"I AIN'T NO DOG!" Disproving Pavlov's Theory.....

abroughton1978

Does anyone else struggle with cravings as you are driving down the road? The cravings aren't coming from an internal button that says, "feed me, I'm hungry", but coming from ADVERTISEMENTS! Seriously! ....I am a sucker for that big yellow "M" sign, which I call the "Red Devil", Taco Bell, and Chick Fil A, are just a few to name my most frequent stops. If I had to prove it to you I can account for how often I have stopped at these places --by the size of my *kitten* AND how many times they show up on my bank account. Yes, it is an addiction.....a horrible one! For all of you that say, go ahead and stop occassionally, chose a healthier choice....that doesn't work for me! Okay, occassionally yes, but it is what begins the spiral of no return off of every diet I have tried. I try to convince myself that it is a "reward" and to enjoy and get back on track tomorrow....but there is no tomorrow! I am convinced that something in these fast foods make me crave the taste, the flavor and this enjoyment is detrimental to every part of me! What is even more interesting, is that afterwards I NEVER feel good physically or emotionally after eating it, but it is the moments of eating that I desire.

In my job, I travel around Charlotte most of the day. As I run across fast food and sometimes favorite restaurants, I begin to salivate and I turn into a magnet as the "force" draws me closer until I am finally inside the restaurant or in the drive thru! Honestly, it is no different than Pavlov's classical conditioning experiment he did with dogs! I have to be smarter than a dog, right? Is it truly possible for an advertisement to create this kind of reaction in me? How do I fight it? I am working in a major metropolitan city....McDonalds are as frequent as churches on every street corner in the south!

When I was little, I remember enjoying going on vacations with my family. The enjoyment was not built around the exciting activities we would do, but that we would be stopping to eat out! I grew up in a family of 7, so eating out was a luxury, and usually it was fast food because as it was too expensive to eat at a nice restaurant with a family of that size. As you can see....the roots of this addiction go WAY back and as early as I can remember!

I have started carrying an insulated lunch bag with healthy snacks to get me though my day, and most days it works. If I don't have it on me.....oh well, you can only imagine! Everyday is a struggle to pass those signs, and it is getting slightly easier. I keep reminiding myself that I AM SMARTER THAN A DOG AND CAN OUTSMART THOSE ADVERTISEMENTS! Perhaps I can start my own theory: "UNCLASSICAL CONDITIOINING"????????

dragonairis

I am tottaly with you. I get excited when I go out with others because I'll be able to suggest that we eat out. I would rather do that than eat in, which I know is not right. I crave fast food all the time. After cleaning up my eating habits for a month, I gave in to those cravings and excused myself by saying we're moving and I can't cook. Which is not true. And it makes me sick, literally. But I still go back. Hang in there! I try to imagine them as something dark and scary, with dark deeds being done behind their walls. Goofy? Heck yeah. But it makes me think twice about stopping!

lolabugs

I have the same problem when it comes to the candy isle at the grocery store. I stopped eating fast food a few years ago because it always made my stomach hurt and... TMI... I'd have to run to the bathroom 25 minutes or so after eating. I definitely understand the pavlovian response to the advertising; and, yes, they do it on purpose. McDonald's is renowned for doing things that tap into your subconscious to get you to pull in and eat their food. For one, they pump the smell of their french fries out into the air so you can smell it more than a block away. They also put a lot of additives in their foods that trigger cravings. I'm sure all fast food restaurants do this to a point.

I don't know what kinds of things you'd be able to do to retrain yourself. The first thing I would suggest, is to stop thinking of fast food as a treat or a reward. Change your thinking habits to make something else – something healthy – your reward. I try really hard to not reward myself with food, since I know it will put me right back where I started. I've done it this way too many times. That being said, I don't deprive myself of the sweets and treats that I enjoy. I've learned to scale them down to a maximum of 200 calories per day (not everyday) and i work them into my allotted calories.

One idea I have (if you're willing to commit to it) is to make it a burden to eat fast food. Make some kind of challenge that you can follow through with (since you're driving for work) like you have to walk around the building twice before you can go in to order food, or drink a full glass of water and wait 5 minutes before driving up to the drive-though. It may seem silly, but I think if you hold yourself to it, you'll find it inhibits you from getting the instant gratification that you've become so used to and will allow you to make a different choice.

I know you can recondition yourself! Good luck!

oBirdieo

McDonald's used to be a problem for me, too, but now I tell myself three things (none of which are terribly rational, but they're working for me so far!):

1. I can't eat there unless I pay in cash. (I never carry cash, so this helps tremendously.)

2. Fat people eat at McDonald's. (Obviously not everyone who eats there is fat, but take a look around -- there will always be a fat parent feeding their fat kid a Happy Meal. There will always be a fat guy in the corner shoving a Big Mac in his face. There will always be a fat woman sitting in her car in the parking lot shoving fries down her throat -- I know that's true because I've been that woman! This is the same for most fast food restaurants and definitely true of buffet-style restaurants. They feel like cattle troughs! Just step back and bit and observe the scenes in these restaurants and ask yourself if you want to be a part of it.)

3. The coroner can always tell what you had for your last meal. (Bear with me here! Sometimes if I'm ready for a binge, I think about what my family would think if I died and the corner had to report that the contents of my stomach included a quarter pounder, some chicken nuggets, two orders of fries, and a large Coke. That just strikes me as the saddest, most embarrassing legacy to leave.)

Now you know the twisted workings of my mind! :huh:

lolabugs

Wow, great job of putting all of that in perspective. Sometimes it pays to be brutally honest with yourself!