My biggest struggle: Fast food!

hiyomi

Hi everyone, I'm looking for anyone here that also struggles with the same issue as me, which is that I love fast food and always go to it, and I mean excessively! Growing up, my parents always went out to eat daily for lunch and dinner and sometimes even breakfast as well. I basically grew up on fast food and in my adult years it's still one thing that I always go to. I can stay within calorie range and still eat out fast food, but it doesn't come without its challenges. I would like to eat less fast food and do more home cooking, but the temptation is hard to break. The convience and ease of it.. The greasy tasting goodness, excuse my fattiness talking lol. Anyone here have the same struggle with fast food? I don't mean eating out 3 times a week, I'm talking about eating out 7 to 10 times per week..how did you break the habit?

SisepuedeLinda

I haven't yet! Just last week I went out for 2 whoppers after staying away for a week haha it's definitely hard when I had it for 1 (or 2 ) meals at least 6-7 days a week! I've been trying to plan my meals ahead and go to the grocery store and prep some lunches or drink a meal replacement in the morning so I know I have no reason to hit the drive thru. Some days it works other days I find myself ordering a #2 again.. But try to cut it out once a week then twice a week and go from there so you won't beat yourself up for it someone also suggested to eat a salad and drink 8 oz of water first then go for the bad food after and see if you still want it. Good luck my fellow Taco Belle lol :P

SLLeask

I would try to recreate your favourite fast food things in a more healthy way. For example, you can get good quality beef burgers and nice bread rolls / buns / baps or whatever you call them and make them at home. Put all your favourite toppings on. Then bit by bit cut down on the calorie laden stuff. You could even try making your own burger patties when you start getting adventurous. Same with your favourite Chinese or Indian takeaway. There are loads of recipes online to make your own versions, and then you can start to make them just a bit healthier until you've weaned yourself off eating quite so much fast food. You never know may find a love for cooking along the way...! All the best

kommodevaran

I think my story is comparable, so I hope you can get something out of this even though it isn't exactly the same. I grew up with home cooked meals, and eating out was a an occasional treat, but I always longed for the sweet and the fatty. My "solution" was to get as much sweets and snacks and junk as possible as soon as I was on my own. Add to this that I was well aware of how I "should" be eating - lean protein, lots of veg and fiber - and I did value my health, and I was really afraid of getting sick, and I was devastated seeing my weight only get higher, so oops, a dilemma, and the constant conflict made me exhausted and paralysed, and temporarily soothing the feelings of letting myself down, was easy with large amounts of the foods I "wasn't supposed to have". See how this becomes a struggle?

MFP actually set me straight. I have learnt a lot in here - and from other sources as well, and from being more assertive and mindful - it all comes together:
No foods are essentially good or bad, it's all about context - dosage and frequency.
Taste is important. Food is supposed to be delicious because we need to eat.
Good advice can turn bad. Oftentimes rules are set too tight, in order to protect us, so the resulting perfectionism and feeling of defeat leads to failing to adhere to even the easy bits.
Cooking can and should be fun and produce delicious results. Use just enough fat, sugar and salt to make great food.

ruffalicious

i started watching documentaries about junk foods and fast foods on netflix, so now everytime i see fast foods, i barf lol

MelissaLimeKiwi

Fast food is my biggest weakness! And yes, sometimes three times in one day. It's how I gained 20 lbs over the fall and winter. The motivation comes and goes, but when I am dedicated to my counting calories then I still allow myself a single cheeseburger, no fried, or a six inch from subway, or a grilled chicken sandwich from Chik Fil a , or the southwest salad from McDonald's. Those are my go to items. You just have to learn to tell yourself no. It is hard! But doable. Good luck!

ninerbuff

I've worked fast foods in to my diet for years. Lol, the past couple of weeks, I've had fast food somewhere in the day every day! And haven't gained. But of course I'd also want to eat more VOLUME, so I'll have to cut back a little and get back to cooking again.
You can eat fast food. Just make better choices. I would urge you to have at least one nutrient dense meal a day though.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

rmgnow

There are some good fast food options out there.
You definitely can lose weight eating fast food.like with all food, it's all about the portions

lemurcat12

hiyomi wrote: »

Hi everyone, I'm looking for anyone here that also struggles with the same issue as me, which is that I love fast food and always go to it, and I mean excessively! Growing up, my parents always went out to eat daily for lunch and dinner and sometimes even breakfast as well. I basically grew up on fast food and in my adult years it's still one thing that I always go to.

