How do you break the addiction to fast food?
Replies
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Logging calories did it for me. I went from a daily thing to a once a week "treat" thing and now I'm trying to somewhat snub out once a week. The calories shocked me enough to get off of it. I just wanted to loose weight bad enough for that to matter as much as it did.0
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This is really hard for me to discuss... I was in a relationship with fast food for ten years. TEN YEARS.
Do you know how hard it is to be with someone ten years and they never say "I love you"? I kept holding out for it, but eventually I realized I deserved better and I had to walk away. One day you will get there, too.
Oh, how I love you 1CG.
In my case I married a man who refuses to eat that *kitten*. Problem solved. (But that only applies to the big fast food chains, like McDonald's, Burger King, etc.)
Cuddlefest!
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DENIAL!Just break up
That's a sure sign of addiction...:sad:0 -
Simple, dont eat it.
I agree BUT... Its not that easy...my fastfoofd addiction was a love of the sugar high...a high from the carb, fat, protien high...the ritual of comfort food and "me" time that it gives...my connection of eating out with beingtreated special by my family....and the fact i just like the taste o some fast food items....
I could only "just stop eating it" when i began to unravel these telated issues and began to retrain myself...
It is as simple as just stopping...but unless the underlying issues are addressed you'll come back.
Send me a message if you want to talk about how im specifically addressing heae issues daily...0 -
COLD TURKEY! That's it!0
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I don't think addiction means what you think it means. Take your lunch to work and plan yummy dinners for yourself.0
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Once I changed my eating habits, I naturally no longer wanted or craved fast food. Now, I cannot even eat a burger and fries from a diner without feeling like I'm going to die for a week, my body just rejects "junk"0
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Trade it for another vice, like smoking!0
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I wish I knew the secret as well, I guess at the end of the day it's all about will power. Just don't go to a fast food restaurant. Just don't eat fast food. That's what I do. I stay away :drinker:0
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I am picking up the vibe that people think that food (nasty greasy junk food) is a special addiction and we should all go softer on everyone about it. Guess what? Obesity is just as bad as alcoholism. Quitting fast food is the same as quitting drinking. I quit drinking to lose weight AND quit smoking and fast food at the same time. If I can do all three at once (and my husband and children are still alive haha) YOU can quit your little burger problem. Trust me! ;-)0
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Be prepared. Have your lunch/snacks ready to go the night before so you do not have to resort to it. Avoid it as an excuse for dinner because you are busy. Try to prep the night before if you come home starving, you can get things going quicker and it doesn't feel like you are slaving in the kitchen.0
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Wel first of all I know how nasty all that processed food is, that was turn off number one, number two being that we simply could not afford to eat out, we spend less money when I cook here at home. But my best advice to you would be, pack your lunch and snacks whenever you are going out or to work. If you have it on hand it saves you time and money from going out somewhere!0
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4 things:
1. Start eating less salt. When you go to a fast food joint--your mouth will HATE you for all the salt they use. If you get used to eating less salt, you notice that it's SO SALTY and changes the taste.
2. Read Fast Food Nation
3. Bank account--so much money used to go to "food on the run." It was ridiculous. I'm a grad student and could be putting all that money to better use than gross food.
4. Just look up some ingredient lists. Now I'm not a purist in thinking that I should be able to pronounce absolutely everything in a food....but I think 80% is fair. Fast food ingredients are maybe 5% able to pronounce.
It's just a habit. How do you break other habits? Use those skills for this!
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Money............think of all the money you will save.1
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Just break up
Learn how to use it, or don't use it at all..0 -
Just understand how gross the food is.
I mean, if you can't see that, then, I guess just eat it. But, ew, and gross. It's not real food.0 -
My biggest way of blocking out fast food is to simply not allow my car to drive there. Granted on some occasions in the past, my car diverted when I didn't expect it.
I still allow myself some fast food, like panda express chinese food. In the past, I downloaded the nutritional info for the fast food places I was going to allow myself to visit on occasion. It helped if I knew what I was going to order before I got there.
I still use that tactic for when I visit regular restaurants. I know exactly what I am going to eat well before I arrive.1 -
i stopped driving through the drive throughs.0
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I didn't. I still go get fast food frequently ... it's sometimes a necessity when I'm running around with my schedule, and the kid's schedule, etc. The key is moderation. Getting a kid's meal, eating the fruit option instead of the fries, not eating the bread on the burger, or whatever.
I used to go get fast food every day ... I don't do it as much and I do reap the rewards. My bank account seems to show a higher number, my scale seems to show a lower number. Hmmm ... of course, I have to do a bit more cooking, but that's okay.1 -
Understanding that the macros in the fast food make you crave them more and more. Treat it like cigarettes or drugs and assume if you purge your body of the toxins, you won't jones for them. The less you eat it, the less you want it, and the worse it actually tastes also. You'll wonder how you ever liked it at all.0
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Also, I will point out that ... like with EVERY restaurant I go to ... fast food or otherwise ... I look up the calorie content of what I will eat before I order it. That helps too.0
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If quitting cold turkey doesn't work for you, take smaller steps. If you usually get a burger and fries, switch to the smallest burger and get a salad. Leave yourself enough calories so that it doesn't ruin your day, and let it be a once-a-week treat. Try making healthier versions of things like tacos, burgers, pizza at home, so you can still partake in the foods you love and get some nutritional value from them.
