If you’re trying to lose weight or start a healthy lifestyle, the best thing you can do for yourself is to say no to junk food. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Junk foods contain numerous substances that have been shown to be highly addictive such as refined sugar and flour. Furthermore, these “non-foods” provide little nutrition and loads of calories and can be linked to a variety of health problems. Here are some tips that can help you give up junk food.
Remove it From Your Home
The first step to kicking the habit is to make sure there’s no junk around your house. Convenient access makes compulsive snacking easier. If you know it’s there, it’s going to constantly taunt you until you give in. Throw out all of your secret stashes and let it be known that no more junk is allowed past the front door.
Be Strong
For the first week or two of your commitment, you’re likely to experience some pretty intense cravings. During this period, your body is literally in a state of withdrawal from the vast quantities of sugar you’ve been giving it. Besides the cravings, withdrawal symptoms include hypoglycemia, mood swings and mild depression. If you can out-wait the symptoms, though, it’ll be smooth sailing from there.
Eat Healthy Food
After spending so long eating the standard American diet, you become programmed to prefer unhealthy foods. After removing them from your diet, you can re-program yourself to enjoy and desire wholesome and nutritious foods instead. Eventually, fresh fruit will be like candy to you and vegetables will be a must with every meal.
Exercise
Exercise takes on a new level of importance when you’re quitting junk food. Something as simple as going for a walk each day will fight cravings and mood swings, making the transition go more quickly. Furthermore, it will be a great benefit in helping you shed any of those extra pounds caused by the junk food. Just make sure to consume a post-workout shake with protein and carbs to help your body recover faster.
Get Distracted
When you find that you just can’t stop thinking about your favorite junk foods, it’s helpful if you’ve got something to become immersed in. Read a book, play a video game or go gardening. If you have a particular hobby, get absorbed in that instead. These activities are pleasurable in and of themselves, and they’ll help take your mind off of junk food for a while.
