So how did you all fix your cravings for fast food?

124678

Replies

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    I am looking mainly I guess for recipes or tricks that will trick my craving into thinking I am eating fast food, but am really not.... lol.
    I went to mcdonalds. Got some food.

    A year later, wanted it again so I had some.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    Gosh ...A lot of hostility here. Sry to bring that out in you. Just trying to help with an idea of how to avoid the thing that you are trying to avoid eating a lot of.

    you judged people based on food choice....people responded...not sure why you are surprised.

    ? I'm confused. Fast food is universally acknowledged as not being healthy, despite some efforts made to adjust that image. The OP herself is asking for adviceon how to avoid or reduce consumption. I think you just enjoy arguing. I have done nothing but agree that it should be avoided and offer my way of doing it (for me and my kids). OP, again I apologize for this distraction. I will stop my part in hijacking your request for ideas. I hope you get some great ideas here! :)
    Fast food IS unhealthy. But folks can get away with eating some unhealthy foods. I find it easier to do with out (easier to stay at my maintenance level, and easier in terms of how I feel). But some folks prefer adding it in to their diets.

    really, how so?

    I find your campaign to stop people from name calling of certain foods fascinating. Reminds me a bit of efforts to stop people from using pejorative terms for sexual orientation, race, disabilities etc. Amusing to think of "junk food" as the maligned underdog. I DO agree that it is not always unhealthy. Context matters. Maybe I have been sweating a bunch and need that extra salt. And there have definitely been times where I needed something sugary (like during a tennis match that has gone on too long and it's now lunchtime). But I also agree that in most situations, you can make a much healthier choice than "junk food".

    I find your choice to keep calling food "junk" amusing.

    when you boil it down there is no such thing as healthy or unhealthy, it is the overall diet that matters.

    Also, you did not address my question.

    How is fast food unhealthy in the context of an overall diet?

    You can deflect all you want, but how about you try and answer the question?
  • Ellaskat
    Ellaskat Posts: 386 Member
    lgutches wrote: »

    no such thing as crappy food..

    cakes and cupcakes are processed...just FYI ...

    ^^True this. And the fact is, everything is processed technically.
    Many of us want to avoid overly processed, packaged foods with many things added to them to "improve" (?) the flavor and extend shelf life, which may not be as nutritiously healthy for us.

    [/quote]

    NDJ, will you find a way to argue with this, too?[/quote]

    Umm, no, not everything is processed technically. If you eat all whole foods you cook yourself, you're not eating commercially processed foods.

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Ellaskat wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Ellaskat wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    Gosh ...A lot of hostility here. Sry to bring that out in you. Just trying to help with an idea of how to avoid the thing that you are trying to avoid eating a lot of.

    you judged people based on food choice....people responded...not sure why you are surprised.

    ? I'm confused. Fast food is universally acknowledged as not being healthy, despite some efforts made to adjust that image. The OP herself is asking for adviceon how to avoid or reduce consumption. I think you just enjoy arguing. I have done nothing but agree that it should be avoided and offer my way of doing it (for me and my kids). OP, again I apologize for this distraction. I will stop my part in hijacking your request for ideas. I hope you get some great ideas here! :)


    You are not alone. I agree with you, some people just don't like hearing it. I avoid all processed foods to the greatest extent possible. Fast food isn't alone in its unhealthfulness, but it certainly is not good for you. That doesn't mean you have to completely cut it out of your diet, but you're fooling yourself if you believe having a moderate amount is as healthy as never having it- it's not. Crap is crap - better to eat healthfully than crappy foods. Not picking on fast food- I love cakes and cupcakes- they aren't healthy for me either. I don't live in denial they are healthy though, I just know that I'm happy to sacrifice a little health for how much I love them!

    no such thing as crappy food..

    cakes and cupcakes are processed...just FYI ...


    That's exactly my point- I do my best, know it is bad for me, and about once a month, choose to eat something like that anyway. Try reading- maybe you'll get the point.

    It is not bad...

    how about you read and try to see my point.

    Also, please define "processed food" for me?
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    edited January 2015
    Ellaskat wrote: »
    Umm, no, not everything is processed technically. If you eat all whole foods you cook yourself, you're not eating commercially processed foods.
    Yes you are.

