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Fast Food Addiction - Can Anyone Else Relate?

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  • getsweaty123go
    getsweaty123go Posts: 53 Member
    I totally get that feeling you talked about.. probably everyone here does so you aren't alone!
    The way I broke out of it was actually learning to be kind to myself. Sounds lame I know.. but one day I realized that that inner voice was really mean and I took note and started cutting it off and being nicer. I stopped expecting perfection or nothing. Start on Monday.. I'll do better etc etc..
    I then allowed myself the personal time to go to the gym and not feel guilty about it and started just tracking honestly my food intake. This helped me want to cut back and also the endorphins from working out really helped so I wasn't just getting that feeling from the food but from exercise. When I had major cravings exercise was a good distraction and by the end of it I didn't want it anymore, not as bad. I started missing working out if I didn't go. That yuck feeling you had when you had the Burger King is a good thing! Just don't hate yourself for it. Acknowledge that now you feel gross so remember that for when you want it again and instead go for a walk. Find an activity you like. I used to not be able to run and didn't think I ever could but now I run 5k no prob :-)
  • kristingjertsen
    kristingjertsen Posts: 239 Member
    Fast food is designed to be tasty--lots of fat, carbohydrates, sugar, even flavor additives to maximize taste (my husband did consulting work for a company that made these additives, a different flavor every day, and he would come home smelling like chocolate cake, sugar cookies, the perfect steak, caramel, you name it). If you want to eat it, maybe you should try eating a meal that steadies blood sugar levels a few hours before going for your fast food fix. For example, if we are planning to eat out for dinner, then I chose a lunch of lentils, lots of veggies, 1/4 cup whole grain (farro is my favorite), 1 tbsp. of healthy oil, and sometimes a small portion of salmon or chicken. If I snack later, I eat an apple and a tbsp. of walnuts. When we get to the restaurant, I am not starving and my blood sugar is at an even keel which makes it easier to make good choices. My other restaurant rule is to only eat half of what is on my plate (if the restaurant allows me to order a half portion, so much the better). Developing a strategy for eating out puts you in control of the situation.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    Another thought: when we do get fast food, 9 times out of 10, it's a matter of convenience (I don't want to cook), not craving. I expect it to be disappointing. Does that mean I'm not addicted?
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    edited March 2018
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    try2again wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    So... ummm... I had Taco Bell for lunch yesterday. Still not addicted. Of course OP clarified that neither is she. But some folks are still gonna stake their claim of the "It's not our fault! They made us fat!" argument, whether it's sugar or fast food or processed food or diet food or carbs or dairy or grains or whatever, so... carry on.

    P.S. The Nacho Fries are good, but not really worth the hype in my opinion. But they did allow me to tell my friend she couldn't try one because "These are Nacho Fries, get your own!" (Not Your = Nacho, get it?) So, that was fun.

    Do you agree most addicts will tell others they not addicts for some unknown reason? :)

    Are you suggesting @kimny72 needs an intervention? *raised eyebrow*

    This makes me realize what this thread is missing... a good, comprehensive definition of what "fast food addiction" is. I have fast food cravings sometimes (KFC commercials drive me *insane*), but since we live in a rural area and it would be a decent drive to get it, I shrug my shoulders & go "oh well". If I were an addict, would I get in the car and go? If the car was broken down, would I walk?

    Great point. At 2am when I realized I was thinking about driving 10 miles in one direct to a drink machine for a Royal Crown cola yet there was no way to get a Moon Pie to go with it I realized I was a carb addict. I guess I thought if something was legal then it should not be addictive.

    Shortly after that (Oct 2014) I cut out foods with added sugars and/or any form of grains on a hunch that it might help me dodge the Enbrel that I was to start in 30 days. It worked for the pain management then month by month I was able to start walking death backwards.

    So your answer is, if I *thought* about getting in the car, that would make me an addict?

