My biggest struggle: Fast food!
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You have to, have to go to the grocery store at least once a week, so you have other options. Even if you just make sandwiches from the deli meat. Then cook something. I usually cook once a week and then freeze it in tupperware containers. My freezer will be packed with 8-10 meals, that i just have to heat up to take to work. Plus you will find it is cheaper. My weakness is also chic-fil-a, but I have a salad instead of the fries.0
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Wow, this post could have seriously been written by ME! Girl, I am right there with you-grew up on fast food and takeout and developed this weird mentality that eating at home, whether it was a family dinner or now as an adult cooking for myself, is depriving myself. Gross, right?! I found myself at 291.4lbs in mid-June and I could feel the condition of my body declining quickly. Literally everything left me out of breath, my knees hurt all the freaking time, my heart would race for no reason, my anxiety was at an all-time high, I more or less quit socializing because I was so self-conscious about my appearance...the list of negative junk goes on and on. Since then, I've lost 19.2lbs and, even though that isn't much, I already feel relief as my knees don't hurt quite so much, my pants are fitting a bit better, and my exercise stamina is improving a little at a time. In terms of breaking that unhealthy relationship with fast food, it's been a bumpy road. I decided to have one "cheat" meal (I hate that phrase but folks know what I mean) per week- only one meal, and only at dinner IF I have a successful weigh-in that morning. For example, I weigh myself on Monday mornings and if I lost weight, I'll eat a splurge meal for dinner. I don't go insane and eat like 3,000+ calories- I just get my favorite fast food meal, eat it, LOG IT IN MFP (very important) and the next day I drink 3-4 liters of water (that's daily anyway) and get right back on track with my meal plan. I admit, I do struggle a little with feeling guilty afterward, but I see week after week that this ONE meal doesn't negatively impact me- I'm still losing weight.
Beyond the once-a-week cheat meal, I have basically learned over time exactly what fast food options I can and cannot work into my daily calorie goal. For example, I can get a large chili from Wendy's for 270 calories and it's full of protein and very filling, but I don't eat the crackers that come with it because they're calorie dense and just unnecessary for me to include in my day. I also know I can eat an egg white delight mcmuffin from McDonalds for like 350 calories and it satisfies my fast food urge without breaking the calorie bank.
I've found that my fast-food addiction is only partially related to the food- I got so used to eating while driving that it's IMPULSIVE for me to have food in the car with me now. It's almost like a muscle memory issue. So strange. Anyway, I have learned over time that I can eat more and feel more full during a 24 hour period if I eat way less fast food and way more stuff that I cook and prepare at home. It's made me less dependent on that fast food fix and more dependent on myself, which makes me feel so much more in control.
I'm someone who follows the calories in/calories out method of weight loss so I don't think any particular type of food is evil. I don't throw every food item into the "good" or "bad" column. Instead, I view food on the spectrum from "less" to "more." I determine where each meal would fall on the spectrum of how often I should eat it and I plan my eating that way. Yesterday, I had two slices of pizza for lunch. At dinner, I made a big salad because I knew my lunch was calorie-dense. This morning's weigh-in, I lost 3lbs in the last 7 days so the balance does work as long as you are in a calorie deficit.
Sorry to have written a novel here, but fast food has been a big struggle for me so I hope you can find a way to balance that with other options that can give you the health results you're looking for. Good luck!6 -
A year ago I was in a similar boat, although with bar food rather than fast food. If you want to cook more at home and can afford it and live somewhere it's available, I'd suggest you try one of the meal kit delivery services - Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, etc. It has made a huge difference for us to get that box every week, and my husband has generally found the recipes fairly easy to follow (he does all the cooking). Blue Apron was more "learn new cooking techniques!" than Hello Fresh, which are the two we've tried. I like the HF recipes better and there's usually enough for two dinners and one leftovers lunch in each meal. As others have said, you don't have to stop eating fast food entirely, but swapping out for three home cooked meals a week will likely be a big change.2
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For me it started making me sick in high school I grew up with 80% of my meals being from McDonald's. It got to the point where I would throw up whenever I ate (involuntarily). I ended up having to cut meat and dairy out and take probiotics. After a few years from age 17 to 21 I finally fixed my gastrointestinal tract. I still don't eat out much cause I'm scared it will happen again. My mom had to have her gall bladder removed cause of the grease she ate. She still eats it and than must rush to a bathroom within 10 minutes of eating.
I would say the trick for me still is if I am craving it I will get a kids cheeseburger OR a small fry, than go home and eat something healthy. I also always have healthy snacks with me like an apple and almonds.1 -
I think you have really good insight. You know that this habit is associated with family time and good memories. You also know how to eat within limits (not without a struggle). I like your idea of gradually cutting back without cutting it out completely.
