Why does this happen to me, and does anyone have some advice

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Jlongblade
Jlongblade Posts: 77 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Why do I do stupid things.. Why Why WHY??? I left to go to work and take my kids to school today and after dropping them off I go to the Store to pick up lunch.. and get some gas money. so After leaving the store I am driving to work and the next thing I know I am in Jack in the Box's drive thru getting a Grilled breaksfast sandwich,hash browns, and a lrg Diet Dr. Pepper. then I find myself eating it and after I am done. I feel sick with my self. Why to I continue to punish myself with these foods. I know I should not by them I can hear myself saying do not get it, but I find myself ordering the food anyways whiel still arguing with myself not to get it. Then it oooo i bought it I might as well eat it now.... which only leads to dissappointment in myself, at my lack of self control. I am doing good on my diet, down 16 lbs in a month and a half, but I could be doing a lot better if I had more self control. Any advice for someone who is ADDICTED to fast food??
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Replies

  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    I'm going to guess it has something to do with your idea that it happened to you. This didn't happen TO you. You need to change your attitude and take responsibility for your choices.
  • mramsdell
    mramsdell Posts: 8 Member
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    I am going to guess that there is something that you are trying to push down and feed it with food. I am not a psychologist (yet lol) but during my studies it seems that many people with an eating "addiction" if you will, usually eat in order to NOT face certain memories or feelings that they may have. A lot of the time it can be some kind of traumatic experience or maybe even just a feeling that they are not "good enough". As for myself, I started doing the whole food thing when I was married and it seemed that every one of my husbands friends would hit on me. I ended up being the one who got blamed for it. I decided then that if I were fat then the guys would leave me alone. As it turns out, that wasnt exactly true since I ended up leaving him for one of his friends years later...but thats another story lol. So yea, for me that is my best guess, but since I dont know you personally then it is ONLY a guess, or a suggestion, however you choose to take it. If there does happen to be something like that that you might be holding in, then perhaps that is at least part of the answer, Im really not sure.
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
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    It might help to keep some healthy snacks with you at all times--maybe a bag of nuts or a low sugar protein bar. I always have South Beach protein bars in my purse for times like that.
  • FITnFIRM4LIFE
    FITnFIRM4LIFE Posts: 818 Member
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    It might help to keep some healthy snacks with you at all times--maybe a bag of nuts or a low sugar protein bar. I always have South Beach protein bars in my purse for times like that.

    This 4/sure...I could feed a small country from food in my car and purse..For times like those;-) Stock your car and eat regular meals and snacks..Your less likely to give in;-)Good luck!
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,139 Member
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    Bring some snacks with you, also make sure you don't have any cash. I know I am less likely to stop for fast food if I don't have any cash because I don't want to put it on my debit card.
  • 1HappyRosie
    1HappyRosie Posts: 80 Member
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    What really helped me is I got on their website and looked at the nutritional information and it blew my mind. Afterwards it really wasn't hard to drive right by!! I think actually seeing how bad it was in print did me a world of good. Hopefully it will do the same for you!! Good luck and be proud of what you have already accomplished.. You keep up the good fight!!! Happy, healthy living to you!!!
  • momma3sweetgirls
    momma3sweetgirls Posts: 743 Member
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    Leave your money in the trunk. You're less likely to hit a drive-thru if you have to actually get out of your vehicle to get your money. Don't forget to treat yourself every now and then so you don't feel totally deprived. Just make sure to plan ahead (calorie-wise) for it.
  • GibsonDarlin
    GibsonDarlin Posts: 202 Member
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    Alter your route too, out of sight out of mind. You can do it!
  • Coolhand1969
    Coolhand1969 Posts: 833 Member
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    Are you consistently logging you're food and staying honest with it? That really helps me to not do stupid things knowing I'll have to account for it. Maybe you can try pre-logging to help keep yourself even more honest?
  • KarateGoddess
    KarateGoddess Posts: 93 Member
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    I'm going to guess it has something to do with your idea that it happened to you. This didn't happen TO you. You need to change your attitude and take responsibility for your choices.

    ^^ EXACTLY!
  • rammsteinsoldier
    rammsteinsoldier Posts: 1,556 Member
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    I pasted a picture of my motivation on my dashboard. Whenever I was tempted to turn into the drive thru I would look down and the would be the picture starring back at me. It actually worked for me.
  • Dayna154
    Dayna154 Posts: 910 Member
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    Its not happening to you, you are DOING it to you..
    Self control comes from within and only you can decide what it will be that will make that happen.. Its different for everyone..
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    I'm not sure why you do it. For me, I just have to avoid fast food restaurants period. The good thing is that the longer I go without it, the less I want it. :)
    You have to want to lose weight and want it really bad!
    You are STRONG and can do this.
    Good luck to you.
  • vestarocks
    vestarocks Posts: 449 Member
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    First off, I'll give you some love - relax, breathe. You did it. You made a bad choice. Do better next time. Exercise a little more today. This is a lifestyle not a diet. Life happens. Sometimes we eat crap. Just don't do it often as you used to.

