McD habit: must I squash it?

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Replies

  • MalSponseller
    MalSponseller Posts: 217 Member
    As a former McD's employee, I know the feeling. McD's is my go-to fast food place. I went there today even, as I realized I had no food at home for lunch (need to go grocery shopping) and was already out, but didn't have time to do the grocery shopping needed. So I chose carefully. I had a double cheeseburger and a small fry. Came home and had a glass of berry flavored green tea with it. Was it an ideal lunch? No, but I made the best of the situation. Once-in-a-while is okay, I would suggest once, MAYBE twice a week. Sodium's a big issue with their food. Just try to keep it as a treat for yourself, and not a staple.
  • JenW1973
    JenW1973 Posts: 82 Member
    According to my husband, McDonald's was founded by Satan. LOL! I used to take my kids there fairly frequently and I very much enjoy their double cheeseburgers. However, he doesn't like me to and his reason is NOT that hamburgers or chicken nuggets and fries are bad for you, too high in fat or sodium or whatever. His reason is that McDonald's as a chain strives for consistency in all their products. The french fry you buy from McD's in Maine will taste the same as the french fry you buy from McD's in New Mexico. How do they achieve this consistency? Processing and food additives. For instance, they might take potatoes from all over the country and make a slurry out of them and add a bunch of chemicals and preservatives before they extrude their french fries....then the fries all taste the same no matter where you get them. Same goes for all their other foods. It's all the added chemicals that he objects to. He believes it poisons us slowly.

    If you have never watched Super-size Me...you should. This guy ate nothing but McD's three meals a day for 30 days. He saw a doctor before doing it and the doctor advised against the experiment. He did it anyway and the even the doctor was shocked at the effect on his overall health, bloodwork, etc. The negative effect far exceeded what the doctor would have predicted.

    So...do I advise you stay away from McD's altogether and never, ever eat there? No. I do believe that eating there 2-3 times per week is too much, however. If I were you, I'd reserve it for a once a month or so treat. Just my opinion, though, so you can do what you like with it. Good luck with reaching your goals!
  • lluulluu
    lluulluu Posts: 115 Member
    I eat Mc Donald every know and then i just work into my calories.. I do it probably once a month.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Google how McD's nuggets are made. I'm pretty confident this would cease the habit.

    I've done that. I still find them delicious, sadly. But, I don't ever eat them anymore, LOL

    What do you do with them, then?? :huh:
  • allymacary
    allymacary Posts: 54 Member
    I used to eat a lot of McDs. I don't often anymore, and when I do, it makes me incredibly ill.

    Honestly, EVERYONE has their vices. Mine right now is Heath Bars and Skor bars. CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THEM. But after seeing this link: http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2yt1a4T7L1r36okqo1_1280.jpg, I really slowed down with fast food. I still like Chick-fil-a, but I haven't eaten there since giving up wheat.

    Seriously, your body, eat what you want, but if you are questioning the habit, I say try to break it. :)

    Note: The link to the picture was taken recently. The food does not mold. It's SCARY.

    You all can judge me and my fiance for this but there is a McDonlads french fry that has been stuck underneath one of our car seats, it's easily from Feb 2011 and you couldn't tell at all, SCARY!!!
  • DonniesGirl69
    DonniesGirl69 Posts: 644 Member
    My personal opinion....McDonald's is the Devil.

    But that's just me :happy:
  • jennt_22
    jennt_22 Posts: 155 Member
    Google how McD's nuggets are made. I'm pretty confident this would cease the habit.

    Yeah I gotta agree with this one... and it wouldn't hurt to watch Super Size Me (I know that's WAY more extreme then what you are eating but it did help me get turned-off to fast food in general and helped me to resist eating it).

    I personally think that YES you should cut back. I don't think multiple visits per week to McD is healthy even if you are within your calories. I used to eat fast food a couple times per week and it was just not good news... weight gain, sluggish, didn't feel well, etc.