    Unless you're gathering from your own animal kills and garden.

    What do you think you find in the market? How did those things get there? Seriously, just think.
  • candacefausset
    candacefausset Posts: 297 Member
    lgutches wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    Gosh ...A lot of hostility here. Sry to bring that out in you. Just trying to help with an idea of how to avoid the thing that you are trying to avoid eating a lot of.

    you judged people based on food choice....people responded...not sure why you are surprised.

    ? I'm confused. Fast food is universally acknowledged as not being healthy, despite some efforts made to adjust that image. The OP herself is asking for adviceon how to avoid or reduce consumption. I think you just enjoy arguing. I have done nothing but agree that it should be avoided and offer my way of doing it (for me and my kids). OP, again I apologize for this distraction. I will stop my part in hijacking your request for ideas. I hope you get some great ideas here! :)

    In and of itself, it's not unhealthy. Excessively consumed - probably (just based on sodium, IMO). But as part of a well balanced diet, it's not unhealthy. I had an Egg McMuffin the other morning, it was 300 calories, 17g of protein. It was a good breakfast and didn't ruin my day food wise, or my body health wise.

    Anyway, I don't get fast food cravings, so I don't know what it feels like. We eat fast food when we need to for convenience. In my opinion, making stuff forbidden will lead to cravings, because we always want what we can't have, right?

    I think allowing yourself to eat it occasionally will help, but if you're not comfortable with that, play around at home - there are so many copy cat recipes out there.

    I agree with this. I think my confusion is more about why they thinking I'm judging anyone. ;) Egg McMuffin ... mmm. The idea of a Whopper sitting on a counter for a year without one bit of degradation is more the nasty image in my head. Yes, I am judging that Whopper. Everyone should. Blech.

    Honey won't degrade or spoil ever. A bag of pasta or wheat flour or sugar can sit out for several years without going bad (unless some bugs get into it or moisture). Mayo, ketchup and mustard can be kept out of refrigeration because the amount of vinegar in them makes it impossible for bacteria to thrive. Just because a food doesn't spoil in the way you think it should doesn't mean anything. Additionally, if you haven't done it yourself, I wouldn't necessarily believe what you heard or read somewhere. I heard tale once that coke will remove the battery acid build up on your cars battery and everyone took that as a sign of how bad it was for you. Anything that contains water has a pH level to it. Meaning it is either neutral, acidic or alkaline. Acids degrade bases and bases degrade acids. You can do the same thing with baking soda and vinegar. Doesn't make them bad at all. Or I once heard that Mcdonalds Ice Cream is only one molecule away from being plastic. While this is COMPLETELY untrue, one molecule is all that makes up the difference between many substances. H2O is water. Add a single molecule of Oxygen and you get H2O2 which is Hydrogen Peroxide. You don't want to drink that stuff by the glass but that doesn't mean water is bad just because it is one molecule away from being hydrogen peroxide. So many of these "articles" you have probably heard of are meant to deceive and to misinform and mislead. Others are just people who do not logically or rationally understand how science works.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Ellaskat wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »

    no such thing as crappy food..

    cakes and cupcakes are processed...just FYI ...

    ^^True this. And the fact is, everything is processed technically.
    Many of us want to avoid overly processed, packaged foods with many things added to them to "improve" (?) the flavor and extend shelf life, which may not be as nutritiously healthy for us.

    NDJ, will you find a way to argue with this, too?[/quote]

    Umm, no, not everything is processed technically. If you eat all whole foods you cook yourself, you're not eating commercially processed foods.

    [/quote]

    do you kill and skin your own cow??? Technically the skinning and gutting process would be considered "processing"...
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
    Went cold turkey. Now, it depends on your definition of fast food. Like I haven't eaten McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell for about 7 years, but Subway and Chipolte do sneak their way in every once in awhile. But it is something I rarely crave.

    I haven't sworn off anything, but McDonalds and Burger King rarely appeal to me anymore. I do go to Wendy's once in a while for one of their salads and I do the same with Potbelly's and Subway. Chipotle is probably the most frequent fast food I eat. But the best of all is pizza. If I could get away with it I think I'd eat pizza everday.

