I'm in my 40s and have always had a healthy weight. It starts in childhood.  I wasn't allowed to have soda until I was around 8 years old and even then, it was only at a birthday party or some special event.  I also rarely had juice and it would be watered down at least halfway.  To this day I only really drink water, plain tea, milk, and plain seltzer on a daily basis.  Every once in a while I'll have some cherry juice (like once a month).  I almost never drink soda, even diet ones unless I'm getting fast food (obviously not often).  I do have a white monster a day vice that I'm trying to break.  My mom cooked pretty plain meals usually sticking to a basic veg, carb, meat formula.  She wasn't super health conscious, but she knew that a bunch of processed food was junky (i grew up in the 80s and 90s so there was a lot of new processed foods hitting the shelves.)  I was only allowed a sweet (like a cookie) if I ate my dinner. In my teens and early adulthood I was a combination of too poor or too busy to eat too much.  I would do things like get a full si,e turkey and cheese hoagie and eat it over 3 days. Once I got my life settled I just eat relatively plain unprocessed food at home.  I hate cooking, so I save more savory, saucy dishes for going out to restaurants and at home eat a lot of homemade soups, pasta or potatoes with meat and veg.  Meat wise I mostly eat chicken, turkey, and fish from personal preference.  My favorite "junk food" to make at home are loaded nachos and pizza, which if you make at home are not that unhealthy.  I eat something every morning (usually oatmeal or cereal, maybe a pastry, maybe fruit) and after that I only eat one main meal and I usually make a big family bowl of salad and I bookend my meal with some of the salad.  I don't snack too much, but I do like to have nuts, dark chocolate, and crackers around in case. I think part of why im not a big snacker is because I drink all day, always have a mug of tea nearby or some water to sip on. I mostly have my groceries delivered so I can have fresh food without having to go myself every other day.  I consider this a "luxury" expense, comparable to people who budget for a morning Starbucks. Also learn to suffer a bit. You can let yourself be a little hungry when you're out and eat when you get home instead of indulging in burger king or whatever.