Agh! Fast food rant

IIIIISerenityNowIIIII

Chick til a is only going to get better. Now they are striving to get healthier and more organic meats without antibiotics. I wish more fast food places going healthier.

djflowerz

Learn to cook at home and prepare easy to-go meals and snacks. Then you won't need to pick up anything from fast food places. Go to the grocery store and stock up so you are prepared. If your friends and family are a bad influence try doing your own thing if possible so they can't tempt you as often.
Also, you can work some of this off with exercise, no?

Bearbrat

It was your choice to eat there and it's your responsibility to make sure you're getting the correct amount of carbs and taking the correct amount of insulin, nobody else's. My son has type one diabetes and he's completely responsible for everything that goes into his mouth and for every injection he gives himself. After looking back through your diary for the last two weeks it might be a good idea for you to visit your doctor and ask for a referral to a diabetic counselor, glucose tablets are for emergencies and in the last year I've only had to give my son one. This might sound harsh, but it's honest. And McDonalds does have healthier options than what YOU chose to eat.

Wtn_Gurl

OP, i have a feeling you are ranting out of frustration.

What you gained was a lesson in how to handle food or not.

You are going to be out in the world and you must learn to live with the food temptations around you, especially since you have diabetes.

My feeling is to eat well as much as possible, and the few times you might make a mistake, in the big picture, it wont mean much. and tomorrow is a new day with a new fresh batch of calories and nutrients waiting to fill you.

If you go to macdonalds, try to get the salad or something LESS unhealthy for you, whatever that means to you. Last week in fact I bought 2 salads to take home and they were absolutely delish! I actually was on the road and had to use the bathroom quick so i had to buy something (they parking lot said parking is free with a $10 purchase - as I am downtown).. so i had to buy something, so i chose the salads.. they were good! and it did not kill my weight loss either.

RaggedyPond

Fast food is made to taste good. They don't care how many calories are in their food. It's not their problem. If you don't like it make your own food.

craftywitch_63

Of course, I was tempted by fast food and am now kicking myself in the rear end for giving in and biting off more than I can really chew.

I first went to Chick-Fil-A and was pretty decent there. I ordered a grilled market salad with low fat berry vinaigrette, and it only came out to about 300 calories and 23 carbs. On the plus side, it was also very delicious and filled me up quickly. Because none of my siblings like that place, we then went to McDonald's. Of course, they offered their "one-dollar frappe Friday" deal, and I gave into the temptation and ordered a small chocolate strawberry frappe with a small french fry. (Thank you, Mother Nature :grumble: )

I get home and do the carb counts. At McDonald's, the frappe was 560 calories and 88 carbs for a small. The french fries added on an additional 210 calories and 29 carbs. In total, the meal was 140 carbs.

I was incredibly stupid in my mental math and calculated 150 carbs, and I took 11 units of insulin to compensate for it (instead of the 10 units I should have taken). While eating, I also became too full to eat the now liquid frappe, and I was only able to eat half of it. Though the first few fries were also good, they became ice cold within the ten minutes it took to get back home and eat them, and, after eating them, I wanted more "terrible" food (possibly from the salt).

I am annoyed that Chick-Fil-A seems to be the only place that is more health conscious. I can get a choice of grilled chicken nuggets, a few salads, soup, chicken wraps, and fresh fruit all for the same price as the high-calorie, high-carb, high-fat, high-junk stuff at McDonalds. It shocks me that one McDonald's frappe is almost 600 calories, when I know I can make a frappe at home with coffee, splenda, whipped cream, and unsweetened almond milk for less than 200 calories and 20 carbs. Though McDonalds is trying to become more "healthy", it is not helping when the only thing that is low in carbs and calories are the same flavorless salads (and they already got rid of the Caesar salad a few months ago).

So now, I am going to have a fun time going into very severe hypoglycemia within the next few hours -I took insulin for 54 carbs that I did not eat and will certainly go low. :sick:

I too hope you're okay.

Actually I have no problem with McDonalds. They sell unhealthy food and make no excuses for it. Even their salads aren't really that "healthy" but it's McDonalds. http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/getnutrition/nutritionfacts.pdf :sick:

The places I don't like are places like Tropical Smoothie. They bill themselves as a healthy alternative when, in fact, they wouldn't know a healthy alternative if it hit them with a dead squirrel. Their food is fully as bad as McDonalds. :grumble: http://tropicalsmoothie.com/site_media/uploads/files/TSC_Nutrition_Guide.pdf

bethkeysear

First I hope you are feeling okay.