How about establishing a few new family traditions? Even if you are just a family of one. You could pick a night of the week that is home cooked night. Make sure it stays fun and interesting. Pick themes.1 -
Everybody jumps all over me when I say this and I get that fast food is a business and not obligated to care about your health blah blah blah...
But they don't give a damn about you... If they can profit by selling you poison in a bag, they will do so systematically...
It's obvious they think we are all complete Fools by the way they market to us...
Once in a while isn't going to kill you, but they want you to come there 7 days a week and have teams of chemist and food engineers, and marketers that do everything they can to make sure that you do...
Realizing this was half the battle for me13 -
Practical advice...
Put it off until Friday, don't say I'm never going to have it again, but I'm going to wait until Friday, then reward myself. Then do it again the next week, eventually you will have momentum and will not want to sacrifice your progress for one Friday treat.. N
Tell yourself that you will have it again eventually but your just not sure when. Keep that free meal in your pocket and save it for when the time is right, and I bet it stays in your pocket a lot longer than you'd think...6 -
Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »Everybody jumps all over me when I say this and I get that fast food is a business and not obligated to care about your health blah blah blah...
But they don't give a damn about you... If they can profit by selling you poison in a bag, they will do so systematically...
It's obvious they think we are all complete Fools by the way they market to us...
Once in a while isn't going to kill you, but they want you to come there 7 days a week and have teams of chemist and food engineers, and marketers that do everything they can to make sure that you do...
Realizing this was half the battle for me
Nobody denies that businesses (including fast food) aren't obligated to care about our health.
Are you under the impression that there is an industry that does care about you personally or isn't trying to make a profit?4 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »Everybody jumps all over me when I say this and I get that fast food is a business and not obligated to care about your health blah blah blah...
But they don't give a damn about you... If they can profit by selling you poison in a bag, they will do so systematically...
It's obvious they think we are all complete Fools by the way they market to us...
Once in a while isn't going to kill you, but they want you to come there 7 days a week and have teams of chemist and food engineers, and marketers that do everything they can to make sure that you do...
Realizing this was half the battle for me
Nobody denies that businesses (including fast food) aren't obligated to care about our health.
Are you under the impression that there is an industry that does care about you personally or isn't trying to make a profit?
Did I say anyone was denying this?
Did I say I was?
And do you honestly fail to see the difference between the fast food industry trying to profit off of your own health and say... The movie industry trying to get you to see their films...
Your question implies that you obviously agree with me when I say the fast food industry does not give a damn about you or your health...
Therfore you fail to make any argument, if that's what you were trying to do...1 -
Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »Everybody jumps all over me when I say this and I get that fast food is a business and not obligated to care about your health blah blah blah...
But they don't give a damn about you... If they can profit by selling you poison in a bag, they will do so systematically...
It's obvious they think we are all complete Fools by the way they market to us...
Once in a while isn't going to kill you, but they want you to come there 7 days a week and have teams of chemist and food engineers, and marketers that do everything they can to make sure that you do...
Realizing this was half the battle for me
Nobody denies that businesses (including fast food) aren't obligated to care about our health.
Are you under the impression that there is an industry that does care about you personally or isn't trying to make a profit?
Did I say anyone was denying this?
Did I say I was?
And do you honestly fail to see the difference between the fast food industry trying to profit off of your own health and say... The movie industry trying to get you to see their films...
Your question implies that you obviously agree with me when I say the fast food industry does not give a damn about you or your health...
Therfore you fail to make an argument, if that's what you were trying to do...
You prefaced with with this: "Everybody jumps all over me when I say this . . ." but now you say that nobody denies it? That doesn't make sense.
Or is the "this" referring to some other statement? What, specifically, are people jumping on you for?
I don't think that any industry has a particular concern for me. What I question is why people hold this against fast food in particular instead of, say, the movie industry (which also has the capacity to harm people).
I agree with you that fast food isn't obligated to care about our health and doesn't care about us personally. My argument (since you didn't pick it up in the previous post) is why is this more significant for fast food than it is for all the other industries that have identical non-obligations?
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Baby steps... Start by doing 1 less meal out every week, then 2, then 3... Also--most of the fast food chains have their nutritional information posted online--take a careful look and see what meals fit your daily goals. Are you willing to go down to a just 1 or 2 meals per days so that you can still eat out as often? Eventually the more-calorie conscious meals become a little boring--you'll find that you have way better variety if you make things at home, and you can usually eat a lot more (at home), too.0
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janejellyroll wrote: »A McDonald's side salad (which is pretty basic) has 15 calories before you add the dressing.
For a full meal salad, the Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad has 350 calories before you add the dressing, which is still pretty reasonable (hold the glaze and the tortilla strips and it goes down to 260). I feel as if lots of people can make salads at home that have more calories -- I know I have.
