Why can't I let go of Mcdonalds?

2

Replies

  • ExplorinLauren
    ExplorinLauren Posts: 991 Member
    Btw... I just want to say.. when I have the Double Cheeseburger...
    I usually keep it in my cals.
    I guess I just feel bad that I'm eating this crap in the 1st place... esp with how far I've come ... giving up MOST fast food.
    I hate that this place seems to be holding me ... when its not even my fav fast food!?!?! I've given up Nacho Bell Grande LOL... Why can't I give up this?!?! lol
  • cbevan1229
    cbevan1229 Posts: 326 Member
    Btw... I just want to say.. when I have the Double Cheeseburger...
    I usually keep it in my cals.
    I guess I just feel bad that I'm eating this crap in the 1st place... esp with how far I've come ... giving up MOST fast food.
    I hate that this place seems to be holding me ... when its not even my fav fast food!?!?! I've given up Nacho Bell Grande LOL... Why can't I give up this?!?! lol

    The only reason I see for you to give it up is how bad you're feeling about it. Otherwise, it's just a choice to budget your calories to allow yourself a food you enjoy. The Nacho Bell Grande is 760 cals, according to the Taco Bell website. Maybe you should just pick a day to exercise like crazy and go ahead and get your favorite thing, instead of beating yourself up over a poor substitution.
  • lorgrayson
    lorgrayson Posts: 54 Member
    I haven't eaten at McDonald's since 1999. And I Don't miss it. Watch the movie supersize me and maybe you'll be able to let go. For me, it was because I was so sick with my asthma, I decided to eat mostly organic or natural foods. I went from 2 inhalers and a pill daily to a rescue inhaler maybe once a week.
  • Eisskween
    Eisskween Posts: 84 Member
    Personally, I used to be addicted to their fish sandwiches. Although at first blush, it seems like a healthy choice, alas, it isn't. But I won't deny myself that treat every now and then, if the craving arises. :)
  • Ayla70
    Ayla70 Posts: 284 Member
    I was once told 'you can't break a habit, you have to replace it with something else, something healthier'. Planning in advance is really essential. Avoid driving that way home. Make sure you've eaten before you leave the house. Work off the calories BEFORE you do it. Drink a lot of water so you feel a little more full if you're out. Carry a water bottle with you everywhere you go. Have two in the car. Don't deny yourself anything, but work it into your food log. And it really is important, for me at least, to work off anything like that BEFORE I have it, because after you are so down on yourself, and so full of fatty high calorie food that you just want to sleep.

    Don't be too hard on yourself. Pick yourself up and keep going. You're doing great!
  • GnochhiGnomes
    GnochhiGnomes Posts: 348 Member
    Its only once a week. Your still losing weight and getting healthy right? Then there's literally like no point worrying about one double cheeseburger, at least your not binging and eating like 5000 calories 3 times a week like I am ;/
  • hunter624
    hunter624 Posts: 252
    I have similar cravings for a big English breakfast every Sunday, so that day is planned carefully so that i can have my wish.

    Then the following day, Monday, a do good burn off to ensure I don't go too far off track.

    Treat your craving as a treat and enjoy it.

    :drinker:
  • CWSpiegel
    CWSpiegel Posts: 114
    It could be sugar. Seriously. Almost everything from McDonalds has a ton of uber-refined sugar in it, especially the cheese and the breads. Sugar can be addictive, and cause cravings. Maybe the next time you are jonesin' for some Golden Arches, have a piece of dark chocolate.

    I think the biggest thing that has improved my gains has been cutting out fast food. Every sunday I used to crush 5 Guys, and the next couple days I would be MUCH harder to eat right again. Haven't had it in 4 months. Don't even miss it now.
  • cersela
    cersela Posts: 160 Member
    Your brain is hard wired to give you a mild euphoria from high calorie foods, if you are craving McDonald's it's because your brain remembers that you eat a lot of calories at once when you have that food. So you could just be hungry. If you are worried about eating it, try eating something else first (with a large bottle/glass of water) and see if you are still craving it afterword?
  • lunagirl818
    lunagirl818 Posts: 9
    I think it is pyschological. This is you holding onto some part of your old bad habit, versus fully embracing a new lifestyle. I say this because it makes you feel bad after...makes you feel guilty. So it is not even a guilty pleasure. Like I love ice cream, and if I have some, I enjoy it and work out more that day or the next. I don't feel bad about it.

    You are losing about 3 lbs a month. to reach your goal you need about another 15 months. In every other way you have improved your eating.

    So what is worth more? Reaching your goal or the double cheeseburger?