    (BTW, I'm not disparaging your WOE at all... I'm very glad that you are healthy & happy :) )
  • genchiyu
    genchiyu Posts: 244 Member
    Katherinelittle24 wrote: »
    Random Thought:
    Who here is addicted to fast food? Yesterday, I kind of cheated on my weight loss program and had Burger King for the first time in a while. Now, at that very moment it felt good to have a hamburger again but than later in the evening, I felt disgusting. I felt bloated, heavy, depressed and felt like I didn't want to work out at all. Honesty, since then, I have felt this desire to get more fast food, and even though I was full after I had a meal at Burger King, I still wanted more....that's how terrible my addiction is. Fast Food is the devil haha sorry don't need to be dramatic but for those that are addicted to food, I'm sure you will understand.

    Long story short, since November of 2017, I've lost 52lbs. I have a long way to go but when I started my weight loss journey, I was 400lbs. I became highly addicted to fast food. Even though I love to cook and I love all of the healthy delicious foods, I ate fast food about four days a week at least and that's how I became so obese. I wanted fast food every day and yesterday, I got a glimpse of the old me and it kind of scared me because thinking about how much I've worked on myself since then, and how much I can easily gain the weight I loss because of my terrible food addiction. After I had fast food, my mind has been thinking about it ever since. Does anyone else get these thoughts as well?

    To answer your question, I was addicted to fast food.
    I was addicted to fast food because: 1.) it was quick, easy, and almost all restaurants have a drive-thru. (CONVENIENCE)
    2.) Didn't have to go to the store and make my own darn meal (ugh yeah, I was lazy.)
    3.) It just tasted good TO ME.

    Addiction isn't the word for what you and I are trying to explain. I think it's more of a convenience.
    I changed this habit of going straight to fast food restaurants and started heading to the grocery store. It's much more cheaper to buy your own ingredients but it's very time-consuming to prep your own meals. I do want to get into the habit of making a weekend my prep day for the upcoming week.

    I stopped going to fast food restaurants because it's expensive, and it's not worth the calories.
    Remember, all the sales they make is for labor cost, food cost, taxes and the rest is for profit.
    I was a restaurant manager back then at a local Jack in the Box.
    I could've bought three days worth of food if one whole meal at the fast food joint costed $8.00

    Anyway, good luck to you on your weight loss journey. It takes patience and dedication. You'll need the mentality to keep going forward. Don't go back and if you do, don't beat yourself up for it but forgive yourself and move on.
  • Agathokakological
    Agathokakological Posts: 136 Member
    I love fast food. They make it taste so good. I have limited myself to once a week and I work it into my calories before I even leave the house. Sometimes it does make me feel a little "blah" afterwards, but apparently not bad enough to stop eating it.

    People love to preach calories in - calories out as the be all - end all, and while that is absolutely true for weight-loss, at the same time, the foods you eat will make you feel better or worse. Certain foods nourish your body and others just move through you making you feel bloated and gross.

    I feel like one of the single most important things you need to do to is to come up with a plan that works for you. One that keeps you at your calorie goal without leaving you feeling like you're being restrictive. For me personally, when I decide to restrict certain things I'm all of a sudden ravenous for that item. I know it's in my head though. So I try to keep the things I like but don't necessarily want to eat day to day, in my rotation and accounted for.

    Until you find a sustainable way of eating that works for you, you'll struggle. It won't be easy or quick, but give it time and don't be afraid to change things up. Eat things that are healthy, eat things that you enjoy eating that may not be healthy, track it all and stay in a deficit and you should see results.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    positivepowers wrote: »
    Oh, and just for your information, McDonald's fries have many ingredients you would never put in homemade fries . . .

    “[McDONALD'S] FRENCH FRIES:
    Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]*, Citric Acid [Preservative]), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Salt.

    Prepared in Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil) with TBHQ and Citric Acid to preserve freshness of the oil and Dimethylpolysiloxane to reduce oil splatter when cooking.

    CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK.

