having a hard time staying away from fast food

[stephanie77]

I'm new with fitbit.  I'm having a really hard time staying away from fast food resturants.  I know subway is the heathier place to go to.  Any ideas on how to stay away and go with home made stuff.

[Ukase]

Okay. This is a tough one. We don't know you, or what motivates you - so, if I miss the mark, well, I tried.

First - The good thing is, you seem to realize that the answer to the reason behind you getting a fitbit is not in fast food It's not at Subway, either. In order for most people to have long term success, they need to take control over what goes into their mouths. This doesn't mean that you have to be the one holding the fork, it means you need to be the one who's measuring your serving size. You need to be the one who's weighing out how many ounces of meat and cheese are going on that sub, and how many calories you're consuming. Trusting that the shop where you got your food is consistent with the nutrition information is probably a bit naive. It *could* be spot on accurate, but I'd doubt it. If you think about it, most fast food places rely on volume to make their profits, as they have narrow margins. But, they all need to cut costs - so odds are that the food there is loaded with sodium (salt) and other preservatives. This doesn't necessarily make them bad choices, but there are better choices.

I look at fast food like a totally last resort. For starters, they are way overpriced for what you get. They're rarely accurate in my experience. They're also slow. I can make it myself in the time they take to make it. So, why should I pay them for their mystery meat burger when I can make 3 times as many burgers for the same price they're going to charge me for one?

None of the fast food places I know of have decent bread, not even Subway. All those breads are supplemented with extra sugars, or even worse, butter. (I think Sonic does that)

Have you taken the time to see a "Ted Talk" on fast food? Even if half the stuff they say is true, it'll change your perspective on the food industry, that's for sure.

You can think about it like this: Fast food = less money in your pocket, less healthy eating

                                                 Home cooked food = more money, more time, better health.

It's all up to you, in the end. You can't do what you always did and expect different results. Change your habits, or change your expectations.

[Lindaart]

Believe it or not, the more healthy vegetables and fruits and unprocess foods you eat, the less you will eventually crave fast foods.

I highly recommend watching the documentary Forks of Knives and you will definitely look at fast food at lot differently.

Good luck.

It is hard at first. It is easier to more you stick with healthy foods.

The best thing is to plan snacks ahead of when you tend to get hungry to you do not reach for the fast food.

[stephanie77]

I have seen knives over forks.  Maybe I should watch it again to gain perspective again.  I thank you both for the advice. 

[lyro]

For me, I know that time is always an issue so my best way to handle things is to try as much as possible to plan in advace.  I try to look up recipes that interest me.  I look for simple recipes and find quicker ways to make them.  For example, I may experiment and try to convert a recipe to the pressure cooker.  I bring my lunch to work 95% of the time so that I am not tempted by fast food.  I am learning more about whole foods and trying to eat cleaner more often.  I also try to have healthy snacks with me so that I do not get overly hungry and make poor, impulsive choices.  I have learned to really taste my food, and appreciate the taste of vegetables that are not bogged down with heavy sauces or dressings.  As I take the time to prepare foods more often, I find that my taste for fast foods has diminished.  That's not to say that I don't have my cravings or weak moments, but they are a fraction of what they used to be.

[acass · Accepted solution]

I totally can see how Fast Food is such an easy supplement and a fast fix. I think if you found some really amazing (healthy!) recipes that you could feel good about, you will find yourself more interested in cooking at home because it's way cheaper, the food will be better, and you won't feel as guilty. Worth a shot! 

[josephz2va]

I shut my brain out of all of the fast food companies. 99% of the foods they serve, you can cook and grill your own for far less fat, carbs, sodium, and other bad things.

example:

Big Mac - Hamburger bun, 97% Lean Meat Grilled until it's dark grey, two low calorie cheese slices, throw every vegetable you're willing to buy and slap it on.

French Fries - Bag of fries, salt the pan, slap it into the oven at the heat temperature, you saved 99% fat.

Subway chicken sub - Long dinner roll, low fat chicken tenders, veggies, dressing - properly cooked you save a lot of fat from their food.

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I'm currently on Jenny Craig food (high sodium), so I have to take Isopure Zero Carb, Finaflex CLA, and Fineflex PX Fat Burner to shed half the sodium I ingest.

