Its getting hard!!

Tanya_IP

I have been doing my healthy lifestyle now for almost 2 weeks. I don't want to call it a diet because im not doing it to lose weight. I mean i NEED to lose but my main goal is to be healthy. Of course i have cheated a tiny bit but not like a full meal or anything. Today and yesterday I have wanted fast food soooo bad!! What do you do during these times? I eat my healthy meal but still crave mcdonalds! UGH!! What are some things you do when you are feeling like this? And feel free to add me I have no friends. Thanks for the feedback!

nebulinda

Cheating every once in a while is ok, as long as you still try to stay within your calorie goal for the day. If you deprive yourself of the things you want you will be more likely to give up. If you want McDonalds you should get it, but plan out the rest of your meals for the day to make sure you don't go over your calories and the rest of your meals are healthy

soon2blollar

I still eat out which I know some people say is bad but like the person above me said "If you dprive yourself of the things you want you will be more likely to give up." I find this true with me. WHat I do try, and ususally succeed, is that I opt for the kids meals at my favorite fast food places. It curbs my craving plus I usually get a toy LOL

Tanya_IP

LOL a toy for my kids to steal! Thanks thats a great idea!

Tanya_IP

I try hard to just cheat a little. I have a problem where if I cheat it gets hard for me not to over due it. This has been my downfall. Im doing surprisingly well so i like to reward myself with those naughty cravings lol

soon2blollar

I'm totally understand I have a hard time not going full blown. Hang in there and on here nobody is in it alone! Feel free to add me if you'd like

psuLemon

My body won't allow me to eat fast food anymore. After I didn't eat it for 3 months, my body started to reject it. In fact, I can barely even have a soda after eating clean for so long.


Here is something to think about with McDonalds that might scare you away. My brother-in-law is doing an experiment where he bought a McD's happy meal and put it on top of his frig. After a year, the burger still has not grown mold or even attracts bugs. The patty shrank a little but other than that, it looks brand new. Scary isn't it, lol

Tanya_IP

omg lol gross! There went that craving thank you i needed that lol

Zoelinaaa

I understand EXACTLY how you feel. Some days are SOOOO hard! But I have to agree with the others... if you deprive yourself of all the things you enjoy you are more likely to give up. Portion control is everything of course so I make sure I stay within my calorie limit. Another thing I do if I am "bad" is I just work out harder at the gym the following day. Best of luck to you!!! You are not alone!

liftingheavy

My body won't allow me to eat fast food anymore. After I didn't eat it for 3 months, my body started to reject it. In fact, I can barely even have a soda after eating clean for so long.


Here is something to think about with McDonalds that might scare you away. My brother-in-law is doing an experiment where he bought a McD's happy meal and put it on top of his frig. After a year, the burger still has not grown mold or even attracts bugs. The patty shrank a little but other than that, it looks brand new. Scary isn't it, lol

You're kidding right????? OMG. I was just going to suggest that the OP have a McDouble with half the bun and no fries... that always kills my cravings for McD, for only 315 calories.

But really?

RLeighP

I always look at it as "how long will it take me to burn those calories?" That has stopped me many times from giving in to a craving. But there are times when you just HAVE to satisfy a craving, and there isn't anything wrong with that. I just always upped my exercise for the day.

toogoodatcooking

personally, I plan a whole day every now and then (generally once a week if I've been reallllly good) and just eat whatever I want and as much as want on that day. That way, you've got something to look forward to and you can plan towards it, and I find that I don't put on weight from that one day. It really helps curb cravings!!

Kattarra

A life without the Burgerville Rosemay Chicken sandwich and Rosemary French Fries is not a life with living.

Raddichio

I think the idea of allowing an occasional splurge can be a good one, IF you know it won't lead to increased cravings or eating too much when you indulge in your splurge. If you generally do fine eating healthy, nourishing foods, but once in a while you really, really want a particular item from McDonald's (and will be satisfied with just one), then I'd say go ahead. But if you know that it will just make it harder to stay away from McDonald's later, maybe not. For some people, knowing that they can indulge on a set day helps them to resist temptations on the other days. For others, indulging in certain foods triggers the desire to indulge in more and more high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Only you know which you would be.

I personally don't like the idea of forbidden foods or never giving in to a craving, because I want the changes I'm making in my eating pattern to stick and become a part of my lifestyle. But each of us has to find what works for us, sometimes by trial-and-error. For me, I eat carefully through the week, allowing some extra calories for the weekend. On the weekend I usually meet with friends and family for a meal (brunch, lunch, or dinner) at a restaurant. We take turns choosing where to go, so I usually don't know where we're going until that day. Therefore, I like to have some extra calories available for that meal so that I can eat and enjoy my meal with everyone else. I often end up only eating half my meal, but I still get to eat normally with everyone else. And if someone orders a dessert and offers me a bite, I feel free to take a bite, if it appeals to me. For an everyday (or nearly everyday treat), I allow myself one square of Lindt dark chocolate. I usually enjoy it with a cup of coffee after my child has gone to bed and I can relax. It feels so luxurious.

toriaenator

My body won't allow me to eat fast food anymore. After I didn't eat it for 3 months, my body started to reject it. In fact, I can barely even have a soda after eating clean for so long.