I don't share the challenge -- fast food was a special treat when I was a kid and I lost my taste for it as an adult -- but there are other indulgences I enjoy (ordering in Indian if I'm tired, for example), and I don't know why it wouldn't be the same.

If it's a special treat and something you love, treat it like that. Decide you will do it, I dunno, one dinner and one lunch per week, whatever seems reasonable, and then those are your treats. Use the other meals to find other things you like too.

If it's the convenience, think about how to make meals easy and convenient in other ways, like by preplanning, learning some fast to prepare meals, having leftovers available.

laurenebargar

Eating fast food is totally up to you, you can still lose weight eating fast food. For me I stopped eating fast food before I even started losing weight (just personal preference) I lost the taste for it after a few months. Same thing happened to me with soda, after not having it for a few months it doesnt appeal to me anymore. However maybe once a month we will order a pizza, so if thats classified as fast food then I still get it once in awhile.

Expirementing with new recipes is fun, I tried out two new recipes over the weekend, and both came out great and I'm adding them to my recipe book.

Old_Cat_Lady

Something tells me you have friends or family that live with you that are influencing you. That will be 50% of your fight.

okohjacinda

I am still struggling as well...doing intermittent fasting and going a different route (where there is hardly any fast food restaurants to catch my eye) before and after work has helped a lot.

Focusing on your macros more in addition to staying in a calorie deficit might help also. If you lower your fat intact, it forces you to kind of not eat out as much because most fast food restaurants have nothing but high fats in their food. Carbs could be another focus to lower as well. But I love carbs so I chose fats to lower instead and it's worked so far.

Now I still eat out but its not the 14 to 20 times a week like 2 months ago. Now its 2 or 3 times a week and usually subway or healthier options at another fast food joint.

Although every week I pick one day and one meal out of that one day to eat something fatty and high carb so I won't feel deprived but believe me when I say I work for it.

okohjacinda

Also like others have said you could still eat out as much as you want as long as you stay within a deficit but believe me when I say you are eventually going to get tired of trying to outrun a crappy diet.

CICO + watching your macros will help bunches
And it really helps to work for it througout the week and savor that nice juicy burger and fries on Saturday or Sunday or maybe just in my case lol

rankinsect

I usually eat at Subway on Tuesdays because I work late and just want something quick. Other than that, try making your own versions of fast food - once you see how much better you can do, the appeal dies down.

When you compare a home-grilled beef-and-mushroom burger with roasted tomato and caramelized onion served on a homemade bun to the bland gray patties at the big chains you won't see a reason to return.

emcclure013

I feel your pain! My husband was raised just like you, so his nights to cook were always pizza, Italian, or Chinese food ordered in. Taco bell is my weakness, and ice cream from just about anywhere.

You have to be better than your desire for fast food. If losing weight really is a priority, you'll make it a priority. Start small with at least 1 home cooked meal every day and if you do go out, cut your portion size down. I ate out twice on Saturday and I was still really close to my calorie goal because I didn't eat as much as I would have pre-MFP. I find that if I force myself to eat breakfast at home and take a lunch to work (and don't branch out and eat whatever's in the cafeteria) and if I have a meal plan set in my head before I leave work, then I'm MUCH more likely to stick to it. And I've banned my husband from ordering out... that's helped too, haha.

TeaBea

ruffalicious wrote: »

i started watching documentaries about junk foods and fast foods on netflix, so now everytime i see fast foods, i barf lol

Misinformation isn't a good thing. So many of these "documentaries" cherry pick information presented to serve the agenda that they are pushing.

OP - you can eat fast food at every meal and maintain your weight. However, you will begin to find your choices rather limited. I would start by figuring out what things you can re-create on your own.....only make them healthier. Because it's your recipe, you can make them tastier too.