[LewWagner]

I also had a problem with fast food; especially McD's french fries, Grimaldi's pizza, and Schlotzsky's sour bread dough.

You just have to become very OCD about this.  Don't eat processed foods like breads and sauces and such.

Go to the grocery store and get frutis, veggies (not from cans, but from the fresh produce area), lettuce, etc.

Yogurt if "truly" lite or fat free.  Check the ingredients list and nutrition info out on the container or cardboard box.

Stay away from candy, lots of pasta and starchy foods.  I also avoid potatoes because of the starch.

Get chicken without the skin.  I like dark meat so skinless boneless thighs work best for my wife and me.

Grill them on a BBQ and use herbs like Herbes de Provence and pepper vs. a lot of sauces.

Avoid butter.  I do use on pat of butter with microwaved steamed vegetables from Birds Eye.

If I do go to McD's or Schlotzsky's, I don't eat the bread, have the #13 grilled chicken classic plain with just lettuce and eat just the chicken and lettuce.

If I go to Firehouse Subs, I get whole wheat bun (regular), smoked turkey, and lettuce...NO CHEESE and wind up eating only half the bun or just use a fork and eat the meat and lettuc alone.  I drink water at these places vs. the syrupy sweet drinks.

It's hard, especially at first.  But, you have to develop a mental "toughness" and just ignore your grumbling belly and mind playing tricks on you that you "need" such things.

Good luck, Stephanie!  We're all here for you!

Lew

[carl669]

@stephanie77 - while i generally agree with the advice of avoiding fast food given above, i'm going to give you another option.

have you ever heard of LCHF (low carb, high fat)?  basically, you reduce your carb intake and up your fat intake.  protein stays at a moderate level.  it's worked well for me (lost 97 lbs so far over the past 15 months).  you can take a look at my post here for more info:  https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Weight-Loss/Carbs-vs-Calories/m-p/261942#M6739

[LewWagner]

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@carl669 wrote:

@stephanie77 - while i generally agree with the advice of avoiding fast food given above, i'm going to give you another option.

have you ever heard of LCHF (low carb, high fat)?  basically, you reduce your carb intake and up your fat intake.  protein stays at a moderate level.  it's worked well for me (lost 97 lbs so far over the past 18 months).  you can take a look at my post here for more info:  https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Weight-Loss/Carbs-vs-Calories/m-p/261942#M6739

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Stephanie,

Very interesting.  I was following what my nutritionist provided me back in 2013 when I was 300+ lbs.  2k calories, 65 fat, 300 chol, 2.4k sodium, 150 carb, 25 fiber, 90 sugar, and (ugh) 50 protein...I have type II diabetes.  Since then, I've lost over 124 lbs and am currently intaking around 1,200 calories and burning about 2,700-3,000 calories a day.  I walk about 6-7 miles a day with an average of over 105,000 steps a week.  I'm within 7 lbs of my initial target weight of 170, so I don't want to change what has been working for me over the past nine months.  But, thanks for providing that info above.

Lew

[LewWagner]

Sorry, I meant Carl....Thanks, Carl.

Lew

[carl669]

if it's working for you, don't change it!  🙂

i just wanted to give stephanie another option.

[stephanie77]

You guys totally rock. I'm still trying to change my way of thinking. I know that I just have to bit the bullet and just do it. I do try and get out and walk depending on the weather here in Florida. I should just plan out food for the week but haven't made myself do that yet

[Kim_H]

I used to be a fast food junkie.  Any excuse to stop at BK or McDs.  I haven't been to any fast food in 3 weeks.  It takes a lot of discipline and hard work, but I am feeling better and losing the lbs by eating 3 meals a day.  If I want a burger or sub I make one for lunch or dinner.

[ajturner11]

i used to be a fast food-aholic and ate it for almost every meal! it was so hard at first craving the greasy foods but now i never even think about wanting mcds or pizza. what seemed to have help me is logging my food. i use my fitness pal and if i log everything before i eat, it is a lot harder for me to eat fast food. normally i have my whole day inputed by 8am and if there are any changes, i edit throughout the day.

