Need buddies so I am not tempted to go to McDonalds

steelinquisitor

I've always been big but not fat . I am 37 years old 6'1" feet tall and 271 pounds. Food is delicious and I love to eat. I have been in the Navy for 19 years and I need to lose 20 pounds by November to be able to retire in June. I just started and could really use some friends when I am tempted to go to a fast food restaurant. I want to lose 70 pounds total to hopefully be more able to do things.

shank35l

We're the same age and we are about the same weight,and both long term veterans I'll put it to you this way. I know its easy to just grab the crap on base. Its fast, cheap and easy. Same goes for the stuff off base that is again, fast, cheap and easy. It does not mater what service component you are in. DoD likes to be a war figher's worst enemy when it comes to food.

Think of it this way, has fast cheap and east ever done anything good for you in your naval career? Fast, cheap and easy is how you get departments with substandard ratings, safety violations, improper hazarding, inoperable equipment.

Think of your body like your ship/boat. You have to take care of her to keep sailing. Each organ of your body is like a compartment. If you don't maintain each compartment to standard you will end up causing damage to the whole thing.

What you've got to tell yourself is that while Big Mac may be tasty, its rusting out your pipes and will cause a cascading system failure. Its like putting AVGAS into EGT. Eventually that powerplant is going to say enough and blow up.

chadya07

i find the more i eat healthy the less i want fast food. but the more i eat fast food the more i want more of it...


mcdonalds. not even once.

no really though, i do go to fast food sometimes. i get a burger or sandwich or chicken burrito, no combo meals, no sugary drinks.

you can eat things just not often and not as much quantity... thats the key.

steelinquisitor

I am trying very hard to change the way I eat, but since I am about to retire I decided to get a second job at Walmart and of course there is a McDonald's in there. Also there is a Wendy's, Panda Express, L & L, and Burger King in various spots within 5 minutes of the Walmart that I work at. It is all very tempting and I hope that I can try to resist it. Also soda is a huge downfall of mine. I have cut down and started drinking more water, but it still calls to me and gives me headaches when I don't get enough caffeine.

chadya07

you know what else is at walmart? a produce section. and a deli counter with lean meats... they arent your only options so you can do this.

lightandflight

Hi!
If you notice that you want to go to McD's at a specific time, or on a specific day, set an event in your phone with an alarm that says "Obesity Hazard Zone" and use that to remind yourself of your willpower and to do something else, like call a friend, or log-in to MFP :-) Hope that helps! I use it with Jack in the Box. That place is addictive for me.

steelinquisitor

I don't work at a super walmart, but they do have produce and some fruits, and cupcakes. I did get a vegetable thing one night and it was highly unsatisfying. Maybe I need something else.

steelinquisitor

Hi!
If you notice that you want to go to McD's at a specific time, or on a specific day, set an event in your phone with an alarm that says "Obesity Hazard Zone" and use that to remind yourself of your willpower and to do something else, like call a friend, or log-in to MFP :-) Hope that helps! I use it with Jack in the Box. That place is addictive for me.

I would be having alarms going off all the time. I also love jack in the box, taco bell, pizza hut, and domino's. Basically all the things that are really bad for me I love.

canadjineh

If you are near a Wendy's I eat the Apple Pecan grilled chicken salad with blue cheese. I only need the 1/2 size, but you could eat the regular. With the nuts, chicken, and cheese it's satiating, and with the apple, dried cranberries and pomegranate dressing it's just sweet enough to taste amazing. Of course, that's in Canada... maybe they don't have salads where you are.

PrizePopple

Pack your lunch, and don't keep money on you. Leave your ATM/credit cards at home too if you have to. I'm going to volunteer in my youngest daughters class tomorrow and I've already packed and logged my lunch and a snack so I can have one when they are permitted to around 10am.

chaos416

We started cutting out soda at home several years ago simply because of the expense and easily switched to tea (with caffeine). It wasn't long before I started substituting some of the sugar for artificial sweetener. I use Sweet n Low bulk; it's saccharine and less expensive than the newer stuff. Although I recently cut all the sugar from my tea, 3 teaspoons of Sweet n Low plus 1/4 cup sugar in a half-gallon tea (6 regular tea-bags) works out to 23 calories per 8 oz. Cheap, sweet and caffeine.