Here is something to think about with McDonalds that might scare you away. My brother-in-law is doing an experiment where he bought a McD's happy meal and put it on top of his frig. After a year, the burger still has not grown mold or even attracts bugs. The patty shrank a little but other than that, it looks brand new. Scary isn't it, lol

lol my friends uncle did a similar experiment but with the fries...they were on his fridge for 3 months and still exactly the same just a little hard.

oh and one time i found a blood clot in my chick nugget. thats what killed it for me ><

Gr8ChangesAhead

make your own version of fast food , baked sweet potatoe fries, turkey burger.... U can friend me as well

jennys11

I have been doing my healthy lifestyle now for almost 2 weeks. I don't want to call it a diet because im not doing it to lose weight. I mean i NEED to lose but my main goal is to be healthy. Of course i have cheated a tiny bit but not like a full meal or anything. Today and yesterday I have wanted fast food soooo bad!! What do you do during these times? I eat my healthy meal but still crave mcdonalds! UGH!! What are some things you do when you are feeling like this? And feel free to add me I have no friends. Thanks for the feedback!

Hi! I understand the cravings. I suggest staying away from McDonald's - I'm vegan so I know a lot of background knowledge on where McDonald's gets it's meat from etc, and if you knew, you'd never want it again! But anyway, I suggest making your own homemade "McDonalds" at home. Make your own hamburger and fries - or whatever it is you order from McDonalds. I have some amazing delicious black bean burger recipes (only 116 calories/serving) and a really delicious roasted red potato recipe. You could also make homemade french fries and homemade turkey burgers with veggies on it, etc. Whenever I want something "fast" or "unhealthy" I just make it homemade so I know exactly how many calories are in it.

thekarens

For me I don't believe in giving in to the cravings. Maybe once I reach my goal I'll feel different, but for now they are a no-no period. Instead I think of alternatives. One day I craved a burger so bad I couldn't hardly stand it, so I went home and had a turkey burger on a whole grain bun with no calorie dill pickles. Same with pizza, you can make a healthy pizza with chicken and a boatload of veggies.

marie_2454

I try to find healthier alternatives for my cravings, like fat free strawberry frozen yogurt (made with real strawberries...yum!) mixed with chocolate chips, crushed graham crackers, and more strawberries (from a local yogurt bar type place where you make your own) instead of having a container of strawberry cheesecake Ben and Jerry's ice cream, or having baked fries instead of fast food fried ones. And yesterday I made baked breaded popcorn shrimp, that were actually quite delicious. I also buy natural peanut butter (I get Arrowhead Mills and the only ingredient is peanuts) to mix with chocolate protein shakes for when I want something sweet. It's also really good with a frozen banana...hmmm I'm going to make one now :happy:

bugbeenz

If you're craving mcdonalds why not make yummy burgers at home. I make them as I prefer homemade. Also usually buy frozen french fries and bake them,

And if that doesn't do the trick, then go and have Mcds.. plan it before hand so you don't feel guilty about it. I still go out generally once a fortnight for pizza and beer/wine and have no regrets. Remember once you've lost the weight, are you really going to obstain from fast-foods forever? If not, then eating it once in a while, whilst losing weight isn't going to hurt

Jacwhite22

This is not at all what I thought this topic was going to be about.....:noway:


That said....If you really have a craving have some but less.....My wife and I took the kids to Mc D's the other day.....We split a Mc Chicken......I ate the kids fries from one of the Happy Meals (my son doesnt like them) and then we went and got some frozen yogurt.....I honestly didnt even want the Mc D's .(But the fries were really good)

atjays

I plan cheat days. But am responsible about it. Grab a couple tacos from tbell or 1 sandwich from McDonalds, I avoid the fries/soda and do my best to fit it into my daily food so it doesn't set me back any. There's really no reason to abstain from it, its all about moderation. I feel avoiding it and trying to resist those intense cravings usually just results in a big binge that can set you back weeks of hard work.

funkycamper

While I don't understand anyone having a craving for something from McDonald's (yuck!), I think we all have foods that we enjoy that aren't necessarily good for everyday eating due to nutritional values, fat content, whatever. However, most can easily be worked into your food plan without going over your calories.

I zig-zag my calories with a weekly target rather than a daily one. Some days I just can't eat all my calories, particularly if I've eaten super-healthy that day AND had a big calorie burn, so I save those calories to eat later in the week if I want a splurge. The splurge might be a dinner out with friends or a swing past my favorite, locally-owned greasy-burger joint or pizza or some yummy dessert or whatever. Sometimes it's several small splurges, sometimes one huge splurge. As long as I meet or am just a tad below my weekly calorie target, it's all good.