[stephanie77]

I did have a moment of weakness today.  I had mcdonalds.  I have decided when i am in a moment of weakness and i do go through with actually go to the fast food resturants for myself to not beat myself up over it and to just realize that things happen and to move on from that moment and to start from that moment and to focus on healthy living.

[acass · Accepted solution]

I think it's important to start with the alteration of how you're approaching this more than anything. Going cold-turkey is going to be one of the worst things you can do. Are you actively logging your food? I think logging my food has been the biggest eye-opener to me. When I actually have to log the food I eat, and I see how many calories it took up (especially at the end of the day when my intake is over and I'm like "Darn it! If I would've skipped this I would've been fine!") it definitely sways your thinking. 

I think the key here, for you, is to not completely remove it from your diet just yet but definitely try and limit it, or at least be more aware of how much of your daily intake it is actually using up. Eventually, once you find some recipes that taste amazing, you'll be able to swap McDonald's out and still have your palette feel satisfied. 

No one said this was going to be easy! I beat myself up today because I didn't pack a breakfast and had to resort to a quick on-the-go from Dunkin Donuts but I made sure that I chose a better lunch and would exercise a little longer tonight to make up for it. Tomorrow, I'll be sure not to forget.

My biggest thing is this: my journey isn't about losing weight, but becoming a healthier version of me. That way, the scale won't define my success but how I'm feeling. Granted, to become healthier and improve how I'm feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally, I need to lose weight and drink more water and get more sleep and all of the above, but it's about the balance between it all and not just the number.

Feel free to add me if you'd like! I wish you the best. 🙂

P.S. Thanks for making my post the solution!

[Kibbles314]

You could do what I did, and work in good service. Watching apathetic strangers make my food turned me off to most fast food pretty quickly. That being said, I do understand that it is often delicious, and definitely faster than making it yourself. I actually disagree with most of the people here on that note, the whole point of fast food is that it's faster than what you can do at home. You're paying for convenience, not quality. Choosing to make your food is healthier, but you have to realize you're sacrificing something to do so. In this instance, time. Everyone has the same amount of time in the day, no one magically pulls an extra hour out of their ass, they have to give up on some activity in exchange for the time it takes to prepare their meals. Maybe it's not a lot, perhaps it's just a day they prepare their meals for the week, or the time it takes to cut everything, but if you want to avoid fast food you have to accept the nature of changing a habit means sacrificing something. You have to figure out why you crave fast food, then figure out what you can do to replace those cravings. Whether it be because it tastes good, or you have a busy work day and want to relax when you get home instead of cooking, etc, once you know why you pick fast food over something healthier, you can come up with a plan. Good luck!

[Heybales]

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@stephanie77 wrote:

I did have a moment of weakness today.  I had mcdonalds.  I have decided when i am in a moment of weakness and i do go through with actually go to the fast food resturants for myself to not beat myself up over it and to just realize that things happen and to move on from that moment and to start from that moment and to focus on healthy living.

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So is it lack of planning to have what you consider desired meals available to use?

Is it bad planning to not have you where the planned food is, but instead close to the fast food?

Like, are you on the other side of town at lunch time with 45 min drive in front of you?

I've known people that can plan and measure out meals great every Sunday night.

But then their personal planning of their time during the week is so bad they are never where the planned food is. The are unrealistic with travel time, with appointments, with planning errands, ect.

Basically still poor planning skills.

Have you made a list of the items at some common fast food places that would not be bad choices? They all have something that isn't that bad nutrition-wise compared to other things you could get there.

That list is on your car's visor for easy access.

Because while your comments above may sound good and help you feel better that time, unless you figure out the why, you'll just keep doing it. You know, the whole idea of not learning from history, doomed to repeat it principle.

[LewWagner]

While my wife and I do go out to eat, it is far less than before.  If we do go to a fast food place, here is what I eat (and don't really want any more at a sitting):

McD's  No. 13 grilled chicken sandwich (eat just the lettuce and chicken NO toppings and eat just half the fries and glass of water)

Chick-Fil-A  8 count grilled chicken nuggets and bottle of water

Arby's   Roast Beef Mid (no salt or other toppings and either eat with no bun or just half a bun and water)

I've gone from 300 (Nov 1, 2013) to 170 (today Aug 22, 2014) and have a lot less cravings than when I started out.

Good luck, Stephanie. 

Lew