    The less you eat it the easier it will be to resist - I swear it can be addicting but if you cut it out you will eventually stop craving it/wanting it all together!
  • DonniesGirl69
    DonniesGirl69 Posts: 644 Member
    You know the answer

    Best reply on this thread..............
  • saustin201
    saustin201 Posts: 270 Member
    I go to McD's about once per month. I get the Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad. It's good and about 450 calories or so.
  • jen_bd6
    jen_bd6 Posts: 501 Member
    Personally, I try to stay away from "fast food" or even restaurants as much as possible. Due to the preservatives and additives they put in the food, it can make it very unhealthy. Lots and lots of sugar, salt, and other "questionable" items that I do not think are good for your body. I used to eat out frequently, but I find that if I eat fast food now, the next day, I just feel like crap... sluggish and just not right. My solution to the problem? Find a different way home that skipped most of the "tempting" restaurants.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    From Wikipedia:
    The 2004 documentary Super Size Me states "McDonald's Chicken McNuggets were originally made from old chickens no longer able to lay eggs. These chickens are stripped down to the bone, and then 'ground up' into a chicken mash, then combined with a variety of stabilizers and preservatives, pressed into familiar shapes, breaded and deep fried, freeze dried, and then shipped to a McDonald's near you". Super Size Me also alleged inclusion of chemicals such as tertiary butylhydroquinone (a phenolic antioxidant used as a chemical preservative), polydimethylsiloxane (an anti-foaming agent), and other ingredients not used by a typical home cook.[9] This was recently restated by CNN.[10] Marion Nestle, a New York University professor and author of What to Eat, says the tertiary butylhydroquinone and dimethylpolysiloxane in McNuggets probably pose no health risks. As a general rule, though, she advocates not eating any food with an ingredient you can’t pronounce.[10]

    Sooooooo, McNuggets can help you fight against cancer? :-D

    As an aside, they grind down bones and cartilage into paste? So rather than throw chicken bones away, I could liquidise them and eat the paste in sandwiches?
  • krystyleee
    krystyleee Posts: 219
    Personally, I used to eat Taco Bell a lot. then I heard (not sure if it's true) that their meat was basically like DOG FOOD meat, and after that I couldn't eat it anymore. I've heard even worse things about the nuggets at McDonald's so I don't eat it for those reasons. Fast food, period, is not good for you. I cut it out all together but I do have my other weaknesses, like ice cream or chocolate, which is probably not much better for you. I don't, however, eat it that frequently. Maybe once a week and I work it OFF!
  • jimbhc1
    jimbhc1 Posts: 3 Member
    Watch the show "SUPER SIZE ME"
  • just my opinion: mcdonalds is nasty, not only for your body but also for your MIND....:/ goodluck.
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
    The movie Super Size Me cured my of McDonalds. Eating out on the other hand I do once a week. I do eat burgers and fries just not to a fast food restaurant. Just a preference.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    It's just food. If it fits in your calorie goals, eat it. :smile:
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
    I would stay stop the habit but just to save the money. It isn't a big deal, healthwise, in my opinion.
  • DonniesGirl69
    DonniesGirl69 Posts: 644 Member
    Any cheeseburger than can sit on a counter in open air for over a year and not grow anything or change in appearance no longer qualifies as "food"

    Just my opinion :)
  • yarmiah
    yarmiah Posts: 325 Member
    I have not entered McDonald's since reading "Supersize Me" 4-5 yrs ago, neither has my daughter. She was only 10 at the time and only read the first couple of chapters, but refuses to eat there now.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    You can eat whatever you want. You can lose weight eating twinkies. Of course, for the same number of calories plus the added benefit of fiber, you can eat a lot more carrots.

    With that said, 3 times a week seems like a lot to me. I eat McDonald's as a treat, not as a regular lunch.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    Google how McD's nuggets are made. I'm pretty confident this would cease the habit.

    I've seen it, so don't care. It makes me want them more, and a strawberry shake to go with them.

    ^^ ha ha this! But a chocolate shake with McD's fries to dip in it!
  • adet983
    adet983 Posts: 138
    Google how McD's nuggets are made. I'm pretty confident this would cease the habit.



    someone could show me a youtube video of mcnuggets being made out of chicken poop and then give me a 10 piece with sweet and sour and i would still eat them
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
    It's just food. If it fits in your calorie goals, eat it. :smile:

    Sorry but that's a blinkered, short-sighted view that can only be had by those obsessed by the calorie at the expense of everything else

    I'm on a sugar cube diet which means that I only eat sugar cubes, nothing else. They do fit in with my calorie goals though so should I eat and smile? Just food after all
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    Google how McD's nuggets are made. I'm pretty confident this would cease the habit.

