So how did you all fix your cravings for fast food?
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snowflake930 wrote: »...where to you get quality burgers? Seriously, I am not trying to be a smart a**. Restaurants add a lot of sodium and sugar to foods they serve. Just saying. And yes, we are ALL, worthy of quality food, and we can (and many of us do) make it ourselves, and it is even better tasting than quality burger places.
Harvey's. Do you have Harvey's in the US?
I also reserve chocolate for the quality stuff.
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So nobody has tomatoes, lettuce, mustard, ketchup, bacon, ground beef/chicken breasts, cheese or bread in your kitchens?? LOL, I doubt that.
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Yup, I agree.candacefausset wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
Fast food IS unhealthy. But folks can get away with eating some unhealthy foods. I find it easier to do with out (easier to stay at my maintenance level, and easier in terms of how I feel). But some folks prefer adding it in to their diets.
? I'm confused. Fast food is universally acknowledged as not being healthy, despite some efforts made to adjust that image. The OP herself is asking for adviceon how to avoid or reduce consumption. I think you just enjoy arguing. I have done nothing but agree that it should be avoided and offer my way of doing it (for me and my kids). OP, again I apologize for this distraction. I will stop my part in hijacking your request for ideas. I hope you get some great ideas here!
really, how so?
I find your campaign to stop people from name calling of certain foods fascinating. Reminds me a bit of efforts to stop people from using pejorative terms for sexual orientation, race, disabilities etc. Amusing to think of "junk food" as the maligned underdog. I DO agree that it is not always unhealthy. Context matters. Maybe I have been sweating a bunch and need that extra salt. And there have definitely been times where I needed something sugary (like during a tennis match that has gone on too long and it's now lunchtime). But I also agree that in most situations, you can make a much healthier choice than "junk food".
I think a lot of people want all foods to be seen as "available" during a diet because studies and experience prove that allowing yourself an indulgence or a treat is 10 times more likely to result in successful, safe and maintainable weight loss. To me, it isn't so much about defending fast food as it is helping people succeed. If they know that nothing is off limits, they are less likely to binge after a long stint of depriving themselves. In the process of indulging occasionally and in moderation, they are further learning to think about food differently. They are learning about what their food is made of (as far as calories and macros) and how to meet those goals via portion control so that they can make a lifestyle change instead of just dieting to meet a goal and then going back to the old way and gaining everything back.
But we also need to recognize that it's easy for people to over eat food that is formulated to make us want more. I never did answer the OP's question. I agree with the "cook more" comments. I'm having to learn to do that myself. I was eating too many protein bars for a while. And don't be be overly stingy with those bad guys, fat salt and sugar in your own cooking. If what you are cooking isn't tantalizing, you're still going to prefer fast food. Lastly, I get cravings when I haven't had enough protein. Have a look at your macros (use the weekly feature).
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Someone:Umm, no, not everything is processed technically. If you eat all whole foods you cook yourself, you're not eating commercially processed foods.
NDJ:do you kill and skin your own cow??? Technically the skinning and gutting process would be considered "processing"...
Not only is this (obviously) true, but even when you buy meat from a farm, many states require that the farm take their meat for processing to a licensed processor. So unless you are raising it yourself (which zoning laws as well as practicality preclude me from doing) any meat is processed.
Some of the most popular meats around these parts (like boneless, skinless chicken breast, lean ground beef, ground turkey (ugh) or any other ground meat that you don't grind yourself, turkey "bacon" (double ugh) and so on are, of course, even more processed.
And nothing wrong with that, of course. I just wish we could use words correctly.