    *Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients.”

    https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/why-do-mcdonald-s-fries-have-nearly-20-ingredients

    That is why they are so good!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited March 2018
    positivepowers wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    There are probably no common ingredients in french friesn and a chocolate cake (which for many could be homemade, btw, I don't know why so many people assume "junk food" is always packaged, but that's a digression).

    I'm not saying that you don't have the reaction you describe when eating them -- I find I tend to crave the foods I eat, so if I mostly (not 100%) eat nutrient-dense foods I will mostly crave the kinds of things I was planning to have anyway.

    What I am saying is that this is NOT evidence of addiction to a specific substance, as was claimed. It's support for the idea that some (for a variety of reasons, often a pattern of using food for self comfort, maybe something physical, probably related to feeling bad about eating habits and thinking you should restrict or not eat certain things) will find it really hard to control foods they find hyperpalatable.

    IMO, you can probably change, to some degree, what foods you really enjoy or crave (or consider hyperpalatable -- I honestly don't get why people even think fast food is so tasty vs. other options, other options that might be even more caloric in some cases, granted -- and I admit I'm being a bit of a food snob here, it's just my response to some of the things people claim are magically and unfairly tasty is that they aren't even all that tasty vs., say, better restaurants or homemade). You can also perhaps find a way to moderate -- for example, if you know you can have fries every week, it may well be easier not to think of them at other times. Or not, people find what works for them. Point is just this does not support the idea that "fast food" as a category is an addictive substance. It is made up of a huge variety of ingredients that are also in non fast food foods (see, eg, homemade burger and roasted potatoes with some salt and olive oil). I don't think any fast food measures up to a well roasted chicken with perfectly roasted potatoes (in some of the chicken fat) and brussels sprouts. But many of the reasons that's so tasty (mix of fat, protein, carbs and salt, for example), are going to overlap why fast food is tasty for many.

    As an initial point, none of what you said relates to what I said. Maybe reread the post? And if you think I'm wrong please point to the specific comment. It's rude to respond as if someone said things they did not, it's putting words in their mouth.
    Although several times during this thread I've been accused of attempted to deflect responsibility for my eating habits by explaining how obsessed I become with certain foods, it's actually just the opposite.

    This is irrelevant to anything I said, so I won't respond.
    Also, I don't know what is in fast/junk food that is not in homemade food but I've craved McDonald's fries (they are from the devil IMHO) and Taco Bell anything, ice cream, etc., (I'm craving it now and I've just eaten - I think I talked myself into it) but I've never once craved a homemade pot roast, hamburger, french fries, tacos, etc.

    That might be your tastes or habits. I NEVER crave McD's, and have certainly craved homemade rack of lamb, roasted chicken and potatoes and brussels sprouts, one of my favorite smoothies, homemade pie, and many other things.

    But more significantly, you seem to have misread or missed the point entirely. I said two things that you seem to be responding to here:

    (1) There are probably no common ingredients in chocolate cake (I mentioned homemade) and McD's fries. So claiming that what you are talking about here is an addiction to a specific substance makes no sense.

    (2) Plenty of so called "junk foods" ARE, in fact, homemade. Other than ice cream (which I sometimes make, but rarely), most of the sweets I eat are homemade, since I think most packaged stuff isn't worth the calories. An exception is an occasional interesting dessert at a nice restaurant, but the ingredients there are going to be basically the same as homemade. Thus, it's weird that you assume junk food = not homemade.

    And yes, homemade sweets are ever bit as cravable (more so, IMO).

    Since you mention pizza, I'll note that the main pizza I crave is from a local Italian place. How is it different from my homemade (which I also can crave)? The crust is made with a better oven for that purpose or people with more expertise or some such. If you crave Pizza Hut and not something made just with the ingredients you can have at home (assuming Pizza Hut uses other things -- I have no clue what's in Pizza Hut so won't take a position), then that's just your personal tastes, not that Pizza Hut pizza is magically more delicious or impossible to resist than a homemade pizza or one using all standard kitchen ingredients from a local Italian restaurant.
    I've never compared alcohol or drug withdrawal to food withdrawal.