    BTW, since I pretty much quit eating fast food burgers and gradually lost my taste for them, I started noticing the smell. At first I couldn't figure out what the nasty stench was from when coworkers ate their lunch at their desks, but I finally figured it out it was the fries. I still think fries taste good when I eat them, but I have to jump right in before the smell overwhelms me.

  • Ellaskat
    Ellaskat Posts: 386 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    Ellaskat wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »

    no such thing as crappy food..

    cakes and cupcakes are processed...just FYI ...

    ^^True this. And the fact is, everything is processed technically.
    Many of us want to avoid overly processed, packaged foods with many things added to them to "improve" (?) the flavor and extend shelf life, which may not be as nutritiously healthy for us.

    NDJ, will you find a way to argue with this, too?

    Umm, no, not everything is processed technically. If you eat all whole foods you cook yourself, you're not eating commercially processed foods.

    [/quote]
    Yes you are.

    Unless you're gathering from your own animal kills and garden.

    What do you think you find in the market? How did those things get there? Seriously, just think.[/quote]

    Sure- I can google for you since you can't for yourself: here's one of many many similar definitions. And first by the way, I do cook food from my own garden, or my root cellar, or my canned foods, and buy meat from a farmer who lives about 3 miles down the road from me, I barter with a neighbor for the venison and fish he hunts, though you don't have to do that to stay away from processed foods.

    http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/processed-food-definition-2074.html
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    Gosh ...A lot of hostility here. Sry to bring that out in you. Just trying to help with an idea of how to avoid the thing that you are trying to avoid eating a lot of.

    you judged people based on food choice....people responded...not sure why you are surprised.

    ? I'm confused. Fast food is universally acknowledged as not being healthy, despite some efforts made to adjust that image. The OP herself is asking for adviceon how to avoid or reduce consumption. I think you just enjoy arguing. I have done nothing but agree that it should be avoided and offer my way of doing it (for me and my kids). OP, again I apologize for this distraction. I will stop my part in hijacking your request for ideas. I hope you get some great ideas here! :)
    Fast food IS unhealthy. But folks can get away with eating some unhealthy foods. I find it easier to do with out (easier to stay at my maintenance level, and easier in terms of how I feel). But some folks prefer adding it in to their diets.

    really, how so?

    I find your campaign to stop people from name calling of certain foods fascinating. Reminds me a bit of efforts to stop people from using pejorative terms for sexual orientation, race, disabilities etc. Amusing to think of "junk food" as the maligned underdog. I DO agree that it is not always unhealthy. Context matters. Maybe I have been sweating a bunch and need that extra salt. And there have definitely been times where I needed something sugary (like during a tennis match that has gone on too long and it's now lunchtime). But I also agree that in most situations, you can make a much healthier choice than "junk food".

    I find your choice to keep calling food "junk" amusing.

    when you boil it down there is no such thing as healthy or unhealthy, it is the overall diet that matters.

    Also, you did not address my question.

    How is fast food unhealthy in the context of an overall diet?

    You can deflect all you want, but how about you try and answer the question?

    Hey! I used quotes! Pretend they are air quotes, does that help? In all honesty your campaign has altered my thinking. I now add the occasional bit of "alternatively nutritious" food to my diet without guilt.

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    @lgutches I recently had a delicious ham that I have been aging in my basement for 2 years. Amazingly, it didn't spoil, or degrade, and flavor was increased.
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
    How I stopped eating fast food ... read up on the crap they put in that stuff and was disgusted. So I started making my own or going to higher quality places for the same food. Burger and fries....homemade burger with fresh ingredients and homemade sweet potato or regular chips. Don't miss it at all.
  • DKG28
    DKG28 Posts: 299 Member
    I still eat fast food. if I eat a small breakfast, a giant romaine salad with cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes, and tuna for lunch, there's plenty of room for McDonald's dinner. But I've never been one to order a quarter pounder or a large anything, and i don't drink soda, so when I go I get small or med. fries and a regular cheeseburger. Fits fine within my calories. I allow it because twice a week I have both lunch and dinner at work, and packing two meals to take gets to be a pain. So I plan, and get small size fast food options for the 2nd meal.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,256 Member
    Camo_xxx wrote: »
    Seems to me that after awhile of eating homemade food that is lower in sodium and sugar the urge to eat any restaraunt food waned and nowadays I can hardly stand any restaurant food as it is just way to salty. I gag at the just the thought of fast food.
    Agreed, but I've always felt this way. If fast food actually tasted good, I could have been in a lot of trouble.

