Challenge - NO Fast Food February

CherylYMerritt

I'm in!

Just got my fifteen year old son who plays competitive water polo to watch "Super Size Me", He was really shocked. I'm sure he won't be eating any takeout for a while or at least he will think twice about what he is eating and how often.

I think it (Super Size Me) should be part of the school health program.

This (eating take out) is very hard to control when they are on road trips and you are not around. I get very frustrated when the chaperons okay stops at take out joints on their bus trips, despite having packed healthy meals for the kids.

Akronite0883

I like the Idea I might bring this up where I work and I think I could also do it but I might start it in march.

_Christine_

Day 7 and no fast food. Yay me!!

autumn5gabby

No fast food for me. My husband and one daughter even went to a buffet and I said no I cant go Im doing a challenge.

chickadee2010

Hey, everyone. I'm just letting you know that I have to quit this challenge for now. I've had some stress going on lately and I'm trying to focus on certain things. I don't have to worry about eating fast food. Although, I have a girls-night-out next week and we'll probably go to a fast food place, but I'll make good decisions. Good luck everyone!

grouch201

Fourteen days in....this past friday Papa Johns was provided at work for a farewell party for a coworker. Only had two slices. So technically, I've had fast food. Still, I haven't purchased any for myself so I'm considering myself still on the challenge. How's everybody else doing?

55tolose

So far so good : ) no fast food to date

_Christine_

Two weeks down!!

IsMollyReallyHungry

I know it is too late to participate now but if out there for March I am on board for sure... I will have time to mentally prepare myself for a month with no fast foods. Does this include Subway because you mentioned Deli. I will assume you are not talking about regular sit down resturants also. Just confirm. For example is Chilpolities, Panera Bread fast foods to you? I am thinking not but just want to verify. Thanks.

IsMollyReallyHungry

Want some motivation?

http://www.hulu.com/watch/63283/super-size-me

I will check this out when I get home.

amysj303

I have been doing well on the no fast food. I wonder if pizza counts?

grouch201

I have been doing well on the no fast food. I wonder if pizza counts?

I mentioned earlier that I had Papa John's, which I think of as fast food, merely for the fact that somebody else prepared it. I do also count subway since my overall goal has been to be 100% aware of everything I am putting in my body. when somebody else prepares the food, you don't always know what they put in it. But others have said that it counts if you obtain your food through a drive thru. It's really up to you, but the obvious no-no's are McD's Wendys, Arby's, etc.

jul21r

My husband and I have done this since December 13th and it has saved us so much money!!! It isn't really too hard, just requires more planning on my part. It is well worth it and I don't crave it anymore.

amysj303

I have been doing well on the no fast food. I wonder if pizza counts?

I mentioned earlier that I had Papa John's, which I think of as fast food, merely for the fact that somebody else prepared it. I do also count subway since my overall goal has been to be 100% aware of everything I am putting in my body. when somebody else prepares the food, you don't always know what they put in it. But others have said that it counts if you obtain your food through a drive thru. It's really up to you, but the obvious no-no's are McD's Wendys, Arby's, etc.

Ok, so really no eating out for you! Overall, I have avoided fried things, but I have eaten out a lot. I thought I might get pizza tonight, but looks like my friend is cooking so I don't have to worry about it!

IsMollyReallyHungry

I have been doing well on the no fast food. I wonder if pizza counts?

I mentioned earlier that I had Papa John's, which I think of as fast food, merely for the fact that somebody else prepared it. I do also count subway since my overall goal has been to be 100% aware of everything I am putting in my body. when somebody else prepares the food, you don't always know what they put in it. But others have said that it counts if you obtain your food through a drive thru. It's really up to you, but the obvious no-no's are McD's Wendys, Arby's, etc.

Thanks! I am going to include Subway for right now......:-) I don't go to Subway often anyways. My problem areas is fried chicken. It use to be pizza too but I have been good with that for a while now and when I do have it I buy a slice. But for March forward start with the drive thru and obvious items also that are not drive thru.

