How long till the fast food cravings leave?

megans1980
megans1980 Posts: 22 Member
in Motivation and Support
Good Morning,

It has been 7 days of logging and staying within my daily calories which is a first for me. Ive never made it past 2 days. I am struggling with one thing though, the need to eat fast food. I would like to know how long the cravings lasted for you? I am not craving anything in-particular which is frustrating. Just the overall need to go get something greasy or salty. I know for me, it is all a mental game and a bad habit I am struggling to break. I don't need it or want it but my mind keeps telling me I wont be able to relax or move on until I get it. Please tell me a time will come soon when I am free of the unwanted cravings.

Thank you!
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Replies

  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    It's totally mental! Just hold fast.

    BUT if you want something badly, make it fit into your goals.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    I don't. I make it fit into my calories, but then I only have it about once a month or every other month. Not on purpose, just rather have seafood since we moved here to Florida. :happy:
  • birdsetfree
    birdsetfree Posts: 9 Member
    I just keep telling myself that I will have another chance to eat the grease. Sometimes I decided if I'd rather have a great hamburger later or a crappy one from a ff joint now. Usually I choose the great one from a favorite restaurant, then it's more of a treat and I really have to want it.
  • ewennmacher
    ewennmacher Posts: 46
    everyone has their trigger foods. i think it takes a good 6-8 weeks to change habbits once you notice a change in your body, it will be a big motivater for you not to want those things. it takes time to change life-long habbits, but you can do it!
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    It usually takes about a week or two for cravings to fall by the wayside. Some people can work a fast food meal into their macros, other people have a harder time. I personally have eaten more fast food than any one person ever needs to consume in a lifetime. And, I have the type of brain that begins to crave precise combination of carbs/fat/salt found in most fast food as soon as I start eating it again. So, I do my best to stay away from it too. Usually I cut back on refined carbs and within a week or two, my fast food and carb cravings are gone. I still eat fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
  • lindanewland37
    lindanewland37 Posts: 38 Member
    I was a fast food junkie for over 20 years. Now because of health issues I have to really watch my fat and sodium. The first two weeks was the hardest for me - all I could think about was getting some fast food. It doesn't help that there are several fast food places right across the street from my house - LOL. After a month I didn't think about it that much and now it's been a year since I changed my lifestyle and I don't think about it at all. I have to confess to occasionally getting a small order of fries at McDonalds but like the previous poster said I fit it into my calories for that day. I can't eat that level of sodium and fat every day so it is an occasional treat - maybe every few months. Good luck to you - it was a difficult habit for me to change but you can do it.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    I've been in maintenance for over a year now and I still crave things that I used to eat all the time. My tastes have definitely change and my body handles an onslaught of salt and sugar not as well as it used to so that definitely makes it easier. I used to eat 2 donuts for breakfast every day and I know that if I did that now, I would get a painful sugar-rush headache and my stomach would probably do flips but that doesn't mean I don't want a donut every now and then! And when I REALLY REALLY want one, I will have one, but I also remember that I shouldn't have another one for a while.
  • megans1980
    megans1980 Posts: 22 Member
    Thank you! I know I can do it. It is just a matter of being stronger than my craving obsessions. Ha! Im glad to know Im not the only one who has them.
  • crystalwilliams19
    crystalwilliams19 Posts: 4
    Mind over matter :)

    Don't give in darling x
  • blc1971
    blc1971 Posts: 170 Member
    It took about a month before I really lost a taste for fast food. I just kept thinking about how many calories I would save by making a healthier choice and I was committed to not breaking my resolve. That being said, I basically cut out all fast food when, after about 6 months of healthier eating, I decided to indulge in a quarter pounder with cheese and fries. My stomach immediately felt the effects of all the grease and I was miserable the rest of the day. Even the following day I felt bloated. It was not pretty. After that I decided it wasn't worth it.
  • wannalose25
    wannalose25 Posts: 69 Member
    About a month ago, I started keeping the food diary again.. The 1st week I had horrible fast food cravings, but soon the cravings stopped. However, during 5 of the past 12 or so days i've started craving fast food again. My theory is it's part of the culture in which we live. We drive by or see advertisments almost constantily; it's the western diet. sometimes i give in, other times i remind myself of the damage fast food has/can do to my body/temple. Also, Chipolte has become my favorite fast food restaurant. I get the vegartian bowl with black beans and brown rice; no cheese or sour cream. DELICIOUS!!!! 630 CALORIES AND VERY FILLING.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I just keep telling myself that I will have another chance to eat the grease. Sometimes I decided if I'd rather have a great hamburger later or a crappy one from a ff joint now. Usually I choose the great one from a favorite restaurant, then it's more of a treat and I really have to want it.

