Fast Food Addiction

If I don't eat it, I get sick. If I eat it, I get sick. I know it's bad, and I don't even like the taste of it. It just feels like I have to have it, and I don't want it. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what did you do? How do you fight the urge when you're surrounded by fast food places (and hungry from missing breakfast or lunch) on your way to school or work?

Thanks everyone. This post was really hard for me to write down. I feel better just sharing my struggle with others.

don't skip meals..........?

this isn't an addiction, it's hunger. Do you eat low salt low fat the rest of the time? If so your body's craving salt and fat because it needs salt and fat. And fast food is the most convenient way to get that salt and fat.

What you have to bear in mind, is that Homo sapiens is mostly like our recent ancestors, Homo erectus, but we have bigger brains and in particular bigger frontal lobes. If Homo erectus wasn't eating enough, he or she had no idea how much to eat,,,, so would get hunger and cravings and this would make them go and seek out whatever food they were craving, so if they weren't getting enough fat in their diet they'd go out and seek out fatty foods, like maybe kill an animal and eat its brain and bone marrow (very fatty parts of the animal) - this increased food seeking behavior is a normal response to insufficient food intake.... only Homo sapiens, with our bigger frontal lobes, would plan to do something as illogical as deliberately deprive ourselves of food, and then label the resulting increase in food seeking behaviour as a psychological problem of some sort. The same response that would make Homo erectus go and kill another animal to eat (or, if they were deficient in certain micronutrients, to seek out particular fruits or whatever) makes Homo sapiens go seek out McDonalds, or whatever happens to be the most convenient place to buy high calorie food. And if the Homo sapiens is on a low fat diet, then that's only going to increase the cravings for fatty food and the likelihood that they'll get strong cravings for fast food, because it's high fat and high calorie, and as far as your body's concerned, you're a Homo erectus and don't know how much food to eat and hunger is the "eat some food now" signal.

Also, if eating fatty foods is making you ill, yet you still crave fatty foods, that usually comes from not eating enough fat the rest of the time. Suddenly increasing the amount of fat in the diet can cause all kinds of digestive issues... it needs to be reintroduced slowly. But you'll also be getting cravings for fat because you're deficient in it. So my advice would be to slowly reintroduce fatty foods in the diet... start with ones that are rich in essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins. If you've been eating low salt as well, maybe increase your salt intake a little too. And also plan to eat fast food maybe once a week so you still get to enjoy it, just in a controlled way without going over your calorie goal.

And in terms of skipping meals, you have to plan your meals in advance. Make lunch to take to work the day before, and make sure it includes enough calories, protein and fat to actually sustain you... if you're making yourself low fat low calorie foods they're not going to satisfy you or provide you with the nutrition you need. You need to aim for slow, steady fat loss, so you eat enough to sustain you through the day. Unplanned overeating, and in some cases binge eating, is the number one danger from eating too little.... and it's not an addiction, it's a normal physiological response that stopped our ancestors accidentally starving to death.

If you feel that you have a legitimate addiction to Fast Food, please consult a licensed addiction therapist and consider joining a 12 step program and reaching out to a sponsor that has dealt with fast food addiction.

Start grocery shopping and cooking your own meals. Problem solved.

It's one of those "when the student is ready the teacher appears" things. When you want to give it up, you will.

Trust me, as a food addict myself, I understand that there are things you just have to have. At the same time, when you "make the decision" or life makes it for you, you know when it's time to "behave." Until then, the inner child is driving the car. That inner child will always get those fries. Wants it, craves it, must have instant gratification, can't turn it down.

We don't let kids near fires. We tell them, "Don't go there, it'll hurt you." But when there's 18 fast food places on your way to work or to school, and you purposefully don't have breakfast thinking you're being good, you're really turning the reigns over to that inner child because you get so hungry that you'll eat anything you find....in one of those fast food restaurants on the way. When you're hungry everything sounds good.

There are things at fast food restaurants that aren't as bad as others. It's all about choosing your doom. Do you choose the big breakfast platter with the biscuit, hot cakes, syrup and sausage that are all NOT food journal friendly, or an egg mcmuffin that's not quite as bad, and the added bonus of being protein friendly?

Once you really make the decision of the path you're on and want to be on, the decisions of what to choose at the fast food restaurant become a lot easier.

Subway: (specifically eggs or other company's frozen eggs) "Some things that are in this special blend include glycerin, a solvent found in soap and shaving cream, dimethylpolysiloxane, a silicone that can also be found in Silly Putty, and calcium silicate, a sealant used on roofs and concrete."

I've heard that Subway stuff also contains dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO), which is also used as an industrial solvent, a retardant in fire suppressant systems, and a key ingredient in the production of styrofoam. Worse yet, the FDA doesn't even require that companies disclose the use of DHMO, so you could be ingesting it without even knowing!

I swam through 27,000 gallons earlier and had no ill effects. I may drink some with my mid-day snack too.

think of the mistreatment of employees that you are supporting with that money. that also helps me.

Word. I used to manage a Taco Bell, worked at Braum's for two years, KFC for one, and worked at Subway for three years. Aside from the gross things that people did to the food, we got paid ****, like the cost of a meal being more than what I made in an hour. Thanks for the reminder. Ugh.

