Fast Food Withdrawal....This is killing me...Anyone else??
I started my journey from "fat to fabulous" yet again and am about 3 days in when the sickness sets in. And when I say "sickness" I mean it. It's seems as bad as alcohol withdrawal. I start sweating and getting clammy, my head pounds like someone is hitting it with a hammer, I get dizzy and can't focus. It happened this morning and I was at a loss. Instead of sucking it up I ran out for a sausage biscuit and a Diet DP. Course now even with the headache gone I feel like crap (bloated & lazy). Has this happened to anyone else? How did you get past it? The headache alone is enough to keep me in bed for days when the withdrawal sets in. HELP!!!
-Melissa
Last edited by Reborn2Shine; 06-30-2012 at 11:55 AM.
Have you tried making your own version of what you would buy from fast food restaurants? You can make the sausage biscuit yourself at home with healthier ingredients, etc. I love McDonald's snack wraps, but I've been making my own at home with healtheir foods, now. Definitely give it a try and see if you like what you can do with something.
Last edited by ShetlandSheepdogLove; 06-30-2012 at 02:03 PM.
I have never heard of anyone suffering fast food withdrawls but I suppose it could be possible on a psychological level and so great that it turns into physical symptoms. I doubt this is what is happening.
What were you eating before you started "dieting" and what were you eating during the last three days?
What was your caffeine intake like previously compared to the last three days.
You can eat fast food and still lose weight. Calories dictate fat loss or gain.
You didn't get obese overnight and you're not going to be fit and fabulous overnight either. Sounds like you're one of those people who do better with slow to moderate change rather than massive change.
I've never experienced a withdrawal like that from anything other than caffeine or eating any food at all. Have you been eating enough calories to stop your blood sugar from crashing? Have you suddenly stopped or drastically reduced your caffeine intake?
At any rate, there's nothing wrong with some diet dr. pepper in a weight loss plan. A single sausage biscuit doesn't have to spell the end of a diet. Food choices aren't as black and white as that.
No one says you need to do this as a complete overhaul. Small changes make big differences. You have to fail sometimes to find out where your limits are.
I took a look at your 3fc blog and if I'm reading it right, you went out for an early walk with your dogs with plenty of water on a high heat day and had plenty of water. Did you eat breakfast? Because the symptoms that you experienced are pretty common for me when I am undernourished for the activity that I'm doing. If I don't have a snack with me then of course, the temptation to head for the nearest fast food place is very tempting.
If you did eat breakfast, what did you eat?
I think John is on to something with the question regarding caffeine.
Also, have you checked your blood sugar by any chance?
I ate fast food for over 20 years on a very regular basis. I stopped cold turkey five years ago but never experienced anything like this. Hope you feel better soon.
Thanks everyone for your help. I was a fast food addict until last week. This included fast food at least twice a day with very little physical activity. Not a big caffeine junky but definately had my share. I would tend to lean on the idea that it probably was caffeine withdrawal that hit this morning. Also, Spinach, you are probably right about being undernourished. I did not eat breakfast before I left the house this morning. I just thought I would be okay until we got back. Guess that was not such a wise idea. Again, I am new to all of this and really appreciate the help. No one ever taught me about nutrition and I am learning as I go. Thanks everyone!!
I used to eat fast food all the time - sometimes twice a day like you. It was just so easy to get and I was never a big cook.
I can tell you that eventually those cravings went away for me. It didn't happen overnight, but probably took a couple of months. I can even sit in a car when someone else has fries and not be tempted by the smell of it.
I'm no doctor, but I tend to think it has something to do with carb/sugar addiction. I still eat carbs and sugar now, but nowhere near what I used to. I do also notice that when I do eat a lot of carbs or sugar it just makes me want more.
I hope it turns out to be the same for you. I'd be pretty positive though as I've heard the same things from others here on the board.
I've tried giving up diet pop and did for maybe a month, but that ended pretty quick. I'm sure it's not good for you, however, it has not made a difference either way in my weight loss. One step at a time I guess.
BTW - big bottles of ibuprofen help out a lot in the beginning
Thank you soooo much...I went searching and found this amazing article about "high sugar fast foods" being addictive. I am going to post this and hopefully not get in trouble
"John Hoebel, a psychologist at Princeton University in New Jersey, is interested in whether it is possible to become dependent on the natural opioids released when you eat a large amount of sugar. Along with a team of physiologists from the University of the Andes in Merida, Venezuela, Hoebel recently showed that rats fed a diet containing 25 percent sugar are thrown into a state of anxiety when the sugar is removed. Their symptoms included chattering teeth and the shakes -- similar, he says, to those seen in people withdrawing from nicotine or morphine. "The implication is that some animals -- and by extension some people -- can become overly dependent on sweet food," says Hoebel. "The brain is getting addicted to its own opioids as it would morphine or heroin. Drugs give a bigger effect, but it's essentially the same process."
-Excerpt from Burgers on the Brain: Can You Really Get Addicted to Fast Food?
The Evidence is Piling Up, and the Lawyers are Rubbing Their Hands. New Scientist 2/2003
Now.....I know i am no rat, but it seems very possible that quiting cold turkey could give some people withdrawal symptoms. But, I am moving forward and that is the whole point.....Getting past it sounds like a plan to me. And i will be picking up a bottle of ibuprofen TODAY )
My only "addiction" is Mexican food. I allow myself to have it once a week just as long as it's within my caloric allowance for the day...there's no way I could give up everything otherwise I'd be miserable. I never drink calories so that's a big help right there. More than likely you're having caffeine withdrawl from all the soda. That will do it but eventually the headaches will stop.
I agree with John, slow changes otherwise you might get overwhelmed.
second trying to make your own healthier versions of things... Don't be afraid to try a turkey or veggie burger and cutting up a sweet potato to make your own fries, it might curb your cravings and you might find it even keeps you fuller longer.
Now.....I know i am no rat, but it seems very possible that quiting cold turkey could give some people withdrawal symptoms.
Yes, but not from fast food itself. Fast food has no remarkable properties.
It could very easily going through sugar type of withdrawl but this is not the same thing as "fast food addiction" causing the withdrawls. Unless you're drinking regular soda or big shakes with all the burgers and fries there is not enough simple sugars in fast food to cause this reaction you're describing.
It's easy to point the finger at a single thing (fast food) as the problem but it undoubtably is multifactoral.
So if you want help - I'll ask again. What were you eating before you started "dieting" and what were you eating during the last three days?
Every one is different, but maybe cold turkey is not the way to go for you. Maybe small changes are more likely to help you succeed.
Maybe yoy can start by cutting down to a side salad with low cal dressing and no fries. This was my approach and I have done very well. Slowly add in more changes as you go.
Fast Food Withdrawal....This is killing me...Anyone else??
and am about 3 days in when the sickness sets in. And when I say "sickness" I mean it.
It's seems as bad as alcohol withdrawal. I start sweating and getting clammy, my head pounds like someone is hitting it with a hammer, I get dizzy and can't focus. It happened this morning and I was at a loss. Instead of sucking it up I ran out for a sausage biscuit and a Diet DP. Course now even with the headache gone I feel like crap (bloated & lazy)
. Has this happened to anyone else? How did you get past it? The headache alone is enough to keep me in bed for days when the withdrawal sets in. HELP!!!
)
