Hi there moms. Could use some advice.
I do not let my kids have that much junk food - one peice of chocolate a day, goldfish and ice cream once in a while and pizza about once a month. But guess who ends up eating all of it? ME.
My husband loves sugar cereals (he eats it at night after the kids go to bed) and guess who ends up eating it with him? ME! He also keeps ice cream sandwiches, candy, chips for himself in the house and I end up eating it too. UUGGHH!
When I was single and lived alone - out of sight, out of mind, I did just fine. I never kept the stuff in the house.
Any strategies on how to develop some willpower not to eat that junk food when it is constantly within my reach?
Sorry - hubby is not going to give up his habits. He is a bean pole who can eat whatever he wants. :)
We have the same willpower!! And my hubby is also a bean poll with a junk food appetite. I do the shopping in the house. I buy him the junk food I do not like and he loves. I will also not buy any at all. He will go get it himself. He now just buys a single serving stuff. So thats what I do!
I can relate! My husband really enjoys eating ice cream at night. He'll have a huge bowl of it. I used to join him, but not anymore. Here's what helped me:
Slow down your eating and savor each bite. Stop the mindless eating. Put your snack on a plate or in a bowl. No seconds!
Write down everything you eat. Believe me, when you see the junk you're putting in your mouth, you'll either want to stop or make better choices.
Another thing that helps is portion control. Look at the nutrional information. See what 1 serving actually is. For example: with ice cream, 1 serving is typically 1/2 a cup. How many of us only have 1/2 cup of ice cream? A serving of peanut butter is typically 2 tablespoons. How many of us only use 2 tablespoons? Buy some measuring cups and spoons and measure things out for awhile. You'll probably be surprised.
Realize that you do not have to eat a snack when your husband does. Drink some herbal tea (I like Celestial Seasonings Cinnimon Spice & Apple, or green tea with a squeeze of lemon). Or if you want to eat a snack when he does, make sure it's a healthy alternative. Fruit, veggies & hummus, 1 serving of sorbet or ice cream - have 1 serving of your favorite piece of chocolate. I like dark chocolate and find that I cannot eat a lot of it. 1 serving does me fine - I nibble on it and savor each bite. Slow down your eating and savor each bite.
Hope this helps! Making little changes here and there makes a difference.
If you have gained weight then I would consider going to weight watchers. They teach you how to eat right. They make you write down everything you eat and count points. You are correct,out of sight out of mind. It is hard when one person can eat what they want and you can not. It is hard. May be go for a walk during the day with the kids. I know that the eating late at night is the real culprit of putting on weight. I am in the same boat myself and I and my fiancee both need to lose weight. Good luck
Are we related?
I can't blame my husband, though. I can eat the wrong stuff all by myself. And the worst part is - I do.
What works for me - when I DO it - is journaling (is that a word?) every single bit of food that goes into my mouth. It makes me think about what I'm doing. I tend to be brainless when it comes to food.
Having snacks can be a good thing, but you can plan your own snacks; they don't have to be your husband's. When he gets out the cereal, what can you get out for yourself?
My 2 tricks... I put a time limit on when I can eat. Sooo... I will have a snack, and then I will not be allowed to have another one for, say, 3 hours. The clock HAS to hit that mark before I can eat again. (I am a horrible muncher... blegh) I also keep a quart sized bottle of water in the fridge, and when I get the munchies the first thing I do is to chug about half of it. Then my stomach is really full, so if I do eat something, I can't eat much of it. Plus the water is good for losing weight and staying hydrated anyway.
My husband also likes his junk. My strategies are simple, but they work for me. I do my best not to know where he has hidden it. For the late night (after the kids go to bed) snacking, I brush my teeth right after the kids go to bed and it keeps me from sharing in his snack. I find that things taste funny after I brush and I don't want to have to do it again. Simple, but it works for me. Good luck!
I'd agree with people who said go on Weight Watchers. I lost all of my baby weight and more after my last child and will be going on it again after this baby (currently 35 weeks pregnant). Once you're done with your points for the day, you're done eating unless you want to have to write down all the additional stuff you ate.
One of the things I did though was visualize myself getting back into my clothes and being at the weight I was most comfortable with - it was more than enough to make me steer clear of the stuff my husband and kids were eating. My husband is a big guy (not fat, just very tall) and works out a lot so he can throw down 3 times what I can and not gain any weight. We both love Chinese so when he'd bring it into the house if I REALLY wanted some, I'd have ONE bite and then go find something else to do or go get something else that I'd bought for ME to eat. I always made sure to have an evening snack - my favorite was a WW chocolate cake with a cup of sliced strawberries drizzled with 1/2 tablespoon of chocolate syrup.
I actually don't want anyone hiding food from me - you need to be able to see that it's there and tell yourself it's just not worth eating, not worth ruining the goal you're working towards.
can you husband pick a cereal you don't like?
Otherwise, plan a nice cup of tea with a tsp or two of honey. That's what I do to get my sweet tooth satisfied. It really works for me.
