How do you choose a salad over a Big Mac?
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amusedmonkey wrote: »
Even non-profit "manipulate" with their campaign by use of color, imagery, and words. That's the whole point of advertising; to make something more attractive to the consumer.
Yeah, my team recently did a volunteer event at a food bank and I noticed that the brochure promoting volunteering featured people who were *way more* photogenic and beautiful than me and my team. Who knows, maybe models really are volunteering there in between glamorous photoshoots . . .6 -
The Big Macs aren't that bad imo at just 520cals for a burger. Instead of replacing the burger with a salad, I just replace the fries with a side salad. Makes for a pretty decent meal that I can occasionally work into my typical 1500cal days if i want to.3
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To throw in my 2 cents worth ( Canadian, which is worthless ) regarding advertising...
A dictionary definition of advertising:
advertise
or advertize
[ad-ver-tahyz, ad-ver-tahyz]
verb (used with object), advertised, advertising.
1.
to announce or praise (a product, service, etc.) in some public medium of communication in order to induce people to buy or use it
It's pretty clear what advertising is for. To get you to buy stuff.
IMHO, advertising is something to be aware of, and to actually resist against. I personally feel that I am a little less affected / influenced by advertising than many people. It's probably my cheap nature. I just don't see things advertised, and then 'want' them. Mind you, a nice, slick picture of a Big Mac... combined with those fast food smells emanating from 'those' places, and I am Pavlov's dog.
Advertising serves a purpose. I feel it tends to serve the seller's purpose more than the buyer's. But, that's just my opinion. Advertising has helped me make purchases before, but generally, if I NEED something, I'll seek it out, and sift through any advertising, trying to make my own judgements. Just like with food and weight loss. There will always be temptations... it's an individual issue, it's how we deal with them.
I think that was the OP's question... how to deal with these temptations?
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sloth3toes wrote: »To throw in my 2 cents worth ( Canadian, which is worthless ) regarding advertising...
A dictionary definition of advertising:
advertise
or advertize
[ad-ver-tahyz, ad-ver-tahyz]
verb (used with object), advertised, advertising.
1.
to announce or praise (a product, service, etc.) in some public medium of communication in order to induce people to buy or use it
It's pretty clear what advertising is for. To get you to buy stuff.
IMHO, advertising is something to be aware of, and to actually resist against. I personally feel that I am a little less affected / influenced by advertising than many people. It's probably my cheap nature. I just don't see things advertised, and then 'want' them. Mind you, a nice, slick picture of a Big Mac... combined with those fast food smells emanating from 'those' places, and I am Pavlov's dog.
Advertising serves a purpose. I feel it tends to serve the seller's purpose more than the buyer's. But, that's just my opinion. Advertising has helped me make purchases before, but generally, if I NEED something, I'll seek it out, and sift through any advertising, trying to make my own judgements. Just like with food and weight loss. There will always be temptations... it's an individual issue, it's how we deal with them.
I think that was the OP's question... how to deal with these temptations?
I think there are relatively few people who admit the extent to which they are affected/influenced by advertising. Most of us would like to think we are more discerning than we are given credit for, right?0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
What's a ' "diet coke" ' as opposed to an actual diet coke?
It's a joke.1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »
I think there are relatively few people who admit the extent to which they are affected/influenced by advertising. Most of us would like to think we are more discerning than we are given credit for, right?
True that. If we're talking about me, personally, though... I honestly believe that I am pretty self-aware. ( Probably another thing that people 'all' tend to think ). But, I believe I generally recognize my faults and my strengths. And I honestly believe that I am not attracted by advertising as much as the general population. It's probably just part of my rather dopey / sloth-like disposition.
Then again, I honestly believe I will win a lottery one day, too. :huh:
A couple things that helped me shape a strong aversion to advertising and salespeople in general were:- I took a short course in salesmanship, and when told to 'create a need,' I found the whole situation uncomfortable
- I tried to sell Kirby vacuum cleaners once, and the tactics used to get people to release over a grand for a vacuum / cleaning system they weren't likely to use also made me feel weird. I used the vacuum over the weekend, when we were supposed to be trying to unload them on family and friends, and loved the vacuum, but I took it back and 'quit.'
So, back to the OPsampsondavidj wrote: »McDonald's has always been a nemesis for me. I have stood in line, pondering if I should get a salad or McWrap instead of a Big Mac. 99.97% of the time, I choose the Big Mac....I did get the McWrap once. What I am looking for is "decision process information" that helps you choose the salad. What I mean by "decision process information" is any thoughts or reasonings that you have that lead to the decision to eat the salad.
I think it's a personal thing, and the OP is looking for suggestions on a decision process to not choose to eat Big Macs so often. The majority of responses appear to be, 'don't get the salad,' mainly because no one here seems to enjoy McD's salads. We each have our methods to avoid calorie dense foods, or eat them in moderation.
I am in the camp of... Don't go into McD's so often, and when you do, get the Big Mac. Just be aware of what you are doing. IMHO, that's what MFP is basically about... self-awareness of what you are eating. More specifically, how many calories.
What got me here in the first place, was a lack of awareness of what, and how much I was eating.4 -
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Mcdonalds has some great healthy alternatives and nutritional information available on everything. Right now they have the Chicken Mctasties which I love, you can take off the mayo and it's only around 300 calories. Fortunately this satisfies me but would never work for my husband.0
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PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »
Never heard of it and im canadian, Granted i cant remember last time i was in mcdonalds i feel like id of seen it on a sign0 -
Is this it?