Second, I just bought the book Eat This, Not That, the restaurant guide. It is really helpful. I know you can get the caloric menu at the restaurant but the book helps me put things into perspective.

Wtn_Gurl

i think the best thing to do is get more knowledge about what restaurants you can go to so that when you have a food emergency, you will know where to go and where not to go. And I'd carry with me something to eat so that when a craving or hunger happens, that you can eat something where your not so ravenous where you are in danger of stopping anywhere to get anything just to put something in your mouth to get rid of that hungry feeling.

CynthiasChoice

I get it. I'm type 2 and counting carbs as well. Going out to eat is extremely challenging. I try to check the restaurant website ahead of times when I can. I've also been using an app called Healthy Out. You enter your dietary requirements and it shows you restaurants nearby that have items on the menu meeting your needs. You can then look at individual items to see the specific carbs, cals, fats etc.

For the major fast food places, maybe become familiar with their healthy options. You could browse their site and make a list of the best selections at each place then tuck it into the carb book you carry with you.

It's nice to see someone being helpful! Thanks!

OP: Those of us who use MFP because we're overweight can remember at least once when we made a bad choice with food. I certainly can, and I sympathize with you. You mentioned going to McDonald's with your siblings, so I'm wondering if you're still in your teens and didn't have a realistic option to avoid going there with your family. If you're with family or friends and everyone else is ordering something you want, but shouldn't have, you need something powerful to hang on to until the temptation subsides. If you're like me, that temptation could rage very loud in your head for a good half hour until you finally give in or overcome it.

To overcome it I've been trying a new strategy lately: I think about one of the rewards I'll get from weight loss. I envision it in detail, close my eyes and breath deeply and let it dwell for a while in my imagination until I can feel some excitement about it mounting inside me. It has taken some practice, but this exercise has helped me to quiet those powerful cravings. Good luck to you. I hope you find the answers you're looking for.

Natmarie73

Surely there are healthier options to eat out at which are not fast food joints? Do you not have coffee shops or restaurants or pubs/bistros? You can get a frappe made at a coffee shop using real coffee and skim/hilo or soy milk without any sugar added which would be a much better option for a diabetic I would think. And for food choices there would be much healthier options as well.

But of course you could order a salad without dressing at McDonalds if you really must go there.

writergeek313

It was your choice to eat there and it's your responsibility to make sure you're getting the correct amount of carbs and taking the correct amount of insulin, nobody else's. My son has type one diabetes and he's completely responsible for everything that goes into his mouth and for every injection he gives himself. After looking back through your diary for the last two weeks it might be a good idea for you to visit your doctor and ask for a referral to a diabetic counselor, glucose tablets are for emergencies and in the last year I've only had to give my son one. This might sound harsh, but it's honest. And McDonalds does have healthier options than what YOU chose to eat.

I agree with this completely. When my mom was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic a few years ago, I went with her to see her diabetic educator a few times because she was so overwhelmed with all the new information she was getting. From what I learned from those sessions vs. what I saw in your diary, it seems like you either don't understand what you're supposed to be eating or are ignoring what you were told. I saw a lot of pizza, bagels, desserts, and restaurant meals that are high in carbs and sugar...and then a lot of notes about how your sugar went really high or really low. While just like with dieting nothing is completely off-limits when you're trying to follow a diet that will help diabetes, you have to be honest with yourself about what should be once in awhile foods vs. what you should be trying to eat on a regular basis.

I'm not trying to be mean by being critical here. It's just that it seems like you're making things harder for yourself than they need to be and potentially creating problems down the line.

bradXdale

You just have to research before you eat.

Yes it may be harder for you but is it really worth it?

Emotionally is it worth it? Taking more insulin is it worth it?

It may seem like life has slapped you with a bad hand but everything happens for a reason. You are stronger than the french fries and frappe.

Some people have been more harsh with you on here but just realize that you have a special dietary need(s) so you have to be more careful with what choices you make because quite frankly very few restaurants care about your dietary needs.

randomtai

No one put a gun to your head and made you eat there. Deal with it.