    Caveat: I dont think a once in awhile splurge is bad, but a weekly trip to McDs is a mess waiting to happen. All you need is one bad day, stress etc, and that order will be out of control. Slippery slope.
  • Hollyana
    Hollyana Posts: 55 Member
    I never eat McDonalds or much fast food at all when I'm in the UK, but when I spent a few months abroad I did have it for various reasons - comfort, living by myself, they had free wifi, etc. I found that the more I had it, the more I wanted it - it was so addictive!

    I honestly think the amount of salt and sugar (yes, in the savoury stuff too) has you craving more, and the best thing to do is go complete cold turkey.
  • MereSanity
    MereSanity Posts: 9 Member
    I know how you feel. I am addicted to the large Cokes. Its like a drug.
  • gemmalouise85
    gemmalouise85 Posts: 157 Member
    I have cravings for things too! it cant be helped is there a way you could try make it at home and make it more tasty and filling?

    Whole meal cobs/roll - 167 cals
    cheese slice - 70 cals
    100g lean mince - 136

    then you can add as much salad and add maybe peppers etc into the mince to make it more of a tasty burger - be more filling less calories and more healthy.

    I know the quickness is sometimes the deal breaker of a mcdonalds Im the same I just started comparing foods and trying make healthier choice now always easy as people think.

    good luck and hope you find a way cut down x
  • cersela
    cersela Posts: 160 Member
    I know how you feel. I am addicted to the large Cokes. Its like a drug.

    It is like a drug, when I gave up soda I had actual withdrawal symptoms from it. (Headaches, cravings, irritability, ect). I realize it was from the corn syrup, so I try to avoid anything that has high fructose corn syrup in it now because if I have a single taste then just like a crackhead all I want is to eat or drink are things that contain corn syrup.
  • gemmalouise85
    gemmalouise85 Posts: 157 Member
    I know how you feel. I am addicted to the large Cokes. Its like a drug.

    If you switch to large diet coke - apparently as no calories in x
  • karweb
    karweb Posts: 11
    Your feeling like crap and unsatisfied will eventually kick in and you will finally know its not worth it. Just hang in there because tomorrow is another day. Oh, water, water, water - that's what I do if I'm still hungry and it does work. :ohwell:
  • 57silverfox
    57silverfox Posts: 56 Member
    we all have are flaws mine is beer and chips just because you cave in now and then not bad . Start each day fresh start and youll suceed I had 2 beers yesterday but none today game on:)
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    Yeah, maybe it has fillers and preservatives, but so what? The media blows preservatives way out of proportion. They're regulated by the FDA and in small amounts like you are getting, there's no issue. Yeah, a burger that doesn't go bad for days seems scary, but if you know the science behind what goes into it, it's really not.

    That said, the fat content is still high. Make it a sometimes food and watch your macros and total cal intake, and it's not that big of a deal.
  • Carri1
    Carri1 Posts: 82 Member
    McDonalds...Let's see...I think of the beef as ground up worms. The Chicken Mcmaggots. Wormy fish-filet. Yum? Ha! Works for me! Make your own burger using ground round 90% or higher. It's the cheapo hamburger (worms) Mcd uses that makes it bad.
    Hope this helps..does for me!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I'm going to be the devil's advocate and say that if the worst thing you do is eat a McDouble once or twice a week... you're doing pretty good. You don't have to be perfect.

    If you really feel bad - like physically ill - after eating it, that's plenty of reason to stop. Or if you're having trouble sticking to your calories and meeting your nutritional needs.

    But other wise... I go by an 80/20 rule. As long as I'm eating well 80% of the time, 20% of my food can be a little more relaxed. And two so-so meals out of the roughly 21 meals you eat in a week is closer to a 90/10 ratio than an 80/20 one.
  • GnochhiGnomes
    GnochhiGnomes Posts: 348 Member
    Strange enough I started to get addicted to diet coke after I started losing weight. I got so bored of drinking just water and herbal teas that its nice to have something sweet and practically guilt free since its 0 calories. Also I have no problem with sweeteners even though some conspiracy crazies think aspartame is poison.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    Btw... I just want to say.. when I have the Double Cheeseburger...
    I usually keep it in my cals.
    I guess I just feel bad that I'm eating this crap in the 1st place... esp with how far I've come ... giving up MOST fast food.
    I hate that this place seems to be holding me ... when its not even my fav fast food!?!?! I've given up Nacho Bell Grande LOL... Why can't I give up this?!?! lol

    If you truly want to stop eating there, it's a process. You have to make the decision that you don't want to do it and then stick to it. I haven't had fast food in 5 months. I don't miss it anymore and when hubby and my dog make their run for their double cheeseburgers once a month (that I used to drool over, btw), the smell makes me a little sick. It all depends if you want to just eat healthy or if you want to have your treats. It is your decision, after all...
  • Wendysworld13
    Wendysworld13 Posts: 225 Member
    For me at least I have to work in some treat type food everyday otherwise I feel like I'm depriving myself and crave everything. If I know I'm having something later then the cravings go away. Perhaps because as you said you have virtually given everything up, your brain and taste buds are rebelling?

