What has giving up fast food done for you?

Wow...what a topic! In the past, I always had fast food not matter what diet I was on and I believe that it was a big part of why I could not lose consistently. I would lose weight....then gain it back....lose it....gain it.....etc. The most I ever lost was 50 lbs but when I joined the group I'm in and started really seeing how many calories was in what.....it really opened my eyes!!! I could not believe how many calories were in a tiny little breakfast sandwich and hash rounds!!! And usually my lunch was take out too....and mostly dinner as well. It was quick and easy and convenient and I was always on the go and it just worked.

But since that day....I just don't do it anymore. I just don't want to waste that many calories on one or two things when I could have so much more of the lower calorie items and I found out too that I stayed full with those and I was never full with the fast food stuff. I was always hungry. I still keep the coupons in my glove compartment in the car....old habits die hard.....but I usually end up trashing them as they expire before I ever use them!

I lose consistently now and I'm so happy. I've heard exercise more/eat less my entire life and if this has been the secret all along........wow.......I just can't believe it is as simple as this. Not that it doesn't take will power to not eat the wrong things....even outside of fast food.....it does......but it really is as simple as eat less/exercise more......for me. I do eat things that are higher calories....but I count them and I don't do it all the time. But I find that I just don't want to waste calories on the fast food stuff anymore. I have type 2 diabetes also and I want to get it under control and stay alive! And avoid all the complications my friends have had.

I feel so much better. I've got a long way to go but I'm on my way. I've also noticed that eating junk makes me want more junk and it happens quickly.....so I just stay away from it. And I look up calories before I decide to eat something....if I'm out with friends or something. Most places also have a lighter menu now with the calories right there. Easy.

Just my two cents on this.

Not whilst retaining any shred of credibility you aren't.

edit: My mistake that would imply you had any to begin with

weird... i always thought it was a good thing if someone could recognize they may have made a mistake or framed something incorrectly... huh.

That's called admitting fault. I've done it (not in this thread, but it does happen; I have stood corrected many times on this web site). Backpeddling is trying to disguise fault. See the difference?

Once again. Word choice. You knew what he meant.

No. See that's the thing with words. Words have meaning. We are on the internet here, communicating with words. Words are everything here.

Good lord.

Except for "healthy". "Healthy" has no meaning

Wow..I can't believe you just said that. That word has meaning to EVERYONE here! And I don't just mean on this thread post either :noway:

I just think about how disgusting fast food is. I have become a food purist in my old age. I need to know what is in the food I am eating, so I rarely ever go out to eat. I have also learned to enjoy cooking. If I am out and don't have food with me, I will buy a banana, carrots,nuts, basically pure and clean food so I don't have to worry about it. My body is too important to me to put fast food into it. I would rather go to a grocery store and pick up some raw fruits and veggies. I really pay attention to how I feel after I eat things. If they make me feel terrible, then why would I continue not to listen to my body? I like my food to fuel me and give me energy. I no longer care so much about my tastebuds, it is the after feeling I strive for now. Once you see that stuff as the poison it is, your tastebuds and nose seems to follow. Just the smell of fast food alone makes me sick to my stomach now.

Take this a few steps farther and you're knocking on the door of orthorexia.

But, good job for choosing healthy foods that make you feel good- there's nothing wrong with that choice.

I just think about how disgusting fast food is. I have become a food purist in my old age. I need to know what is in the food I am eating, so I rarely ever go out to eat. I have also learned to enjoy cooking. If I am out and don't have food with me, I will buy a banana, carrots,nuts, basically pure and clean food so I don't have to worry about it. My body is too important to me to put fast food into it. I would rather go to a grocery store and pick up some raw fruits and veggies. I really pay attention to how I feel after I eat things. If they make me feel terrible, then why would I continue not to listen to my body? I like my food to fuel me and give me energy. I no longer care so much about my tastebuds, it is the after feeling I strive for now. Once you see that stuff as the poison it is, your tastebuds and nose seems to follow. Just the smell of fast food alone makes me sick to my stomach now.

totally agree with you! food is just energy for me. yes every now and again it's fun to get some really great tasting food, but in the mean time olive oil, spices and a lil salt is really all i need when seasoning most of the things i cook at home.

Not whilst retaining any shred of credibility you aren't.

edit: My mistake that would imply you had any to begin with

weird... i always thought it was a good thing if someone could recognize they may have made a mistake or framed something incorrectly... huh.

That's called admitting fault. I've done it (not in this thread, but it does happen; I have stood corrected many times on this web site). Backpeddling is trying to disguise fault. See the difference?

Once again. Word choice. You knew what he meant.

No. See that's the thing with words. Words have meaning. We are on the internet here, communicating with words. Words are everything here.

Good lord.

Except for "healthy". "Healthy" has no meaning

Wow..I can't believe you just said that. That word has meaning to EVERYONE here! And I don't just mean on this thread post either :noway:

Then please, tell me what healthy means to you. According to taso and DavPul, it doesn't mean eating foods that are good for you because there's no such thing. As far as I can tell, it just means muscles

I always tell myself, "Drive AWAY, Don't Drive-Thru" LOL!!!