NataBost

All of the McDonald's I've been to have the nutrition information posted somewhere on the wall in the dining room. You could have also looked it up on their site or in MFP. And really, a frappe and fries were obvious bad choices for someone with diabetes. There are lower carb options readily available.

Or, you can get creative: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105196-the-mcdouble-down

^^This

I hope all is well. I have a friend who has a risk of going into Anaphylaxis if she has too much gluten, so she makes a point to research and ask. If you have a medical condition that worsens with certain foods, it's up to you to advocate for yourself. Good luck.

Calliope610

Don't even know how to comment. I have never had a McD frappe what-ever-the-f-it-is and have never looked at the nutritional info, but I'm pretty sure that anything that looks that delicious is probably loaded with calories, carbs and sugar.

Calliope610

OP, you have been a member of MFP since Jan 2012 and have about 4doz forums posts under your belt. It is reasonable to expect that by this time you have gleaned enough info from the site and the forums to determine that:

a) "Fast food" is loaded with fats, carbs and calories.
b) "Dessert-type" drinks are loaded with sugars, carbs and calories.
c) French fries are loaded with fats, carbs, calories and sodium

Face it, you made a poor decision. Own it.

Still can't figure out why you are ranting about fast food. From what you have posted, it appears that YOU are aware of your medical condition, YOU gave in to temptation, YOU miscalculated your amount of insulin to take. I don't see how "fast food" really had anything to do with YOUR decisions and YOUR actions.

Athijade

You seem to want to blame everything but your own actions.

I am also unsure how you can blame McDonalds when they have plenty of other options AND your diary shows that this really isn't an abnormal amount of carbs for you in a single item.

As a diabetic, you need to be a lot more careful and OWN your condition. Instead, I am seeing that you are having high carb meals multiple times during the week (and then complaining about spikes), are skipping meals (and then complaining about lows), and are popping glucose tablets like they are candy which they are not.

Maybe you need to reevaluate a lot of things in your diet and speak to a specialist if you have not already.

rml_16

I have a really crazy solution to your problem: Don't eat at McDonald's.

emboslice94

I do not mean to be rude, but if you're insulin dependent to that point, why on earth would you eat at places like McDonald's? I know it's tasty but it's not worth feeling that poorly about it after.

Fedup23

I am so pissed at liquor.. I went to the bar once and did a bunch of shots and got wasted. It sucks that you cant go to a bar and not get bombed these days.

michelleD_36092

First stop beating yourself up. Everyone has a day where they just want that 600 calorie spurge. But don't blame it on the restaurant. YOU decided that was what you wanted. So make up for it by getting in an extra walk or exercise. You may not can burn all those calories but every little bit helps. Fast food is hard to work into your healthy eating but you can do it. You can't just take off to McDonald's without a plan though. If are caught out without a plan and you have a smart phone, look up McDonald's nutrition facts and search for something that fits. You could do a grilled salad, a grilled wrap or just a plain grilled sandwich. There are options at most every fast food restaurant but you have to do the research. But you have to make excuses to succeed and not just excuses for when you slip up. You have the ability to make a change in your life but no one but you can make that change.

abatonfan

I do not mean to be rude, but if you're insulin dependent to that point, why on earth would you eat at places like McDonald's? I know it's tasty but it's not worth feeling that poorly about it after.

I am saying this right now -I am a type 1 diabetic (no insulin resistance. My pancreas simply stopped working, to put it simply). I was diagnosed about three months ago, and I have been told numerous times by my diabetes educator and endo that I can eat almost everything I want as long as I take insulin for it. I actually need carbs in my diet to prevent developing ketones, which, in excess, could cause me to win a lovely all-expense paid trip to the hospital.

I was here from January-April 2012, but I left after that. Over this summer, I only returned to track my weight (I was losing a lot from the undiagnosed diabetes) and am only using MFP now to track what I am eating and how it affects my glucose.