I had already said no resturants more than once or twice a month! This gives me plenty of time to practice. I will start today on my own. I am so glad I saw this challenge.

IsMollyReallyHungry

My husband and I have done this since December 13th and it has saved us so much money!!! It isn't really too hard, just requires more planning on my part. It is well worth it and I don't crave it anymore.

I agree with you. I just got back into this nasty habit again. I really believe they put something addictive substances in the fast foods.....:-) Really because the longer I am away from it the easier it is to just stop.

dlaplume2

Fourteen days in....this past friday Papa Johns was provided at work for a farewell party for a coworker. Only had two slices. So technically, I've had fast food. Still, I haven't purchased any for myself so I'm considering myself still on the challenge. How's everybody else doing?

That was what I was wondering. I was treated to Subway. I didn't buy it and subway is a healthier option. I don't think of Subway as fast food because it doesn' have a drive thru.

I have not had any Mcd, BK, KFC, etc.

I think this is a great challenge even though people are maybe questioning what foods to include becuase it is getting us to think. Being consciensious about what we are eating is where is all begins.

I am considering myself still in too. This doesn't give us permission to go to a fast food restaurant just because someone else is treating. :drinker:

IsMollyReallyHungry

That was what I was wondering. I was treated to Subway. I didn't buy it and subway is a healthier option. I don't think of Subway as fast food because it doesn' have a drive thru.

I have not had any Mcd, BK, KFC, etc.

I think this is a great challenge even though people are maybe questioning what foods to include becuase it is getting us to think. Being consciensious about what we are eating is where is all begins.

I am considering myself still in too. This doesn't give us permission to go to a fast food restaurant just because someone else is treating. :drinker:

It does get you thinking about other fast foods that really do not fall under fast foods per say. Example of one I thought about is Lean Cuisines, Smart Ones, Heathy Choices, etc. But it definitely gets you thinking as stated.

But I know the challenge is for the real deal Fast foods. If I can eliminate the REAL FF that will be a great start for me. Tuesday will be the hardest one for me because of Popeyes special that I get every other Tuesday or so. I used to get the special every Tuesday. So for March no Popeyes for me. YAY!

I can truly say fast foods made me FAT and that is why my nick name for FF is FAT foods.

So far I have not had any fast foods since I found this group. FF is a constant struggle for me. Have a good day all!

grouch201

17 Days in and I've been reading through some of the posts, including my own justification of Papa John's since somebody else paid for it. I find myself in a bit of a quandary thinking about how I feel about it. It's funny how I thought of this as a challenge, but I've found it remarkably easy to stay away from the fast food joints since making the commitment at the beginning of the month.

My only temptation came last night when it had been a little too long between meals and I just wanted to stop somewhere on my way home from work. To deflect this urge, I just thought of what I would cook at home. I thought of a couple things I needed at the grocery store (like bread and eggs). I ended up buying a 0.99 cent loaf of french bread and making some sandwiches out of it. I generally try to stay away from white bread, but I decided it was my treat. I made two sandwiches and had a banana and it was so much more satisfying and more nutritious than stopping at a fast food joint would have been.

Well, regardless of the pizza incident earlier this month, I still think that going from eating fast food once a week to two slices of pizza in 17 days is still progress in the direction I am trying to go. I have every expectation of staying this way for the remaining 11 days this month and considering how easy it has been, I just may keep it going into March as well.

_Christine_

17 days in and we had Whataburger... I won't justify it, but I did only eat half a burger and a small frie. It's a small victory for me.

jrlenig

So 18 days in and I caved bad planning and exhaustion, I made great food choices though, picked subway and then a half salad at Wendy's all yesterday!