Also, I will say once again that a couple of examples of processed foods that I include in my diet (besides meat) are greek yogurt (my current favorite is 2% Fage, plain), cottage cheese, and smoked salmon. Also oatmeal (Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats are my favorites). And, sure, I find precut and packaged spinach and kale useful, although I often buy them in other ways too. And canned tomatoes are the only way I will eat tomatoes outside of tomato season. I not only think these processed items are okay as part of a healthy diet, but I actively include them because of what they add to my diet (I otherwise don't much like grains and don't eat them much, for example, and more sources of protein are helpful). Thus, I reject the idea that including processed foods is somehow unhealthy or to be avoided and would like to know what's wrong with these foods from someone who claims that it is.0 -
Such a sad, sad existence.goddessofawesome wrote: »Seems to me that after awhile of eating homemade food that is lower in sodium and sugar the urge to eat any restaraunt food waned and nowadays I can hardly stand any restaurant food as it is just way to salty. I gag at the just the thought of fast food.
So you just don't go out to eat at restaurants? Like, ever? And I'm not talking fast food places. I'm talking sit-down, lingering meal, several courses restaurant.
I couldn't imagine it. I love Friday nights because I don't have to cook!
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I just read what you were quoting... dear lord. Talk about FUD and not knowing dollar one about restaurants. >_<snowflake930 wrote: »...where to you get quality burgers? Seriously, I am not trying to be a smart a**. Restaurants add a lot of sodium and sugar to foods they serve. Just saying. And yes, we are ALL, worthy of quality food, and we can (and many of us do) make it ourselves, and it is even better tasting than quality burger places.
Harvey's. Do you have Harvey's in the US?
I also reserve chocolate for the quality stuff.
I've never seen a Harveys. However, there is this burger I would get in Cambridge, MA that has the most amazing burger. It's mostly ribeye, with a chuck and shortrib kicker. Using all prime beef.
No matter what the most insistent home cook says, they can't get that quality of meat. It's even hard for me to consistently get that kind of meat, and I used to be in the industry.
Without that quality of meat, regardless of what you do, your burger will never be as good.
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That's.... horrifying.goddessofawesome wrote: »Seems to me that after awhile of eating homemade food that is lower in sodium and sugar the urge to eat any restaraunt food waned and nowadays I can hardly stand any restaurant food as it is just way to salty. I gag at the just the thought of fast food.
So you just don't go out to eat at restaurants? Like, ever? And I'm not talking fast food places. I'm talking sit-down, lingering meal, several courses restaurant.
I guess they never go on vacations or to a parties. Sad really.0 -
I usually eat out for lunch at work once a week and get whatever I want as long as it fits in my goal. It's not unusual for me to get fast food. Then I usually have a sit down meal out with one friend or the other over the weekend. Again, I get whatever I have been craving and just make it fit into my goal for the day. This way I get to meet my cravings a few times a week and I don't end up losing my mind dreaming about cheeseburgers and BBQ ribs. And breakfast foods - my ultimate weakness.
Another thing about eating fast food is that it isn't always about cravings so much as convenience. If you find yourself eating out just because it's faster and easier than cooking, maybe you should consider starting your own collection of fast and easy recipes (just google it and you'll find all kinds of stuff to try out). Maybe also start making food on the weekends that will keep all week and can be eaten for lunches and dinners when you don't feel like cooking. I've been known to have "whatever I can find" lunches and dinners when I'm too lazy to cook and it's good to have stuff like hard boiled eggs, frozen homemade soup or chili, frozen sub sandwiches and mini pizzas (homemade!), cheese and crackers, etc on hand for those times.0 -
That's.... horrifying.goddessofawesome wrote: »Seems to me that after awhile of eating homemade food that is lower in sodium and sugar the urge to eat any restaraunt food waned and nowadays I can hardly stand any restaurant food as it is just way to salty. I gag at the just the thought of fast food.
So you just don't go out to eat at restaurants? Like, ever? And I'm not talking fast food places. I'm talking sit-down, lingering meal, several courses restaurant.
I guess they never go on vacations or to a parties. Sad really.
Yup. It also seems I've attracted a flagger.