McTasters - Thai Sweet Chili Chicken
I have never seen one in Canada, either.
360 calories stock. With a mayo based sauce, so it might fall into the 300 calories without the mayo sauce. It also has a Thai sauce on it.
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oo i have heard of mctasters in london ONT. ok if thats what a mctasties is then their in canada
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The above is available in British Columbia.0
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I would (and have) regret it because of the feeling afterward. That weighed down, 'didn't eat the right thing for my body' feeling. You ever feel tired or sick after eating one? I have. Haven't had one in a few years as I have changed my lifestyle, but I remember that feeling well lol.
This must be an "everybody's different" thing. I have never felt physically bad after eating fast food. I have a couple of times stuffed myself with enough roast turkey and homemade stuffing on Thanksgiving to feel like I literally couldn't get up from the chair, but even then not sick.3 -
I once heard someone say "Your beliefs are bigger than your appetite," referring to eating a plant-based diet vs the alternative. For weight loss/weight control, I would change to that to "My life is bigger than my appetite," when I'm trying to exercise impulse control.0
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kenyonhaff wrote: »
That's not subliminal advertising. Subliminal advertising is the deliberate insertion of words, images, and audio that supposedly is under the awareness of the viewer. (Such as every 10 frames a frame flashing "eat nuggets" is in the feed--not really noticeable in watching but it's there). The thing is, it doesn't really work - there have been countless studies-- and that's one of the main reasons it is not used as a technique in advertising.
And of course commercials typically show a glamorous version of fast food. The food is carefully crafted, the customers and employees are all actors, and so on. That's just advertising. And of course that's supposed to manipulate the viewer and promote the store. To be fair, Panera does the exact same thing, and so does the "Got Milk"? campaign.
I understand it's not subliminal messaging by the strict definition. However you can't tell me the advertisers don't cast fit, normal weight people for the commercials to give the impression to viewers that McDonald's is the way these people eat on a regular basis.
Call it advertising fluff or what you will, but they are far from the typical McDonalds customer.5 -
Packerjohn wrote: »
I understand it's not subliminal messaging by the strict definition. However you can't tell me the advertisers don't cast fit, normal weight people for the commercials to give the impression to viewers that McDonald's is the way these people normally eat.
Call it advertising fluff or what you will, but they are far from the typical McDonalds customer.
Well of course they do. That's advertising. That's... Advertising?3 -
sampsondavidj wrote: »McDonald's has always been a nemesis for me. I have stood in line, pondering if I should get a salad or McWrap instead of a Big Mac. 99.97% of the time, I choose the Big Mac....I did get the McWrap once. What I am looking for is "decision process information" that helps you choose the salad. What I mean by "decision process information" is any thoughts or reasonings that you have that lead to the decision to eat the salad.
You look at the options and unless you say burger without thinking you choose the salad because you know the burger isn't what you need... Go with instinct rather than craving.
The wrap is just a red herring... Ignore the wrap. It is a lie.3 -
Packerjohn wrote: »
I understand it's not subliminal messaging by the strict definition. However you can't tell me the advertisers don't cast fit, normal weight people for the commercials to give the impression to viewers that McDonald's is the way these people eat on a regular basis.
Call it advertising fluff or what you will, but they are far from the typical McDonalds customer.
Yes, any product tries to create an image that casts its product in the best possible light. And yes, that includes casting actors whose body type most closely represents our body image ideals rather than our reality.
Advertising does have an interesting role in how we are influenced to eat certain types of food. Advertisers know when we are thinking about dinner plans -- notice on TV that there are a lot of fast food commercials from 4-6 pm?3 -
Packerjohn wrote: »
I understand it's not subliminal messaging by the strict definition. However you can't tell me the advertisers don't cast fit, normal weight people for the commercials to give the impression to viewers that McDonald's is the way these people eat on a regular basis.
Call it advertising fluff or what you will, but they are far from the typical McDonalds customer.
EVERY ad uses good looking actors unless they're doing a joke that needs an overweight/ugly person.3 -
Kathryn247 wrote: »I agree that if you go to McDonald's you should get a burger and not a salad, their salads are terrible and not many fewer calories than the burgers. If you're looking for general decision-making help, I found this Chris Pratt quote oddly helpful and on-point.
This is probably my favourite post on this thread.
Instead of I'll eat the burger because I am working out, it's eat the salad and double up on progress.4 -
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stevencloser wrote: »
EVERY ad uses good looking actors unless they're doing a joke that needs an overweight/ugly person.
And EVERYBODY with any common sense laughs their *kitten* off when they see someone like this eating a huge fast food burger
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This is probably my favourite post on this thread.
Instead of I'll eat the burger because I am working out, it's eat the salad and double up on progress.
Don't forget that creating a too big deficit isn't good either. Always provide adequate fuel.4 -
Packerjohn wrote: »
And EVERYBODY with any common sense laughs their *kitten* off when they see someone like this eating a huge fast food burger
'someone like this'? :huh:1 -
stevencloser wrote: »
Don't forget that creating a too big deficit isn't good either. Always provide adequate fuel.
Agreed.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
Yep, you think she ate a burger like that in the last 5 years? If so, have some great land with a water view for sale.5 -
So only fat out of shape people, or super buff athletes who exercise 4 hours a day, eat fast food burgers?1
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TavistockToad wrote: »
You mean you don't wear a push-up plunge bra and dress when you go to grab a burger?0
This discussion has been closed.
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