packed in with my lunch – especially when you’re first starting out, you get hungry easily, so I make sure I have enough to get me through a full day at work. Apple for those sugar cravings, a small cheese and crackers, some carrot and celery sticks etc.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 5 years ago

      I’m the same! Huge abstainer here because I’m in capable of moderating.

  3. I feel that pain. I love chocolates and desserts. I’m a vegetarian so going somewhere like McDonald’s and having greasy food isn’t on my radar, but a sweet treat, I’m all over it. Earlier this summer I had blood work done for a physical and the doctor said my blood sugar is in the normal range, but getting high. Closing in on diabetes territory. So I tell you there’s nothing like fear to motivate you to quit snacking, and work on willpower and portion control. That bag of Maltesers you mentioned. No problem for me to eat in minutes. The big bag would take me longer. A handful here and there over a few days to put it out of its misery. A Snickers, a Coffee Crisp, a Mr. Big I can take any of them down fast. What I find slows me down are those expensive organic, fair trade chocolate bars. Those I can snap off a tiny piece, maybe not even every day, and make one of those bars last for weeks.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 5 years ago

      Dark chocolate really slows me down! Before I quit sugar though I could plough through a block of milk chocolate no danger.

  4. Tessa Vosseyre 5 years ago

    Happy NY Carly! My go to blog when I need new inspiration or an old bum kick! Thanks for all your awesome content! 2019 I turn 40 & this shit is getting real. Cannot gain more fat! 16:8 & controlled carbs within that 8 hrs must happen as it’s amazing when it does! I feel strong & fit (yah) but fat (truth) . I’m like your metabolism. Thanks for sharing. Love & bubba snuggles
    Theresa Gold Coast
    QLD

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