ETA - I've reported it, we'll see if anything happens.-1 -
That's.... horrifying.goddessofawesome wrote: »Seems to me that after awhile of eating homemade food that is lower in sodium and sugar the urge to eat any restaraunt food waned and nowadays I can hardly stand any restaurant food as it is just way to salty. I gag at the just the thought of fast food.
So you just don't go out to eat at restaurants? Like, ever? And I'm not talking fast food places. I'm talking sit-down, lingering meal, several courses restaurant.
I guess they never go on vacations or to a parties. Sad really.
I notice the salt in restaurant/fast food too. Doesn't make me gag but I do enjoy it less than I used to. We eliminated salt in our cooking because of my husband's blood pressure. Eating food without salt was nasty at first but it became normal after a while.
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My Sister in law used to work @ Taco Bell. She brought home these bags of ground beef that I used to eat until I kept crunching down on hard pieces of I don't know what.. I don't want to know. That said, I've gone there since and ordered a bean burrito with extra onion and cheese so there ya go. I agree with the person who said, if you really want it work it into your calories. Over the years.. I've cut way way back on drive through stuff because I think the food, right down to how they treat the workers and the animals is so awful. Thinking about that helps.0
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I see people get flags for the stupidest things. I think you get into trouble with mods for over flagging.
That's.... horrifying.goddessofawesome wrote: »Seems to me that after awhile of eating homemade food that is lower in sodium and sugar the urge to eat any restaraunt food waned and nowadays I can hardly stand any restaurant food as it is just way to salty. I gag at the just the thought of fast food.
So you just don't go out to eat at restaurants? Like, ever? And I'm not talking fast food places. I'm talking sit-down, lingering meal, several courses restaurant.
I guess they never go on vacations or to a parties. Sad really.
Yup. It also seems I've attracted a flagger.
ETA - I've reported it, we'll see if anything happens.
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Pretty much this, my body doesn't dump sodium properly due to Fibromuscular dysplasia so I have to be very careful about how much sodium I consume. One fast food cheeseburger just about meets my entire daily allowance for sodium. On the rare occasion I just can't stop thinking about fast food I'll make the entire day fruits and raw veggies (almost zero sodium) so I can blow the entire day's (plus a little extra) on a great burger and a small unsalted fry from Wendy's.riotgrrrl39 wrote: »I don't eat it because medically (serious sodium restriction) I can't.....But damn I miss Arby's sometimes. And McDonald's fries. A few months ago I had a small fry and it was the best thing EVER. After awhile the cravings just stopped. I had to learn to cook a lot better LOL, but they did stop.
It's been so infrequent and so long that now when I DO eat that stuff it never tastes as good as I remember it and when i'm done there is this nasty film of grease in my mouth that I wind up having to brush my teeth to get rid of. The more often it's a disappointment the easier it is to say no when the craving hits.0 -
goldthistime wrote: »
That's.... horrifying.goddessofawesome wrote: »Seems to me that after awhile of eating homemade food that is lower in sodium and sugar the urge to eat any restaraunt food waned and nowadays I can hardly stand any restaurant food as it is just way to salty. I gag at the just the thought of fast food.
So you just don't go out to eat at restaurants? Like, ever? And I'm not talking fast food places. I'm talking sit-down, lingering meal, several courses restaurant.
I guess they never go on vacations or to a parties. Sad really.
I notice the salt in restaurant/fast food too. Doesn't make me gag but I do enjoy it less than I used to. We eliminated salt in our cooking because of my husband's blood pressure. Eating food without salt was nasty at first but it became normal after a while.
I don't cook with salt either. I never have yet I don't find restaurant food to be too salty. Some places sure, the food can have a bit more salt in it but 99.999999999% of the time? Nope.
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I just stopped wanting to eat crappy food.
Same. I refocused my weight loss efforts at the beginning of this month (after losing 20 pounds last year) and the only thing I've craved was a turkey sandwich. If I'm going to treat myself, it's going to be a quality burger and not McDonald's cardboardy garbage. My sugar cravings have also gone away too.
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I get prime..... just thought I'd make you jealous.
