Well I just can't seem to kick the fast food habit. I know I should cold turkey it all except for places like Subway. I don't think it's that I crave the food so much as the convenience. I am still trying to figure that one out.

Anyone have some tips on how they resist the sirens call of the drive-thru? I really feel this is my greatest stumbling block towards losing the weight I want to, and having a truly healthy diet.

Thanks in advance. ;)

You could try watching Morgan Spurlock's movie "Supersize Me". If that doesn't put you off it for life I don't know what will!

I weened myself off fast food by going cold turkey, it didn't take too long to kick the habit, and it IS just a habit.

If it's convenience you need, there's plenty of ways of having nutritious food available, you just need to plan a little. I think planning the whole of your food for the next day a day ahead would be an excellent start.

Just really think about this one, lower grade meats, bad processing, trans fats, calorically dense, etc. It's just not good for you, not really on any level. You're going to have to overcome this one like a smoker, you can do it. Once you stop though you feel better for it which leads you to have more of a distaste for what they are feeding the cow like public. Don't use them, make a little sandwhich, pack a small meal, keep a piece of fruit or a granola bar with you. We don't use our time efficiently as it is, just prepare a little more for your day and you can not need to feed from their troughs.

You'll be much better for it and it dovetails into any goals you might have about health.

-a

Salvation thy name be Frozen Meals!

For me the convenience piece was also the big draw! So to beat the magnetic pull of the arches I have attacked the habit on a number of fronts.

1. Healthy Choice/Lean Cuisine/Amy's ______ these are not the TV dinners of the mid 90's. They are actually fairly tasty and have a reasonable calorie count. They all pretty much just need 5min to heat. You can buy a weeks worth at a shot. It is part of my routine to snag my lunch out of the freezer on the way out the door. The best part is in the end my food spending went down.

2. Protein Bars. For convenience I eat a CLIF or some other protein bar as a snack between meals. I also keep a stash in my office if I have to work late and might miss a meal.

3. Eat less more often. This was the biggest one for me. I am eating 3 250-350 kcal snacks throughout the day. Basically if I start to feel a little hungry I check the clock and grab a snack. I try to keep my snacks healthy, with a focus on fiber and protein.

4. Know your alternatives. If I am in a rush I will swing through a Buffalo Wild Wings and order their "Naked Tenders" which is basically grilled chicken breast.

I hope this helps. The effort is worth it!

JAU

What a great topic! Fast food is a huge problem here! Sometimes I'm so tired and just don't feel like cooking and the kids don't protest a BIT when running through a drive thru.

I watched "Supersize Me" and that did open my eyes. I did great for a while, then gave in. I noticed after I had given up fast food and started eating it again....I'd feel really sick everytime. It's just not good food.

I like the frozen meals for lunch, and I try to keep a lot of healthy snacks around the house. The kids are even getting used to the better menu! It takes a lot of willpower and menu planning...you can do it though! It's SO worth it for your health!

Heather*

Break up with them.

I wrote letters to the final people at McDonalds, Dominos and KFC, and actually went to the drive thru and dropped them off.

"Dear McDonalds,

I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to say it. I don't think things are working out...."

What I am suggesting is you ritualize the formal dropping of these places from your life. Make it real. Afterwards, celebrate your new life buy going out to get some good sushi or a very nice dessert somewhere. Yes, splurge, and even eat something you shouldn't... but make it real food, the kind that will thrill you more than the hollow offerings you got there. You are breaking up with these places because they offer unreal love. You need something more substantial. You wish them the best, and you hope they find what makes them happy (more fat customers and fat stockholders).

But you want something more, and you have to move on.

Besides, you won't want to show your face around there again after you hand that letter to the same kid who used to spit in your food.

I've lost 74lbs so far. My first act was to give up fast food. My second was to write those letters. Have fun with it, and stand up for yourself.

Fast food in the form of McDonalds, Burger King, and others like them really don't tempt me much anymore. The only exception would be Chick-Fil-A, because it's so gosh-darn-delicious. But even with that one, I rarely break down and go because I know how bad it is for you. I force myself to look up nutrition information, and when I find out that my favorite meal is, for example, 1,000 calories, it's a HUGE eye-opener. Think of how many other things you can use those calories on!

My big pitfall is definitely eating out, however. My group of friends all love to go out to dinner, lunch, whatever, and it's near impossible to find anything on most menus that even approaches reasonably healthy eating. I agree with the previous posters that going cold-turkey is probably the best way to do it. It's not easy, per se, but it doesn't take too long to get used to. And eventually it will get to the point where you really don't enjoy eating fast food, and you're not even tempted when your friends suggest going out for a bite.

I also agree with Jeremiah - I'm a huge fan of eating less more often. I've always been a big snacker, and I've been trying to use this to my advantage. I keep TONS of fruits on hand (I hate veggies, but if you like celery, carrots, etc, those are great options), as well as protein bars like CLIF bars. I find that I'm actually hungry for a small snack almost every two hours, so I try to limit the calories to around 200. But I've also found that when it comes time for my "big" meals, I'm not really hungry for more than a snack sized portion. As someone who's has problems with portion control, this snacking definitely helps keep me from overeating because I'm famished after a long day with no food.