You don't have to eliminate fast food, but a reduction in fast food would serve you well.

perkymommy

hiyomi wrote: »

Hi everyone, I'm looking for anyone here that also struggles with the same issue as me, which is that I love fast food and always go to it, and I mean excessively! Growing up, my parents always went out to eat daily for lunch and dinner and sometimes even breakfast as well. I basically grew up on fast food and in my adult years it's still one thing that I always go to. I can stay within calorie range and still eat out fast food, but it doesn't come without its challenges. I would like to eat less fast food and do more home cooking, but the temptation is hard to break. The convience and ease of it.. The greasy tasting goodness, excuse my fattiness talking lol. Anyone here have the same struggle with fast food? I don't mean eating out 3 times a week, I'm talking about eating out 7 to 10 times per week..how did you break the habit?

Fast food is the worst to eat when trying to lose weight. There is so much sodium in it. Even a basic salad from a fast food restaurant has more calories than fixing one at home. But with that - I too used to love it. I have to cut it out almost completely any time I'm trying to lose weight. I take my kids to Chickfila at times and I will eat a few nuggets but that's it or I just get a bottled water and wait til I get home to eat. I don't limit myself completely but I do make better choices now. I know that my body just doesn't do well with fast food. I also like feeling less bloated and yucky too. Fast food always made me feel horrible after eating it. I don't miss that part.

perkymommy

rankinsect wrote: »

I usually eat at Subway on Tuesdays because I work late and just want something quick. Other than that, try making your own versions of fast food - once you see how much better you can do, the appeal dies down.

When you compare a home-grilled beef-and-mushroom burger with roasted tomato and caramelized onion served on a homemade bun to the bland gray patties at the big chains you won't see a reason to return.

Love this idea! I have a big mac special sauce recipe I make that tastes just like the big mac sauce and you can make a meal at home with a lot less calories using it.

Chef_Barbell

I eat a lot of fast food.. It has not hindered my goals in anyway. I just count the calories like anything else.

janejellyroll

perkymommy wrote: »

hiyomi wrote: »

Hi everyone, I'm looking for anyone here that also struggles with the same issue as me, which is that I love fast food and always go to it, and I mean excessively! Growing up, my parents always went out to eat daily for lunch and dinner and sometimes even breakfast as well. I basically grew up on fast food and in my adult years it's still one thing that I always go to. I can stay within calorie range and still eat out fast food, but it doesn't come without its challenges. I would like to eat less fast food and do more home cooking, but the temptation is hard to break. The convience and ease of it.. The greasy tasting goodness, excuse my fattiness talking lol. Anyone here have the same struggle with fast food? I don't mean eating out 3 times a week, I'm talking about eating out 7 to 10 times per week..how did you break the habit?

Fast food is the worst to eat when trying to lose weight. There is so much sodium in it. Even a basic salad from a fast food restaurant has more calories than fixing one at home. But with that - I too used to love it. I have to cut it out almost completely any time I'm trying to lose weight. I take my kids to Chickfila at times and I will eat a few nuggets but that's it or I just get a bottled water and wait til I get home to eat. I don't limit myself completely but I do make better choices now. I know that my body just doesn't do well with fast food. I also like feeling less bloated and yucky too. Fast food always made me feel horrible after eating it. I don't miss that part.

A McDonald's side salad (which is pretty basic) has 15 calories before you add the dressing.

For a full meal salad, the Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad has 350 calories before you add the dressing, which is still pretty reasonable (hold the glaze and the tortilla strips and it goes down to 260). I feel as if lots of people can make salads at home that have more calories -- I know I have.

Should people research the calories in fast food salads before ordering? Sure. But for lots of people, they can be a reasonable option. To say that any basic fast food salad has more calories than what people are making at home just isn't accurate.

browneyedgirl749

It is so convenient to hit a drive thru on the way home from work. And I do love those shredded chicken burritos with extra avocado sauce from Taco Bell. I've cut back quite a bit, but still get those convenient cravings. It's why I'm stuck around the same 5-6 pound gain and loss. It's so tough!!