Staying away from fast food
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laureneh01
Posts: 11 Member
How does everyone stay away from fast food? Need some advice
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I just mentally tell myself that losing weight, feeling better and noticing a difference in me overall is better than any food tastes ....3
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I cook and freeze individual portions of things like soup, casseroles, lasagne, enchiladas, etc. It's great for both grab-and-go meals and for nights when I don't feel like cooking. Also, defrosting and reheating my own food is faster and more convenient than driving to a fast food place. It tastes better too, if I do say so myself.9
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For the most part I find it to be basically on par with pig slop, so it's not much of an issue. I've never been a big fan. Occasionally I will get a salad and/or baked potato from Wendy's and that's about it.
Admittedly I'm a total food snob...fast food is just gross to me for the most part.5 -
I don't really stay away--sometimes it's just a convenience thing with the kids, or on car trips. I just get a small portion of nuggets and fries, or a grilled chicken sandwich, or a bean burrito if it's Taco Bell, or even a sausage/egg Mcmuffin with hash browns or a few fries. Sometimes I'll get a grilled chicken salad and just go easy on toppings and dressing. It's mostly the sodium that makes me gain some water weight, but I can usually stick to my calories.
I sometimes split a larger order of nuggets or fries with my husband or kids--this also helps with keeping quantity down. And drive-thrus are nice so you don't go back to order more!
ETA: if it's purely a convenience thing, sandwich shops like Subway or Jimmy John's can be lower cal and relatively healthy. I usually get a turkey sandwich loaded up with vegetables.
In any case, most of these places have their full menu listed in MFP--you can plan ahead before you go!1 -
I have Taco Bell a couple of times a month. I just fit it in my calorie goal.
If you find that eating fast food is causing you to miss your goals, figure out why you're picking it. If it's because you love the taste of certain items, figure out a way to make them fit into your goals (which may mean eating smaller portions or eating them less often). If it's a convenience thing, figure out how to plan your life so you don't need to do it as often.4 -
It doesn't fill me up so that helps me avoid it. If I eat a quarter pounder with cheese and fries, I've used up a huge portion of my daily calories. From past experience, I'll be hungry an hour later and not have many calories to work with. So for me, it's just not worth it. I pre-log whenever I think about it and quickly change my mind.3
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I just don't go to fast food restaurants. They've never offered to bring the fast food to me so it's worked pretty well for me.4
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laureneh01 wrote: »How does everyone stay away from fast food? Need some advice
Once a week.
I make room for it in my goals. Because it's not total elimination, I look forward to it. BUT, over time it makes me really picky. Most fast food isn't worth the calories. It's a good practice for me to figure out what's what before I get to goal.
What @andrea4736 said, pre-logging is so helpful. I'll do sandwich, but fries are rare for me.0 -
if I really want it, then I try to plan it in my schedule - I take the longer way home from work to avoid the main drag that has all those restaurants (the other way takes me right by grocery store)0
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I ate fast food regularly while losing weight, just making sure it fit in my calories...there are many fast food items that I greatly enjoy. Now, I allow for it once a week and cycle through my favorite spots. This week, it'll be Cookout...last week it was Taco Bell.3
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I don't avoid it. I eat there at least once a week (I try to only stick to one visit but it doesn't always happen). But I have changed what I order. Smaller sandwiches, no fries.3
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Have food pre-prepared so that stopping for fast food is more effort/time consuming than whatever you made. (basically what @CafeRacer808 said)0
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laureneh01 wrote: »How does everyone stay away from fast food? Need some advice
Not all fast food is garbage. The key is making good choices and this is where MyFitnessPal can help. What I do is plan ahead and look up the nutrition on MFP first so that when I walk into the joint, I've got my game plan. I went to a Chipolte for lunch and before even ordering, I looked up a few things. I ended up making a good choice: a barbacoa burrito bowl. One of the nice things about Chipolte and Qdoba is that they prepare your food while you stand in line. I told them one small scoop of brown rice and one small scoop of corn to keep the empty carbs down. In the end it makes for a delicious and mostly nutritious meal.2 -
laureneh01 wrote: »How does everyone stay away from fast food? Need some advice
Not all fast food is garbage. The key is making good choices and this is where MyFitnessPal can help. What I do is plan ahead and look up the nutrition on MFP first so that when I walk into the joint, I've got my game plan. I went to a Chipolte for lunch and before even ordering, I looked up a few things. I ended up making a good choice: a barbacoa burrito bowl. One of the nice things about Chipolte and Qdoba is that they prepare your food while you stand in line. I told them one small scoop of brown rice and one small scoop of corn to keep the empty carbs down. In the end it makes for a delicious and mostly nutritious meal.
Neither brown rice or corn are "empty carbs" -- they contain micronutrients and other macros (fat, fiber, protein, Vitamin B-6, magnesium, iron, potassium). I can understand why someone who is calorie-conscious may want to monitor their portion size (they can both be calorie-dense and I usually avoid rice at Chipotle myself), but they aren't "empty."5 -
Honestly, I don't have an issue because I'm just too frugal/cheap. Those fast food meals add up fast. I avoid Starbucks too - $5 and change for a drink?! No thanks. My bank account thanks me.2
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Is it coming after you? No? Cook your own food. Google recipes if can't cook. It's not that difficult.2
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MotherOfSharpei wrote: »I ate fast food regularly while losing weight, just making sure it fit in my calories...there are many fast food items that I greatly enjoy.
Fast food isn't a big deal, just make sure you account for it in your daily calorie budget. And, as always, moderation. One of the major things I've learned through this journey is that you can eat pretty much anything you want. You just can't do it all the time. I eat fast food several times per month and have done so all along.4 -
I suppose it depends on what you consider fast food. You can get some pretty decent healthy non-calorie busting foods at some fast food joints. I tend to not demonize my food and eat anywhere I want that fits my goals.3
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Self-flagellation Dobby style5
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