  • candacefausset
    candacefausset Posts: 297 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    Gosh ...A lot of hostility here. Sry to bring that out in you. Just trying to help with an idea of how to avoid the thing that you are trying to avoid eating a lot of.

    you judged people based on food choice....people responded...not sure why you are surprised.

    ? I'm confused. Fast food is universally acknowledged as not being healthy, despite some efforts made to adjust that image. The OP herself is asking for adviceon how to avoid or reduce consumption. I think you just enjoy arguing. I have done nothing but agree that it should be avoided and offer my way of doing it (for me and my kids). OP, again I apologize for this distraction. I will stop my part in hijacking your request for ideas. I hope you get some great ideas here! :)
    Fast food IS unhealthy. But folks can get away with eating some unhealthy foods. I find it easier to do with out (easier to stay at my maintenance level, and easier in terms of how I feel). But some folks prefer adding it in to their diets.

    really, how so?

    I find your campaign to stop people from name calling of certain foods fascinating. Reminds me a bit of efforts to stop people from using pejorative terms for sexual orientation, race, disabilities etc. Amusing to think of "junk food" as the maligned underdog. I DO agree that it is not always unhealthy. Context matters. Maybe I have been sweating a bunch and need that extra salt. And there have definitely been times where I needed something sugary (like during a tennis match that has gone on too long and it's now lunchtime). But I also agree that in most situations, you can make a much healthier choice than "junk food".

    I think a lot of people want all foods to be seen as "available" during a diet because studies and experience prove that allowing yourself an indulgence or a treat is 10 times more likely to result in successful, safe and maintainable weight loss. To me, it isn't so much about defending fast food as it is helping people succeed. If they know that nothing is off limits, they are less likely to binge after a long stint of depriving themselves. In the process of indulging occasionally and in moderation, they are further learning to think about food differently. They are learning about what their food is made of (as far as calories and macros) and how to meet those goals via portion control so that they can make a lifestyle change instead of just dieting to meet a goal and then going back to the old way and gaining everything back.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    Lolz @ this thread.... Never change MFP... never change.

    tumblr_ngcml8EhUW1r9d17jo1_500.gif
  • RainRedfield
    RainRedfield Posts: 597 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    I just stopped wanting to eat crappy food.

    This.

    When it finally registered that the crap I was eating was the reason I felt like crap...mindblowing. :)

    These!
  • Lib_B
    Lib_B Posts: 446 Member
    Fast food for me was always a result of poor planning or just too rushed to take time for me. Now I make time every night before I go to bed to get my lunch ready for the next day. I use my crockpot more so dinner is nearly ready when I walk in the door, etc. I never really had a 'taste' for fast food, so in that regard I can't help you out too much. There are a couple of local establishments here that make a good greasy burger, but I'm just not willing to try to outrun a burger. It's not worth what it sets me back. Yes, you can eat fast food in moderation. If I REALLY want a Chipotle bowl, I save it for Sunday - that's the day I eat whatever I want - within reason. And, now that I eat healthy most of the time, I find myself not wanting that stuff anymore. One idea you may try is Google "healthy copycat" recipes and include what you want to copycat.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    randomtai wrote: »
    Lolz @ this thread.... Never change MFP... never change.

    tumblr_ngcml8EhUW1r9d17jo1_500.gif
    HAHAH my thoughts exactly.
  • merlewalton
    merlewalton Posts: 43 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    lgutches wrote: »
    The fast food places usually don't hold any appeal to me because, thanks to the news shows and internet articles, I know it's garbage. It kind of grossed me out for good. When I'm on the road, I would much rather walk into a grocery store (usually within a mile of any fast food restaurant) and grab a whole box of granola bars and a bunch of bananas for the cost of a value meal. My calories are less, I've eaten some real food, and have something to put in the kitchen when I get home.

    what is this real food and where I can find fake food???

    Well if you guys want to rail on her about her choice of words that fine but there is such a thing as fake food and there are numerous stories about it throughout the developing countries of the world. Look into Food Fraud which is one of the largest issues with food manufacturers.

