Drive thru

Eating well costs time. It's not more expensive to eat nutritious, healthy food. It takes time to plan and prepare it.

We have a fast food culture because they are good at marketing. It's cheap to buy and cheap time-wise. So they convince you eating their food is a win for you. Sounds like they have you suckered in big time.

It's good for you to eat nutritious food. It is also good for you psychologically to be bothered to think about it and invest the time it takes to prepare a meal. Make a decision about the sort of life you want - whether you feed the one body God has given you, or slowly destroy it with fast food, and then live with the consequences.

I don't like cooking on weekdays, other than maybe Fridays. I cook up a big batch of something Sunday and/or Saturday, portion it out and freeze. I try to have 4 different dinner options that I can either thaw overnight and reheat or just pop in the microwave right from the freezer.

2-3 minutes in the microwave is faster than fast food, and I'm home most of the day on the weekends anyway - might as well cook!

Also, baking a chicken breast and/or potato is nearly effortless, if a bit time-consuming. Coat a pan with oil/seasonings, drop in chicken, rinse off the potato and stab holes in it with a fork, place potato on the rack and let it all cook at 400F for 40 minutes to an hour. Boom, done, and it takes less than 5 minutes to prep.

~Lyssa

Sometimes all you have to do is say NO to yourself.

If you crave the fast food, either work it into your daily calories, buy lower calorie options instead, buy less, or find recipes for similar dishes online. Replace sugary drinks with diet.

I work 24 hour shifts every third day. I have to plan ahead or I would be spending $150 a month eating out just because of working away from home for 24 shifts. $15 a day=roughly two meals out each day at 10 days out of a 30 day month. It hurts my budget to eat out, so I don't. It hurts my body to eat those foods, so I don't.

I also do not frequently meal prep but when I cook I always make a double batch. I always have left overs to bring to work that way. Take advantage of having the freedom to eat what you want and eat several smaller things that don't need time to prepare. I eat lots of frozen fruit bars. I eat a ton of yogurt because it's convenient and has good protein. Fruit and veggies can be bought in smaller quantities, so as not to go bad. I will portion out a serving of oatmeal bites cereal and eat it without milk. I like protein bars, fiber one bars, granola bars, and nutri-grain bars. Sometimes I get a spoon and weigh my peanut butter jar and then weigh it when I'm done snacking on it. I will cook up a package of turkey bacon and put the rest in a baggie to snack on for the next few days. I buy bricks of cheese and eat a couple slices. I'll buy deli meat and just eat that without bread. A meal doesn't have to be big or "put together". Most of my meals are several individual portion healthy snacks eaten together to make a "meal". It's fast and easy. Plus when I eat several different smaller items I get variety and I also don't keep eating until the plate is empty. If I have frozen fruit bar and some yogurt and then a protein bar and I'm full I stop and don't go back for more.

The old saying "if a juicy apple or a tender steak doesn't appeal to you then you're not really hungry, you just want to eat" applies here. Bring an apple and if you don't eat the apple and you get a Big Mac then you can make yourself wait until you get home. If you can't and you eat then apple, great then you can make it home in time to open a yogurt and have a couple slices of deli meat and a few pieces of cheese. (Insert your own convenient foods of choice).

Priorities and good habits.

Fast food was (is...) a big weakness of mine. I agree with what everyone else here has said, but there is definitely a period of retraining both your brain and your tastebuds that needs to be acknowledged. You can absolutely do it, but the first week or two is going to be a little tough. Some people can just stop, as if flipping a switch. I am not one of those people! I found it helpful to keep little hard candies in my car, and I would make sure I had one in my mouth if I was hungry leaving work and make it last as long as I could. It gave my mouth and tastebuds something to concentrate on while driving home. And I bought nice ones, so it felt like a treat and I wasn't tempted to eat 5 at a time. It's gotten much easier but I still have that candy in my car for those times when I just really want a fudge sundae on the drive home!

And yes, 100%, prep ahead. And at first, when you really have to bribe your taste buds to want what you have at home, make your favorite thing. Better to have a 400cal serving of homemade mac and cheese, or whatever, than a Big Mac with fries and a Coke

Buy an already roasted chicken and some frozen vegetables and instant rice. Boom! Dinner!

Personally, I find it easier and quicker to cook than what it is to go through driver thru. Frozen vegetables are great. They are picked ripe, so they taste good and you can just throw them in the microwave or into a pan on the stove. For instant mashed potatoes you just boil some water to mix into the flakes. Meat is just a few minutes on the stove. Steak works very well. When I come in from a bicycle ride I'll brown a steak on both sides and throw it into the over, so it is cooking while I'm taking a shower. I'll do the same with pasta or rice. I would much rather cook because I can do other things while I'm doing it. For me, drive thru takes me out of my way and is just more time sitting in traffic.

I'm a single mum working full time. My eldest works and I have to drive her and pick her up plus both kids do sport. So I don't have much spare time either. I used to think "getting something easy" like take away was quicker and easier but seriously, it takes 10-15 to cook some meat and put together a salad. Good luck on your journey