Ask HN: Food hacks for eating well?

A chocolate bar is roughly equivalent to, say, a 30 minute jog. If you think that what you're about to eat is as bad for you as a 30 minute jog is good (or that they basically cancel each other out), it doesn't seem quite so appealing. Then if you choose the apple instead, you've done the equivalent of a 30 minute jog better than the quantum-choice-alternative-less-disciplined-and-slightly-fatter-you.

Before you eat any junk snack, take a long look at the nutritional information and think about what it is going to do to your body.

She told me to fill breakfast with protein and carbs and to eat like a king at breakfast time and like a prince at lunch.

Since i started doing that, my cravings at night have dissapeared, and i haven't had to come up with some formula to avoid junk food.

Try it ;-)

So the real trick is to spend 1 month suffering (don't eat a single bit of candy) and then make the much easier choice to limit yourself to some reasonable amount (1 per week, for instance).

Anything sugary is only good for 45 minutes at which point the hunger returns in strength.

Now if only I can remember to do this every time.

edit: And no, my weight doesn't increase as a result of the fat-gobbling. It's the sugary stuff that does the damage.

My biggest problem now is probably energy drinks, have cut back but still enjoy them regularly.

If "nutritional replacements aren't hitting the spot" it might just be that you're ingesting fewer calories and are hence hungry. Junk food tends to be very energy dense so you have to eat a larger volume to maintain the same amount of energy coming in.

One way to blunt sugar cravings is to exercise. Particularly if you're a lard arse your insulin response can go out of wack. Exercising depletes muscle glycogen which can help bring things back to normal. You can find out a whole lot more here: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/training-the-obese...

Another way to blunt sugar cravings is to fast. You'll find various people promoting "intermittent fasting". Basically, don't eat for about 12 hours. Fairly simple to say; may not be simple to do.

Also, make sure you're eating plenty of protein and fat. Don't just replace one pile of carbohydrates with another (e.g. nachos with bread). If you do this you'll stay on the sugar treadmill.

I hope that is useful.

Next up is hydration. If you are dehydrated, evenly slightly, it is easy to think you are hungry.

I also echo the views of those saying that sugar is worse than fat. Very refined carbs, such as white bread, are terrible due to the speed at which you metabolise it. Look into the GI of various foods and you may be surprised.

When you do have a meal, consider timing. The old saying "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and have a paupers dinner" is apt.

Also eat plenty of low carb, bulky foods such as onions, carrots, mushrooms etc. This will fill you up for longer, as well as giving numerous health benefits

Thus, the general strategy is to form mindless habits that are healthy. Supplements are made for this kind of habitual consumption. They are simple to prepare, come in bulk, and are so boring that after a while, you don't even think of them as food; but you do crave them every day due to the healthy feedback loop.

In your case, you probably want some kind of meal replacement shake that gives your body whatever it is craving with maximal collateral healthiness. I don't know what that is though, so you'll have to turn to science.

IMHO exercising more is always going to be easier than eating less, and the trick to that is the same: form monotonous habits. Repetition, obsession, and ultimately sweet oblivion.

If you have sugar cravings just eat fruit instead, mangos kiwis or clementines are the best IMO. Any other effects junk food has besides a blood sugar spike is simply a psychological association you automatically retrain over time.

In my personal experience, when I go for long periods eating lots of healthy food, it is easy to fight off any cravings for crap-foods. Then if I am traveling and not eating so well, I find myself buying a occasional candy bar, etc.

- Switch out junk food for healthier snacks (dark chocolate, nuts, (dried) fruit). Over time your tolerance for junk food will go down and you will want less of it;

- If you really want a hit of junk food, just have it. There is no point dwelling on it. I will have one piece of sugary food with my coffee at around 10:00, which keeps me satisfied. Sometimes I binge out after not having a lot for so long (months), but when your tolerance for processed food goes down you will stop much sooner (through a mixture of guilt and physiological repulsion);

- If you want sugar, eat 'good' sugar, i.e. fruit;

- Have a bowl of healthy nibbles lying around to munch on when walking past. I always have grapes and nuts in the kitchen that I pick at;

- Always eat breakfast. I have mine as soon as wake-up;

- Cook your own meals and don't eat processed food;

- Drink water rather than carbonated drinks;

- Eat smaller meals more often. I try to eat something every three hours;

- Follow the Japanese (I think) philosophy of eating until only 80% full, not bursting at the seams. For me the ideal amount of food is a cereal bowl worth of food;

- Have a drink about 30 - 60 mins after you have eaten, not during a meal. This helps to top-up the fullness feeling and also allows food to be digested more efficiently before the digestive enzymes get diluted by a drink;

- Don't try and justify eating rubbish by doing exercise. You are what you eat.

The end result is that people always tell me I am too skinny even though I eat a lot. I don't need to do that much exercise because my diet is good. When I do go out for dinner and/or drinks I can indulge without guilt.

Some examples:

For me, drinking lots more sodas at work is usually due to an allergic reaction to something at work that day. I have generally gotten myself healthier and generally consume less caffeine because of it, which is something chocolate and soda have in common. A craving for chips can be due to a craving for salt which can suggest adrenal problems. A good quality sea salt and other nutritional support for the adrenals and thyroid can help.

Within a couple weeks your body will be very acclimated to this schedule, and you will not want to eat except at meals. Once the cravings have stopped, focus on improving the quality of what you're eating. When you're cooking for yourself (and you should) play with how little oil and salt you can use and still enjoy your meal. Reduce portion sizes.

