Please help me give up junk food!!

Blighter · 24-06-2009, 21:04

As you all know - I eat a lot of crap.

It's not the unhealthy side I stuff that's making me want to give up as my metabolism(?) is still (currently!) very good.
I'm spending about 1/4-1/3 of my income on food... bad

I've tried taking packed lunch to work but sandwiches just bore me and I need to take 3-4 to actually fill me up

I think the problem I have is I currently have no *need* to save, so I just spend. I don't really want to, I just do it :/

Any ideas on how to kick myself into shape?

iCraig · 24-06-2009, 22:09

Properly prepared food is more interesting than junk food, so you just need a good recipe book, some imagination and quality ingredients.

Blighter · 24-06-2009, 22:13

The other issue is convenience. I just don't have the time to stand in the kitchen and prepare stuff every day and if I made say, 5 portions of chilli, I'd just get bored and go buy a KFC :/

iCraig · 24-06-2009, 22:25

I hear you. Nobody wants to prepare something that takes hours, leaves behind tons of washing up, and only feeds you for a few meals.

The key is to keep it simple. 3 core ingredients per meal, and vary your meals. Less ingredients mean less complications with the cooking, less cleaning up to do after etc.

Sandwiches can be really boring, so don't conform to them. Make simple pasta and rice based meals and take them in tuppaware to eat with a fork. Once you get into it, I kid you not, there's thousands of different meals to pick from.

Desmo · 25-06-2009, 07:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blighter

It's not the unhealthy side I stuff that's making me want to give up as my metabolism(?) is still (currently!) very good.

Think of this a different way. Your metabolism might be high enough to stop you putting on weight, but it doesn't mean all the junk food isn't doing damage on the inside.

Have you got a big freezer? Buy a load of tupperware pots, cook up some chilli, bolognaise, caseroles, etc and freeze them. Easy to pull out during the week to chuck them in the microwave for lunch.

TinkerBell · 25-06-2009, 07:29

At the end of the day we could give you all the advice in the world, but it is only YOU that can stop yourself buying things and eating them.

If you want to stop eating junk food you need to do as the above as said. Make meals for yourself at dinner time, you need to get some recipe books and prepare food for lunch time. If you vary it from day to day then you won't get bored. Also if you made 5 lots of chilli, it doesn't mean you have to eat it day after day until it is all gone. Make a batch and put it in the freezer, then when you really don't have time to make any dinner then have the chilli. When you do have time then make something different, possibly something else that you can freeze

Stan_Lite · 25-06-2009, 07:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Desmo

Think of this a different way. Your metabolism might be high enough to stop you putting on weight, but it doesn't mean all the junk food isn't doing damage on the inside.

Have you got a big freezer? Buy a load of tupperware pots, cook up some chilli, bolognaise, caseroles, etc and freeze them. Easy to pull out during the week to chuck them in the microwave for lunch.

That's what I do, except I use freezer bags rather than tupperware - takes up less room. I currently have, in my freezer, 6 portions of steak & kidney stew, 4 portions of spag bol, 1 portion of lamb stew (will have to make more soon) and 8 portions of boiled rice (I bought a whole bag of brown rice and boiled it up). I'm going to make a batch of chilli soon to freeze and probably some tuna and prawn pasta sauce.

I was the same when I was your age. I metabolised food so fast, it didn't matter what I ate or how much, I was always slim. Like me, you will probably get to a point where your metabolism slows and you'll start to get fat. Don't let yourself get into the condition I was in. I went from 11 1/2 stone to 17st 2lb and am now working hard to get my weight down to a healthy level (I'm down to about 15st but it's been bloody hard work and I have a fair bit to go yet). You're better off starting to eat healthy now before it starts. It doesn't take a huge effort to cook healthy, nutritious food - if you can trudge around the countryside for half a day, surely it's not too much effort to spend half an hour in the kitchen making something tasty and healthy. It'll be a damn sight cheaper too.

I'm not trying to preach mate, just pass on the benefit of my experience

Mark · 25-06-2009, 09:50

All I can offer is good luck. I'll be reading this thread with interest as I need to break my habit too. Really doesn't help that I don't have the slightest inclination (or skill) to cook.

Blighter · 25-06-2009, 09:55

Thanks for the advice guys and girls. It is helpful

So bearing in mind my (lack of) interest in cooking, and lack of free time.. what is a nice and easy freezable meal?

I guess a stir fry is kind of easy but can you freeze it?