Should people research the calories in fast food salads before ordering? Sure. But for lots of people, they can be a reasonable option. To say that any basic fast food salad has more calories than what people are making at home just isn't accurate.
When I was doing weight watchers I could use up a lot of my points for the day eating a salad from a fast food or any type of restaurant unless I get half a salad. That's not worth it to me. At home I'm able to weigh and measure it all out before eating it. To each his own. But salads outside the home, more often than not, are higher in calories and especially in sodium.0 -
Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »Everybody jumps all over me when I say this and I get that fast food is a business and not obligated to care about your health blah blah blah...
What does this have to do with OP's post? OP is asking how to decrease how often she has fast food.But they don't give a damn about you... If they can profit by selling you poison in a bag, they will do so systematically...
They cannot profit by selling you poison in a bag.
I don't worry about whether Jewel or Whole Foods or Trader Joe's or Mariano's (all grocery chains) cares about me, and I would imagine they do not. They don't even know me! I also don't worry about whether the restaurants I go to care about me (went to this tapas place called Spanish Square on Saturday, and my decision to go there involved the food, the location, etc., not whether or not they really truly love me -- it's a restaurant, not a husband).It's obvious they think we are all complete Fools by the way they market to us...
I can't think of the last fast food ad I even noticed. I doubt I felt foolish. You seem to be taking an awful lot of note of them.Once in a while isn't going to kill you, but they want you to come there 7 days a week and have teams of chemist and food engineers, and marketers that do everything they can to make sure that you do...
Only a tiny percentage of the population has fast food 7 days per week, even in the US.
Personally, I don't even think fast food is all that great; I think it's popular more because of how convenient it is. Also, even if something is amazing doesn't mean you can't not eat it. I love the pizza at my favorite local place (Pequods) and yet I go there maybe twice a year, because it's high cal and a special treat. This is not because it is less irresistible than Burger King.3 -
perkymommy wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »A McDonald's side salad (which is pretty basic) has 15 calories before you add the dressing.
For a full meal salad, the Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad has 350 calories before you add the dressing, which is still pretty reasonable (hold the glaze and the tortilla strips and it goes down to 260). I feel as if lots of people can make salads at home that have more calories -- I know I have.
Should people research the calories in fast food salads before ordering? Sure. But for lots of people, they can be a reasonable option. To say that any basic fast food salad has more calories than what people are making at home just isn't accurate.
When I was doing weight watchers I could use up a lot of my points for the day eating a salad from a fast food or any type of restaurant unless I get half a salad. That's not worth it to me. At home I'm able to weigh and measure it all out before eating it. To each his own. But salads outside the home, more often than not, are higher in calories and especially in sodium.
I'm not sure when you did WW, but the point value doesn't always neatly translate to the number of calories in an item.
I'm not saying that people who want to put together a salad at home shouldn't (I do it myself). I'm just responding to the blanket statement that a basic fast food salad always has more calories than one prepared at home.
There are lots of ways to make salads at home that are higher calorie. There are options for fast food salads that are lower calorie (as well the ability to swap or leave things off to further decrease the calories). The last fast food salad I had was from Subway -- it had about 100 calories.
For people who choose to eat fast food or have lifestyles that might include it sometimes, there are ways to do it and still control calories.
People are free to choose what isn't worth it for them, but they should do so with an awareness that it is possible.1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »Everybody jumps all over me when I say this and I get that fast food is a business and not obligated to care about your health blah blah blah...
But they don't give a damn about you... If they can profit by selling you poison in a bag, they will do so systematically...
It's obvious they think we are all complete Fools by the way they market to us...
Once in a while isn't going to kill you, but they want you to come there 7 days a week and have teams of chemist and food engineers, and marketers that do everything they can to make sure that you do...
Realizing this was half the battle for me
Nobody denies that businesses (including fast food) aren't obligated to care about our health.
Are you under the impression that there is an industry that does care about you personally or isn't trying to make a profit?
Did I say anyone was denying this?
Did I say I was?
And do you honestly fail to see the difference between the fast food industry trying to profit off of your own health and say... The movie industry trying to get you to see their films...
Your question implies that you obviously agree with me when I say the fast food industry does not give a damn about you or your health...
Therfore you fail to make an argument, if that's what you were trying to do...
You prefaced with with this: "Everybody jumps all over me when I say this . . ." but now you say that nobody denies it? That doesn't make sense.
Or is the "this" referring to some other statement? What, specifically, are people jumping on you for?
I don't think that any industry has a particular concern for me. What I question is why people hold this against fast food in particular instead of, say, the movie industry (which also has the capacity to harm people).
I agree with you that fast food isn't obligated to care about our health and doesn't care about us personally. My argument (since you didn't pick it up in the previous post) is why is this more significant for fast food than it is for all the other industries that have identical non-obligations?
Oh Geez, here we go...
