Is there a cure for these cravings?

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I've been battling with weight loss ever since I could remember. Over the last year I was able to shed a lot of pounds as well as build up some muscles via lifting and such. But there is still that little bit of tummy and inner thigh fat that won't seem to budge. Fast food is my vice and most days I can't stop myself from going out and buying something quick and easy to eat. I've tried drinking water beforehand and snacking on healthy things but to no avail. Any suggestions on what I could do? All advice is welcomed and greatly appreciated (:

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  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,473 Member
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    Why don’t you replace FF with actual meals, not just snacks? Try to make plan friendly versions of the FF that you like.

    Or find some plan friendly meals at your favorite FF places. It can be done.
  • Running2Fit
    Running2Fit Posts: 702 Member
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    I am a fast food addict too. September I set a goal for absolutely no fast food. It was hard but I did it. Meal planning is a huge part of that. It’s less tempting to go grab something fast when you have a kitchen full of food. It also helps to find quick/easy recipes. Some nights you just don’t feel like cooking and that’s totally fair but then have some stuff at home that’s super quick.

    And every time you want to go grab fast food, log it in MFP first. Remind yourself what it will cost you to make that choice.

    This month I’m lifting my ban but I’ve found it a lot easier to resist the fast food temptation.
  • poss40
    poss40 Posts: 9 Member
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    KayGlavin wrote: »
    I've been battling with weight loss ever since I could remember. Over the last year I was able to shed a lot of pounds as well as build up some muscles via lifting and such. But there is still that little bit of tummy and inner thigh fat that won't seem to budge. Fast food is my vice and most days I can't stop myself from going out and buying something quick and easy to eat. I've tried drinking water beforehand and snacking on healthy things but to no avail. Any suggestions on what I could do? All advice is welcomed and greatly appreciated (:

  • poss40
    poss40 Posts: 9 Member
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    Fast food has so much sugar in it, it’s hard to break the addiction. I try to meal prep and that helps me when I’m suddenly starving and fast food seems easiest. Have a dedicated plastic box in your fridge with celery and carrots and capsicum, snow peas etc that are cut up and visible and then small tubs of flavoured hummus or cottage cheese or whatever goo you love. Even if you’re desperate you can eat these while you make cauliflower rice or something healthy to eat. I blend up a few heads of cauliflower, microwave that 2 or 3 mins high then dump a can of lemon tuna on top, salad dressing and few chopped cherry tomatoes...LUNCH! ❤️
  • countcurt
    countcurt Posts: 593 Member
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    OK. Time out.

    She called it a vice, not an addiction. The whole nonsense of ‘sugar addiction’ notwithstanding, nobody is addicted to fast food. If that were the case, you could satisfy your needs with a salad from McDonalds. Or the grilled chicken sandwich from Burger King. Or the chili from Wendy’s. All of which come from Fast Food places and all of which are reasonably good choices for somebody who is trying to manage their calories and finds themselves at a fast food establishment.

    So, to the OP, I say figure out what it is that attracts you to buy Fast Food and address that. Because when you lump everything into that broad category you can’t really do any problem solving.


    Disclosure: there is not much attraction to me for ‘fast food’ restaurants. I’m rarely in that big of a hurry, I hate drive thru and I find the aroma often overwhelming. That said, I do occasionally find myself at a McDonalds and will treat myself to a small order of fries. I find their burgers disgusting, so sometimes it’s just the fries. Other times, I go for the grilled chicken sandwich or the salad (they will put the dressing on the side). That said, I also remind myself that life is full of choices, and deciding what to eat at McD is just one more choice I have to make.
  • bustercrabby
    bustercrabby Posts: 66 Member
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    Our society is indeed addicted to sugar and carbohydrates which starts the day we begin eating solid food. It's why our nation is in the throes of an obesity and diabetes epidemic.

    The food industry is always happy to make these two foods as appealing as possible. Cutting back on either of these two will cause you to start craving them, a sure sign of addiction. Unless your WOL demands a high carb diet, we should be eating around 50g of carbs per day, not the 200g “suggested” by the powers that be. Once I started limiting my carb intake to ~35g/day, I felt the craving. Fresh bread, bagels, sourdough bread, omg, my weakness. I was an avid sourdough bread baker, so it was extremely difficult tossing all my flours. But I quickly moved beyond the craving and broke my addiction to these items.

    Since everyone is different, the above is based on my situation. I am not a doctor, nor do I pretend to be.
  • ShayCarver89
    ShayCarver89 Posts: 239 Member
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    I'm pretty bad about fast food as well. I have 3 kids, 2 of which are autistic, and one of the only things they can eat without puking is fast food french fries. Either from Mcdonalds, Wendys, or Burger King. All of which are within 5 to 10 minutes from my house. I have a hard time cooking because standing is hard for me. Standing to cook, then standing to wash the dishes. However, I'm starting to make better choices when it comes to fast food. I skip burgers in favor of chicken, and always say no to fries. Since I'm pre diabetic non diet soda's have never been an issue for me, but I still will get like, say, a small diet Dr. Pepper in exchange for a large. Also, this is so stereotypical, but I've started to eat more Subway. (conveniently there's on right beside Mcdonald's where I live. They share the same parking lot.) I can get a footlong turkey breast which totals 580 calories and get 2 meals out of it. Fast food is addicting because its cheap, its easy, its convenient, and it tastes good. And its hard as hell to break that habit. But maybe start slow. Skip the fries. Order a smaller burger. Skip the sweat tea or non diet soda. Just baby steps with it. I hope to one day be off fast food as well!
  • TeethOfTheHydra
    TeethOfTheHydra Posts: 63 Member
    edited October 2018
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    Congrats on your hard work for the past year! My advice would be: eat every four hours or so, so you don't really build up much hunger that can lead to impulsive decisions; and, plan out your meals in advance (e.g the start of the day, or a week's menu) so there really isn't room for improvisation since it seems you're heading for FF as a quick fix rather than because you've worked out what you can eat there.

    Also - though you can't target fat burn, if you want to put a little more muscle in your tummy and thighs, I'd suggest vinyasa and rollerblading, rather than or in addition to lifting
    Best of luck!