    So this!!!!! You have made enormous changes to your life and your diet. I commend you, but I also remind you that life is for living, not holding yourself to rigid standards and feeling deprived or like a failure when you don't meet them. Be realistic. One McD's double cb a week is not going to kill you!

    Live healthier, but live to live too. What good is being thin and healthy if you are miserable!
  • jsidel126
    jsidel126 Posts: 694 Member
    I got hungry when I passed a sign for my favorite fast foods: burgers, coffee, etc. I either planed a different route, made sure I was not hungry when I passed the businesses. I also limited myself to specific foods to reduce the addiction. I started only eating when I needed gas at the gas station.

    I now rarely get any fast food. I am not tempted by the signs. I crave what I purchase at the grocery store more than the typical fast food fare.
  • Roni_M
    Roni_M Posts: 717 Member
    Fast food is still a part of my "lifestyle" (in moderation of course). I have a cheeseburger every satuday (sometimes McDs, sometimes in a fancy restaurant or homemade... depends on my mood). If it's a lifestyle change, I have to be able to eat the things I enjoy on occasion or it would just be a diet that I would be doomed to fail!

    If you like it, eat it on occassion without guilt.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    Heck, all of us have something we eat we shouldn't occasionally… I saw Julian Michaels on some show owning up to her love of ice cream and how she has to work it off when she over indulges….

    That being said, I gave up my favorite food, Bread, and haven't had even the urge to eat it when I made my healthy lifestyle commitment on 12/31/11… my food plan allows for it now and I have them most unhealthy attitude against it now… If you are to the point where you see that you are in the "red zone" where 1 is leading to 2 is leading to an "off the wagon" lifestyle - slap your self and go cold turkey.

    I have to say, for years I loved micky D's… still like their fat free coffee drinks… and apple slices.
  • jwh225
    jwh225 Posts: 45 Member
    The recipe for a Big Mac is available on the internet, including the sauce. Why not find the recipe and make them yourself? Switch out some of the ingredients, like the bun for potato bun, real mayo for light mayo, etc. Not exactly low calorie, but it would be a lot better than visiting the Golden Arches.
  • laus_8882
    laus_8882 Posts: 217 Member
    You have enough calories to have a huge plate of stirfried vegies and a few nuts. Obviously not steak, potatoes and salad but still pretty tasty. It sounds like you've got a lot of angst over not eating a "clean" enough diet. Why not focus on eating good food, while making an allowance for one double cheeseburger each week? For what it's worth you've come a long way from where you once were, and if you look at fast food as a nice treat for one meal, once a week, you can eat your burger without thinking "goodness me, this is the start of the end for my waistline".
  • alemiszki
    alemiszki Posts: 49
    I don't understand why you're so upset about this. If you've really cut out most all the fast food from your life, why are you so hung up on a couple of double cheeseburgers? Honestly, your diet yesterday was kind of lacking..you basically ate McDonalds and did shots of vodka.
    You could have combined the vodka calories with the McDonalds calories and had yourself a GREAT meal. And if that's what you want - DO IT. Otherwise, enjoy your Double Cheeseburger, stop beating yourself up, and work your butt off the next day.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
    Ok, so I have completely given up fast food.... so I know it can be done (because like you, I used to eat at taco bell, wendys, mcdonalds, etc probably 6-10 times a week before I made my lifestyle change..... BUT I made my lifestyle change a year and a half ago, and I've ordered wendy's chili, and taco bell fresco tacos only a handful of times since january 2011..... BUTTTTT I think if you eat good most of the time (say 80% of the time) that leaves you room for those times you just can't say no or you have to go off track (family functions, weddings, etc)....... I really can't justify the calories and all on something like a double cheeseburger. I'd rather have a yummy mexican meal or some insane dessert -- but if double cheeseburgers are your thing, then that's fine. Once a week is not so bad, but maybe try to cut down to only a couple times a month. I'd say pick days that you want to have them (definitely choose times when you know you crave them - like around that time of the month, etc) - and then you have something to look forward to - and definitely work out on those days so you don't feel as guilty about it. :)

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