I know... makes me sad, especially when I saw older individuals not even able to live paycheck to paycheck. another thought from working in food service- the waste and impact on the environment! no one is recycling there- like at all, culvers is the only establishment I have seen to recently add a recycling bin. there is so much food waste. and the individual packaging and wrappers and cups is crazy! If everyone just brought there own sack lunch with reusable containers the waste would be close to zero. that kinda makes me feel bad enough on its own and helps me decide not to eat there.

Subway: (specifically eggs or other company's frozen eggs) "Some things that are in this special blend include glycerin, a solvent found in soap and shaving cream, dimethylpolysiloxane, a silicone that can also be found in Silly Putty, and calcium silicate, a sealant used on roofs and concrete."

I've heard that Subway stuff also contains dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO), which is also used as an industrial solvent, a retardant in fire suppressant systems, and a key ingredient in the production of styrofoam. Worse yet, the FDA doesn't even require that companies disclose the use of DHMO, so you could be ingesting it without even knowing!

I swam through 27,000 gallons earlier and had no ill effects. I may drink some with my mid-day snack too.

A friend of mine did that once. His pee pee fell off.

I got better.

I have a crazy busy life too ( sometimes work 24 - 36 hrs without sleep between work shifts and home).

What may help you save time and money is planning:

- Grocery store 1x a week would cost you 1 person around 25-30$, look for sales or specials: my fav is the vegge pasta barilla carrots and tomato one, sometimes it is b1g1 or 99c a box - it makes 6 servings + no sugar added ragu sauce + few meatballs or not

- greek yogurt at $2 a big plain box has protein and is filling + cereal for crunch or mix with cold pasta and chicken can for pasta salad without mayo (pinch of cumin and black pepper - yum)

When i make pasta I go ahead and make 1/2 the box or so and then put in tupperware plain so I can add sauce/ season when it is time to eat.

- bananas and apples are cheap, and portable, even better bananas are clean (no washing needed)

- cereal bars - fiber one chocolate is my fav (i think around $2 for 5-6 bars so 30 c a bar and replaces breakfast with a cold glass of milk for me)

- bran cereal plain - cheapest cereal and healthiest, if i need a treat I get the chocolate cherios - both are 100 cal for 3/4 cup or 130 cal for 1 cup or so, servings are about 10 - 14, trust me no one wants more than one cup of a bran cereal i feel pukey full after it, cost is about $2.50 for bran up to $3-4 for cherries

- milk - i usually get 1 gallon or 2 every 7 - 10 days, it had protien, A, D, Ca++, cold, portable, filling ($6 )
(rate of gastric emptying is same as a solid.. so you feel full longer!)

- chicken deli slices are inexpensive and hormel ones are antibiotic and preservative free, also do lean turkey meatballs, and tofu - the trick here is you do not need a LOT of this. Like tofu block is 4-5 servings, you should have 3-4 meatballs or 5-6 mini meatballs with the pasta, 3 slices of chicken with spinach in a wheat tortilla. Not sure how much I spend on this but I would estimate around $5-6 a week, Tofu is cheap where I am I can often find it for $1

- instead of ice cream i buy the extra ca+ pudding cups, its cold, yummie, cheaper and portion controlled at 100 - 110 cal a cup $1-1.50)

- veggies - go frozen, i throw in 1/4 a block of the frozen spinach (usually a 1$ at any store) with the above pasta, once it is saucy you barely notice it, or toss it on a pizza made of a tortilla, spinach, some of the spagetti sauce from above, a few chopped up meat balls and cheese ($2-3 for 1 lb bag of cali blend veggies)

- i like mangos, strawberries, pineapple but eat so little of them buying fresh is a waste, i buy one frozen bag of this stuff every 2-3 months. I will blend with milk from above and ice and have a frosty drink. ($10, usually two bags around $4 - 5 each, every few months)

Best of luck - you already see what the issue is so you are already half way there! Friend me and ask me any questions if you need help! You can do it - we will do it together

Hi there! I'm not proud of this at all, but I'm right there with you. 100%. Like, your post could be mine if I had the balls to talk about one of the most shameful things in my life on a public forum where people would probably say harsh things.

I am completely positive that I am where I am now because of a total lack of exercise and a ridiculous over-consumption of fast food. I could put away my entire calorie bank now in one meal of McDonald's. It got to the point where I, like you, wasn't even really enjoying it anymore. It was just that nothing I could make at home sounded as easy, as salty or as much "the same" as what I was used to eating. It didn't feel "right" to eat at home, even if I had something that flat-out sounded better and that I knew was better for me. And yes, I definitely can't afford the addiction - I was probably spending $400 to $500 eating out a month. (Bleh.)

Even though, through MFP, I am much more aware of what I'm eating - I'm still making mistakes. Lots more than I'd like to be. What's helped me, as sad as this probably is, has been to put reminders of my goals everywhere. In my apartment, in my truck, at work - subtle messages that only mean something to me (so I'm not broadcasting it). I even wrapped a post-it around my credit card. I also asked my S/O to firmly but kindly remind me of my goals when I'm about to make a bad choice and he's with me.

I'm also always willing to be a friend, especially to someone who's going through a similar struggle as me, so if you're the type of MFP'er who likes to add folks, send me a request and I'd be happy to accept! Good luck and be strong, you can do it!

I also have been struggling with this. I have bing eating disorder and there have been days where I will get fast food for breakfast, lunch, on the way home from work, and then come home and eat even more. I am broke too, I spend so much money on fast food it is really unbelievable.