I am trying to keep my carbs around 30-60g per meal, and I am at that point where I know some foods will get more or less mileage with my insulin and need to make notes of that so I know whether I need to re-evaluate the total carbs for the meal and/or adjust my insulin dosage. Just as some people believe certain foods are not worth it, it is easier for me to look back at when I last had a certain food and determine if it is worth eating based on how it affected my glucose. What I eat, what I've previously eaten, any insulin on board when I eat, the time of day, the time of week, the time of month, and even the weather all play a role in what my glucose will be. It is easier for me to notice that I tend to typically go high on a certain week and then immediately low the next week and then be able to get in touch with the endo and discuss modifying my insulin for those weeks.

I am also frustrated that the nutrition information is not easily accessible. I am young and still want to be spontaneous, and it is difficult to be spontaneous when the information I need is unavailable. Even when I try to get the nutritional information in advanced, a lot of restaurants and places where I live do not have it or is a severely outdated version (eg: Waffle House, local restaurants), and it leaves me having to take a wild guess as to how much insulin to take. More often than not, I do not know what is going to be for dinner, so I cannot calculate my carbs in advanced.

HeyNikkita

OH MY GOD.

None of you people have the right to criticize this OP.
If you people didn't have weight issues, you wouldn't be on this site. (If the shoe fits, wear it.)
Diabetic or not - we all have or HAD diet control issues and fast food compulsions.

OP should be proud of his/herself because you learned that you don't appreciate McD's like before.
Buzz off, you haters. Sheesh.

I hope you are okay, OP.

Love,
Your friendly neighborhood RN

randomtai

OH MY GOD.

None of you people have the right to criticize this OP.
If you people didn't have weight issues, you wouldn't be on this site. (If the shoe fits, wear it.)
Diabetic or not - we all have or HAD diet control issues and fast food compulsions.

OP should be proud of his/herself because you learned that you don't appreciate McD's like before.
Buzz off, you haters. Sheesh.

I hope you are okay, OP.

Love,
Your friendly neighborhood RN

:yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn:

kenniston85

Honestly in Nebraska the thing that keeps me from fast food isn't the fat or anything that has to do with it being bad for you. It is that EVERY time I have gone over the last 2 years someone was either very rude, or got my order wrong, or both. I stick with dine in restaurants now because at least if they are going to talk crap or have a bad attitude they do it in the back with their co workers.

Valereee

You know what it took me to finally stop eating at McDonald's? Well, three years ago, half-way through a large Shamrock Shake, I keeled over in pain. Was rushed via ambulance to the ICU in a major medical center 200 miles away, where I had a near-death experience. Diagnosis was pancreatitis, caused by all that fat! Had emergency surgery to remove my gall bladder and all the gall stones blocking up my digestive tract. No matter how yummy.....never again! And now the signs & commercials are everywhere advertising Shamrock Shakes. But as I say....."My name is Valerie and it's been three years since my last Shamrock Shake."

alexanderzamani

I'm assuming here you have diabetes and that makes eating junk food a problem, I can totally understand that It must be hard for you. But are you seriously ranting about how unhealthy junk food is? I mean seriously hahaha? I have junk every now and again when I really feel like it but since I'm eating healthy, delicious. home cooked food I really don't crave it much anymore.

I have been known to eat the wimpy brunch burger with special sauce and fries with extra special sauce as well as a big 'n Tasty meal with bacon though , It all works out though and I remain at my calories.

knra_grl

Chalk it up to experience and move on - go for a brisk walk for an hour and burn off half the calories and your self loathing :flowerforyou:

craftywitch_63

You know what it took me to finally stop eating at McDonald's? Well, three years ago, half-way through a large Shamrock Shake, I keeled over in pain. Was rushed via ambulance to the ICU in a major medical center 200 miles away, where I had a near-death experience. Diagnosis was pancreatitis, caused by all that fat! Had emergency surgery to remove my gall bladder and all the gall stones blocking up my digestive tract. No matter how yummy.....never again! And now the signs & commercials are everywhere advertising Shamrock Shakes. But as I say....."My name is Valerie and it's been three years since my last Shamrock Shake."

Hi Valerie! Welcome to SSA (Shamrock Shake Anonymous!) :drinker:

Str0ng_Heart

Just live and learn.. Try to plan ahead.. If i know ill be eating out later, or i may have no choice.. I will eat VERY light, and kill with some cardio a few times that day.. I figure I at least break even.. But I am probably still in my deficit. Works for me.. Good luck!