town junk food!

[skinny by summer]

Hey, I'm new on the forum, my name's Megan

I'm 15, and often go into town with my friends, but I find that I'm constantly tempted by the amount of cheap, easily accessible junk food that is everywhere around town!

Does anyone have any tips on how to resist temptation and still have fun with friends when surrounded by all this fast food?

 

[Starlight]

Hi there

What diet are you following

 

[skinny by summer]

I'm not actually following a diet, just trying to cut down on my binge eating habits and increase my exercise

 

[Pink!]

When I was your age I tricked myself into believing that I really didn't like junk food, lol, but yeh...

It is really hard to resist when everyone else is eating nice stuff. Maccy ds have fruit bags so you could always buy those, or go to a newsagents n buy a sandwich or fruit or something instead. Or just eat before you go out and just have a drink with your mates.

But tbh you could just have a kids meal or something, as long as it's not every day and you're healthy the rest of the week n stuff.

best wishes.

 

[Ellem]

I think one of the best things to do is make sure you're not hungry when you're out. Try to stick to 3 meals a day and 3 healthy snacks a day at regular times and you'll get into a routine. I do this and when I'm out and about if I've eaten well the rest of the day I just tell myself that I don't need that bar of chocolate/burger/whatever. If you are out around a meal time and you are going to eat out then go for the healthiest option - it's fine to have a burger and a diet coke if it's your dinner but it's things like fries, milkshakes and ice creams that bump up the calories.

Convincing yourself you don't like a thing is actually a pretty good idea. I worked in a petrol station when I was 18 and was surrounded by sweets and snacks. I used to visualise bars of chocolate as fancy wrapped blocks of lard to put myself off eating it and it worked. (and to be honest, that's what they are really once they are attached as fat to the tummy! )

Also, if you aren't likely to be passing anywhere that has healthy snacks then take some with you. Carry an apple and a banana around in your bag to snack on. Another thing is just practice saying "no". "Nah, I'm not hungry, I'll be getting dinner when I go home". "I had a big breakfast/lunch/dinner, I'll just have a bottle of water" - I find it easier to say things like this rather than say "arrgghh no I can't, I'm cutting down" as then friends are more likely to say "oh go on, just once wont hurt".

Once you start making healthy choices it's easier to keep them healthy, you start thinking about what's good to put in your body and what will keep you fuller for longer. When I go out now I say to myself "I can eat whatever I want, so long as it's healthy" so when my uni friends went to McDonalds I popped a few doors down and bought a ham salad roll instead. That's especially easy to do in the summer months when you can encourage friends to eat out then all go eat outside somewhere.

 

[Starlight]

Personally I think anything in Moderation does no harm. If its a weekly treat then have something, but have a look at the stores website and see whats your most sensible option.

Im on WW and know that 6 nuggets and small fries are very low in points and if Im taking my niece to McDs for a treat it means I can have something with her...

Junk food etc are a fact of life, its impractical to think you can avoid things like that forever so getting used to going places with friends but making sensible choices is a good place to be

 

[Rigby]

If you're wanting to avoid it completely at the moment then I think it does get easier once you've said 'no' a couple of times.

I agree that treats like that are ok in moderation, so if you want to be able to join in then the children's meal suggestion is a good one, or alternatively just have a burger but no chips, have a diet drink, etc. Why not have a look online at the nutritional information of some of the sorts of foods you might be tempted with? If you know how many calories are in things you might potentially end up eating then you can either make the best choice out of the options, or it might help you to not want those sorts of foods at all.

 

[alphashallows]

You could always try going into Boots, seeing as most high streets have them. It's what I do when my friends want to go to Burger King or McDonalds, and they don't think anything of it as Boots have lovely food! And it's all calorie labelled too, and fairly cheap if you get a meal deal. I practically live on Boots meal deals...

 

[RaspberryOatmeal]

I used to have the problem, but I pretty much curbed it. I usually just buy a Pepsi Max, and I opt for low-calorie sweets (i.e. refreshers). I know it's not great but it works for me. You could try going into a nearby supermarket (or Boots like someone suggested) and buying a low calorie sandwich, fruit bag or cereal bar, something like that. Just read the labels.

 

[nicolaann]

diet coke! i cant belive how much coke i used to drink at your age completely ignorant what i was drinking.. just substitute what u normaly have for healthier options.. the fact u are aware will help u loads as it then becomes your choice and u can choose to have a lighter option
well done

 

[Yummum]

You know maccy ds do salads, and maybe why not pursuade your friends to try spudulike for a change. What about trying some of the Chinese fast food outlets as well and have a bowl of noodles.. Much less fat than a burger and chips .

 

[skinny by summer]

Thankyou for the advice everyone! I'll definitely try to follow

Had ice cream today so feeling extra chubby -.- How is everyone else doing?

 

[RaspberryOatmeal]

When I went into town today, I went into Boots and I bought a chocolate strawberry nougat bar (84 calories), a bag of Shapers bacon rashers (99 calories) and a fruit bag containing apples and grapes (it didn't state the calories but I'm assuming it was no more than 50). It was really yummy. There's a whole variety of tasty (but low fat/calorie) foods to choose from in Boots - you should try it!

 

[Fredcat]

like others have said, Boots do nice low cal sarnies, maccyD's fillet o fish is lower cals than most other things, and they have the salads, but not sure how many cals in the dressings that come with salads, or, as daft as it sounds, chicken kebab with salad is also fairly low in cals if served on pitta bread. Jacket potato another good option.

 

[xCharlottex]

You could take some fruit out with you

 

[lou*belle]

do you even need to diet hun as your bmi is in the healthy range ??