X Gym members, clients and friends come to me all the time with continued struggles about eating “bad” foods at home. I first ask them why it’s still in their cupboards or fridge at all. The usual reply is, “Well, my spouse and or kid eats that stuff and when I see it, it’s easy and convenient, so I just grab it because I’m hungry.” Then my advice is to first get the support of that family member, starting with writing up a contract for them to sign that commits them to helping you get healthy. Next, put all that stuff in a lockable box somewhere, with a key that only those family members have access to, so you simply can’t get to it.

My next piece of advice is to clean out the fridge and cupboards of all the foods that do not contribute to your health and fitness Typically, the next comment that comes up is, okay, as soon as I finish all the food in there, I will restock those cupboards and fridge with the foods I should be eating, so I don’t waste that food or the money I spent on it.”

I then reply, “Okay, then how bad do you really want results? Let me know when you are truly ready to do these first two steps and we can continue this conversation then.”

They usually reply, “Okay, you’re right. I’m ready.”

Then I give then the following 3 step pantry purge plan:

1.) Go through the pantry, cupboards, fridge, freezer, garage and anywhere else you keep food, snacks or candy. Put everything that won’t make you healthier into a box or bag. This includes all grains, sugar, starches and processed foods with more than two ingredients, or ingredients that can’t be pronounced or recognized as food. While you’re at it, check for expiration dates and read nutrition facts on everything. This forces you to consider each item in your pantry, not just the obvious junk food. If it’s expired, purge it.

2.) Get rid of it. Obviously, it’s expired, trash it. Then donate non-perishable items to your local food bank. If you aren’t willing to take it to a food bank, just throw it out.

3.) After you’ve purged your home, make sure to change your shopping list so that food doesn’t make it back into your home. The side benefit of purging your home is that your shelves and fridge will be much cleaner, and you have the opportunity to better organize everything. All the expired food and junk will be gone, leaving you with a great foundation to eat healthier and make your new habits stick. Plus, now it will be so much harder to eat those unhealthy foods of the past because if you do, you’ll have to go get in the car and drive somewhere to do it and since that is such an opposite action of your goals and new habits you are forming, the likelihood of that happening is quite low.

P.S. I searched for a “healthy pantry/cupboard” picture on the internet and I couldn’t find ONE SINGLE IMAGE that I would want to use as an example here, so I just took one of my own cupboard. Wow, if that’s not a good example of why healthy, fit and lean people are so rare nowadays, I don’t know what is!