    Yeah I gotta agree with this one... and it wouldn't hurt to watch Super Size Me (I know that's WAY more extreme then what you are eating but it did help me get turned-off to fast food in general and helped me to resist eating it).

    I personally think that YES you should cut back. I don't think multiple visits per week to McD is healthy even if you are within your calories. I used to eat fast food a couple times per week and it was just not good news... weight gain, sluggish, didn't feel well, etc.

    The less you eat it the easier it will be to resist - I swear it can be addicting but if you cut it out you will eventually stop craving it/wanting it all together!

    Of course the weight gain came from too many calories, not the McD's.
  • geminigrl622
    geminigrl622 Posts: 144
    I wouldn't say cut it out completely. I'm a fan of eating things you like in moderation, so maybe eat McD as a treat during the week and not 2-3 times per week.
  • LovingLisa2012
    LovingLisa2012 Posts: 775 Member
    Google how McD's nuggets are made. I'm pretty confident this would cease the habit.

    I've done that. I still find them delicious, sadly. But, I don't ever eat them anymore, LOL

    just gogoled, and I still will eat nuggets.. I have been eating them since 84/85 ? .. they are better tasting than a burger and as long as I fit them into my cals, I will eat them ..
    :drinker:
  • squirrleydoodle
    squirrleydoodle Posts: 58 Member
    I love chicken nuggets from McD's!!! I get a mighty kids meal with diet coke and dont eat all the fries. I like the apple slices too lol
  • tweakz20
    tweakz20 Posts: 152 Member
    You know the answer

    If you have to ask, ^^^

    The "food" at Mcdonalds has issues beyond calories. I quote food because it's not fit for human consumption in my opinion. The meat they serve is of very low quality, coming from a factory farm where animals are very sick and not getting adequate nutrition. The meat is processed. The fries are also lies. Sauce is very high sodium and should be limited as a general rule, especially low quality crap from Mcdonalds. These foods are packed sky high in preservatives and other chemicals. Diet soda is also high in sodium. Chronically eating this garbage will make you feel sick and possibly give you hypertension. Eating this will burdeon your liver, trying to figure out what that crap is and what to do with it, leaving it less functional for other necessary body functions. Stick to simple whole foods.
  • ocukor1
    ocukor1 Posts: 66
    It's not bad if you make it a treat once a week. It is bad eating that every day. It is not so much about calories as it is about nutrients. Granted that chicken nuggets have some proteins, but other than that...it is all bad carbs, the type of carbs that get digested ver quickly into your blood stream, turns into sugar, and spike up your insulin which then stores the extra sugar as fat. There are virtually no benefits to eating like that. You can still lose weight doing that, but you will starve yourself and your body will break up muscle to stay alive, so that weight loss will be superficial. You will also feel hungry all the time and you will be constantly craving more. it is not a good way to diet. I've done it myself, though, so I can speak from experience, I have changed my diet around, and never felt better. never looked back. I have some of my experiences summed up in my blog if you care to read.
  • blazeybug87
    blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
    Lately, for completely unexplained reasons, I've been hitting McD 2-3 times a week for lunch. I eat reasonably (6 nuggets, buffalo sauce, small fries, diet soda == ~550 cals), and usually fit it into my total calorie goal. How bad is this, do I need to force myself to be more disciplined and quit this behavior, or is it okay?
    ...and a diet soda?:laugh: :laugh:
    You sound just like me!
    Anyway, McD food is the most fabulous cuisine on the planet...it's what the gods eat on Mt Olympus.
    I could have it every day and die fat.
    It's that good.
    How I broke my addiction was simple. I associate pleasure with being fit, and pain with being fat.
    That works wonders.
    It creates an internal drive that is unstoppable. People who find this reach their goals in any situation.
    Those that do not remain in the large herd of failures that populate the majority of planet earth.
    Decide right now where you want to be.
    Success is a choice. Good Luck :flowerforyou:

    Pleasure vs Pain - Tony Robbins fan???