When I eat crappy I feel crappy... and yet I still do it.

[laohaire]

WHY???????

It must be the convenience. I eat from scratch, mostly local. And about twice a week I don't plan ahead, I get hungry, and I reach for convenience. Boxed macaroni and cheese. Or pizza takeout. And then, yuck.

I can really feel how it affects me for maybe even a full day. My energy is lower. I am less likely to do my workout. Hell, I'm less likely to just get my butt out of the chair. My mood is a little less light and flexible. I'm not necessarily crabby but more POTENTIALLY so, I guess.

And yet. And yet. And yet I still sometimes eat crap. Sigh.

[mommy2two babes]

Not that often but every once in a while I eat Mcpukes and really regret it later. Yet I still do it.

[Dr.Worm]

Me too...and I agree that it is the convenience thing. I get low blood sugar so by the time I am home from work I end up grabbing something fast and easy. I have started bringing healthy snacks with me and packing a lunch too. The newest and simplest thing we have been eating for lunch is a Biggest Loser recipe...just a tortilla with turkey and a little cheddar cheese. You can add things but we just like it plain and then bring a snack of strawberries and string cheese.

[lil_earthmomma]

I totally used to do this!!! I have remedied this (mostly) by:

1. Not having crap in the house.

2. Making your own convenience foods! My favorites are casseroles, calzones, stuffed buns. I make and freeze these.

Also, quesadillas are our favorite "I don't feel like cooking" meal. We just grate some cheese and throw whatever's in the fridge on them, and then throw it on the fry pan (no oil nec!) and flip. Mexican grilled cheese!

Some of our other lazy meals are breakfast for dinner, and buns with cold cuts, cheeses, veggies.

[Ruthla]

I've found that, once I've eaten junk food, and I feel bad, and it's harder to keep up my resolve to eat well. It's just easier to have the discipline to eat well when I already feel good.

IMO, you need to keep some "healthy but easy to grab" foods in the house. Why do you even have crappy boxed mac n cheese in the house? At the very least, you can buy the all-natural brands of mac n cheese and avoid the most harmful additives. Almost as easy is to cook up plain pasta, and mix it with butter, parmesean cheese, and a few spices. Maybe throw in a can of tuna and some frozen or canned veggies.

What is it about takeout pizza that affects your body so poorly? Is it the carb/protein ratio? Additives the pizza place uses? It's not too hard to make your own pizza, and then you can control the ingredients. Frozen pizza dough, jarred sauce, and bags of pre-shredded cheese can make the preparation as quick as waiting for a pizza delivery.

[mrs joe bubby]

Originally Posted by lil_earthmomma

I totally used to do this!!! I have remedied this (mostly) by:

1. Not having crap in the house.

This is the biggest thing that's worked for us. I buy at most one convenience food/treat when shopping. It's also the only one I've been able to cut down on my own junky snacking habits. If I have to actually make or cut something, usually I'll change my mind...

[WC_hapamama]

The rare occasions that I eat pizza I haven't made myself, I get it from a pizzeria that makes everything from scratch... no frozen dough, jarred sauce and pre-shredded cheese.

Sure, it costs more than Dominos, but it's absolutely worth it.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by mrs joe bubby

This is the biggest thing that's worked for us. I buy at most one convenience food/treat when shopping. It's also the only one I've been able to cut down on my own junky snacking habits. If I have to actually make or cut something, usually I'll change my mind...

Shopping is where I have the most trouble. I'll have a meal plan and a list and everything...but I get out of the house a little late. So, I remember to pack snack bags for the kids (the single most effective way to increase my odds of a pain-free shopping trip), but I never remember one for me. As with many people, if I shop when I'm hungry, I buy way more crap. I also have a tendency to forget the crap I already put in the cart, so I see pretzels or something, and throw them in...while forgetting that there's a bag of Miss Vickie's chips buried under everything else. It's terrible.

I'm still doing better than I used to, but not as well as I'd like. I've been awful the last week or two. I don't think I'm taking in enough calories, so I reach for something crappy to round it out (kind of like the way my teenage son boosts his calorie intake with sugar whenever he can).

[tanyam926]

I suffer w/you guys. I feel like my body has gotten so used to eating real food that when I eat crap it just throws everything off.

My mood is affected so much that I feel almost depressed. I have just started to notice the correlation in the last few days.

My stomache hurts, I feel awful, but I still do it sometimes. Why...?

I guess for me it's being out w/my family and not wanting to spend a lot of money on eating out. So we grab something quick. Even a place like Boston Market where I could get chicken or turkey and veggies is sooo expensive, and my oldest son is always still hungry after just one piece of chicken.

It's easier to cook at home so I do it most of the time but sometimes I am tired and hungry and I don't have freezer space to make things ahead. :

[Krisis]

:::

I am so incredibly, unbelievably relieved that I am not the only one. Thank goodness I am not alone.

Would type more but screaming toddler demands food.

[Bri'sgirl]

I do this, too. But, I noticed that the better I eat, the less I want crap. The last time I went to McPukes, I had a "chicken" sandwich and my stomach felt like blah after only eating half. Funny, that doesn't happen when I eat chicken at Wendy's...hmmm... Anyway, the more I make a conscience effort to have good go-to foods at home, the less I eat fast foods and stuff. I usually make popcorn from scratch and have it in a big bowl for anyone to grab whenever they want it. It makes it so that I reach for that, instead of a bag of chips (which somehow end up in my cupboard). Pitas and hummus are really good, too. I keep little tupperware-type cups that I can scoop hummus or salsa or something into for when we're on the go. Applesauce is good in those, too. These are simular to what I have, but mine are "old school" '70s style. I cube cheese as soon as I buy it (about 1/2 of the brick) so that I can just grab a few, with some WW crackers or something.

I wish I could do better, too. Chips of all kinds are my downfall. Doritos...yumm.....I mean...Gross!

eta: If I can take the edge from my hunger, I can think better and make better meal decisions.

[tanyam926]

Yes, def, if I am not sooo hungry I can make myself something good. It's when I am so tired, don't want to cook, or when we are out away from home and have to eat out.

I do most of the grocery shopping and buy good food, but my dh does buy crap sometimes. I can usually stay away from it, but I can't control what he eats (he is a grown man and should have the right to eat what he wants). He's pretty good most of the time and will eat what I make (he never ate veggies and always ate fast food before we met) but says he doesn't like most of my healthy concoctions.

My body doesn't feel very well after I eat junk though and that helps me stay away from it.

Now I need to work on excercising more....

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by Bri'sgirl

I do this, too. But, I noticed that the better I eat, the less I want crap. The last time I went to McPukes, I had a "chicken" sandwich and my stomach felt like blah after only eating half. Funny, that doesn't happen when I eat chicken at Wendy's...hmmm...

I eat fast food about twice a year (except pizza...we do takeout pizza more than we should, but we've cut down, and keep doing so). I don't even remember the last time I ate McDonald's, because I felt so sick. I do eat too much junk, mostly sweets, but there's something about McDs that just finishes me off.

I usually make popcorn from scratch and have it in a big bowl for anyone to grab whenever they want it.

Maybe I should think of doing that. We all love popcorn, and I much prefer it popped on the stove to either microwave or the pre-popped stuff.

I wish I could do better, too. Chips of all kinds are my downfall. Doritos...yumm.....I mean...Gross!

I hate most chips, but the few I like, I really like. They're deadly.