How to satisfy fast food cravings without fast food?

[Anonymous]

Find ways to make similar items at home
Allow take out x times per month and look into the nutrition if the food and choose a “healthier” option.

[Anonymous]

NP. Sorry, but all these suggestions for homemade versions are nonsense. They are not "the same" or even nearly so, and they don't satisfy the craving for a specific fast food. Those who are satisfied by this method apparently already don't eat fast food or rarely do and just don't have the same experiences people like OP and I do.

Nevertheless, OP: (1) the more you "just say no" and keep on driving by - not through - that drive thru when you're hungry or craving it, you will eventually crave it much less. It requires a deliberate mental thought and decision-making process. Do you "really" want that particular food because you are really craving it, or because you are hungry and it's faster and tastes good? Were you longing for that specific food well before you saw the restaurant? Were you thinking "I'm STARVING and have to eat something before I get home and can get something made - and therefore you're just searching for a fast solution?

Ask yourself, "Do I really really want to eat that?" If you have eaten well all week and know you'll get right back on track because this one indulgence will satisfy a real craving, go for it -- in small proportions. The kids' meal, or just the sandwich and not the fries, or the sandwich and fries but no soda, or...

This is how I frequently avoid the regret of fast food and have maintained my greatly-reduced soda consumption. If I have a taste for it, I keep saying no until I'm absolutely sure that yes, I do indeed want a soda. I can tell it's a real craving if I'm still thinking about having it 3 days after the first craving. If I don't succumb right away, the craving more often than not disappears by the next day, if not within a few hours or as soon as I've eaten something else with water and not soda.

It takes time to break habits and to lose the taste for certain foods. If you're only doing this on occasion, then so what? If this is a ore regular thing for you, start by forcing yourself to say no and keep driving past. Then do it again the next time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. Sorry, but all these suggestions for homemade versions are nonsense. They are not "the same" or even nearly so, and they don't satisfy the craving for a specific fast food. Those who are satisfied by this method apparently already don't eat fast food or rarely do and just don't have the same experiences people like OP and I do.

Nevertheless, OP: (1) the more you "just say no" and keep on driving by - not through - that drive thru when you're hungry or craving it, you will eventually crave it much less. It requires a deliberate mental thought and decision-making process. Do you "really" want that particular food because you are really craving it, or because you are hungry and it's faster and tastes good? Were you longing for that specific food well before you saw the restaurant? Were you thinking "I'm STARVING and have to eat something before I get home and can get something made - and therefore you're just searching for a fast solution?

Ask yourself, "Do I really really want to eat that?" If you have eaten well all week and know you'll get right back on track because this one indulgence will satisfy a real craving, go for it -- in small proportions. The kids' meal, or just the sandwich and not the fries, or the sandwich and fries but no soda, or...

This is how I frequently avoid the regret of fast food and have maintained my greatly-reduced soda consumption. If I have a taste for it, I keep saying no until I'm absolutely sure that yes, I do indeed want a soda. I can tell it's a real craving if I'm still thinking about having it 3 days after the first craving. If I don't succumb right away, the craving more often than not disappears by the next day, if not within a few hours or as soon as I've eaten something else with water and not soda.

It takes time to break habits and to lose the taste for certain foods. If you're only doing this on occasion, then so what? If this is a ore regular thing for you, start by forcing yourself to say no and keep driving past. Then do it again the next time.

PS If it really is just the salt and sugar, your craving would be satisfied by any salty or sugary food you concoct at home.

[Anonymous]

Just get a fast food meal every once in a while. Nothing is going to happen if you have this 3-4 times a year.

[Anonymous]

Kids meal from Chik Fil A - 2 tenders, small mac n cheese, diet Arnold Palmer, and an ice dream in a cup

I also like Jersey Mike’s sub in a tub. Those are my go to meals when the cravings hit or I’m on the road

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just get a fast food meal every once in a while. Nothing is going to happen if you have this 3-4 times a year.

Totally agree though I think OP may be doing this more frequently?

Just think of it as "road food." It would never occur to me to just pop into a McDonalds or Taco Bell in day to day life, but I'll be damned if I'm not getting a soda and fries at a rest stop at 2am on an 11 her drive. I guess just take it out of your repertoire? There's so many better versions of this stuff anyways, no reason to go for the fast food hamburger and fries when you can go to a pub for the real deal and it's at least not pink slime...

[Anonymous]

Try a Boca burger with American cheese and pickles at home. McDonald’s uses a lot of soy to plump up their burgers so the taste and texture is actually shockingly similar.

