Fast food addiction?

Question

I think I'm addicted to fast food. It reminds me of people with smoking problems. If I'm on my way to get it, I think about how I'll regret it later, but I still eat it! Could I be addicted to it? How could I try not to?

Answer 1

You just have to stay away from it. Going into those places and ordering salad will only work for so long. Eventually, you'll crave that burger or those fries too much and you'll be right back to eating them. Trust me, I know. I used to go to burger king/Wendy's five times a week. I did this for almost two years. I would crave fast food so strongly that I almost couldn't take it.

Just don't go into those places. Go to a Deli, or make your own food with fresh ingredients. It tastes so much better and is so much better for you.

Answer 2

There can be addictive behavior in anything you do. Eating however, can be more harmful then others. It is very possible that you are addicted to fast food. Have you ever seen the movie SuperSize Me? You don't want that to be you, and thats the first step. Think about things.

1. Don't say " I'm not going to eat Fast Food anymore" Completely denying yourself of things only makes you want them more! Allow your self small portions of fast food once every two weeks. If you really want to help yourself you have to want it! Do it!

2. If you pass 10 fast food restaurants on your way too and from work. Take a different route, go the longer way that only has 3 FF places on the way. The more you distance yourself, the less you think about it!

3. Substitute. When you get the craving for a big mac, hit up the grocery store. Buy Boca Burgers, Lean Meat, or Chicken, and make your own burgers at home. You'll find you eat much less when YOU actually do the cooking.

4. Avoid the urge to go big. The exuse that you haven't eaten all day, so you should get a large doesn't hold up. If you go for Burger King, get a medium, share your fries, don't get a meal, Take it to go, and eat at home.

5. Fast Food addictions are all too common now a days, but it's not hard to overcome things like this. Many places are starting to go healthy. Whenever you get the urge, go somewhere new. Try a Panera Bread, a BW3, try a Japanese Steakhouse, or a Sushi Bar. The more you get out there, and get out of your comfort zone the better you will feel.

The grease, the bad ingredients, the Calories and Fat,ead to so many poblems in the future, and even in the here and now. Acne, Oily Skin, Weight Gain, Heart Attack, Stroke, Heart Disease, and some say there might be a link to Cancer.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

It isn't necessarily an addiction, so much as poor impulse control.

Although your reaction to it after you have eaten it may be similar to that of someone giving up smoking or drinking, what is really happening is that you are giving in to an impulse which you aren't particularly proud of, and which isn't good for you. If you set out knowing you will get it, nothing is likely to change your mind, since you have already accepted the 'inevitable", but you will still feel guilty, and maybe a bit ill if you overeat also.

While it is theoretically possible to be addicted fatty foods and sugar, if you were addicted to fast food you would likely find yourself suffering withdrawals when you don't have it within a certain period. This could include headaches, bad temper, bloating, anxiety etc.

You might also note changes in mood before and/or after eating fast food, and also if you don't have it for a while. This could also indicate an addiction, or more likely, an unhealthy attitude to eating. Feeling happy after eating sugary and fatty foods is common, and fast food will still have this affect even if you feel guilty after eating it. This could be one of the main reasons why you keep going back, but is not indicative of an addiction.

I would also suggest that unless you would be willing to spend your very last dollar on fast food, you are not an addict. Instead, you probably have numerous reasons for enjoying fast food - habit, comfort, gluttony, convenience, taste preference, your own cooking ability, what your family eats, - which, if addressed, you should be able to recognise, and with this knowledge avoid fast food altogether.

Em

Answer 5

I'd have to say it's a minor grade addiction which can be easily overcome with time, determination and help. But it's a good addiction and it's based on anxiety- the anxiety of not wanting
to be late. I have had that problem to great degree in the past,
and I still have it to a small degree now days. If I don't have to be
some where by 10 am and be there until 2pm or later, I'm fine.
Although I think I'm overcoming it, because the last time I had to be some where from 10 am to 2, I bought my lunch at Trader Joe's, the day before. But we'll see. Good luck! Oh, on the same token, it's not necessarily an addiction, because it's good and nice to eat lunch out, once and awhile, which is an entirely different thing, Sweetie. Plus there's more than just burgers ad fries.

Answer 6

I know what you mean. There was a time in my life when I was eating a lot of fattening food: Big Mac was my thing, followed by pistachios. I didn't realize what was happening until I weighed 170 pounds and that's when I said ENOUGH! I started a diet, exercising--setting up short-term goals for myself--like being able to jog for 100 meters at first and I succeeded in losing those extra 48 pounds. Then I realized that I was eating out of stress--I still do that sometimes: when I'm tired or I've had a bad day, I eat something that I really like to make myself feel better. But I think every time before doing it: is it really worth it? And most of the times I get that feeling, I just remember what I looked and felt like when I was fat: I couldn't do much, I had difficulty doing the easiest things, I had become almost a vegetable.
So if you feel like what you are doing is wrong, then trust your feelings. Stop to think: why are you doing it, what's missing from your life that you are trying to replace by food? And then just change this habit with others: get out of the house, exercise, talk to friends, don't go into fast food restaurants. And eat bananas or boiled rice or anything that will stop the hunger. Keep healthy food always within easy reach. This way it should be easier to eat that then go to buy fast-food. I wish you good luck!