Someone once told me that my idea of fast food should be a protein shake. I've been drinking them regularly ever since.

I haven't completely cut fast food (doubt I ever will), but it's a very "once in a blue moon" kinda thing for me. It has forced me to pack lunches for work, which means I am eating much healthier throughout the day.

Protein shakes are one of my go-to's when I need something quick and on-the-go. Easy, quick, and keep me satisfied!

That is insulting. I stated a few criteria for "health" earlier in this thread. Here are a few off the top of my head:
- free of disease
- strong immune system
- well-functioning organs
- good blood pressure
- good blood cholesterol
- good resting heart rate
- good strength
- good body composition
- feeling of well being
- free of vitamin deficiencies

My whole premise here is that eating fast food, or any sort of food for that matter, within the context of a good diet will absolutely not prevent one from achieving the criteria above, or any other criteria that can be considered "good health". Let's go as far as replacing the word good with the word excellent. I will dare say, that I, DavPaul, AnvilHead, and a great many others on this website are in EXCELLENT health even while consuming "fast food" regularly.

Just to reiterate another main point of this whole philosophy - no one food can be considered healthy or unhealthy. All food is healthy (fine, let's take synthetic trans-fats as the exception). A person's overall diet is what makes them healthy or unhealthy.

I am 100% certain that I am in much better health than a great many people who have never consumed fast food in their life. Of course this is not BECAUSE I eat fast food, but despite it, because my diet AS A WHOLE is exceptional.

got it. here's a hypothetical for you to ponder: what about a person who eats exactly the same diet as you, but replaces your fast food with whole foods? no difference in your health?

That is insulting. I stated a few criteria for "health" earlier in this thread. Here are a few off the top of my head:
- free of disease
- strong immune system
- well-functioning organs
- good blood pressure
- good blood cholesterol
- good resting heart rate
- good strength
- good body composition
- feeling of well being
- free of vitamin deficiencies

My whole premise here is that eating fast food, or any sort of food for that matter, within the context of a good diet will absolutely not prevent one from achieving the criteria above, or any other criteria that can be considered "good health". Let's go as far as replacing the word good with the word excellent. I will dare say, that I, DavPaul, AnvilHead, and a great many others on this website are in EXCELLENT health even while consuming "fast food" regularly.

Just to reiterate another main point of this whole philosophy - no one food can be considered healthy or unhealthy. All food is healthy (fine, let's take synthetic trans-fats as the exception). A person's overall diet is what makes them healthy or unhealthy.

I am 100% certain that I am in much better health than a great many people who have never consumed fast food in their life. Of course this is not BECAUSE I eat fast food, but despite it, because my diet AS A WHOLE is exceptional.

got it. here's a hypothetical for you to ponder: what about a person who eats exactly the same diet as you, but replaces your fast food with whole foods? no difference in your health?

Good hypothetical.

I would postulate that the difference would negligible-to-none. This is the sort of thing that the study AnvilHead posted attempts to show.

A little anecdote. Earlier today my lifting partner loaded up the bar for a deadlift. There were two 45 lb bumper plates on the bar plus two cute little 1.25 lb plates. We pondered the long term effect it would have if we simply skipped the 1.25 lb plates. Conclusion: probably negligible.

well I finally read it... and sorry to say I found this little tidbit:

Now, the study does have a few limitations that I want to mention explicitly.

1 The study only looked at a single meal. It’s entirely possible that a diet based completely around fast food would show different effects.

2 The sample size was small: 6 overweight men and two women. It’s possible that differences would have shown up with more subjects. A related question is whether lean individuals would respond differently. Perhaps but I doubt it. As I discussed in The Influence of the Subjects’ Training State on the Glycemic Index, GI and insulin response are even less relevant in trained individuals.

his study looked at ONE meal. ONE. Not one a week, not one a day, ONE.

in other words, the study is worth crap and has no bearing on long term fast food consumption.

well I finally read it... and sorry to say I found this little tidbit:

Now, the study does have a few limitations that I want to mention explicitly.

1 The study only looked at a single meal. It’s entirely possible that a diet based completely around fast food would show different effects.

2 The sample size was small: 6 overweight men and two women. It’s possible that differences would have shown up with more subjects. A related question is whether lean individuals would respond differently. Perhaps but I doubt it. As I discussed in The Influence of the Subjects’ Training State on the Glycemic Index, GI and insulin response are even less relevant in trained individuals.

his study looked at ONE meal. ONE. Not one a week, not one a day, ONE.

in other words, the study is worth crap and has no bearing on long term fast food consumption.

Re #1: For the umpteenth time, NOBODY here is arguing for a diet made up entirely of fast food. Of course a diet based completely around fast food would have ill effects. Vitamin deficiencies for one thing. (On the other hand, there are exceptions to every rule. Morgan Spurlock f*cked his health eating fast food for his documentary; whereas Tom Naughton improved his health eating fast food for his)

Re #2: you are coming back to your compounding interest hypothesis again. One meal had no effect. So why would one meal here and there have any major effect?

Diabetics prick themselves with a tiny needle multiple times a day... do you see them walking around bleeding all over the place?