Although I've never been one to be able to eat a lot of food at any one serving, even at my heaviest, so I'll often only eat half the portion in a restaurant at that sitting because some restaurant portions are huge and ask for a take-out box to be brought with my food so I put the other half in it for lunch or dinner the next day before I even start eating. This really helps keep me from overdoing it at one meal and getting overly stuffed so that I'm uncomfortable.

If it's a lifestyle change, rather than a diet, you need to be able to learn to allow for splurges in a way that doesn't trigger binge-eating. If I know I can have it, I don't feel a need to binge as there is no deprivation. Just knowing I can have it if I choose to have it, often makes me decide that I don't really want it or that I'd rather wait until another time to splurge. Deprivation is what causes me to want to binge. I don't feel deprived this way so I don't binge. Hope that makes sense.

In the end, I think if you're going to splurge, make it really count. For example, I love baked goods but I don't eat them more than about once a week, usually, give or take. But I don't waste my calories on any old, just OK baked good. If I'm going to eat it, I either make or go to a good bakery and get something super scrumptious and then savor it slowly. I almost make a ritual of it. I might make a good cup of coffee, put it all on my nicer china, go sit in my favorite spot, and really enjoy the whole process of eating it. Or I'll do the same with getting my occasional chocolate fix. I'll go buy a wonderful, rich and creamy chocolate truffle, take nibbles, let it melt in my mouth slowly....yummy heaven! I don't waste my chocolate splurge on a crappy piece of chocolate or eat it so quickly that I barely taste it. Don't use up your splurge calories by eating mindlessly.

Elixe

It's hard to make the change without cravings specially when we were raised on the stuff!! ahaha. But what has helped me, is eating an apple, or a cucumber even if don't want it. Or drinking water until i feel stuffed. The mental battle is going to be there, just decide you don't need fast food, and just picture it being gross.. Just keep it up! You're doing great!

theartichoke

I get the carb cravings big time. So far I haven't given in...only been 11 days though so I hope I can hang in with the good choices. What works for me in those moments is to imagine how guilty I'd feel after I ate it and remembering how great I feel after making good food choices. I spent too many years shaming myself about being overweight to keep that crap up now over some pancakes. It doesn't make the craving go away, just helps me manage it and make the absolute decision that it's not worth it. If I can get to the place mentally where the answer is a NO!!, i can ride it out.

Tanya_IP

thanks everyone this helps a lot!! You will all be happy to know that the craving is completely gone and no i didnt go get mcdonalds lol. I really like telling myself i can have it if i want....cause then it makes the craving go away more! Also, I usually know when i do give in i feel like crap afterwards. Not just cause i ate something gross and its giving me a tummy ache but worse like i failed a little. Thanks again everyone you guys are great

mes1119

The cravings will go away eventually. I used to crave fast food at first (bojangles was a weakness of mine) but I ate it once and realized my taste had changed.

fast food tastes gross to me now

JimandLin

I agree, once you start eating healthier you will pass those fast food places by.

Daydreams406

wow lots of feedback
I agree with most others...don't deprive yourself or you will just set yourself up for failure.
If you want to eat out, then do it. Try to eat the healthier choices. I stay completely away from any french fries.
Last week, my craving was for Wendy's Root Beer Frosty Floats. I indulged but I counted it towards my calories as well.

LizV32

I always plan before I go to McDonald's. I check out how many calories I have left and then I go to Mcdonald's website to see what I can get. It's extra work, but its worth not going over your calories. I always tell myself it's a sometimes food and not to go all the time! feel free to add me!

ladykate7

thanks everyone this helps a lot!! You will all be happy to know that the craving is completely gone and no i didnt go get mcdonalds lol. I really like telling myself i can have it if i want....cause then it makes the craving go away more! Also, I usually know when i do give in i feel like crap afterwards. Not just cause i ate something gross and its giving me a tummy ache but worse like i failed a little. Thanks again everyone you guys are great

Good Job!

I make deals/ challenges with myself sometimes.

Ex. I want to watch a movie, but I eat and eat and eat when I watch one by myself. So the deal is I can only watch the movie if I don't snack while watching. I fill up a glass of water, of diet coke, or crsytal light and watch my movie. Then if i feel snacky and go to the kitchen I remind myself that if I have a snack I have to turn off the movie for the rest of the night. That stops me dead in my tracks.

Works for other stuff too. I bite my nails watching tv/movies, so when I notice I've started biting I stop and put on a coat of clear nail polish - can't munch on them while the polish is drying!

With specific cravings, like mcdonalds, the challenge I give myself is to delay gratification. I can't have it today, but I can on a different day. Then I set about picking what I want (with idea of working in the calories) and pick the day I can have what I picked. It puts me back in control. I, and I alone, pick what and when to have it. The craving doesn't get to choose. Then I look forward to it without the guilt of being a failure during and after eating it