Drive Thru fast Food Addiction
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The RDA woefully underestimates the amount of protein a man needs each day in my opinion.
Protein is your friend.I had my Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich an hour ago and I am hungry as heck right now.
Order things that are higher in protein, make them fit into your calorie goals, and you can have the best of both worlds!
No need to go extreme and cut it off completely. Needs to be sustainable.
The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich has 33 grams of protein. More than a third of daily requirements.
If thats true, then I would need three steaks a day or three chicken breasts a day to keep the protein at the right level. Or drink a protein shake everyday.0 -
Not necessarily that much but depending on how much weight you have to lose, you should probably be eating somewhere between 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per lb you weigh if you want to maintain lean mass while you lose fat. But 70 grams a day recommended by the RDA is WAY to low in my opinion and there is a large body of research to back this up.
If thats true, then I would need three steaks a day or three chicken breasts a day to keep the protein at the right level. Or drink a protein shake everyday.0 -
Not necessarily that much but depending on how much weight you have to lose, you should probably be eating somewhere between 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per lb you weigh if you want to maintain lean mass while you lose fat. But 70 grams a day recommended by the RDA is WAY to low in my opinion and there is a large body of research to back this up.
If thats true, then I would need three steaks a day or three chicken breasts a day to keep the protein at the right level. Or drink a protein shake everyday.
Well if you are trying to build muscle sure I agree, but 250 grams of protein for me daily? Not sure if that is realistic.0 -
High protein is important not only to build muscle, but also to maintain muscle while losing fat. 250 is a lot but 180-200 is a decent goal. I got in 200+ a day for a major portion of time I was dieting from 315-195 lbs... My after pictures look like they do because of that and my use of resistance training. You don't need high protein to lose weight, but it helps with muscle maintenance and satiety.
Not necessarily that much but depending on how much weight you have to lose, you should probably be eating somewhere between 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per lb you weigh if you want to maintain lean mass while you lose fat. But 70 grams a day recommended by the RDA is WAY to low in my opinion and there is a large body of research to back this up.
If thats true, then I would need three steaks a day or three chicken breasts a day to keep the protein at the right level. Or drink a protein shake everyday.
Well if you are trying to build muscle sure I agree, but 250 grams of protein for me daily? Not sure if that is realistic.0 -
I usually grab an energy drink in the morning so I don't fall asleep in my 8 am class, morning are not fun for me, but if I actually eat something solid I get hungry all day and blow my day by quite a bit. So my solution, for the times I really have a taste for that egg McMuffin is to go ahead and buy it but toss it in a lunch box with an ice pack and then reheat it around 1 or so when I actually get hungry, usually with some pineapple, carrots, or some apple slices. This being said I likely need to figure out a way to up my protein intake and McDonald's is not the way for me to go about it.0
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I know EXACTLY where you're coming from, darkwombat! It's not even that I get some kind of deep satisfaction from the drive thru. For goodness sake, a lot of times I feel worse after eating there because I KNOW that I shouldn't have! But it's the habit. End of a long shift = eating a meal to celebrate getting through it. End of a long stretch of shifts (I'm a nurse and I do a LOT of 5 and 6 evenings in a row for my rotation) = one meal to celebrate. End of a very successful shift = ... You get the drift.
I'm fighting tooth and nail to find a better way to deal with stress, both good and bad, but success varies day to day (much like my willpower oddly enough). The times that I'm able to get away from doing 'the usual' is when I really make myself focus on how it's not going to make me feel better and it's not going to fix anything, so is it REALLY worth it? Sometimes the answer is still 'screw it, I'm gonna do this anyway'. But little by little, the 'no, it's not worth it' is starting to creep through.0 -
My boyfriend for sure has a fast food addiction. He goes anywhere from 1 to 3 times a day. It's still possible to lose weight doing so which he has which is making a little bit better choices or exercising to compensate.0
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And if I do decide to hit the golden arches (or any of their competitors), I check the calories carefully before I order.
This helps me a lot actually. I do the same thing in an attempt to plan my day but it often just makes me change my mind.. seeing how depressingly many calories are in even a small burger that I know I can plow through in 4-5 bites keeps me from ordering it. Most of the time...
Same here, several times I checked the calories online at lunch, and went to the grocery store instead. One cup of soup and a serving of crackers goes a lot further than one tiny hamburger. And stays with me longer.0 -
I love love LOVE drive through... McDonald's, Wendy's, Popeye's, Chick-Fil-A, etc... I've always struggled with Fast Food because I love it so much. It stems not only from a habitual need but also a comfort need. Emotional eating can be tough for me. My family used it as a reward or to feel better when I was a kid, so I look to that as a level of comfort now in my 30s.
ding ding ding
I think we have a winner, at least in my opinion.