Tak · 25-06-2009, 09:59

Pasta bakes are always good - cook up some pasta, add some meat and veg (I usually do bacon and mushrooms and onion but have done chicken with peas and sweetcorn too), add a white sauce (I usually use a cheese sauce but peppercorn is good too), serve up or freeze

24-06-2009, 21:04	#1
Blighter Dubious Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Northampton Posts: 1,571	Please help me give up junk food!! As you all know - I eat a lot of crap. It's not the unhealthy side I stuff that's making me want to give up as my metabolism(?) is still (currently!) very good. I'm spending about 1/4-1/3 of my income on food... bad I've tried taking packed lunch to work but sandwiches just bore me and I need to take 3-4 to actually fill me up I think the problem I have is I currently have no need to save, so I just spend. I don't really want to, I just do it :/ Any ideas on how to kick myself into shape? __________________ Look at your signature, now back to mine, now back to yours, now back to mine. Sadly, yours isn't mine. But if you stopped writing about other things and made this your signature, yours could be like mine. Look down, back up. Where are you? You're on Boat Drinks, reading the signature your signature could be like. I'm on a computer. My Blog \| More Outdoors \| MSN \| Email \| Call Me

24-06-2009, 22:09	#2
iCraig iCustom User Title Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,250	Properly prepared food is more interesting than junk food, so you just need a good recipe book, some imagination and quality ingredients. __________________

24-06-2009, 22:13	#3
Blighter Dubious Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Northampton Posts: 1,571	The other issue is convenience. I just don't have the time to stand in the kitchen and prepare stuff every day and if I made say, 5 portions of chilli, I'd just get bored and go buy a KFC :/ __________________ Look at your signature, now back to mine, now back to yours, now back to mine. Sadly, yours isn't mine. But if you stopped writing about other things and made this your signature, yours could be like mine. Look down, back up. Where are you? You're on Boat Drinks, reading the signature your signature could be like. I'm on a computer. My Blog \| More Outdoors \| MSN \| Email \| Call Me

24-06-2009, 22:25	#4
iCraig iCustom User Title Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,250	I hear you. Nobody wants to prepare something that takes hours, leaves behind tons of washing up, and only feeds you for a few meals. The key is to keep it simple. 3 core ingredients per meal, and vary your meals. Less ingredients mean less complications with the cooking, less cleaning up to do after etc. Sandwiches can be really boring, so don't conform to them. Make simple pasta and rice based meals and take them in tuppaware to eat with a fork. Once you get into it, I kid you not, there's thousands of different meals to pick from. __________________

25-06-2009, 09:55	#9
Blighter Dubious Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Northampton Posts: 1,571	Thanks for the advice guys and girls. It is helpful So bearing in mind my (lack of) interest in cooking, and lack of free time.. what is a nice and easy freezable meal? I guess a stir fry is kind of easy but can you freeze it? __________________ Look at your signature, now back to mine, now back to yours, now back to mine. Sadly, yours isn't mine. But if you stopped writing about other things and made this your signature, yours could be like mine. Look down, back up. Where are you? You're on Boat Drinks, reading the signature your signature could be like. I'm on a computer. My Blog \| More Outdoors \| MSN \| Email \| Call Me

25-06-2009, 07:29	#6
TinkerBell Dirty Spammer Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In the middle! Posts: 2,454	At the end of the day we could give you all the advice in the world, but it is only YOU that can stop yourself buying things and eating them. If you want to stop eating junk food you need to do as the above as said. Make meals for yourself at dinner time, you need to get some recipe books and prepare food for lunch time. If you vary it from day to day then you won't get bored. Also if you made 5 lots of chilli, it doesn't mean you have to eat it day after day until it is all gone. Make a batch and put it in the freezer, then when you really don't have time to make any dinner then have the chilli. When you do have time then make something different, possibly something else that you can freeze

25-06-2009, 09:50	#8
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	All I can offer is good luck. I'll be reading this thread with interest as I need to break my habit too. Really doesn't help that I don't have the slightest inclination (or skill) to cook.

25-06-2009, 09:59	#10
Tak L'Oréal Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Portsmouth Posts: 9,977	Pasta bakes are always good - cook up some pasta, add some meat and veg (I usually do bacon and mushrooms and onion but have done chicken with peas and sweetcorn too), add a white sauce (I usually use a cheese sauce but peppercorn is good too), serve up or freeze __________________ The look on your face when a toddler rips out your heart and shows it to you? Priceless.... For everything else, there's FWOOSH!