Good luck!

Personally I dont think any meal thats gonna cost me 1000+ calories is worth it. I don't remember who told me this on here but think of every fast food item as a number(the amount of calories). Those numbers make me shudder when I know I can have alot more of something healthier for much less calories.

I still go to fast foods. *ducks from things being thrown*

I've just strayed away from the fatty things at these places. A lot of the places have some really good salads or lower calorie sandwiches. You can still go through the drive thru, just make a better decision when you order. Instead of that Big Mac or Whopper, get a BLT Grilled Chicken Salad!

I have learned not to deprive yourself from these things cold turkey. Because that'll just make you want them even more. Still allow time for you to get these things (in moderation).

Well, maybe if you avoid sodas and potatos on McDonalds and BK and others you feel better....

I still think it's a bad thing eating out that is. I pass a McDonalds and I truly think about getting something but you must have will! It's just bad temptation to go to McDonalds to get a salad. I mean really who goes to golden coral just for salad? Or even something remotely healthy?

I've not had too hard of a time ordering salads and other "healthy" options at fast food outlets, but, lately, I like to think of my not patronizing these places as more of a political statement.

I am not going to support The Machine that is fast food. I will not send a message to them that it's okay to make unhealthy food and market it directly to our children. It's not okay for them to sell so much beef--a land-intensive food product (they're cutting down rainforests in Brazil to make room for grazing cows). And so on...

It makes me feel nice and self-righteous when I drive on past the 4 way stop with a fast food joint on every corner. For what it's worth.

Ugh! I know what you mean. Eating out isn't healthy for anyone.. My husband and I are trying to kick the habit and start eating healthier, but, I'm pregnant.. and lots of times it's just so much easier to pick up the phone and order a pizza, or run through the drive thru, than cook dinner.

However, for us, something that has helped is when we go shopping, we try and get as much fresh food as possible. Now, fast food and even frozen foods have started tasting bad.

The only frozen foods we buy now are these vegetarian dinners and pizzas from WalMart that are made by Amy's Kitchen. They're really really good, and have really helped me out when I don't feel like cooking.

Well, I don't know if that will help, but good luck!

-Raen

Wow guys! Fantastic responses!

I really appreciate all of your suggestions and encouragement. I agree that watching film Supersize Me and reading the book Fast Food Nation can help, but habits are habits and need to be unlearned. Good habits need to be formed and therein lies the dilemma.

How many times have we all understood something academically, but in practical terms, it proved a more difficult concept to grasp; especially so when it comes to habit. This is why there is a multi-billion dollar industry to tackle such a topic.

And that is part of the reason why I posted the question here. I like to read about how other people have worked on their bad habits and reinforced good ones.

It really would seem that cold turkey is the best way for myself. I have tried the whole weaning thing, but it's too easy to fall off the wagon, and then, eat the wagon.

So bring on more tips and suggestions, they are awesome!

you know how you always end up buying stuff you don't need when you haven't eaten and you go grocery shopping, but when you're full you only have the desire to buy what you need? I apply the same principle to eating out and fast food in general.

As soon as I saw supersize me, i went to macdonalds and bought a big mac meal... just to see how disgusting it was ! And it was ! Never going back to maccy d's...

for me it's the definite 'quick fix' if I let myself get too hungry. So, I avoid that now wherever possible - and as a result I haven't had any fast food for ages.

I think it's a case of identifying your own 'call to action' over wanting fast food and then working to avoid that scenario.

As a visitor to the US, I do find it really hard to get good food sometimes though - even some of the restaurants seem to server pretty unhealthy stuff (this isn't the same in the main coastal cities generally I guess).

My saving grace has been Clif Bars. My fast food habit has usually been due to the temptation to grab something on the way home from work because I get off work at 6:30 pm and feel lazy, tired and hungry. What I do now is that I eat a Clif Bar late in the afternoon and I'm not starving when I leave work.

If I am on the go, another trick I do is going to a convenience store where they have ready-made sandwiches. I know that they may not entirely be as healthy as Subway, but they aren't as unhealthy as a Big Mac either.

Fast food definitely didn't make me gain weight, so I might not be the right person to ask - but I really think the 'fast food' you prepare yourself tastes way better. The only exception, of course, being Pizza Hut. ;P

You can easily make healthy pizzas, hamburgers, fajitas, tacos and so on in your own kitchen. But yeah, I acknowledge the problem: it's not as convenient as the drive-through.

The best way to avoid eating the wrong things, I think, is PLANNING ahead. Make a complete menu for the week and stick to it. Planning ahead really helps with grocery shopping, too. Plus, you can always count on feeling lazy at least one night a week - just prepare something delicious during the weekend and freeze it. On Lazy Day, voilà! The food's already there, and you just have to prepare a salad or something equally simple to go with it.