    Exactly this.

    It doesn't have to be black/white OP. You don't have to swear off fast food for the rest of your life.
  • BodyByBex
    BodyByBex Posts: 3,685 Member
    When I craved salty/greasy foods I would have someone else portion a small amount for me. I would usually have my mom get it for me :blushing: She would bring me a portioned serving size of Lay's potato chips, usually. Then I ate it. Then I evaluated how I felt afterwards and wrote it down in a journal. Thus far, I have written that I don't feel satisfied when I eat things like that and sometimes I even get nauseous. Now, when I have the cravings, I look back in the journal at each time I ate those types of foods and ask myself if feeling those things again is REALLY worth it . Generally, it's not and I decide to have half an apple or some celery.


    Crunchy foods make me feel more satisfied for some reason.:smile:
  • DEPick
    DEPick Posts: 70 Member
    everyone has their trigger foods. i think it takes a good 6-8 weeks to change habbits once you notice a change in your body, it will be a big motivater for you not to want those things. it takes time to change life-long habbits, but you can do it!
    ^this. The change is addicting
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    i been stop eating fast food 5 yrs ago once i find out how bad it is for me .. also fast food is loaded with thousands of calories do not want that even when i treat myself
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    i been stop eating fast food 5 yrs ago once i find out how bad it is for me .. also fast food is loaded with thousands of calories do not want that even when i treat myself

    Thousands of calories?? :huh:

    Ok. :laugh:
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    i been stop eating fast food 5 yrs ago once i find out how bad it is for me .. also fast food is loaded with thousands of calories do not want that even when i treat myself

    Preeetty sure I ate McDonald's the other day and stayed below 500 calories. But okay.
  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
    When I craved salty/greasy foods I would have someone else portion a small amount for me. I would usually have my mom get it for me :blushing: She would bring me a portioned serving size of Lay's potato chips, usually. Then I ate it. Then I evaluated how I felt afterwards and wrote it down in a journal. Thus far, I have written that I don't feel satisfied when I eat things like that and sometimes I even get nauseous. Now, when I have the cravings, I look back in the journal at each time I ate those types of foods and ask myself if feeling those things again is REALLY worth it . Generally, it's not and I decide to have half an apple or some celery.


    Crunchy foods make me feel more satisfied for some reason.:smile:

    Very smart of you, journaling the experience and reading your journal later INSTEAD of eating foods your craved is BRILLIANT! Way to go and thanks for the inspiration.
  • generallyme2
    generallyme2 Posts: 403 Member
    I still eat fast food on occasion, especially if there are some healthier options. One thing that helps is learning more about the food and the process they use (honestly, it grosses me out enough that I don't want to eat it :p). FF isn't my big craving though, sugar is, and that's a WHOLE 'nother story lol!
  • DucklingtoSwan
    DucklingtoSwan Posts: 169 Member
    It was tough for me the first few weeks so I steered clear completely, now about once a month I'll have some fast food as a treat... I scoured the company web sites to find the best deal for the calories and for me it is a Burger King Whopper Junior (no cheese, but the mayo is my vice) and a small order of fries (about 680 but obviously eliminating the mayo would help, I know). It can be fit into my calorie day if I've planned ahead. I eat really slowly and enjoy the heck out of every bit, and it's so filling I can take it easy at the other two meals that day and not fee deprived. Or possibly either eliminate a snack somewhere in there, or I'll add an extra lap around the park when walking the dogs, etc. to make a bit of that back. That ind of thing.

