A cheeseburger made me happy

fastfoodietofitcutie

I eat fast food about 4-5 times a week. I've really been trying to cut back, cook and make more meals at home (even though I hate it). I've been eating well recently although today was a challenge. I was tired, crabby and overall not feeling well. I gave in to my fast food addiction and had a Wendy's cheeseburger and fries.

My whole demeanor has changed. I feel so much better, not only mentally but physically. I feel better now than I have in days. At first I thought it was just psychological but I really feel there is something to it that either I'm feeding an addiction or the food just makes me happy.

I know I can have it once in a while as long as it fits in my calorie allotment but I'm trying to eat better.

This is so hard!

emmanap91

http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1977604-1,00.html

This article cites a few studies and highlights their strengths and weaknesses, but essentially: food - particularly fatty, sugary, processed food - can lead to similar effects (deregulated dopamine, binge-behavior, disregard for pain-deterrence) as addiction to substances like cocaine and heroine.

This can be an psychologically-motivated and a physically-based addiction, so your best bet is to enhance other aspects of your life to find pleasure elsewhere (like the rats in the enriched cages described in the article) so that you do not seek as much pleasure from what you eat. Other than that, realize that it might be an addiction and accept that - and motivate yourself to beat it. If rats can beat morphine addiction, you can beat fast food addiction.

You can do it!

EDIT: next time you want to eat fast food or you're feeling low, instead of eating fast food to make you feel better, do an activity that brings you enjoyment. You will still probably go through the moodiness and feeling sh!tty, but that's like withdrawal - you need to get over that hill before you can be free of your addiction.

SnuggleSmacks

Another option is to find a way to make the things you love fit into your caloric budget. I have a burger at least once every few weeks. I get mine from a local chain who grind their own meat fresh daily rather than using frozen pseudo-meat patties, so it's at least real food. I usually skip the fries, but if I must have them, I get a small and share them (with my dogs if no one is around.) I might go over my calories by 100 or so fairly often, but I rarely have the urge to binge, and I credit the fact that I eat what I want, including burgers, ice cream, Taco Bell, and even KFC double downs.

Chronicle113

Its ok to have a cheeseburger every now and then as long as you keep track of it. Or if you want to change, you could slowly transition out of fast food and narrow it down to like 2 days out of a week. Either way, it's fine what you want to do.

emmanap91

Another option is to find a way to make the things you love fit into your caloric budget. I have a burger at least once every few weeks. I get mine from a local chain who grind their own meat fresh daily rather than using frozen pseudo-meat patties, so it's at least real food. I usually skip the fries, but if I must have them, I get a small and share them (with my dogs if no one is around.) I might go over my calories by 100 or so fairly often, but I rarely have the urge to binge, and I credit the fact that I eat what I want, including burgers, ice cream, Taco Bell, and even KFC double downs.

This is great advice! I do this too. Today I had PB&J and cookies, yesterday I had ice cream. Tomorrow I'm having a few cocktails.
Everything in moderation

Keepcalmanddontblink

We make our own burgers with 90/10 beef and we get creative with it. Our last burger was 4oz of beef and stuffed it with a bit of blue cheese, and topped with a slice of bacon and served on a bun. We had saved a lot of calories for it and it was so amazing and we had enough calories to enjoy two, but we were stuffed and stopped at one.

You can have whatever you want if you have the calories for it, but its nice making a homemade version and knowing exactly what goes into it.
Glad we don't have a Wendy's. I freaking love their food.

MississippiMama87

Definitely try to make your own "happy" foods. The fast food chains have mastered the blend of fats, sugars and salt to get you hooked and keep coming back. If you absolutely hate making your own food, at least pick up a box of frozen all natural patties to toss in the skillet every now and then.

veganbettie

I love fast food. If it fits in your calories and your eating a fairly decently well balanced diet why not? Eat a salad for lunch then Wendy's for dinner. Perfect.

Don't change your life so much that once you lose all the weight and go back to normal you gain it all back from restriction. That would suck.

ninerbuff

I wanted McDonald's today (I eat there once a week) and ended up eating a Double Quarter with cheese for lunch (extra pickle and onion always!). Over 700 calories, but for lunch and still with 1200 calories left for the day to eat, I was satisfied and snacked on a banana before having dinner (tilapia, spinach salad, rice).
It's okay to have it occasionally. As mentioned in above posts, just make sure you have room for it in your calorie allowance.

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

RHachicho

OR you could just eat the occasional cheeseburger treat .. within your calorie goal of course. I know I know it's an insane thought. It's just you know I think being happy is important. I know most people on this forum seem to think it secondary to having a body that runs like a fresh off the block ferrari engine. But hey it's just one guys opinion.