Nowadays, fast food is an indispensable part of the life of many people. The tendency to eat such food has led to the fact that people began to search for efficient ways to deal with this harmful habit, particularly – this fast food’s harmful consequences. Although there are lots of reasons why you eat unhealthy food, it is important to understand that you can get rid of this habit if you really want to. And I’m here to help you today.
Method 1 of 6: Review your diet
1. Think about how often you visit places that sell fast food.
- Does it happen every day or several days a week?
- Do you admit that you happen to visit fast food restaurants several times a day?
2. Pay attention at what time of the day you visit fast food restaurants.
- Do you snack during the lunch break?
- Do you buy food after work with the expectation that you will not have to cook dinner at home?
- Do you make a stop at fast food restaurants in the morning to have breakfast?
- Do you feel a late night craving for fast food to such an extent that you have to get in the car and drive to the nearest fast food restaurants?
3. Think about what makes you stop at such places.
It is important to find the causes of your addiction to fast food since this is the first step to overcome the addiction.
Method 2 of 6: Start with the acceptance of the fact that you are addicted
1. After you’re done reviewing your diet, determine whether you have a serious addiction to fast food.
At any kind of addiction the most important thing is to accept the fact that you have it. As long as you are not aware and don’t want to admit it, it will be difficult for you to overcome it
2. Accept the fact that you will need to change your food habits.
3. Recognize that your problem is much more serious than you’ve expected. For most people this addiction is both physical and psychological. Great effort is needed to accept the fact that you have an addiction rather than to change the diet and food preferences.
Method 3 of 6: Conduct an investigation
1. Calculate how much money you spend on fast food.
Try to keep all checks, or pay for fast food only with your credit card, in such a way you get the opportunity to see how much you’ve spent over the past few weeks. You’ll be surprised how much money is spent on fast food. Think of how much hard-earned money you can save and buy much healthier food to cook at home.
2. Calculate how many calories you consume with junk food.
Compare with the number that would’ve consumed if you ate food cooked at home.
3. Think about what kind of food you prefer.
Do you prefer dishes made of cheese, milk, or perhaps red meat? If you have preferences to some specific products, it might be that your body is trying to tell you that it does not have enough amount of this particular food component. This usually occurs due to the deficiency of vitamins and minerals.
4. Distinguish how often you need these products.
If you feel a constant craving, you need to consult a doctor to find out a deficit.
Method 4 of 6: Create a plan
1. Think about how you will plan your time after you stop attending fast food restaurants.
Which products you will buy for cooking at home.
2. Take the choice of products seriously.
You can choose more healthy foods instead of the ones you eat at fast food restaurants. Do not hurry up, study the labels carefully, compare with other products, and choose the healthiest products available. First time this process might seem long and time-consuming, but afterwards you will learn how to identify the products that you really need, and the process of shopping will turn into a carefree journey. Remember, the fresher the product is, the higher in nutrients it is.
3. Replace foods that you usually buy with the healthier ones.
For instance, replace chips with nuts, bagels with oatmeal and candies with honey.
4. Perhaps you will feel certain changes in your body after stopping to consume some products.
Eating less sugar can lead to fatigue. If you’ve been a caffeine addict, its absence will cause headaches and other unpleasant side effects (trust me, been there, done that). Your body will adapt to the changes in a few days.
Method 5 of 6: Exclude some ingredients
1. First of all, eliminate carbonated beverages from your diet.
For many people it can be very challenging. Avoid drinking any soda beverages. Caffeine use is no better than regular soda drinking. If this step is difficult for you, start gradually. You can start reducing carbonated drinks consumption by replacing them with healthier choices gradually. Continue this until you feel great (well, at least until you feel comfortable) without soda.
2. Stop bringing home unhealthy snacks, replace them with healthy foods.
By including new ingredients and products in your diet, you adjust to new tastes. You can even discover something new.
Method 6 from 6: forming new habits
1. Carry healthy snacks with you,
Remember that you only need to suppress the hunger. Do not let your snack become a complete meal. If this is a problem for you, take a limited amount of money with you that will be enough to spend only for a light snack.
Keep nuts in your car (or something like that) to have a snack.
Purchase a small refrigerator, or a special package to store refrigerated products. It’s a great way to avoid stopping at fast food restaurants. Keep there yogurt, fresh fruit or carrots, all of which will help you control hunger till you return home.
2. You can cheat every once in a while.
If you really crave a certain product that will be harmful to your body, you can take a small portion of it. You should not buy the whole box, but rather only one package of that favorite food product.
If you cannot buy only one small package, eat only a small portion. The rest should be definitely thrown away to avoid temptation.
3. Reject any proposal to take food.
Many people cannot resist overeating. Also, many believe in the need to eat every last crumb, since they’ve spent money on it. You probably want to try small pieces of everything from the cafeteria. It always leads to the fact that you eat more than needed.
4. Stick to your plan and do not give up, even when it is so difficult.
If you’ve accidentally cheated, it is not the reason to blame yourself. It is necessary to start all over again, with new motivation and great zeal. Over time, it becomes easier. Trust me, been there, done that (again)!
Tips
- Eliminate from the diet one bad component at once. In such a way you will gradually exclude junk food from your diet. If you all of a sudden eliminate ALL junk food from your life, it will lead to unpleasant consequences such as headache and irritability. It only alienates you from the cherished goal to get rid of fast food addiction.
- Count the numbers of the habit of stopping at fast food restaurants and you will be surprised how much money you spend on fast food and how many calories you gain.
- Do not think of your new diet as punishment or insurmountable difficulties, otherwise it will indeed feel like one. The point is to replace the products that you like with those that will please you even more. Replace them gradually, step by step. For example, start with the omission of snacking between meals. Make small changes first, and then move to bigger ones. Remember that you want to start a new lifestyle.
- Create a schedule and conditions that will make fast food visits inconvenient. For example, if a fast food restaurant is far from you, buy food there only when you get there by feet, not by the car. You not only walk, but also appreciate cooking at home, as in this case, it is a much easier and more convenient way.
- When you eat nuts, remember that excess amounts of them may cause gout.
- If one of your friends is suffering from the same addiction, you can overcome it together. Another benefit – they will not tempt you, munching a hamburger in front of you. You can find online groups where people eat healthy food, and surround yourself with them for support.
- It is recommended to read ‘Fast Food Nation’ written by Eric Schlosser. With this book, you will learn how junk food affects your health from another point of view, as well as the economy, agriculture, immigration and so on. This book will help you at the time when you want to visit fast food restaurants. Just keep in mind what is written in this book, and the craving to eat fast food will disappear.
As you can see, it’s not impossible to overcome fast food addiction after all. All you need is to have a clear understanding why you need to give up the habit of eating junk food as well as the will to do so. In my experience, I’ve had several friends who couldn’t imagine their lives without having a hamburger of burrito on their way home from work. But you know what? They found the desire and will to overcome it.
Keep in mind that the fast food addiction, just like any drug addiction, eats you alive. I’m sure that you don’t want to be eaten alive, right? (unless, of course, you’re not a zombie).