    Like i said it's maybe once a month if that. And I have noticed that while it's good going down, it does taste very extra heavy and rich to me now. I cannot imagine eating a full-size Whopper now!

    This coming from the girl who (I am mortified to admit) used to quite regularly hit the drive thru when Whoppers were like 2 for $4, and have them both gone within an hour. If I tried that now, I feel I would probably get sick and pass out before I got through. :embarassed:

    My point is, the cravings will ease, even if they never do go away, they will get better. And you'll be able to work it back into your life. Just hang in there! :flowerforyou:
  • rissa876
    rissa876 Posts: 38 Member
    It is mind over matter. For me it took a couple of weeks to stop the fast food cravings. Since eating right every day my body seems to have stopped the cravings.
  • AlysonG2
    AlysonG2 Posts: 713 Member
    It took me about a month to get over the cravings. I still crave that stuff every now and then, but it's not every single day like it was, and it's easy to say no now (most days). On the days that it's not, I enjoy without going overboard, which is something I never could have done before.
  • LosingItForGood13
    LosingItForGood13 Posts: 182 Member
    I saw the fast food cravings to diminish once I hit day 100 of logging as I was cooking meals daily and realized that I no longer needed the fast food every month
  • SushiKite
    SushiKite Posts: 38 Member
    I too am in the same boat. I went to a holistic nutritionist. I got a nutritional analysis done. she made me track all my food that went into my mouth for one week . She figured I wasn't getting enough protein. I also was snacking too much. she suggested I eat 3 meals a day. and make sure that I get enough protein at each meal. she also suggest not to eat after 7 p.m. For me. I followed her instructions and could hardly believe it. No more cravings. Now it's just the psychological ones , Watching my husband chew chew chew while watching TV
    :-)
    Suzanne
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 859 Member
    Fast food is difficult to ignore or not crave. We developed as gatherers-hunters when high energy foods like sugar and fat were difficult to find. We are designed to enjoy them so we try REALLY hard to find them. No, it is not just a mental game. You and I are built perfectly for 50,000 years ago.

    These days fast food is easy to find and is purposefully filled with fat and sugar, the very thing we are designed to crave. It punches all our buttons.

    OTOH, once I hit 50 years old, fast food started to taste nasty.
  • jjscholar
    jjscholar Posts: 413 Member
    In my experience, the cravings never go away. However, it is possible to avoid fast food forever. At least with me, I had to find reasonable alternatives to fast food such as fish and vegetables.

    While it is not easy to avoid fast food, it is possible. For the past 2.5 years, I had to make it possible. It has been either stay away from fast food or die.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I have dropped about fifty punds since i started and I still eat fast food..

    I would suggest not considering fast food to be "bad" and find a way to occasionally work it into your day. Subway is "fast food" but you can get a pretty decent meal from them that is low calorie and fits into your macro needs for the day…same with McDonalds…
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    i been stop eating fast food 5 yrs ago once i find out how bad it is for me .. also fast food is loaded with thousands of calories do not want that even when i treat myself

    LOL a big mac meal with no sauce and fries comes in at about 500 calories …you can get a turkey sub from subway with double meat, cheese, and veggies for about 350 calories …..
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Thank you! I know I can do it. It is just a matter of being stronger than my craving obsessions. Ha! Im glad to know Im not the only one who has them.

    OP - In my opinion, here is the problem with this line of thinking. What happens when you hold out for a long time and then finally give in to these 'cravings'?? More than likely you are going to go off the rail and binge on a bunch of fast food, feel guilty, super restrict yourself, and then binge again, feel guilty, restrict…eventually, you will just think "I can't do it" and give up ..

    Rather then that - why not occasionally eat some fast food and work it into your calorie deficit and as you learn to eat other more healthy foods you will not have a need for fast food; however, when you do crave it, you will know that you can have some, fit it into your day, and it is not the end of the world….
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    i find that the more i keep myself occupied, the less i think about my cravings. it worked with smoking. and little by little, i wanted to work out more than i wanted to smoke. like cigarettes, fast food will limit your progress.

    but depending what kind of fast food you like, you can make your own. i know i prefer my own homemade burgers and fries to fast food.

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