55tolose

Still no fast food for me doing good

beautifuldae

I'm embarrassed to admit that I can't join this challenge because 1) I just joined this group and didn't know about it, and 2)I've certainly caved and eaten FF this month. I will be doing a cleanse/fast the last week of February so I hope to start this challenge in March. February is a bad food month for me, because it's my birthday month and I celebrate all month long, and typically don't deny myself anything I want to do or eat....which is why I HAVE to do a cleanse/fast at the end of the month, lol.

My struggles with fast food consist mainly of being too tired to cook when I get home, and getting home too late. I work and go to night school, with no time to go home in between (usually) so whatever I'm gonna eat for the whole day, I have to take with me when I leave for work early in the morning. Because of the nature of my job, I don't have the luxury of access to a refrigerator during work hours to its increasingly difficult to find places to store my food so it will 'keep' all day. I try to stick to salads with a protein for lunch, and most of my snacks are things that need to be refrigerated too, so towards the end of the week, I am frustrated with my salads having wilted lettuce and warm tomatoes. :-/ I also don't have access to a microwave to i can't bring any lunch that needs to be reheated. I'm a sucker for bread so this KILLS my goal of staying away from bread. When i do eat bread, however, i try (and succeed 97% of the time) to only eat wheat. it's just so much easier to go somewhere and get food instead of overcoming all these obstacles! But i'm determined to get it right next month, and the months to come...I've got BEACHES to visit this summer!!

grouch201

But i'm determined to get it right next month, and the months to come...I've got BEACHES to visit this summer!!

Holy cow, having a job like that would make the whole no fast food thing really difficult. I'd have to say I commend your efforts though. I don't necessarily have beaches to visit, but I have been on this weight loss journey since this past June and so have a mere four months until my year mark. I was just doing some calculations and would very much like to have lost another 28 pounds by my 'anniversary' on June 29th. I have been very pleased with the success I have seen in No Fast Food February and am thinking of next month's challenge for myself and that I might posit to the boards in general. It isn't quite as much of an alliteration, but I want to go for No Junk Food, Period! March. This means cutting out the potato chips, crackers, tortilla chips, and reducing the amount of cheese I consume as a start.

Something to think about as we go into the last week of this challenge.

grouch201

Alright, down to the home stretch! Really only about 4 days left. I haven't been any place with a drive through all month and am pretty dang happy with myself. I think I could make this a permanant thing, but we'll just take it one day at a time. Hope you've all been able to stay strong, and for anybody who hasn't, what's 4 days without fast food? You can do it!

grouch201

Okay, if you're on the east Coast, it is now officially March first. For those of us closer to or on the West coast, I'd say it's close enough that we'll call it good. This month I had three slices of pizza, but absolutely nothing from a restaurant with a drive through window. I did a calculation on my spending for food last month compared to this month and I saved $60 on food. As a reward, I've transferred that extra money to my savings account and will probably buy some new hiking boots with it for when things are a bit more thawed out.

I hope you all are pleased with your success. Hopefully, even if you didn't make it the whole month, you were able to at least cut back on how much you eat out. It's all about taking steps forward, and I think this was a big one for me. Cheers!

IsMollyReallyHungry

Okay, if you're on the east Coast, it is now officially March first. For those of us closer to or on the West coast, I'd say it's close enough that we'll call it good. This month I had three slices of pizza, but absolutely nothing from a restaurant with a drive through window. I did a calculation on my spending for food last month compared to this month and I saved $60 on food. As a reward, I've transferred that extra money to my savings account and will probably buy some new hiking boots with it for when things are a bit more thawed out.

I hope you all are pleased with your success. Hopefully, even if you didn't make it the whole month, you were able to at least cut back on how much you eat out. It's all about taking steps forward, and I think this was a big one for me. Cheers!

Thanks so much for doing this. I found you too late and the month and it gave me time to get ready for March. So today i looked and saw you did not continue it. Which is cool. I continued it for those who want to join me. See link below:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/184003-no-fast-food-challenge-march