Giving up Fast Food...Is hard to do

Rebeccabecca1985

Any advice from anyone who is finding it difficult to kick the fast food habit? Its too easy to get bad/yummy/cheap food through the drive through these days! Any insight?

corinic91

Don't give it up -- find a way to fit it in, in smaller portions, to your calorie goals. The less you eat it, the less you'll crave it, but if you try and go cold turkey you'll end up resenting your "diet" and bingeing all over again. I eat McD's at least once a week, I just make sure I'm logging it ahead of time and have the rest of my day planned out so I don't end up in a "oh no I only have 32 calories left for dinner" situation.

kristimason3

Well moving somewhere that requires quite a drive to get to such an establishment has probably saved me. Extreme poverty also helps. Lol. Really I think its all about how much you want to be healthy vs how much you want a big mac.

mygnsac

Just keep on driving. I wanted to cut back when I first got started a couple years ago (it was almost a daily habit with me, and sometimes twice daily if I got breakfast at a fast food restaurant), so I made sure my pantry and fridge was filled and just made myself stay away from the drive thrus. My car fought me. It kept wanting to pull into those familiar drive thrus, but I wouldn't let it. That car died not long after that and the new car behaves better! I also try to avoid driving around hungry. Kind of like don't go grocery shopping hungry. I never fully eliminated fast food, but I expanded my food choices and don't really feel the pull to the Golden Arches that I once did. I think I've been to a fast food restaurant twice in the last year.

Other's will probably comment why give up fast food, just stay within your calories/macros, etc. That seems to be the way of it around here. I agree with that if all you are concerned about is weight loss. That wasn't my only concern.

CherylynBen

Watching those "Super Size Me" documentaries and seeing what goes into the food is what stopped me, even before I really resolved to lose weight. It's scary to know that an ingredient in McDonald's buns is also found in yoga mats, or how one's body can shut down from over-eating these foods. It doesn't work for everyone, but it scared the bejesus out of this McDonald's loving woman. I don't begrudge anyone what they like, but if you're thinking about health, Wendy's is a lot less processed and has some healthier choices.

JoRocka

I eat things that are convenient to me. Period.
So the way I avoid (not that I'm a big fast food eater but I'll eat things if I have nothing with me and I need food)
> Plan ahead: this mean come prepared with your own food. for the day- for the week- whatever it takes.
(Example for me: hardboiled eggs- I have to have them in my house at all times- they are my go to snack- if I am out of them I have to grab a prepackaged bar- I don't harbor ill will to said bar- I just prefer my eggs and more protein- but I have to make them in advance)

> Don't drive past places easy to stop at. I know if I drive one way- I'll more than likely talk myself into stopping and Dunkin for a Coffee and a Muffin- if I take the freeway and get off one exit later- I won't stop.

Just do it is really the answer- but in order to set yourself up to win- be prepared- and don't just drive by places that are pitfalls.

**note- I'm not anti-fast food-i just hate spending my money on things that are to expensive calorie wise for me and cost me when I have perfectly edible food at home.
***I fully support planned moderation-including fast food and making due in emergencies- but using some pre-planning and some foresight will clear this up typically for the person with a reasonably stable schedule.

SarBear00b

Okay this was HUGE for me!! I use to eat fast food sometimes twice a day out of convenience but it was also because I craved it. I noticed when I would be driving back and forth from work I would be listening to the radio, and every 5 minutes a fast food commercial would come on. I would end up getting a craving for whatever the commercials were talking about stuck in my head until I got my "fix". I literally stopped listening to the radio and would only listen to my cd's or ipod. Now this might seem crazy to some but I can't tell you enough how much this helped me out. My commute is about an hour + each way and that's a LOT of tantalizing commercials to listen to in the car. I'm just now starting to get in the habit of not only planning my meals but making sure that I have snacks during the day so I don't feel like I'm ever starving and I drink lot's of water always.

redfisher1974

I still eat it, I just get the burger, No fries or pop. It now fills me up and fits my macros.

Chain_Ring

Bill Maher has it right: "New Rule: Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Trout?" HA HA

GothyFaery

Pedal_Pusher2point0 wrote: »

Bill Maher has it right: "New Rule: Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Trout?" HA HA

If you're talking about the human finger in chili that happened a few years ago, that was actually proven false. The woman actually happened to have a human finger in her freezer (Really, no lie!) and thought she could make good money off a scandal. Unless there was a more recent finger in chili event that I am unaware of...