    I'm glad, but others have said it's exactly the same.

    There is no such thing as "fast food" withdrawal, btw, as the same ingredients are in non fast foods. Yes, there are some flavorings and such in SOME fast foods that you wouldn't have in your kitchen, probably, but no one has explained how this is going to cause withdrawals if you stop having it.

    I don't think withdrawals are essential to addiction (and I think there's such a thing as an eating addiction, although not a "fast food addiction"), but this idea that you get physical withdrawals from not having a burger (which can be made easily at home or replaced with other foods that provide the same things to your body) seems absurd.
  • positivepowers
    positivepowers Posts: 902 Member
    edited March 2018
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    positivepowers wrote: »
    Oh, and just for your information, McDonald's fries have many ingredients you would never put in homemade fries . . .

    If this is aimed at me, you seem to have misread my comment. I was talking about chocolate cake as an example of "junk food" which is often homemade.

    The ingredients in McD's fries are irrelevant to me since I like really good fries (and find them difficult to stop eating) and don't think McD's fries are all that good. I never make fried food at home, so can't compare to homemade fries, but I go to places with fries that are just fat, potatoes, and salt.

    That said, what are these mysterious McD's fry ingredients? From your own list:

    (1) Potatoes - well, I would hope so!

    (2) Vegetable Oil -- I think we all assumed, McD's made a big thing about them being appropriate for vegetarians, I believe.

    (3) Natural Beef Flavor -- presumably to replace the particular flavor lost when they went vegetarian?

    (4) Citric Acid -- this is basically like lemon or lime juice

    (5) Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate -- probably not enough of these to be significant, but do you think you are addicted to these? I'm sure it's easy to find good fries without them.

    (6) Salt -- again, pretty standard.

    Not sure how this is 20 ingredients, seems more like 7 at most to me. Are you counting the different oils in the blend? Still not 20.

    But hey, lots of other fries out there. I find some fries from a local pub harder to stop eating than McD's, probably because they are (to my taste), lots tastier.

    @lemurcat12 the was NOT aimed specifically at you. I apologize for not making that clearer.

    The article counts each oil separately, the ones added to the potatoes as well as the oils in which the fries are fried. There are 14 (the article counted some of the oils twice to equal 19, I didn't.):

    1. Potatoes
    2. Canola Oil
    3. Soybean Oil
    4. Hydrogenated soybean oil
    5. Wheat derivatives
    6. Milk derivatives
    7. Citric acid
    8. Dextrose
    9. Sodium acid pyrophosphate
    10. Salt
    11. Canola Oil
    12. Corn Oil
    13. TBHQ
    14. dimethylpolysiloxane

    But I got off track by focusing on McDonald's fries, that's my fault. What I was trying to say is, I don't crave carrots at all but processed foods (which, I apologize, turned into an indictment of McDonald's and that wasn't my intention) such as fast food, trigger something in me that turns off the part of my brain that tells me to STOP EATING. I know a few addicts, I deal with them daily in my line of work. They tell me that that's the way they feel with their drug of choice. Mine just happens to be not only legal but encouraged. My only way to deal with it is to abstain (sound familiar?) I don't know how long I need to abstain, maybe forever, (not sure that's possible in this society, though). Maybe it is an eating addiction, not a fast food (processed food, actually) addiction but the only foods I tend to eat in massive quantities are processed/fast/junk foods. That's the point I initially tried to get across.

    ETA: Believe me or not. I don't really care because I know what I go through and it is strikingly similar to some of the descriptions given by others on this website and in RL.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    Behavioural addiction - comparable to other harmful behavioural addictions like gambling addictions or compulsion to cut oneself - yes I can see that
    like most eating disorders, in fact.

    But physical addiction -No.

    Seconding

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