If the cravings return, maybe you eat a little more at your next meal. Maybe they're small enough (and you used enough to your new schedule) that you just don't. Habit is a very powerful thing. Right now, you're habitually snacking. Turn that on its head.

Oh, and it helps if you're eating with other people, especially if they eat quickly, because you will feel social pressure to wrap it up.

-never eat too much

-never add sugar to anything

-don't use too much salt

-eat your salad with nothing but a little olive oil

-eat as little processed food as possible

-eat as little sugary food as possible

-never drink soda

-never go to mcdonalds etc

-never go to starbucks

-enjoy what you eat! :)

For instance, I'm just finishing a medically supervised protein-sparing modified fast where I lost 70 pounds in 5 months by eating only prescription liquid foods and only about 800 calories a day. This has the effect of "rebooting" your cravings. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to some fresh vegetables and fruit right now, and I used to be a big junk food craver. Having said that, you'd think 5 months of not eating anything except protein pudding would be difficult, but it was incredibly easy, and I enjoyed it a lot. And it mostly unscrambled the signals to my brain that said, "Eat all the cookies you can find," that ran 24 hours a day.

If that sounds like you, and your weight or other stats like triglycerides / cholesterol / liver enzymes / blood sugar are unhealthy, you should see a doctor and ask about medical weight management right away. I can tell you from experience that it's a lot easier to lose 20 pounds than it is to lose 70, so you can't win by waiting. Also, a great book on the subject is David Kessler's "The End of Overeating." He goes into great detail on the psychological and chemical triggers that induce hypereating.

Now, on the other hand, if you're just prone to snacking on junk in fairly moderate ways, you ought to exercise a little environmental control:

- Shop at farmer's markets for veggies and corner grocers for milk and staples.

- Don't go to the supermarket. If you do go to the supermarket, only shop the aisles with wholesome foods, and never buy anything on the eye-level shelves (the worst, most processed stuff).

- Don't bring junk home. If you buy something junky, buy only one serving. If it only comes in multi-serving packs, take one serving out, then freeze the rest. Make it harder to dig into.

It's also useful to keep records of your eating. If you have an iPhone, I had a lot of success with the app LoseIt. Studies show that people keep off 50% more weight when they keep records than when they don't. If you're mindful of what you're eating and how you're eating it, you create brief openings in which you actually have a choice to eat or not rather than to just eat mindlessly. It also helps to know what macronutrients (fat, sugar, protein, fiber, salt) you're consuming and in what balance. If it's out of balance, shop in a way that balances it out.

Consider foods that induce satiety. Protein has the highest satiety value - if you have to snack, try a protein pudding or shake first, let it settle in your stomach, and see if you're still hungry. Add water on top of that, because thirst often feels like hunger.

Finally, if you seem to be resolving your hunger, but you still feel an overwhelming urge to eat in spite of not being physically hungry, see a doctor or psychiatrist who specializes in eating behaviors. Most people who compulsively eat have no idea they're doing it because A) it snuck up on them over a number of years and B) everyone around them does it too (consider how many startups we've seen full of thin young folks who turned into chunky folks while they worked together).

Good luck!

I've had great success cutting back on junk by following Reinhard Engels' "No S" diet. http://nosdiet.com/

  No Snacks
  No Sweets
  No Seconds
  Except, sometimes, on "S" days

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If that doesn't work for you, here are some other hacks I or people I know have used with success.

- remove all junk food from your home

- don't buy any when you go grocery shopping

- stop hanging out places where there are a lot of snacks

- Set up a Seinfeld chain http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-se... (Personally I use http://joesgoals.com and keep a chart widget on my igoogle page)

- if you simply must snack... then figure out what snacks are compatible with your diet and put them on the top shelf of your fridge and in the deli drawer... the first place you look for a snack when you open the door.

- tell all your friends that if they catch you eating junk food then you will give them $1,000 (or some other painfully large amount). (Just remember Inspector Clouseau and make sure you have a halting condition)

- if your friends try to sabotage you then drop those jerks. It's not funny, it's not "a joke"... it's getting backstabbed by someone you thought you could trust. Life's too short to put up with that shit

-Make shakes. Almond milk, protein powder, berries and sugar free Jello. Buy like 5 different flavors and you can have strawberry cheesecake, dark chocolate, and butterscotch all for a snack without any of the guilt!

-Sauces will save your life. Pesto, hummus, sugar-free marinara, mustard, lemon, lime...mix and match all of these on various meats and vegetables for truly delicious meals.

-Lots of water. Water satiates you and is good for you. Always drink a ton of it to limit cravings. Green tea and mint tea are also shown to curb cravings.

http://www.paleonu.com/get-started/

Perhaps what you need is a lifestyle change and a new way of thinking about those cravings. I firmly believe in the saying "healthy body, healthy mind", and that shy's me away from anything unhealthy.

Of course I'm no saint so I choose 1 cheat day a week and I eat as much junk food as possible, after the day's over I don't want to look or eat any junk food until the next cheat day.

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I should also mention that at around 16 I became very interested in fitness and nutrition so I spent most hours reading up on it. It made me more aware that our bodies are just really REALLY beautiful machines, in order for it to run at full throttle you want to feed it the proper nutrients or else it will just chug a long.