Western Sydney University: Self-Control Program Report - Junk Food

This report details a self-control program designed to reduce the consumption of junk food, particularly for an individual diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The program, undertaken by a 40-year-old female student at Western Sydney University, employed positive reinforcement strategies, including the consumption of spinach extract, and a planned diet to curb the habit of consuming excessive junk food. The methodology involved a baseline assessment of junk food intake, weight, and glucose levels, followed by a program phase that incorporated increased spinach extract consumption and dietary modifications. The results indicated a reduction in junk food cravings, weight loss, and a decrease in fast-food consumption, suggesting the effectiveness of positive reinforcement. The report also acknowledges limitations, such as the small sample size and potential for behavioral biases.

Running head: Self-Control Assessment

Abstract
A self-controlled program was developed for eliminating my habit of consuming an
excessive amount of junk food that was leading to increment of obesity. I am a 40-year-old
female studying full time at Western Sydney University. I am also a mother of 4 and a part-time
Arabic interpreter. I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Considering the fact that
consumption of spinach extracts possesses the potential to diminish the urge of having fast food,
my frequency of drinking spinach extract has been measured. It has been hypothesized that by
implementing positive reinforcement the goal of reduction in consumption of fast foods will be
achieved. Results indicated that the positive reinforcement was successful. The limitation of this
research is its small sample size, where behavioral biased can cause the confounding error.

Introduction
In this era of a fast-paced lifestyle, the habit of junk food consumption has got enhanced
to a commendable amount. Considering that the majority of fast food items are high in sodium,
saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol, these ingredients are major contributors to many illnesses
and health conditions, such as diabetes. According to dieticians, consuming a poor-quality diet
that is high in junk food is associated with higher risk obesity, digestive issues, depression, heart
disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and early death (Hadjikakou, 2016). Therefore, it is
highly important to reduce the consumption of junk food. In this study, a self-control program
has been aimed to reduce the consumption of junk food.
According to researchers, it is highly difficult for individuals to completely avoid junk
food items nowadays (Cook, 2016). One of the most effective steps to initiate self-control against
fast food addition includes increasing water consumption. Roberts, (2018) stated that the increase
in water consumption not only reduces the urge for an individual to consume food but also
contains a good number of health benefits. Eating high protein foods is also considered as
another major self-controlling step to reduce the appetite, it also assists in the prevention of
overeating. According to researchers, spinach juice possesses the potential to reduce the urge for
consuming fast food and oily food items. It helps delay fat digestion, which increases the levels
of hormones that reduce appetite and hunger, such as GLP-1 (Abdulsalam et al., 2019).
Another effective step that possesses the potential to help an individual to stop his or her
craving towards junk food items includes planning meals. Planning one’s meal not only reduces
the chance of consuming unplanned fast food items but also helps in maintaining a healthier diet.
As per Rathi, Riddell and Worsley (2016), “consuming junk food had also been proven as a

common practice of coping with stress”. Individuals should also avoid getting too hungry and
have small snacks between meals. In the following paragraph, I will discuss the methods of the
self-control program that I have undergone to get rid of my fast food addiction.
Methods
I was the subject of the self control program, an X years old Female university student who has
been diagnosed with diabetes type 2 for excessive addiction to junk food. In order to measure my
junk food consumption per day, I had maintained a notebook where I used to write down the
name of all the food items that I have consumed during the day time. Along with this,
considering the fact that consumption of junk food is directly linked to weight gain, I also
measured my weight before starting the self control program and after completing the same after
one week. Finally, in order to measure my glucose level, I measured my glucose level through
glucose meter, before and after the program.
The first week included the baseline condition and continued for 1 week. I was subjected to drink
at least 3 liter of water and was given a strict planned diet to follow. The frequency of rigidity of
following the diet was measured (Sadler et al., 2016). My goal was set for the consumption of
500 ml of spinach juice and vegetables in place of junk food per day to consumption of glasses
of spinach juice along with following the diet:
 Fruits, vegetables, legumes (e.g. lentils, beans), nuts and whole grains (e.g. unprocessed
maize, millet, oats, wheat, brown rice)
 At least 400grams (5 portions) of fruits and vegetables
 Unsaturated fats (e.g. found in fish, avocado, nuts, sunflower, canola and olive oils)
 Less than 5 g of salt

In the second week, I actual program got initiated where I was entitled to drink 1litter of the
Spinach juice along with the above mentioned diet.
Result
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Day of the week
Spinach extract drinking frequency
Figure 1: Total recorded consumption of spinach extract per day of the base line prior to
the introduction of the reinforcement and for the program when reinforcement was
contingent on consuming the extract 4 times per day.
In Figure 1, my daily consumption of the spinach extract and following the diet has been shown.
In the left section of the figure, result from the baseline is presented and in the right section result
from the program are presented. In the initial day consumption of spinach extract varied from 1
to two glasses whereas during the program it increased up to 3 to 4 glasses. Apart from this, I
have experienced a reduction in weight by 1.9 kg in 2 weeks.

Discussion
From the result, it can be understood that during the program, my urge to consume fast food was
reduced. During the base line period, I was not able to consume the spinach extract due to its
bitter taste. However, after initiating consumption of the same it for 2 times per day on Tuesday
for the first time, I felt a considerable amount of reduction in the urge to consume fast food
items. From the result, it can be seen that I have consumed the spinach extract highest on
Tuesdays, Saturday and Sunday. During the rest of the days, I had forgotten to consume 2
glasses of the mentioned drink due to workload. However, if the result during the program is
considered it can be clearly seen that my consumption of spinach extract has got enhanced from
3 to 5 glasses. During those days I also experienced a reduction of appetite for fast food items.
My fast food item consumption got reduced from at least one junk food item per 4 days, to none
for 7 days. I also experienced a reduction in weight.
Thus result from the final program indicates a reduction in fast-food consumption to a
commendable level. The enticement of being able to spend at least 1 hour gaming was an
effective short time motivator. Being able to fit in a prom dress of mine which I had bought 2
years ago can be considered as a long term motivator of mine. Till now, I have not to experience
the intense urge that I used to feel to consume fast food products.

Reference list
Abdulsalam, A., Ajani, O. E., Opara, J. A., & Abdulkadir, M. A. (2019). Benefits Of Moringa
Oleifera Plant As A Functional Food In Health And Diseases. International Journal Of
Medical Science And Clinical Research Studies, 1(1), 12-15.
Cook, E. (2016). Teachers' perceptions of the food consumption practices of a resource-
constrained community (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pretoria).
Hadjikakou, M. (2016). Trimming the excess: How cutting down on junk food could help save
the environment. Journal of the Home Economics Institute of Australia, 23(2), 46.
Rathi, N., Riddell, L., & Worsley, A. (2016). What influences urban Indian secondary school
students' food consumption?–a qualitative study. Appetite, 105, 790-797.
Roberts, D. L. (2018). The Best Green Smoothies for Weight Loss: Over 30 Simple Recipes for
Healthy Eating. One Jacked Monkey, LLC.
Sadler, R. C., Clark, A. F., Wilk, P., O’Connor, C., & Gilliland, J. A. (2016). Using GPS and
activity tracking to reveal the influence of adolescents’ food environment exposure on
junk food purchasing. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 107(1), eS14-eS20.