Fast Food Addiction

I can totally understand. It is not just a habit but a coping mechanism for your busy life.

I was there once too. It took a month for the cravings to stop. A week for the head ache to go away. A day for the weight to start going down.

You don't have to be sick because you eat. You just have to eat differently to not get sick by how you eat. You have to make that choice though. And as true addict you cant jump on and off willy-nilly. You have to cut it all out or stay on this destructive path.

While you may not be overeating you may want to check out overeaters anonymous. They might be able to help you with the addiction aspect of your diet.

Stop cold turkey. Begin tracking your food on this site. If you do slip up, track it. See how much junk you're putting into your body. Good luck!

What some of my friends do when they drive near fast food places is think about all the yucky stuff they put into their food. Maybe you should research some of your favorite meals in depth and then when your driving around ad you pass a McDonalds just chant all the gross things over and over again. Also start giving yourself enough time in the morning to make breakfast so you won't be so hungry. Just try to remember why you do want to eat the junk food, "It's over my calories", "It's bad for me", "It's expensive", "It won't taste good anyway.", "I'll regret it later."
I know it's tough but you will get over it, if you try. It will get easier if you keep at it.
All the best! You can do this!

Friends or family that can give you a hand to help you buy some stuff?

Go to a Pricesmart (or similar) and buy ready to eat grains, fruit cups, cereal, etc. Those are things that won't spoil as easily.

Find a cafe or cafeteria you can get smarter options (yogurt, fruit cups, whole meals).

It won't be easy since your tastebuds will need to feel the taste of fat/salt/sugar so cravings will be really bad.

But yeah, fast food is killing you and your budget.

i suppose you could pack your lunch and leave all cash/credit cards at home before leaving for the day

This. I don't take my wallet or purse to work with me. I pack my lunch, leave all money at home and then I have no choice but to eat what I pack.

Saying "Try to do that or not to do that" will not help. It seems like some kind of addiction (like sugar, coffee and etc.). I just recommend to try Paul Mckenna and his stuff. About 80 percents of people helped his videos and self hypnosis. I had enormous craving for ice cream and sugar, I tried "I Can Make You Thin" (I am not sure this is exact title) video sessions. I can not say, that I definitely do not eat sugar now, but somehow I felt more power to chose what I put in my stomach. Google about him and about videos. You can download all his material.

I haven't dealt with this but I tried to put myself in your shoes and came up with some ideas as to how I would handle being in this situation.

1) A lot of people are probably going to tell you this is all about willpower. And in a way it kind of is (I know that doesn't make overcoming this any easier at the moment though). You've acknowledged this isn't good for you and are looking for help to make a change. For that you should be proud!

2) Maybe start out by slowly cutting back? Create a budget and tell yourself you will only spend $15 a week on fast food and the rest you normally spend could be spent on groceries. Or tell yourself you are only allowed to eat out once a day and tehn from there once every other day etc.

3) I looked into your profile and saw that you are big into gaming and really studious. Maybe you could take 30mins each day from gaming and put it into researching the foods.places you eat at. Find out what options you no longer want to eat and what options aren't so bad. Moderation is a big thing I've read about in MFP. If its something you really like you shouldn't have to cut it entirely from your diet. The more informed youa re though the better you can be at making decisions. Watching FOod Inc. made me really think about the foods I was eating, I even went vegetarian because of it. Not saying you should scare yourself into change but really knowing what you are putting in your body might help.

4) Take another half an hour to plan and prepare/pack your meals for the next day

5) I know its hard to break habits. I used to eat a lot of things that were less beneficial for my diet because I didn't really know what foods I would like, what/how to cook, and because I always labeled foods as healthy or unhealthy. I think I always just thought unhealthy foods were privileges and would as a result taste better. There are a lot of foods that I have added to my daily intake that I am glad I tried and there are also many foods I no longer eat, not because I think they are unhealthy but because I have found so many other more nutritious things that I would rather eat

6) As a college student myself I know it can be hard to cook for one and that convenience is really important. For convenience I reiterate what I said before (Plan and prepare.pack in advance). You may also want to ask your friends if they'd be interested n preparing and having weekly meals together. Everyone brings a part (Taco shells, meat, veggies, etc) and everyone gets a decent meal

7) They may have support groups for this, I'm pretty sure they have them for people who identify as overeaters

Lastly here's a link I found Yay WIkipedia http://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-an-Addiction-to-Fast-Food

If you really do have an addiction problem (and I have no idea if you do), you won't solve it here. People with real addiction problems can engage in "symptom substitution" - basically replacing one addictive substance or behavior for another. Only you can tell if this is just a bad habit or an uncontrollable craving. If you suspect it's the latter, you may want to talk to an addiction counselor.