Back to the OP, I used to have fast food 4-6 times a week. I still do fast food 2-3 times a week. For me I don't get as full for as long on fast food and I would rather have something better for my calories. I think it's more of a mental thing than anything else. Also, you would be amazed at how much money you save cooking for yourself!

RavenLibra

YOU CAN buy a salad at a drive thru... WHO says it has to be a burger, ..who says it has to be fries... who says.. you need an extra large cup of flavoured syrup with ice? "addiction" is a lie we tell ourselves to make it okay... exercise a little restraint and like yourself more... like yourself enough to stop making such lame excuses to NOT do right by your self. You made th eright choice to undertak ethis change in your life.. NOW follow through

Chain_Ring

GothyFaery wrote: »

Pedal_Pusher2point0 wrote: »

Bill Maher has it right: "New Rule: Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Trout?" HA HA

If you're talking about the human finger in chili that happened a few years ago, that was actually proven false. The woman actually happened to have a human finger in her freezer (Really, no lie!) and thought she could make good money off a scandal. Unless there was a more recent finger in chili event that I am unaware of...

Back to the OP, I used to have fast food 4-6 times a week. I still do fast food 2-3 times a week. For me I don't get as full for as long on fast food and I would rather have something better for my calories. I think it's more of a mental thing than anything else. Also, you would be amazed at how much money you save cooking for yourself!

You've missed the point.

RoseyDgirl

prepare food the night before that's healthy and tasty. Have the tupperware or ziplocks ready to go. (I personally hate eating in my car - but, I bring my tupperware lunches and snacks to work everyday so that I don't have to resort to the same-old, same-old salad bar fixings at the work cafeteria.)
-
You know that whatever you cook at home will have better ingrediants, and be more satisfying than whatever you buy in a drive-thru.

I haven't eaten drive-food food in over a year, and I don't want to either. Only thing that I will succumb to ordering would be coffee. (and even that's a rarity - less than once a month).

-Good luck!

GothyFaery

Pedal_Pusher2point0 wrote: »

GothyFaery wrote: »

Pedal_Pusher2point0 wrote: »

Bill Maher has it right: "New Rule: Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Trout?" HA HA

If you're talking about the human finger in chili that happened a few years ago, that was actually proven false. The woman actually happened to have a human finger in her freezer (Really, no lie!) and thought she could make good money off a scandal. Unless there was a more recent finger in chili event that I am unaware of...

Back to the OP, I used to have fast food 4-6 times a week. I still do fast food 2-3 times a week. For me I don't get as full for as long on fast food and I would rather have something better for my calories. I think it's more of a mental thing than anything else. Also, you would be amazed at how much money you save cooking for yourself!

You've missed the point.

I missed no point, good sir. You can have my Taco Bell when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers!

concordancia

I got over it by eating home cooked foods and by having A Plan.

Since I write down my meals for each day, I know what to grab before I leave the house. Then if an urge strikes while I am out and about, I have what I need on hand. If I know I will need sustenance while I am out, I have a plan that is Not McDonald's. It can still be fast food just not the one where I have been known to order two meals to eat consecutively.

Furthermore, you could try implementing a no eating in the car rule. If you need to stop, go inside and sit down and eat. Is it still more convenient than waiting for something at home?

As I type this, I just realized that I was out running errands today that took longer than expected and I was just longing to get home to have my lunch: IT DIDN'T EVEN OCCUR TO ME TO STOP AT A DRIVE THRU! woohoo!!!

cwolfman13

I've always been far more appreciative of quality...fast food has never fit the bill. I eat it very occasionally when on a road trip or whatever...but I've never thought that slop actually tasted good...except for maybe the french fries.

Learn to cook really tasty and healthful meals that you can both enjoy at home and take with you to work or whatever...your tastes buds will thank you.

Timshel_

I don't need to give it up, but I need to either moderate or increase my caloric burn.

mangogirl272727

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I've always been far more appreciative of quality...fast food has never fit the bill. I eat it very occasionally when on a road trip or whatever...but I've never thought that slop actually tasted good...except for maybe the french fries.

Learn to cook really tasty and healthful meals that you can both enjoy at home and take with you to work or whatever...your tastes buds will thank you.

IKR; A juicy homemade burger with artisan cheese is SO much tastier than fast food. Not to mention healthier.

Serah87

I have it a few times a month.......and lost 121 pounds.

Sabine_Stroehm

Work in fast food, or have a good long conversation with someone who has. That always helps. I used to eat Taco Bell.

Francl27

Make your own at home. Honestly I haven't had fast food in ages and I'm not missing it at all now.