So I have been doing really well this week (well, other than the memorial day burgers and brats from the grill ). I had a Fiber One meal bar for breakfast, a small apple for morning snack, and brought my old faithful chicken breast and steamed veggies for lunch. Drinking my black coffee with Splenda and ice water. I guess because today is day 3 of being back on plan, I am craving a fast food lunch like CRAZY!!! I'm trying to find ways to distract myself from this feeling and ensure that I eat my healthy food. I know I will feel bad after eating fried food, I know it won't be worth it. But the brain and the belly don't always agree, do they?

No, they don't! Chin up, you can do it... Maybe grab something with some satiating power, like some nuts or cheese or veggies with a dip with a little fat in it? That might hit those receptors...

Good luck!

I know what you mean. I try to think about the gross aspects of the fast food. Like the grease on the bun. How the buns are always sorta dry, flavorless sponges. How the meat never looks totally right. How the salty fries sorta burn the corners of my mouth and make my fingers feel gross.

Funny, we never crave propylene glycol, ammonia and connective tissue!

Top 8 Disgusting Facts About Fast Food
1. Chicken McNuggets.
In actuality, there is very little chicken in the nuggets.[1] Samples from two fast food chains contained mostly fat, connective tissue, and bones.
In addition, since the nuggets are stored frozen until ready for use, lots of chemicals are poured into them to keep them “fresh”, like TBHQ (t-butylhydroquinone)—its constituents are acetone, alcohol, and ethyl acetate. One study on the safety of this compound showed vision impairment in humans; liver enlargement and acute neurotoxic effects including convulsions and paralysis in animals.[2]

2. Coca cola
One can of regular (red) Coke contains ten teaspoons of sugar—more than the amount of sugar recommended by the World Health Organization for an entire day. Some people vomit at this level of sugar.

3. Hair
A few years ago, one Kentucky Fried Chicken employee admitted to putting pubic hair in the order of a customer whom she found to be offensive. While we don’t expect that to be a common menu item, consumers of processed food can expect to ingest plenty of hair in the form of L-cysteine—an amino acid used as a dough conditioner. The type added to commercial food is sourced from human and animal hair and feathers.

4. McDonald’s Milkshakes
The milkshakes at McDonald’s are a handful of ingredients, most of which sound fairly benign (if you exclude the coloring and preservatives). Among those is “artificial flavor.” What this serves to do is provide a generic bucket into which can be dumped anything and any number of things, like butyric acid (found in rancid butter and vomit), ethyl valerate (green apple flavor derived via a chemical process), and isobutyl anthranilate (when heated, it emits toxic fumes and is “probably” combustible)[3]—all much more difficult to pronounce than “strawberry”.

5. Fast food hamburgers and hot dogs contain “pink slime”—ammonium hydroxide.
“…more delicately known as ‘lean finely textured beef trimmings’, this product is made from connective tissue (versus meat muscle) and fat, and is treated with ammonium hydroxide…Currently the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers this process safe enough to allow the resulting product to be added to ground beef. However, current regulations don’t require that companies disclose use of this ingredient on meat labels.”[4]

It’s animal parts mixed with water and ammonia…don’t bottles of ammonia have that little skull and crossbones symbol on them? While McDonald’s promised to remove ammonium hydroxide from their hamburgers after an exposé a few years ago, it’s unknown whether they actually have done so.

6. Fast Food Salads.
Lettuce is often treated with propylene glycol—a chemical also used in antifreeze—to help keep it fresh. Some have even more fat and sodium than a Big Mac.

7. FDA-approved Contaminants
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publishes allowances for contaminants in a wide variety of foods, including an average of 30 insect pieces and one or more rodent hairs in 100g of peanut butter. Also approved is the use of bacteriophages to act as microbial agents on processed foods; yes, they add live viruses to your food to keep bacteria from developing and making it spoil.

8. Processed Cheese
More aptly called “cheese-colored chemicals”, only slightly over half of what you buy that’s called “processed cheese” is actual cheese made from milk.[5] There are distinctions among labelling a product “pasteurized process cheese food” (51 percent), “pasteurized process cheese product” (less than 51 percent), and “imitation cheese” (no cheese content) all having to do with the amount of real cheese ingredients.

I make burgers or nuggets regularly, as well as baked fries!