^This.
I found that I was eating Pizza every second day. I finally tried making it at home - thin crust with more veggies and turkey pepperoni - not only is it calorie responsible, but it kills my desire to eat out for Pizza. It's not as greasy or fattening, but it's really good, and after a while of eating better pizzas, the ones from the pizza place just don't appeal to me as much as they used to (i.e. it's not calling my name anymore!!).
Thanks to both of you!0 -
I think you have to look at why you're addicted. Is it the convenience, or have are you craving the salt/fat/sugar?
If it's a convenience, people have given you lots of ideas - pre-pack your meals, or hit up grocery stores for some more healthy, but still fast options.
If it's the salt/fat/sugar, then changing your eating habits over time will help. Log everything you eat from the fast food joint (and yeah, condiments count). If you're sticking to your calorie and macro goals, you'll soon find it's too hard to eat an entire fast food meal without making some of the better choices (for example, I can't fit a burger and fries into my day if I want to eat, but I can likely fit in a burger and veggies). Soon you'll start to realize that, while the better choices at the fast food restaurant are better than the bad ones, you can make a lot of that stuff at home and have it taste way better (by way of example - side salad at fast food is all iceberg lettuce and carrots - side salad at my house is spinach, sweet peppers, low fat cheese, and almonds). Also, if it's the salt/fat/sugar addiction, make some room in your day for some of that, so long as it fits in your calories/macros. For example, I wanted a burger yesterday. I didn't go get a crap fast food burger, I got it from outback where I could order it cooked the way I wanted, and got a side of veggies.
I think figuring out what you're addicted to will really help. And always, always log. Even if you're having a "cheat" day. Just log it - you'll be surprised to find out that it may change how much you decide to "cheat."0 -
I think you have to look at why you're addicted. Is it the convenience, or have are you craving the salt/fat/sugar?
If it's a convenience, people have given you lots of ideas - pre-pack your meals, or hit up grocery stores for some more healthy, but still fast options.
If it's the salt/fat/sugar, then changing your eating habits over time will help. Log everything you eat from the fast food joint (and yeah, condiments count). If you're sticking to your calorie and macro goals, you'll soon find it's too hard to eat an entire fast food meal without making some of the better choices (for example, I can't fit a burger and fries into my day if I want to eat, but I can likely fit in a burger and veggies). Soon you'll start to realize that, while the better choices at the fast food restaurant are better than the bad ones, you can make a lot of that stuff at home and have it taste way better (by way of example - side salad at fast food is all iceberg lettuce and carrots - side salad at my house is spinach, sweet peppers, low fat cheese, and almonds). Also, if it's the salt/fat/sugar addiction, make some room in your day for some of that, so long as it fits in your calories/macros. For example, I wanted a burger yesterday. I didn't go get a crap fast food burger, I got it from outback where I could order it cooked the way I wanted, and got a side of veggies.
I think figuring out what you're addicted to will really help. And always, always log. Even if you're having a "cheat" day. Just log it - you'll be surprised to find out that it may change how much you decide to "cheat."
Thanks so much for your comment. It definitely seems to be a taste craving issue over convenience... I enjoy cooking, but keep falling back into this trap. I am sure if I can combine the tough love comments here "just stop it" with the strategies like making a home cooked version of what I'm craving, that I'll get past this and stop craving the really bad stuff. Thanks again!0 -
Hi all,
I would love to hear from anyone who has had success ending their relationship with fast food. I feel like it's really what is holding me back the most in terms of my progress. I've gone without for a few days or even a week or two, but I always seem to come back. What has helped you the most in ending the addiction?
Thank you!!
Are you really addicted or are you simply getting cravings or in the habit of it? These are not the same thing at all, whilst you continue to label it as an addiction that is a psychological barrier to stopping. If you have a true addiction you would probably benefit from some sort of therapy or medical support.0 -
try the shake weight0
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I learned to cook. And I plan my meals weekly now. Planning ahead lets me make concessions for my crazy schedule and keeps me on track! Besides that, I still have fast food every now and then because let's face it, a life without Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwiches is barely worth living...0
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If quitting cold turkey doesn't work for you, take smaller steps. If you usually get a burger and fries, switch to the smallest burger and get a salad. Leave yourself enough calories so that it doesn't ruin your day, and let it be a once-a-week treat. Try making healthier versions of things like tacos, burgers, pizza at home, so you can still partake in the foods you love and get some nutritional value from them.
That is exactly what I did - and still do - also, cut down on ALL your processed foods -- like the lean cuisine and smart one meals, anything "easy" and prepackaged -- once you do that, you won' t be able to eat the fast food, it will taste too salty -- worked for me.
Better than eating the fast food, is the feeling of walking into a fast food place and ordering oatmeal or a salad, because the simple smell of the grease makes you loose your appetite -- it happened to me, it can happen to you!0 -
I know it sounds like stupid advice but just stop. Studies show it takes 30 days to break a habit and approx 12 weeks to make it consistant. I had my last fast food on August 25,2012. I will remember it wzs a big mac, small fry, iced tea.. I felt so gross after that I said never again and I haven't since. I no longer crave it and the smell maked me sick. I don't miss it.0
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I watched Super Size me. That movie broke my habit.0
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