Answer 7

This depends on a lot of things like a said before if you are not feeling good than after you eat the fast food you are feeling a lot better and if you have any diabetic conditions you may also. You can try not to be addicted to it by eating it maybe only once a week if that and try to ween yourself off of it. McDonalds for instance they have a lot of products that contain addictive elements such as sugar. There are only 5 items on the menu that do not have sugar: Iced Tea and Fries fall in this category. You could also try drinking water instead of soda if you drink that. The fast food industry makes a lot of money by putting everyones health in jeopardy but together we can stop itNow I wouldn't say that it is the same as some type of drug addiction, but I believe your body can become conditioned to it and start to crave it on a deeper level then just a habit. I know it has happened to myself with fast food and right now it is that way with soda. If I don't have Pepsi, I get headaches and my body aches until I get that "fix" if I go a day or two I get really cranky and moody. Usually it takes a good week of no soda and very little caffine for my body to adjust. What I need to do is to break it and stop drinking soda all together, but that hasn't seemed to happen.

Answer 8

You're addicted to it and you need to stop. Watch Super Size Me and you have to watch the behind the scenes. Fast food causes diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, anxiety, and etc. You have to start changing your bad habits starting today. Don't expect your next meal to be a salad because it will take a while to start eating healthy. Also, you should start exercising. If you have the money and time, get a nutrionist. Ask your friends for advice and healthy recipes. Go online and type healthy recipes. I know foodnetwork.com has a healthy section. You should watch Healthy Apetite with Ellie Krieger on Food Network. Their are also so many diets out there, but you have to change it a little bit. You need a diet that you can follow for a long time. Sure, you will eat fast food or junk food again. Try to eat fast food once a week and then keep telling yourself that you will go less and less until it's once a year. I hope I helped you with your question. Good luck on your journey to becoming a healthier person.

Answer 9

Q. Could I be addicted to fast food?
A. Yes you could. It is probably not like a drug addiction, where you need rehab to kick the habit or anything. It's just that you're in the habit of going on a regular basis.

Q. How can I try not to be addicted to fast food?
A. Try going cold turkey, that is, just stop eating fast food at all. Whenever you get a craving, march right over to the grocery store and get a healthy alternative. You can buy a healthy snack to quell your craving and then buy something healthy that you can make at home. After about a month, you should have an entire menu of healthy food to eat. The habit of eating fast food should be gone, and you should have an entirely different perspective about fast food. Good luck!!

Also watch the movie Supersize Me.

And print out the answers you got from this question that are for you getting away from fast food, and read them from time to time. Look for other things to read by people who have kicked eating habits, to give you encouragement.

Again, good luck and good health!!!

Answer 10

You may if you find yourself not feeling good and then when u eat then u feel 100% better. If you have seen the movie Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock did an experiment on eating nothing but fast food for 30 days and his doctor said that if when he ate he felt 100% better than he may have had an addiciton to it. Of course, we all like fast food but it is not good for anyone. Most nutritionists reccomend never eating it where some agree you should only eat it once or twice a month. This depends on a lot of things like a said before if you are not feeling good than after you eat the fast food you are feeling a lot better and if you have any diabetic conditions you may also. You can try not to be addicted to it by eating it maybe only once a week if that and try to ween yourself off of it. McDonalds for instance they have a lot of products that contain addictive elements such as sugar. There are only 5 items on the menu that do not have sugar: Iced Tea and Fries fall in this category. You could also try drinking water instead of soda if you drink that. The fast food industry makes a lot of money by putting everyones health in jeopardy but together we can stop it

Answer 11

I don't know if "addicted" is the right word. Let me ask you this- what is your favorite thing about fast food? If it is the convenience, then maybe your "addiction" to fast food is just an indicator that you're doing too much in your life to treat eating as an event, and you just grab whatever's coonvenient to save time. If it is the taste, there's nothing wrong with that. Just limit your portions (single cheeseburger instead of Big Mac, etc.) and try to balance it out with healthier foods like salads and yogurt (all available on fast-food menus, by the way...) and maybe have a bottled water instead of a Coke with your burger. Fast food itself isn't at fault here- it's the choices people make when they look at the menu. I really believe that fast food restaurants these days offer a lot of healthy alternatives, and while it still may not be as beneficial as a home-coooked meal, it's all most of us have time for these days.