    Second some tough love. This didn't "happen" to you! You were not mugged. You were not involved in an accident. YOU drove through the drive through. YOU ate it. Give up victim mode. It will not serve you well. YOU are a grown man. Take responsibility for your choices - the good, the bad and the ugly.
  • MoooveOverFluffy
    MoooveOverFluffy Posts: 398 Member
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    First, dont' be so hard on yourself. You're obviously doing something right if you've lost 16 pounds in a couple months.So, KUDOS to you on that part. secondly, baby steps.... changing bad habits doesn't happen overnight. I love fast food and will probably NEVER give it up entirely. But coming from someone who used to eat fast food 5-6 times a week, i feel if it only happens once a week, i'm doing ALOT better than i was before. Another tip, pack your lunch/breakfast/snacks every single night before you go to bed. When you're prepared, it truly does help resist what's handy (and unhealthy).

    STAY STRONG MAN!!!
  • cowgirlslikeus86
    cowgirlslikeus86 Posts: 597 Member
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    I use to have this happen to me when I was working. Drive through Mickey D's on my way into work and some other fast food on my way home....

    Three things help me now:

    1) I do not leave the house hungry

    2) I take a snack with me when I do run around town (I don't work right now)

    3) I throw the food out the window as punishment to my alter self. My bad self bought it, my good self throws the $h!t out the window and my common sense learns that next time I drive through I might as well throw a $10 bill out the window, cause that's whats gonna happen!


    P.S. I unwrap it first ( No littering)
    You could give it to a bum instead but, if I wouldn't feed it to myself, why would I give it to someone else?


    exercise.png
  • vick9180
    vick9180 Posts: 144 Member
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    Do you eat breakfast before you leave for work? If not, maybe you should try that. Then you won't feel hungry, and the temptation to stop there will be less. Eat at home, though. Make yourself a breakfast with some fiber, protein and fat so it'll stick with ya through the morning. You might have to get up 15 minutes earlier to do that, but if you feel full, it's much easier to resist that temptation.

    Having self control is tough. It's a very conscious thing, and you're the only person who can discipline you into making better choices. But if you can find a way to hold yourself accountable, then do it. Tell a friend at work that you trust that you're trying to quit eating fast food. And maybe if you walk in to work with a Jack in the Box bag, give him/her the money it cost for that meal. So then your habit will cost twice as much. Maybe give yourself one or two days a month where you allow yourself to grab some fast food since you enjoy it, but discuss that with your friend. That's just an idea...but be creative with how you can be accountable. Eventually, you won't need anyone but yourself to keep you accountable. But at first, it might be easier to do it with the support of a trusted friend or colleague. (It'd have to be someone who wouldn't encourage you to go through the drive thru, though, just to make a couple bucks :laugh: )
  • Geeky_Girl
    Geeky_Girl Posts: 239 Member
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    I was the same way! I could hardly ever pass by a fast food place without stopping (for every meal I could). Sometimes I still have those cravings; it's part of breaking the cycle. Here are a few things that helped me:

    - I realized it was my decision, my choice. I could be strong and do it, or I could be weak and not. I can be a little prideful sometimes, so having to admit I was being weak actually kicked me into action.

    - I still get fast food! Just not the same things I used to eat. Before I go, I look at the NI of the menu and pick what I'm going to have. That sandwich looks a lot less tasty when you know it's 1,000 calories and you could have the other sandwich for 250 calories. :)

    - I think about how much work I'd have to do to burn those calories. I like numbers and I hate seeing the bright red negatives at the end of the day. So, if I'm going over calories I'll be working out enough to make it still be green.

    Ultimately, cut yourself a break. Tomorrow's a new day, and you can still exercise the calories off today. And next time you're thinking of running for fast food, think about this moment and how you felt. It may help.

    I hope this helped some. :smile:
  • SkettiGurl
    SkettiGurl Posts: 186 Member
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    Try reading 'Fast Food Nation'. It's a bit of a slog to get through it...but if you knew what your fast food went through to get to you...It may help you resist the temptation a bit better. I read it and have cut WAY down on my fast food intake. (I think I had 1 A&W burger about 6 weeks ago...)
    Also...try one day at a time...don't say...I'm never having fast food EVER again...that's WAY too hard. But the next time you are about to break just say to yourself...Today I'm saying no. Tomorrow is a different story...but TODAY...I have control. Dealing with a day at a time instead of the rest of your life or whatever, it's too big, too hard...today you can manage.
    Good luck!
  • L00py_T0ucan
    L00py_T0ucan Posts: 1,378 Member
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    OP - Iove your AV photo. You caught all that?

    Back to your post - whatever you do, don't beat yourself up and turn the rest of the day into a cheat day. Instead, get back on track as soon as possible. I know this is going to be an unpopular suggestion for the super hard-core folks on this site (and hats off to them), but maybe just plan ahead and know that you are going to go to Jack in the Box on occasion. Maybe you will lose the taste for it entirely, but until then, you can plan ahead for it.

    Apologies in advance if this is 'lowering the bar' for you - not intended to be sabotage, but helpful advice along the way :flowerforyou:

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