I LOVE a regular Coco-cola and I still have some from time to time, but it goes in the log. I can't abide diet colas, although many folks make the switch and claim that after a week or so, they don't notice it at all. Any flavor beside cola, I can tell hardly any difference in taste between regular and diet. Dr Pepper, Mt Dew, Orange soda etc have the same taste to me whether regular or diet.

ETA: Each 20 oz bottle of pop (Coco cola) is 240 calories you can eat instead of drink when you find a low calorie substitute that works for you.

Cryptonomnomicon

Pack your lunch, and don't keep money on you. Leave your ATM/credit cards at home too if you have to. I'm going to volunteer in my youngest daughters class tomorrow and I've already packed and logged my lunch and a snack so I can have one when they are permitted to around 10am.

:drinker:

lewispwest

The thing you have to remember is that it might feel nice while eating it, but afterwards you can't taste it any more, so you could've eaten anything? Except with McDonalds you're left with regret as a bitter aftertaste.

nicolettajade

a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. - think of it like that

FitOldMomma

Maybe planning ahead of time will help curb your temptations of fast food. There are tons of videos on youtube showing how to do simple healthy and tasty food prep so you'll always have a take and go meal ready when you go to work.

Finding a substitute for the soda would definitely help with weight loss. I do drink an occasional diet soda since I like the caffeine kick too. But I cut way back and now drink black coffee and a lot of cold water instead.

steelinquisitor

Not sure if this will work, it works for me. If i really want something junk foody i just make sure it fits into my days allowance. I NEVER buy fries though as they are way too high. but burgers are usually okay and diet soda or a water.

Where i live (Australia) McDonalds isn't too bad. We have heaps of heart foundation approved foods. though i'm sure it's just because of certain laws we have here. Like we don't have super sized meals. But usually there's always healthier choices and if you play around with your food diary you can figure out which foods are okay and which aren't. Like Subway can be pretty bad, but i've now found i can eat certain subs, and salads and they fit perfectly into my days.

Same with pizza and chicken stores there's usually always something on the menu you can have. But even so try to make it a once or twice a week thing

Another thing you can try is eating more protein rich foods. If you're finding you don't fill up, up your protein =D.

Ooooh I have been to Darwin twice but the last time was in 2000 so a long time ago. You are right subway is deceptive. I had an Italian BMT on flat bread (because I thought it would be better for me) and I was shocked to see how many calories and especially carbs were in it.

steelinquisitor

We started cutting out soda at home several years ago simply because of the expense and easily switched to tea (with caffeine). It wasn't long before I started substituting some of the sugar for artificial sweetener. I use Sweet n Low bulk; it's saccharine and less expensive than the newer stuff. Although I recently cut all the sugar from my tea, 3 teaspoons of Sweet n Low plus 1/4 cup sugar in a half-gallon tea (6 regular tea-bags) works out to 23 calories per 8 oz. Cheap, sweet and caffeine.

I LOVE a regular Coco-cola and I still have some from time to time, but it goes in the log. I can't abide diet colas, although many folks make the switch and claim that after a week or so, they don't notice it at all. Any flavor beside cola, I can tell hardly any difference in taste between regular and diet. Dr Pepper, Mt Dew, Orange soda etc have the same taste to me whether regular or diet.

ETA: Each 20 oz bottle of pop (Coco cola) is 240 calories you can eat instead of drink when you find a low calorie substitute that works for you.

I started drinking diet soda about a year ago but I still drink 3-4 a day which is probably way too many.

DonnaJones7

Realize that eating bad food makes you crave MORE bad food is an eye opener. Just like cutting out caffeine will give you a headache, the sugar and fat in fast food IS addictive.

I'm trying hard to listen to people who have successfully lost weight (not me yet!) and they tell me that you DO lose the taste for the "bad" food. They also say that little steps you can live with are the best way to go. You are not going to survive on 1000 calories a day. So aim for: MORE protein, MORE veggies, MORE water (try flavors if you don't like plain). It's NOT all about cutting out everything. Just change some things.

Advice I'm trying hard to follow.

You are stronger than you think.

20yearsyounger

It's all about the right portions and fitting within the limits. Active monitoring will help you fit it in. I don't have anything against McDonalds. I just know that when I go there, I can only eat something like a McChicken, small fries, and a diet soda. Eating less is part of the challenge. When ever you want to eat more, ask yourself, how much water did you drink? Sometimes the body confuses thirst with hunger.

refuseresist

People who dress in sportswear but don't play sport go to McDonalds.

jamesdavidy

Google and watch some videos of how they make the food and what goes in them, that should put you off the muck lol