I sadly admit to also loving McD's. And hating it at the same time. I hate what they stand for, I hate that my kids clamor to play in the pee-filled feet-smelling tubes, I hate how they market to children with the evil Meat Clown. What the heck is it with all these healthy athletic kids in the McD's ads? That infuriates me. No, eating McD's will NOT give you fuel to do rad skating tricks.
But I love me a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and fries.
Hypocrit that I am.
I went last night and ordered a kid's cheeseburger meal (with small fries). Around 600 calories, which was well within my calorie range for the day. So part of me thinks...what's the harm occaisionally?
BUT it sets off cravings. I want MORE salty fatty food. It seems to take me several days to really get back on track after going there.
My son LOVES McD's as well. I do not take him there as a "treat." I am trying my hardest to ingrain in him that eating crap is NOT a "treat."
I don't have near the gut reaction to other fast food places as I do McD's, I admit. Wendy's is ok...their chili is pretty good and only 200 calories. I love Subway and hardly count them since it's pretty healthy except for the bread, which I wish they'd change.
heheh it's funny, but I'm in Canada and McD's started cooking their fries without the trans fat oil and they aren't the same anymore! they aren't nearly as good and greasy and salty! heheheh awesome!
I look at mcdonalds as alcohol if i was an alcoholic. An alcoholic can't have 2 drinks a week, they have to go cold turkey, and I did too. I just can't eat a little of it, so I gave it up entirely. It's been since January but it was hard at first.
I was a Taco Bell regular! The noon drive thru cashier recognized my voice and knew what I wanted. She would finish my order for me, I was that predictable! Then I got hooked on Bojangle's chicken supremes...sigh...with a large tea and 2 cinnamon twists. I don't want to know the calorie content, but at $7.50 for a lunch, I had to give it up. I need that money to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. If I want something from a fast food joint, I will get it, IF I have the calories available for it. Considering the high calorie content, thats not likely to happen. I fill my day with good foods and use all my calories every day!
A fave Friday night treat is a Subway salad with chicken breast added to it. Yummy, filling and low cal! A McD's 4 pc nugget is 4 points, if I remember correctly. Bojangles had buffalo bites, that are not that bad either.
In the end, the choice is yours. But I think you are on the right track by beginning to cook at home. The more you do it, the easier it gets....and the less appealing fast food will become.
PinkHoodie:Could you tell me how you managed to free yourself from a softdrink addiction? I too have a huge problem with both drinking Cokes and eating out. I also love sweet tea. When I drink water with a meal I feel like I'm being cheated because water doesn't have much of a flavor...even if you add lemon. I think it is great if you can eat a salad with no dressing. If you could leave off the fries I see nothing wrong with those types of fast food
PraisenGod- I just stopped drinking it. Yes, water has NO taste after pop. But, I just have a whole bunch of water bottles that I fill every night, so I have a nice and cold and refreshing bottle waiting for me. Another thing to consider, if you don't like the taste of your water, is invest in some type of filter. I have one of those Pur water filters right on my tap. I put water by me all day long, and weirdly enough, I subconsiously grab it, and chug it down. Once I started drinking water, thats when everything that was puffy gradually came down. Its hard to get off addictions, I would just work on one at a time. That's why I am focusing on fast food, and trying to work through that.
There are still times I want to puke, rather then drink my water, but I have started letting myself have a Crystal Light with dinner, as long as I have drank as much as I should. And then usually have a huge bottle of water after dinner. It helps curb my appetite too. Now I really don't have a taste for anything BUT Crystal Light or just plain old water!
You can do it though, just try. Then you can start to understand what will work the best for you!
ps... hubby started working in a meat prossesing plant... where they make hanburger patties.... watching it be done with all the mess he swore off red meat and the thought of burgers.... thats what fixed him! Visit a meat plant!
That was the chapter in Fast Food Nation that has gotten me completely, completely off of the fast food. When they described in vivid detail about the meat plants it made me want to hurl. Fat, sodium, whatever... it's the meat that's so nasty.
heheh it's funny, but I'm in Canada and McD's started cooking their fries without the trans fat oil and they aren't the same anymore! they aren't nearly as good and greasy and salty! heheheh awesome!
Want to hear something really gross? The reason McD's fries used to taste so good is because they were cooked in 7% vegetable oil and 93% beef tallow. Their fries actually used to have more saturated fat than their burgers. Ew.
Want to hear something really gross? The reason McD's fries used to taste so good is because they were cooked in 7% vegetable oil and 93% beef tallow. Their fries actually used to have more saturated fat than their burgers. Ew.
I think that if you could stop eating it for two weeks and then found what you felt like after eating it, I don't think you'd be as willing to eat it. Two weeks seems to break my food addictions, for example, ice cream or pizza, or something, I'm usually in control after two weeks, and can eat it if I want to, but won't have the craving every day for it. I just have to keep iron clad control on it.
Another thing I noticed is that if I took a break from eating my "bad" food, in my case, ice cream, and was eating mostly healthy food for two weeks, and and then had a bowl of ice cream, I felt so gross and sick. I had stomach cramps, the food felt like lead in my stomach, and I was in a bad mood the next day.
So, in my case, I took a break from ice cream and then when I finally did eat it, I noticed how I reacted to it. Fast food might work in the same way.
Yeah. It sort of has worked like that....I felt so gross the next morning. But still I turn back to that fast food! But I have gotten so many good ideas here, and I'm determined to NOT eat it at all. And if I'm really craving it, I am going to cook my OWN low cal version at home! Thanks SO much everyone!!! I appreciate all the time you have taken to answer my questions. It really helps and motivates me to keep going!!! You are all awesome!!!!!
I think that if you could stop eating it for two weeks and then found what you felt like after eating it, I don't think you'd be as willing to eat it. Two weeks seems to break my food addictions, for example, ice cream or pizza, or something, I'm usually in control after two weeks, and can eat it if I want to, but won't have the craving every day for it. I just have to keep iron clad control on it.
Can I just share a NSV here?
Last night I took my kids to McDonalds (as I mentioned above, it was the first time in 5 weeks they got to go there). I had an Asian Grilled Chicken salad. My 3-year-old daughter didn't eat her french fries. As they were playing in the playplace (husband was out of town so it helped kill time), I sat there next to those fries. I was really shocked when I realized I really didn't have that much of an interest in them! Not even one. Even sitting next to that McD's fries smell that I have grown up with as a comfort food.
I was really surprised at how little interest I had in them at the time, and I was very proud of myself as well. Maybe not being there for 5 weeks really did curb my craving for having it.
Though, I know if I did have it, I probably wouldn't have stopped at one fry because I think once I do have it, I'll keep having it, you know?
(Of course, this is not saying I'll never have McD's fries again, but for now, I'm content on not having any french fries)!
Last edited by Minty Fresh; 07-12-2007 at 12:58 PM.
The reason McD's fries used to taste so good is because they were cooked in 7% vegetable oil and 93% beef tallow. Their fries actually used to have more saturated fat than their burgers. Ew.