I just read what you were quoting... dear lord. Talk about FUD and not knowing dollar one about restaurants. >_<snowflake930 wrote: »...where to you get quality burgers? Seriously, I am not trying to be a smart a**. Restaurants add a lot of sodium and sugar to foods they serve. Just saying. And yes, we are ALL, worthy of quality food, and we can (and many of us do) make it ourselves, and it is even better tasting than quality burger places.
Harvey's. Do you have Harvey's in the US?
I also reserve chocolate for the quality stuff.
I've never seen a Harveys. However, there is this burger I would get in Cambridge, MA that has the most amazing burger. It's mostly ribeye, with a chuck and shortrib kicker. Using all prime beef.
No matter what the most insistent home cook says, they can't get that quality of meat. It's even hard for me to consistently get that kind of meat, and I used to be in the industry.
Without that quality of meat, regardless of what you do, your burger will never be as good.
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That's.... horrifying.goddessofawesome wrote: »Seems to me that after awhile of eating homemade food that is lower in sodium and sugar the urge to eat any restaraunt food waned and nowadays I can hardly stand any restaurant food as it is just way to salty. I gag at the just the thought of fast food.
So you just don't go out to eat at restaurants? Like, ever? And I'm not talking fast food places. I'm talking sit-down, lingering meal, several courses restaurant.
agreed...
I like to got a nice restaurant at least once a week, usually on weekends...0 -
[/quote]
I just read what you were quoting... dear lord. Talk about FUD and not knowing dollar one about restaurants. >_<
I've never seen a Harveys. However, there is this burger I would get in Cambridge, MA that has the most amazing burger. It's mostly ribeye, with a chuck and shortrib kicker. Using all prime beef.
No matter what the most insistent home cook says, they can't get that quality of meat. It's even hard for me to consistently get that kind of meat, and I used to be in the industry.
Without that quality of meat, regardless of what you do, your burger will never be as good.
[/quote]
What I mean is, even "quality" restaurants are adding things to their food. Seasonings, salt, sugar. How do you know that "quality" restaurants do not add things to their food? Seasonings, which most likely include salt, and/or other things? <_>
Many of us are unwilling, or unable to, pay overinflated prices for "quality" ground beef that is unavailable to all but the elite food snobs. Charging more for quality does not make beef any better for you.
Obviously, my palate is not as sophisticated as yours. I have tried the quality chocolate, and my pedestrian tastes still prefer Dove dark chocolate caramel Promises with sea salt.
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I'm sure someone pointed this out already but not true. The celery, potatoes, fresh tomatoes, beef, broth, turnips, carrots, and parsnips that I will put in my stew tonight are ALL processed. They picked the celery and bagged it. They cleaned off those potatoes by running them through a machine and bagged them. They picked those tomatoes turnips, carrots, and parnips and packaged them. They killed that steer, cut it up, and put it on Styrofoam for me (and I imagine did a few other things in between that I'd rather not consider). All PROCESSED.
Umm, no, not everything is processed technically. If you eat all whole foods you cook yourself, you're not eating commercially processed foods.
Unless I shot that steer and butchered it myself and GREW all those vegetables and harvested them myself.... it's processed.
ETA:And first by the way, I do cook food from my own garden, or my root cellar, or my canned foods,
Pst...canned food - PROCESSED
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goldthistime wrote: »
Yup, I agree.candacefausset wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
Fast food IS unhealthy. But folks can get away with eating some unhealthy foods. I find it easier to do with out (easier to stay at my maintenance level, and easier in terms of how I feel). But some folks prefer adding it in to their diets.
? I'm confused. Fast food is universally acknowledged as not being healthy, despite some efforts made to adjust that image. The OP herself is asking for adviceon how to avoid or reduce consumption. I think you just enjoy arguing. I have done nothing but agree that it should be avoided and offer my way of doing it (for me and my kids). OP, again I apologize for this distraction. I will stop my part in hijacking your request for ideas. I hope you get some great ideas here!
really, how so?
