As unfortunate as it may be, fast food is the foundation of the modern day diet. Most people don’t have the time to cook for themselves anymore, so they rely on places like Burger King and Taco Bell to do the work for them.
There are some decently healthy alternatives available in most fast food chains, but they do not provide all of the nutrition of a classic homemade meal. If you’re trying to lose weight and lead a healthier life, you really need to wean yourself off fast food.
Here are some tips to help you get over fast food in the near future:
Eat Healthy Foods on the Menu
Rather than trying to quit cold turkey (yes, that was a pun), you may try eating different foods in your favorite fast food restaurants. Opt for a Tendergrill Chicken Salad from Burger King, as opposed to a Whopper or a Double Stacker. All it takes is a simple adjustment like that to get your body ready for food at home. Once you get used to eating healthy foods, you will actually get sick to your stomach when you think about eating something fatty and fried. It’s all a matter of conditioning your body to like the good stuff.
Put Yourself on a Budget
If you start thinking about the amount of money you spend on fast food every day, you may naturally wean yourself away from it. My husband and I used to spend $30-$50 a day on fast food until we finally took a moment to assess our finances. After a few hours pondering, we decided to set a $150 budget a week for eating out. We took the money out of the bank in cash so we would have no way of going over the limit. Now we only eat about $75-$100 worth of fast food a week, and that number is going down every month. If you put yourself on a monetary limit every time you eat out, you should eventually get away from the fried temptations.
Reduce the Frequency of Eating Out
If you eat out twice a day, every day, you may want to start eating out once a day instead. You don’t have to get rid of fast food all at once, but you should make an effort to reduce the amount of times you eat out per week. If you just eat out once a day, try doing that every other day. You are the only one that knows how often you succumb to the succulent sirens down at the local Sonic, so you have to determine what you need to do to reduce the frequency of your fast food consumption. Once you manage to get out of your bad habits though, you won’t even think about eating out as often as you do now.
Pick up a New Hobby
Sometimes all you need is a new hobby to take your mind off fast food. I started playing tennis as a way to encourage myself to eat at home because the tennis courts are a long drive away from fast food but only a short drive to my house. You could start scrapbooking, singing, race car driving, or doing whatever else you want to do. Just make an effort to distract yourself from fast food, and you may manage to forget about it. This is all about mind over matter. You have to put your mind in control of the situation.
Go on a Legitimate Diet
The final option to keep in mind involves going on a diet. I’m not talking about a “whenever I get around to it” diet. I’m talking about an actual weight loss plan that requires more than adding an ounce of peas to every meal. I read about a really good program in a Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis review the other day, so you may want to check that out. As long as you find something that works for your body and dietary goals, you should be able to wean yourself off fast food with it.
Test out the options above, and generate your own will power to get fast food out of your diet. I know it can be hard to do that at times, but it is worth the effort if you can get through the process. This is just like an addiction to drugs or alcohol. It takes a bit of time to fully get through. When you are fully rid of the fast food in your life, you will feel much happier on a day to day basis. Don’t take my word for it though. Go out and try it for yourself! I guarantee you won’t regret it.
About the author: Wren G. is a writer who loves to write on all things healthy.
Photo credit: lockstockb