First, my apologies, I didn't realize that you weren't trying to jump all over...(rolls eyes) And for stating something that you apparently agree with no less.
You make a valid point about the harm done by the movie industry, but that doesn't get the fast food industry off the hook.
And let's concede to you that the fast food industry, isn't any different from any other industry trying to make a profit. I disagree but I'll sacrifice my knight for the inevitable checkmate lol...
That still doesn't change the fact that they don't give a damn about you or your health and will sell you obesity and poison in a bag to make a single penny...5 -
I would eat fast food almost everyday sometimes 2 or 3 times especially when working as I spend a lot of the day driving. I try to take healthier options with me but I think the biggest help is not carrying money with me, I have a credit card for emergencies but I don't carry any cash or bank cards.
I'm about 4 weeks in and I'm not really missing it plus my bank balance is a lot healthier.
Good Luck1 -
I wouldn't say I've got the same passion for fast food as you do, but I'll share in my experience that getting caught off-guard is generally what leads me to make eating decisions that aren't in my best interest. By that, I mean, if I don't have a meal plan I'm working under (like all the things I will eat today, or over the course of this week perhaps if I'm particularly diligent), or don't have all the right supplies on hand to make the food, or don't have an acceptable snack on hand if I get hungry off-schedule, then I can more easily talk myself into eating something I really don't want to.
I see a lot of advice on here is geared around trying to replicate the desired qualities of fast food, so I figured I'd offer something other than that. In short, be so well prepared and adequately fed, that when you're confronted with fast food, you're not particularly hungry or already know what you're going to eat instead and know that its available asap.
Good luck!0 -
Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »Everybody jumps all over me when I say this and I get that fast food is a business and not obligated to care about your health blah blah blah...
But they don't give a damn about you... If they can profit by selling you poison in a bag, they will do so systematically...
It's obvious they think we are all complete Fools by the way they market to us...
Once in a while isn't going to kill you, but they want you to come there 7 days a week and have teams of chemist and food engineers, and marketers that do everything they can to make sure that you do...
Realizing this was half the battle for me
Nobody denies that businesses (including fast food) aren't obligated to care about our health.
Are you under the impression that there is an industry that does care about you personally or isn't trying to make a profit?
Did I say anyone was denying this?
Did I say I was?
And do you honestly fail to see the difference between the fast food industry trying to profit off of your own health and say... The movie industry trying to get you to see their films...
Your question implies that you obviously agree with me when I say the fast food industry does not give a damn about you or your health...
Therfore you fail to make an argument, if that's what you were trying to do...
You prefaced with with this: "Everybody jumps all over me when I say this . . ." but now you say that nobody denies it? That doesn't make sense.
Or is the "this" referring to some other statement? What, specifically, are people jumping on you for?
I don't think that any industry has a particular concern for me. What I question is why people hold this against fast food in particular instead of, say, the movie industry (which also has the capacity to harm people).
I agree with you that fast food isn't obligated to care about our health and doesn't care about us personally. My argument (since you didn't pick it up in the previous post) is why is this more significant for fast food than it is for all the other industries that have identical non-obligations?
Oh Geez, here we go...
First, my apologies, I didn't realize that you weren't trying to jump all over...(rolls eyes) And for stating something that you apparently agree with no less.
You make a valid point about the harm done by the movie industry, but that doesn't get the fast food industry off the hook.
And let's concede to you that the fast food industry, isn't any different from any other industry trying to make a profit. I disagree but I'll sacrifice my knight for the inevitable checkmate lol...
That still doesn't change the fact that they don't give a damn about you or your health and will sell you obesity and poison in a bag to make a single penny...
Do you usually take anything less than fawning agreement as someone "jumping on you"?
I am not trying to get fast food "off the hook," rather trying to make the point that this is a "hook" that all industries are on. None of them are legally obligated to care for us. All of them are legally obligated to consider the needs of their shareholders (that is, turn a profit). The board of Whole Foods doesn't care about me any more than the board of McDonald's does. So instead of spinning conspiracy theories about fast food, maybe we should all take a bit more personal responsibility and realize that no business is here to hold our hand through life and ensure we're making the best decisions for ourselves.
If you concede and then say you disagree, that doesn't make sense to me. Why concede if you think there is a valid point to be made for your argument?
What industry do you think cares about you or has an obligation to do so? Since you disagree that fast food isn't different, I'm curious to know what industry you are thinking of.3 -
TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »Something tells me you have friends or family that live with you that are influencing you. That will be 50% of your fight.
Heck yeah! That's me right there always trying to tell them no but still end up with those brown greasy bags in my backseat0 -
It is creepy how much big marketers know about me. Not only do they know that I SAY I want salads while craving the fries, they know by removing the bones from the chicken and adding croutons to the salad I will come back for more.
They want more than a penny from me. They want a lifetime customer. Poison is counterintuitive.0
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