I think for a lot of people it's laziness and/or lack of time that leads them to frequent drive-thru stops. But honestly for many of us who have long term weight struggles, I think emotional eating is the more likely reason for this.
When I am feeling low stress and low anxiety in my life, I really don't even notice fast food places. When I'm in times of mega stress they are all I can see as I drive down the road. For awhile when we were dating & engaged, my husband had to live apart from me for months to care for his terminally ill mother. We spent weekends together but M-F we were apart. When I would drive an hour to visit them I was fine -- but on the way home, unless he was coming back with me, I felt the "need" to stop at a fast food drive thru for a burrito or at a convenience store for a chocolate bar or just something...to deal with the emotional stress of seeing his mother paralyzed and dying, and having to leave him behind.
Similarly, when I worked in a VERY stressful position in the past I would stop by McDonald's AND/OR Starbucks on my way home from work...I felt propelled to do so almost daily, until I identified that issue and then gradually stopped.
Money is a huge motivator for me. I'm very frugal and love to save when I can. Unfortunately though for me that just means no $4 lattes or $8 value meals...dollar menu stuff is affordable and tasty...even I don't mind dropping two bucks on a snack. I just try to avoid it all together unless it's a planned occasion. I find those are few and far between now because for my planned dining out occasions I strongly prefer to go to a "real" restaurant for Thai, Korean, sushi, or quality Mexican...and have a longer, higher quality & more enjoyable dining experience than the McChicken can provide.0 -
I'm a filthy *kitten* for a McChicken from time to time, but I just said out loud the other day that I don't think I'll be going to the drive-through much at all for the rest of my life. Something clicked and I just got grossed out by not only the food, but the whole operation.0
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I challenge you to do this test: Get your 550 calorie drive-thru sandwich and eat it while driving. An hour later, rate how full and satisfied you are on a 1-10 scale. The next day, in your own kitchen, make a 550 calorie meal that requires you to pull out multiple components from the frig and pantry, clean/prep some produce, assemble it into a meal (preferably a fork meal) and sit at a table and eat it without tv or computer or talking. Then rate your satiety.
It's proven that the more interaction you have with your food over the whole process, the more full and satisfied it leaves you. Drive-thru food is probably the least 'interactive' food possible, short of an IV or canned shakes drank in the car.
Also, put your purse or wallet in the trunk while you drive, if drive-thrus are a problem. :happy:0 -
You have a lot of great advice on this thread. Great question you asked as you learn new habits in this new part of your life. I love fast food and try to stay away most of the time because I don't like eating so many cals only to still be so hungry. It's the one food I can't estimate by feel of how full I am. But if I have a burger and fries or biscuits from a real restaurant or home, then I'm full. There is definitely something different added to the fast food items encouraging craving more.0
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Habit is a much better choice of word than addiction (which IMO is overused). Replace the habit with preparing your meal ahead of time and you can avoid the fast food. I see nothing wrong with fast food, I'm just not willing to use half or a third of my daily caloric allotment on one meal, especially one that is loaded withy sodium that will make me retain water. It's kind of like drinking my calories. I want food.0
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I do believe fast food can be addicting. I bought many a mcchicken when I wasn't hungry in the least. I just wanted to have a party in my mouth. I am *not* saying this is true for everyone, but for me, the more I eat fast food, the more I want it. Maybe they scientifically study some people and their taste buds (ie, they have a good balance of fats and sugar that keep me going back for more). Maybe it's something in my genetics that not everyone has. But fast food is addicting for me and that's why I don't go anymore. I know there are healthier options at most fast food places and I know sometimes people use it for time & schedule purposes-but for me personally, it will lead to more consumption. I just think everyone is different in this area.
I am right there, I can have all the good intentions in the world, but end up binge eating till I am miserable. This is something I am starting to address. I have never really mentioned it before, but it is time for honesty or the scale will never move.0 -
thedarkwombat wrote: »So even though going today might not have an effect on the bottom line, does it set me up for failure later on, because today I just reinforced this "habit"?
Well, it depends but it certainly can do depending on the circumstances.
Our minds are said to have two systems in making decisions: System 1 is fast, instinctive and emotional and generally governs decisions that seemingly get made automatically and unconsciously. System 2 is slower, more rational and deliberate but is far more energy intensive. Human beings tend to need to conserve energy and make quick decisions for survival and so we prefer to allow System 1 to make most of the choices on how we act.
