I was having fast food so much that I got sick of it long before I started dieting again. When I was still with my ex and living in Wisconsin, we had a Burger King right down the street and he brought it home nearly every day. Even the thought of it still makes me sick to my stomach, and it's been about 6 years now! :dizzy:

I used to eat a lot of Jack in the Box when I moved to Nevada, since it was a completely new experience for me. But I can't stand that anymore either. In-N-Out & Sonic were new to me as well but I've only been to them a handful of times.

I still like McDonald's on occasion, as I sorta prefer the dryer, blander flavor they have with their plain burgers. ;) I sometimes will get an Egg McMuffin for breakfast, and they seem to have some of the best fast food salads. :p Taco Bell is good once in a while, but I haven't had any since I started dieting again since there's so much sodium (and I'm not even watching sodium)! I like the chili from Wendy's but not much else. And of course there's always Subway, which is also good once in a while. :)

I agree that the big chain restaurants like Applebee's are probably worse overall than fast food. Huge portions of high calorie, high sodium fare, in the guise of being healthier just because you're being seated and served. :p I admittedly still eat at a lot of places like that even now, but I walk in with the knowledge of what's "safe" for me to order and have been doing fine with that so far. :D

I'm constantly amazed at how our society is inundated with these fat and calorie-rich foods that are so unhealthy for us. Not just the fast-food places like McDonald's and Taco Bell, but places like Appelby's, Olive Garden, etc. Their burgers and dishes can be much worse than the fast-food shacks. It's as if society is trying its best to get us as fat as possible.

Originally Posted by tricon7:
I'm constantly amazed at how our society is inundated with these fat and calorie-rich foods that are so unhealthy for us. Not just the fast-food places like McDonald's and Taco Bell, but places like Appelby's, Olive Garden, etc. Their burgers and dishes can be much worse than the fast-food shacks. It's as if society is trying its best to get us as fat as possible.

Of course they are! Don't you know this is all a big game? Society/the government doesn't care about our health; they care about the big dollar. More people being overweight = more people having health problems = more people going to doctors = more doctors getting more money. They don't want to keep you OUT of the doctor's office; they want to keep you in there! Otherwise, ya know, they wouldn't be able to have that nice yacht in their lazy river. XD

Originally Posted by threenorns:
yeah - that's what gets me into trouble. i'm highly responsive to taste or something bec if something tastes that good, i just want to keep eating it.

it's better i just leave things plain, plain, plain.

I struggle with this at home more than when I am out, my daily foods have to taste good but I diffuse the highly palatable starch/sugar/fat combo that makes me crave. I won't lie though, I love to eat and don't have an off button with many foods, so I have to just measure out a sufficient portion and say no to more if I am not genuinely hungry, and that was a SLOW process (it took a couple of years).

By normal American standards my food is actually somewhat plain, too. An apple, some pumpkin with spices and a little heavy cream, coconut creamed spinach, a tin of kippered herring, and a piece of dark chocolate (super dark, 85+ percent cocoa and minimal sugar) is a huge and filling lunch for me of about 600 calories. It is very satisfying and tastes great, but the foods, themselves, aren't the type that cause tons of cravings or that I can eat huge amounts of without stopping. They're also on the plain side - no breading or sweets, for example. But it strikes the balance of having tons of nutrition, complex flavors, and a very satiating nutrient profile with the fiber, fat, protein, etc.

You just have to find the balance that works for you - there are a few very healthy dishes I can't prepare regularly (like homemade bulgogi or sweet potato fries) without way overdoing it. So those yellow light foods are saved for the occasional treat once a month or so. And some, like Coldstone icecream, are a once-a-year-and-not-brought-home thing, because I have no self control and it makes my body unhappy, to boot. There is nothing wrong with (and in fact I endorse) keeping daily diets nutritional, simple, and deliciously flavored but not craving inducing, and saving the richer or more addictive fare for holidays or the occasional date.

There's a whole lot of foods that just don't come in the door of my house, along with a few recipes 'forget' are in my collection ;)

I still love fast food, haha. I just avoid it completely and cook at home. Occasionally I'll splurge but its very rare, I think the last time I had fast food was around December.

I can't eat out without anxiety about the portion sizes. I always split my meals at the casual dining chains before I get started eating. Either I feed both children or put it in a to go box.