I shred vegetables (spinach, zucchini, mushroom, squash, etc) into my lean burgers and my chicken nuggets and stick them in the freezer, so I always have food readily available for us. The vegetables cut the calories because with 1lb of meat, I can make 6 burgers instead of 4, cuts cost, and gives us a boost of nutrition.

Is it that your diet of chicken and veggies is just too plain? I urge you to check out some blogs and find what you like:

www.skinnytaste.com
www.cookinglight.com
www.slenderkitchen.com
www.eatingwell.com

It doesn't sound like your getting enough calories or nutrition. You'd be better off having scrambled eggs with veggies and them and half a piece of some healthy toast (if you really need that carb kick). I eat bacon, eggs with veggies almost daily. The apple is good. Have you tried carrots or sliced bell peppers with hummus? It helps me get that crunch and fat I need.
I'm not going to lie though, I still eat chicken mcnuggets with hot mustard sauce every great once in a while. I don't get fries and I don't get soda. Then I feel like crap an hour later and remember why I quit eating all that stuff.

Eat the lunch you brought and see how you feel afterwards! It's probably just the hunger talking.

Well everyone, I did it. Baked chicken with broccoli, carrots, and red and yellow bell peppers for lunch with ONE Hershey's kiss for dessert. I know what my issue is: I have yet to get into the routine of healthy eating yet. I'm used to eating whatever I want for lunch - normally poor choices. And we all know that fast food is addictive. Once I do this for a week or two I won't even miss the fast food. I thrive on routine. Thankfully I can't stomach sodas - for some reason that combination of sugar, caffeine, and carbonation makes me want to hurl. So that's not something I struggle with.

Now to go home after work and cook the salmon and rice I have planned. Maybe with a salad? YUM!!!

Given that you get up and eat sugar, followed by more (fruit) sugar, and nothing of any value until lunch, I would suspect THAT is why you're craving.

If you happen to have a carb sensitivity (and I don't know if you do, but if you have junk food cravings, you might), I agree with a couple of others that a Fiber One bar will not be as good as something like eggs in the morning, and nuts (if you're not allergic) would be better than an apple for a snack. If you don't have time to make eggs, hard-boil some when you do have time and grab a couple of those out of the fridge in the morning. Of course, if quick-burning carbs aren't causing your cravings, you'll just have to battle your cravings out! You did a great job doing that today! Good luck, Angie!

You're doing a great job. The cravings are real. Fill yourself with protein fiber. Try to cut as much sugar as you can in the beginning. I think that helps with the craving situation. Stick with your lunches inseatd of fast food and think of it more as of you saving money. Keep up the good work.

I hate cravings. Gotta beat those bad boys into submission. I always think of this when I'm fighting a craving (honesty, every time, this is what imagine) - if you can skip to minute 11:00 and watch five seconds, that's what I keep in mind: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xi9L2wwnz0c "Why won't you die?!" I just beat those cravings with my shovel.

Those Fiber One bars are very yummy, but you can eat a lot of fruits and/or veggies for the same amount of calories. You'll get the fiber (probably more) as well as vitamins and minerals and you'll feel a lot fuller. If you want to try that.

Great job!! These are some things that usually help me with cravings. Not always haha but quite often!

- drinking water
(Seriously, this kills hunger so much! I'm often just dehydrated and thinking of food for some reason.)

- time my meals
(This is always the best for me! Since I know I'm having my snack at, say, 4, I'll look forward to my apple and cereal bar and just think about the next healthy meal I'm having instead of what I could be slipping up with!)

- chewing on a small amount of raisins
(For my sweet tooth, if it's really crazy...or some acai or banana. Any sweet fruit, really!)

- tic-tacs or gum
(If it's going to take awhile until I get to my next meal. I won't eat anything if it's going to be mixed with the mint taste in my mouth!)

- prepare some activity after dinner
(I'm a late-night snacker...so I make myself read a book and reach a certain point or finish a drawing.)

- painting my nails
(I'm not too patient with this haha but I don't even think of getting a snack if my nails aren't dry!)

- mental reminders of my goals
(Sometimes that's all you can do. :P)

Hope this can help someone!

This is a great list--Thanks wendybirdx!

Yep cravings can be hard-especially the first week. I know this sounds crazy but sniffing grapefruit essential oil from a vial I kept around my neck and also EFT (tapping) helped me tons. There is also a book called " 50 ways to self soothe Without Food." chock full f tricks. They are all on my blog and more- I'm sending you straight to the one on aromatherapy here: (http://www.fairysredcolordiet.com/bl...and-weightloss)