[Anonymous]

You have to experiment a little to find alternatives you enjoy at the fast food places. At taco bell, try the Cantina Chicken Bowl. At Chick Fil A, try the grilled nuggets (my go-to order: grilled nuggets, kale salad, diet lemonade... plus chick fil a sauce, of course! This is easy bc I dont think the Chick Fil A fries are very good). When I was on a no-carb diet years ago I discovered the salads at Subway taste better than the subs. I always order the Italian, with all of the vegetables and just balsamic vinegar. I really don't have an alternative for McDonalds - i think you need to skip it or have it in moderation (i.e., when you're in a pinch on a road trip). You can't even get a salad there any more!

[Anonymous]

I make milkshakes at home, and bake sweet potato fries. Then I let myself indulge once a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. Sorry, but all these suggestions for homemade versions are nonsense. They are not "the same" or even nearly so, and they don't satisfy the craving for a specific fast food. Those who are satisfied by this method apparently already don't eat fast food or rarely do and just don't have the same experiences people like OP and I do.

Nevertheless, OP: (1) the more you "just say no" and keep on driving by - not through - that drive thru when you're hungry or craving it, you will eventually crave it much less. It requires a deliberate mental thought and decision-making process. Do you "really" want that particular food because you are really craving it, or because you are hungry and it's faster and tastes good? Were you longing for that specific food well before you saw the restaurant? Were you thinking "I'm STARVING and have to eat something before I get home and can get something made - and therefore you're just searching for a fast solution?

Ask yourself, "Do I really really want to eat that?" If you have eaten well all week and know you'll get right back on track because this one indulgence will satisfy a real craving, go for it -- in small proportions. The kids' meal, or just the sandwich and not the fries, or the sandwich and fries but no soda, or...

This is how I frequently avoid the regret of fast food and have maintained my greatly-reduced soda consumption. If I have a taste for it, I keep saying no until I'm absolutely sure that yes, I do indeed want a soda. I can tell it's a real craving if I'm still thinking about having it 3 days after the first craving. If I don't succumb right away, the craving more often than not disappears by the next day, if not within a few hours or as soon as I've eaten something else with water and not soda.

It takes time to break habits and to lose the taste for certain foods. If you're only doing this on occasion, then so what? If this is a ore regular thing for you, start by forcing yourself to say no and keep driving past. Then do it again the next time.

OP, the above is a real fast fooder and the rest of the people don't understand fast food cravings.

For me, I negotiate with myself. If I'm craving something hard, I will tell myself that I can get something small to satisfy my craving (just a sandwich or fry, etc) and then if I go workout for X amount of time, I can go back and get the entire meal. This is my trade tactic.

Or, I try to make as many excuses as possible. Oh, I can't go to [insert favorite place] because it will put me behind in picking up my kiddos, so I'll go next time. This is my delay tactic.

Or, sometimes I use the alcohol rule (never drink alone). It's so hard to find a family member to go with me to get fast food so the idea gets shot down.

Good luck OP! I still love fast food but the strategies above that the PP wrote and trying to trick or negotiate with yourself are helpful in reducing the number of visits. For what it's worth, I've been able to lose weight and still enjoy fast food.

[Anonymous]

In addition to what has been said about dealing w/ short term cravings, I will say this -- the longer you go eating a mostly clean diet, the less often your cravings for this sort of food will happen. When you have been consuming high-quality, fresh foods for a long time, highly-processed foods like fast food start to be really unappealing. Try to focus on keeping 80-90% of your food intake focused on protein, fiber, fresh vegetables, and fruits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In addition to what has been said about dealing w/ short term cravings, I will say this -- the longer you go eating a mostly clean diet, the less often your cravings for this sort of food will happen. When you have been consuming high-quality, fresh foods for a long time, highly-processed foods like fast food start to be really unappealing. Try to focus on keeping 80-90% of your food intake focused on protein, fiber, fresh vegetables, and fruits.

I agree with this. That said, the minutes spent devouring a double-decker taco supreme or two on a roadtrip are to be cherished.

[Anonymous]

OP I would watch documentaries on the fast food industry. Movies like “supersize me” and that one which showed how McD’s burgers are made from pink goo. It’ll cure your cravings (at least it did for me).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I would watch documentaries on the fast food industry. Movies like “supersize me” and that one which showed how McD’s burgers are made from pink goo. It’ll cure your cravings (at least it did for me).

“Food, Inc.” is another one.

[Anonymous]

I like to make those frozen hash browns in the air fryer and have them with an egg for a decadent breakfast. A little hot sauce and maybe even a bit of sour cream. Works for breakfast cravings. Fish sticks in the air fryer sometimes for a dinner cravings,