I find your campaign to stop people from name calling of certain foods fascinating. Reminds me a bit of efforts to stop people from using pejorative terms for sexual orientation, race, disabilities etc. Amusing to think of "junk food" as the maligned underdog. I DO agree that it is not always unhealthy. Context matters. Maybe I have been sweating a bunch and need that extra salt. And there have definitely been times where I needed something sugary (like during a tennis match that has gone on too long and it's now lunchtime). But I also agree that in most situations, you can make a much healthier choice than "junk food".
I think a lot of people want all foods to be seen as "available" during a diet because studies and experience prove that allowing yourself an indulgence or a treat is 10 times more likely to result in successful, safe and maintainable weight loss. To me, it isn't so much about defending fast food as it is helping people succeed. If they know that nothing is off limits, they are less likely to binge after a long stint of depriving themselves. In the process of indulging occasionally and in moderation, they are further learning to think about food differently. They are learning about what their food is made of (as far as calories and macros) and how to meet those goals via portion control so that they can make a lifestyle change instead of just dieting to meet a goal and then going back to the old way and gaining everything back.
But we also need to recognize that it's easy for people to over eat food that is formulated to make us want more. I never did answer the OP's question. I agree with the "cook more" comments. I'm having to learn to do that myself. I was eating too many protein bars for a while. And don't be be overly stingy with those bad guys, fat salt and sugar in your own cooking. If what you are cooking isn't tantalizing, you're still going to prefer fast food. Lastly, I get cravings when I haven't had enough protein. Have a look at your macros (use the weekly feature).
LOL ...tin foil hat and basement time!0 -
goldthistime wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
Fast food IS unhealthy. But folks can get away with eating some unhealthy foods. I find it easier to do with out (easier to stay at my maintenance level, and easier in terms of how I feel). But some folks prefer adding it in to their diets.
? I'm confused. Fast food is universally acknowledged as not being healthy, despite some efforts made to adjust that image. The OP herself is asking for adviceon how to avoid or reduce consumption. I think you just enjoy arguing. I have done nothing but agree that it should be avoided and offer my way of doing it (for me and my kids). OP, again I apologize for this distraction. I will stop my part in hijacking your request for ideas. I hope you get some great ideas here!
really, how so?
I find your campaign to stop people from name calling of certain foods fascinating. Reminds me a bit of efforts to stop people from using pejorative terms for sexual orientation, race, disabilities etc. Amusing to think of "junk food" as the maligned underdog. I DO agree that it is not always unhealthy. Context matters. Maybe I have been sweating a bunch and need that extra salt. And there have definitely been times where I needed something sugary (like during a tennis match that has gone on too long and it's now lunchtime). But I also agree that in most situations, you can make a much healthier choice than "junk food".
Yes, but really, isn't that usually the case? I had a tuna melt for lunch. I'm sure I could have picked something better - it could have used more fat, for one, but eating it won't stop me from getting a balanced diet today. Does that make the tuna melt bad?
Do you run around making sure that at every meal you're eating absolutely the best option available?
Personally, so long as what you're eating isn't negatively impacting your goals, I'd think that would be enough.
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OP, if you want to avoid fast food, I think your best bet is to prep other food you like better. Most times, you should happily pick that over the fast food so long as it is fairly convenient. For me, I want fast food when my pre-prepped stuff isn't terribly appetizing for whatever reason.
But, sometimes when you want a certain food, nothing else will do - then get what fits in your day and enjoy it. Don't feel guilty about it, or it just adds fuel to the fire.
Edited: deleted don't because completely changed the meaning of the sentence from what I intended. Teach me not to post and work at the same time.0 -
OK, not demonising any foods here but I successfully and permanently curbed my cravings for fast food. It's a craving for fat and salt, both which used to be hard to come by (paleolithic), and both are needed for the body.