Fast food is designed to be hyper palatable and rewards us with a heightened pleasurable experience. This helps anchor in place behaviour which can become compulsive over time and not generally in our interest (over eating.) The more we do it the more the behaviour becomes reinforced and the more likely it will be repeated. So, for example if we create an association between the pleasure of eating fast food to overcome feelings of stress or boredom and keep repeating that action the more likely it is that it will become a compulsion which is ruled by System 1 which does most of our "thinking". That is why many people will say "Why can't I (or in reality their System 2 rational mind) control my eating?". It is because System 1 is generally more powerful.
The good thing though is you can use System 2 to deliberately put in place behaviours which over write the neural connections and associations created by System 1 (they never go away though but get layered over) which through repetition creates better outcomes.0 -
I don't know, OP, because I'm not you.
For me, never having a Timbit or peanut buster parfait or Ziggy Peelgoods fries for the rest of my life (30-40 years) will make those years pretty damned sad. I decided that when I had trusted "experts" telling me to stop eating "bad" carbs that life without donuts isn't worth living.
Oh man, Timbits. I love them so much. I got a Timmie's coffee today (Black w/sugar free vanilla syrup) and I was soooo tempted to get Timbits, and then I reminded myself that they're like 60 calories EACH.0 -
BebePalmer wrote: »I do believe fast food can be addicting. I bought many a mcchicken when I wasn't hungry in the least. I just wanted to have a party in my mouth. I am *not* saying this is true for everyone, but for me, the more I eat fast food, the more I want it. Maybe they scientifically study some people and their taste buds (ie, they have a good balance of fats and sugar that keep me going back for more). Maybe it's something in my genetics that not everyone has. But fast food is addicting for me and that's why I don't go anymore. I know there are healthier options at most fast food places and I know sometimes people use it for time & schedule purposes-but for me personally, it will lead to more consumption. I just think everyone is different in this area.
I am right there, I can have all the good intentions in the world, but end up binge eating till I am miserable. This is something I am starting to address. I have never really mentioned it before, but it is time for honesty or the scale will never move.
Hi @BebePalmer, welcome to the forums.
"Binge" is used two different ways here and I am not sure which you mean. If you have clinical Binge Eating Disorder, you may want to get professional help for it. There are other posters here with BED.
What helps me to not make food choices I will later regret is to not allow myself to get too hungry and to eat fullness enhancing foods like protein, fat, and veggies.
Also yoga:
How Yoga Can Help End Binge Eating
One breath at a time, end the suffering of binge-eating
...According to Juliano, yoga gives people the skills to stay with what they are feeling, rather than turning to food to escape. People who are obese or suffering from eating disorders have a tendency to dissociate from their bodies -- to choose not to feel what they are feeling when they are angry, anxious, or sad. Often, they turn to food to numb themselves. "There's this sense that I have to feel better right now, " Juliano says. "There is a complete intolerance of what is happening right now." This need to escape unpleasant feelings triggers a binge.
When you eat to escape what you are feeling, you lose touch with the experience of eating, as well. This is one reason binges can spiral out of control. "You have no understanding that you are full, way past full, into uncomfortable, because you're so out of it," Juliano explains. "You have no connection to what you're eating. You're eating a pint of ice cream and can't even taste it. Or you go to make yourself some toast and before you know it, half the loaf is gone."
Mindful yoga directly challenges the habit of dissociating from your body and your present-moment experience. "The whole point of yoga is to stay connected to your body. You learn it through practice, through breathing, and through breathing through the sensations."
Read more: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-science-willpower/201007/how-yoga-can-help-end-binge-eating
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This post has helped me to realize that if I start the day with a fast food breakfast sandwich, I'll likely have other less ideal food choices throughout the day. Some ideas to break the drive thru habit. Rather than the mind set of avoid, and break the bad habits, try to just replace that with 'good habits'; if its the drive thru factor- could you walk or bike where you need to go? Get out of the car. Pack more convenient healthy snacks like veggies or nuts for the hungry times on the go.0
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Original post is from September.0
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ive lost 50 pounds eating fast food, restaurant food, and the same foods ive been eating my whole life.
i just eat much smaller portions. I have an EXTREMELY busy life.... if my family wants to eat something other than cereal, it's going to be something convenient and fast. And thats the story several nights a week. not to mention the crazy old man who lives with us is pickier than a 4 year old and pretty much ONLY eats fast food or junk food. (dont even get me started.....)