    But what do I know I'm a food safety quality manager.

    Should you want to find some fake food I suggest making your way over to China.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    If I want a Big Mac I get it and make sure it fits into my day. I only go to FF maybe a couple of times a months, where as it was a few times a week or even a day. Calling foods "evil" or "bad" only sets you up for failure, learn to eat in moderation, the key to success. :)
  • goddessofawesome
    goddessofawesome Posts: 563 Member
    Seems to me that after awhile of eating homemade food that is lower in sodium and sugar the urge to eat any restaraunt food waned and nowadays I can hardly stand any restaurant food as it is just way to salty. I gag at the just the thought of fast food.

    So you just don't go out to eat at restaurants? Like, ever? And I'm not talking fast food places. I'm talking sit-down, lingering meal, several courses restaurant.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    edited January 2015
    dbmata wrote: »
    Ellaskat wrote: »
    Umm, no, not everything is processed technically. If you eat all whole foods you cook yourself, you're not eating commercially processed foods.
    Yes you are.

    Unless you're gathering from your own animal kills and garden.

    What do you think you find in the market? How did those things get there? Seriously, just think.

    ^Exactly! Even if you grow it yourself, or raise the animals, somehow, you have to process it. Or are you eating it raw, or living animals? Technically, you are processing it. How do you can your veggies and fruit, if not processing it? And are you adding anything to it?
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    Seems to me that after awhile of eating homemade food that is lower in sodium and sugar the urge to eat any restaraunt food waned and nowadays I can hardly stand any restaurant food as it is just way to salty. I gag at the just the thought of fast food.

    So you just don't go out to eat at restaurants? Like, ever? And I'm not talking fast food places. I'm talking sit-down, lingering meal, several courses restaurant.
    Such a sad, sad existence.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I don't eat it. Plain and simple.

    Once in a blue moon we'll get something from a fast food place, but by now it has no real appeal for me. But to get to this point, I just stopped eating it.

    This was the same for me, although I stopped eating it years ago and managed to gain weight anyway, sigh, so that's a separate issue, IMO.

    I currently have it on rare occasion if on a road trip or some such. I don't specifically crave fast food ever. I do sometimes feel like a burger and fries, but prefer either the dinner I might make with ground beef (sometimes on a bun with mustard and onions and all that) and roasted potatoes, plus some veggies (which is no more difficult to fit in my calories or eating plan than any other regular dinner) or--if I feel like splurging--I fit a really good burger and fries from a restaurant that I like in (or pizza or Indian or whatever). (This could easily be more calories than fast food, depending on what you order.)

    For me, fast food just isn't that good, so it's rarely worth the calories. The convenience aspect is the major draw, I suspect. What does not appeal to me about fast food is that when I want to splurge on calories I want it to be amazing.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    About 11-12 years ago I was addicted to fast food. Literally. I'm talking 2-3 trips a day to McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc. (But I was still telling myself I weighed 400 lbs because I had "tried everything and just can't lose weight"... ahem.) I then went through a period when I couldn't afford to do that anymore and had to make my own meals. After a while, when I would have fast food, I realised how disgusting it is and how much better my own cooking is.

    Now, I haven't had fast food (except fish and chips or the odd kebab) in 6 and a half years. When I want a burger, I make my own.

    I fully believe in "everything in moderation", so eat what you want as the occasional treat. But if you're trying to cut back, maybe just limit yourself to having it once a month, for example. As you cook for yourself more, you may find you don't even miss fast food!
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Well if you guys want to rail on her about her choice of words that fine...
    Diction is important. Doubly so when the only way to make your point known is via diction.
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    what is this real food and where I can find fake food???

    Print this, fold up, and eat.d9u3rydgeojw.jpg



  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Seems to me that after awhile of eating homemade food that is lower in sodium and sugar the urge to eat any restaraunt food waned and nowadays I can hardly stand any restaurant food as it is just way to salty. I gag at the just the thought of fast food.

    So you just don't go out to eat at restaurants? Like, ever? And I'm not talking fast food places. I'm talking sit-down, lingering meal, several courses restaurant.
    That's.... horrifying.
  • Wow thank you everyone for the help , it is greatly appreciated!!!
This discussion has been closed.