For medical reasons, hubby and I curbed our fat and salt intake for one month. Home-cooked meals, vigilance. My tastes in vegetables changed as without salt they needed something else to pump up their flavour. I found I had to eat very fresh vegetables, skillfully prepared with flavourings such as garlic, onion, herbs. I began picking stronger flavoured vegetables as well like parsnips.
Our tastes did adjust to the new diet, and subtle flavours became more pronounced.
After that one month, we both craved KFC so ordered a meal. It was horrible.
Guess what? Commercially salted soups and fast food now taste terrible. All you taste is salt and fat!
I still go out and eat fast food, but I may just order the burger with a salad. I'll steal a fry or two from hubby's stash. It's all about moderation and loving your choices. All of them.
Seniors may have to switch to a low-salt diet in order to protect their kidneys. It happens.
I went to a yoga retreat with a friend and they had a phenomenal vegetarian chef so we ate awesome food the whole weekend. On the drive back, we stopped at Swiss Chalet (Canadian chain for broiled chicken, ribs, fries etc) and we were both pretty disappointed. It just seemed so flavourless and nutritionally void.0 -
Fast foods are very tempting, since they're on pretty much every corner and oh so convenient. Here are some of my tricks...
I try to plan to have it over the weekend only. so if I crave it on Wednesday... I'll tell myself to wait til the weekend, by then I've forgetten or something better has replaced the craving.
I try to get to bed early...so no late night cravings.
I also try to prepare snacks.
If I really want that burger, I have to go get it...in other words, don't send someone to do your "dirty" deed. If I'm not willing to get off the couch, get dressed, and walk/drive to get the burger, then it's not worth it. Be accountable either prepare it or get it yourself.
Loved this quote! I used to do the same thing, now I do not really crave them as much as I used too, it just went away after awhile. When I really want something I try to go for the healthier version, like getting a grilled chicken sandwhich with cheese and not eating the bun but eating all the french fries!!
Good luck!
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fast food is fast food. Im guessing places with drive thrus, 99 menus, walk up to the counter and order. everyt meal is 1000 calories (small)
A restaurant could be a alot different. every restaurant has broiled meat and vegetables.(the safe way out)0 -
The truth is I went cold turkey on it. I reminded myself that even as cheap as it is, the same dollars spent at the grocery go farther. I buy 93% lean ground beef to make my own hamburger patties, I cook potato wedges in the oven, I buy reduced fat cheese. Voila, I can haz cheezburger!0
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fast food is fast food. Im guessing places with drive thrus, 99 menus, walk up to the counter and order. everyt meal is 1000 calories (small)
A restaurant could be a alot different. every restaurant has broiled meat and vegetables.(the safe way out)
ehh?
you can get a number one from Wendy's with a small fry and it comes in at like 500 calories..
you can go to McDonalds and get the chicken sandwich and it is like 250 calories...0 -
Such a sad, sad existence.goddessofawesome wrote: »Seems to me that after awhile of eating homemade food that is lower in sodium and sugar the urge to eat any restaraunt food waned and nowadays I can hardly stand any restaurant food as it is just way to salty. I gag at the just the thought of fast food.
So you just don't go out to eat at restaurants? Like, ever? And I'm not talking fast food places. I'm talking sit-down, lingering meal, several courses restaurant.
Yeah, sharing all your meals with friends or family at your home or theirs sounds horrible. How could we possibly be happy without paying strangers to cook for and serve us?0 -
that's to little food to eat for the caloric sacrifice. for 500 calories I can eat 4 1/2 cups of cottage cheese and be stuffed (example)
Would I rather eat the fries and burger YES. But when do you practice enough is enough.0 -
that's to little food to eat for the caloric sacrifice. for 500 calories I can eat 4 1/2 cups of cottage cheese and be stuffed (example)
Would I rather eat the fries and burger YES. But when do you practice enough is enough.
ok - my point was there meals come in well under your assumed 1000 cals...
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but way to move the goal posts..
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