Now, gorging on fast food and not being mindful of what or how much you are eating, and eating massive amounts the rest of the day is a recipe for disaster (and how i got to where i was)... but solution is easy. eat less. move more. do it every day. boom. done.0 -
GeeWillickers wrote: »It is not nor will ever be an addiction. People over use the term addiction as a means to excuse themselves from taking responsibility and to feel better about themselves. At the most it's a habit albeit deeply entrenched one. Nothing will ever set you up for failure unless you believe it, please don't.
Changing a habit is hard and despite being in agreement with the IIFYM/flexible dieting crowd at this stage in developing a doable lifestyle for myself, I have no doubt that jumping on the all healthy foods eating kick when I first started the weight loss journey helped a great deal. It allowed me to add back in slowly plus I didn't feel guilty when having family get togethers.
If you have an interest in learning more about habits and how to change might I suggest reading The Power of Habit: Why We do What We Do in Life and Business - Charles Duhigg. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and try to come back to using a feedback loop to check some of my less desirable habits.
+1. Great book!
Habit =\= addiction
Habits can be strong, but you can change them if you work on it.0 -
I go like 2 or 3x a week, but I've got rules. #1 no drive through. If you really want it, you'll want it bad enough to park and go in. When there's a line in the drive through, it can even be faster! And #2 I only eat fast food for dinner - it keeps breakfast and lunch light and healthy and planned out so I can fit in what I'm craving for dinner. No surprises at the end of the day.0
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Some people don't change their habits. They just adjust their portions. It works for them.
My advice is to quit the fast food. Go cold turkey. Just stop that. It's not the hardest habit to break.
Eating at home is less tragic than it will seem the first week.
so one would not over eat at home, really?0 -
OP - I am going to be blunt, you are not addicted to fast food. Lack of willpower does not = equal addiction.
I would also agree with what sidesteel said.0 -
Its just a way of life for some people. Some people are really accustomed to get fast food daily. I started doing this when i met my fiancee since she has always had that habit. It took me a while to stop resorting to fast food but its possible. I find that its a lot easier to avoid fast food and wait till i get home if i have a snack in between meals. Another alternative is to adjust portion sizes and what you get. For example, you could try getting a grilled chicken wrap and a yogurt parfait instead of a large combo. Good luck.0
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Jorggeeeee90 wrote: »Its just a way of life for some people. Some people are really accustomed to get fast food daily. I started doing this when i met my fiancee since she has always had that habit. It took me a while to stop resorting to fast food but its possible. I find that its a lot easier to avoid fast food and wait till i get home if i have a snack in between meals. Another alternative is to adjust portion sizes and what you get. For example, you could try getting a grilled chicken wrap and a yogurt parfait instead of a large combo. Good luck.
there are plenty of healthy options at fast food places = grilled chicken, salads, sub out french fries, etc…just because one chooses the calorie dense option does not make said place bad…
personal responsibility plays a large role.0 -
I don't buy fast food anymore (or maybe once in a blue moon and i'm very particular about where I buy it) ever since I smelt what Hungry Jacks food poisoning vomit smells like....
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Fast food drive-thru is a little urban adventure that seems to brighten our lives. It's easy to get attached to it, like a like of not necessarily good habits.0
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I watched the biggest loser the other day and they got the contestants to buy thier favourite fast food and 'test' themselves on it. What one guy said really stood out. He smelt the food and nibbled a bit and said
"I still want it, i guess I'm not fixed yet!" What?. Are they teaching them that skinny people walk around all day unaffected by junk food temptations, that they magical people who dislike treats and one day they will be 'fixed' and be like them?
What they should have told him is that this food is deisgned to be super-yummy- it's called "hyper-palatable" and will appeal to most humans as it hits all the trigger spots- sugar, salt, umami, fat etc.
They should be teaching them that it's okay to like the food - but not okay to regularly binge on it- and give them coping strategies.
The other point I noted was the cheap price of junk in the US and the enormous portion sizes. The box of cheese fries would last me 3 substantial meals! (with a few veggies for flavour)0 -
seltzermint555 wrote: »When I am feeling low stress and low anxiety in my life, I really don't even notice fast food places. When I'm in times of mega stress they are all I can see as I drive down the road.
Similarly, when I worked in a VERY stressful position in the past I would stop by McDonald's AND/OR Starbucks on my way home from work...I felt propelled to do so almost daily, until I identified that issue and then gradually stopped.
This is completely me. Eating was always (and still is sometimes) a way of dealing with stress. If I felt down or upset I would look for something like a burger or a pizza or another kind of take away/fast food.
The way I've taught myself to step away from the food is by trying to do focus on other things, like writing in a diary, or going for a walk. I still have days where I feel the need to binge on a pizza (usually a whole pizza) and if I do, then so be it. I'll just get back to it the next day. Punishing myself only made it worse.0
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