Craving fast food after months without it: how do you shake that awful feeling?
- Thread starter Atlanatpr
- Start date
BNLFL
Explorer
What does "canes" mean? It's been more than 20 years since I last ate at a fast food restaurant. I'm not joking.
I started Tirz in Feb and the weight has come off slowly. And you know what? I had Chick-fil-A after going without any junk food. I hit the gym 5 times per week and drink a ton of water. Did that Chick-fil-A basically cover my entire day of eating? Yes. Did I savor that spicy chicken jalepeño ranch club… absolutely. It's all in your head—you're only human. Moderation matters, and I shared it with someone! Having it once is no big deal. If it becomes a regular thing, then I'd take another look.
DwightTheDelight
Explorer
You can fit it into your diet in plenty of different ways — smaller portions, skipping the sides, pairing it with water or diet soda, and so on.
Enjoying the foods you love is one of the great pleasures in life, and cutting them out forever usually isn't realistic. From what I've seen, the folks who do well over the long haul tend to make solid choices the majority of the time while still allowing themselves some enjoyment, without guilt. So have a little, then get right back on track, and go easy on yourself.
FartfulCodger
Explorer
Give in to the craving, but only eat 50% of what you normally would, then pause for a bit. Around 10-15 minutes afterward, you may notice your stomach has become full (slowed stomach emptying--something I really appreciate), and you probably won't feel like finishing the remaining chicken until the next day.
sheilarae74
Explorer
When I finally give in to a craving, I usually can't finish more than about half the portion. Honestly, my diet could be better, but it doesn't bother me much since I often have to make myself eat anyway.
Not_Your_Dad
Explorer
Just eat some Cane's. Nothing bad will come of it. Simply order 80% less than your old amount!
Sometimes a Wendy's burger sounds good to me, so I go ahead and get one. Guilt doesn't enter the picture. More often than not it leaves me underwhelmed, which is why my desire for those old fast food favorites keeps fading.
My approach is to count calories across a week rather than a single day. From Sunday to Sunday, my total should land around 10,500 calories. If one day ends up at 800 because I genuinely can't bring myself to eat, and another hits 2500 because I really wanted that burger, so be it. Plenty of people excel at tracking macros and all that, and if it suits you, wonderful. For me it simply doesn't, so I don't let it become a source of stress.
At the end of the day, we're only human. We find comfort and chase pleasure in what we do. Refusing that, every single time without exception, isn't a way anyone should live.
Sometimes a Wendy's burger sounds good to me, so I go ahead and get one. Guilt doesn't enter the picture. More often than not it leaves me underwhelmed, which is why my desire for those old fast food favorites keeps fading.
My approach is to count calories across a week rather than a single day. From Sunday to Sunday, my total should land around 10,500 calories. If one day ends up at 800 because I genuinely can't bring myself to eat, and another hits 2500 because I really wanted that burger, so be it. Plenty of people excel at tracking macros and all that, and if it suits you, wonderful. For me it simply doesn't, so I don't let it become a source of stress.
At the end of the day, we're only human. We find comfort and chase pleasure in what we do. Refusing that, every single time without exception, isn't a way anyone should live.
CharlieBrown
Explorer
My start point was January.....and I've had zero fast food/junk food etc etc ....NO EXCEPTIONS !!
Still, a few days back I picked up a pint of Ben & Jerrys coffee ice cream.
At this point I've moved past it and I'm back on the clean diet.
Moderation is key for everything. Having something indulgent every now and then won't do any damage.
Alternatively, you could air fry breaded chicken — either store-bought or homemade — and whip up a similar sauce. Greek yogurt can replace the mayo, adding protein and making it better for you. With this approach, you can enjoy it even more frequently.
Alternatively, you could air fry breaded chicken — either store-bought or homemade — and whip up a similar sauce. Greek yogurt can replace the mayo, adding protein and making it better for you. With this approach, you can enjoy it even more frequently.
Smiter
Explorer
What works for me is having Quest protein chips on hand plus my own stash of spices. Whenever a craving shows up, I figure out which taste I'm actually after. After that, I heat up some turkey deli slices from the local butcher, add the spices, and take my time eating them, chasing each bite with a protein shake I've already mixed.
Rolltide61
Explorer
I was raised on a farm. My first McDonald's was at 14. Couldn't stand it. First pizza came at 17. Couldn't stand that either. I realize it isn't actual food. Not sure what it is, but actual food it is not.
6friedeggs
Explorer
Give in and savor it—a single rough weekend won't wreck a whole summer.
Estarossa19
Explorer
Go ahead and have the canes! You don't need to be perfect 100% of the time. Get back on track tomorrow
desinr-gal
Explorer
Tony Robbins teaches a mental technique for wiping out cravings and replacing them with different ones. The goal is to condition yourself into preferring a healthier alternative.
Come up with a wholesome substitute for Canes. For instance, some grilled chicken alongside raw veggies.. or any nutritious option that sounds good to you. You picture both of them in your head.
Usually the original one starts off larger and more vivid. Keep your attention there, but let it shrink back and dim, while the replacement does the reverse. Pull the new one nearer, make it larger and more vivid, and concentrate on rendering it as tempting as you can. Picture the aroma, the flavor, the bright colors and so on..
Let the original image shrink and drift away until nothing is left. Keep your mind on the superior option and allow yourself to picture how tasty it would be.
This works for any decision, routine and so on..
Tony leans toward the positive side... Personally, I've always hunted for tricks that would disgust me, and I picture that alongside whatever I'm trying to stay away from. For example, imagining cigarettes as burning compost.
Or cookies containing lard.. things like that. cheese decaying... that tends to do the trick.
Come up with a wholesome substitute for Canes. For instance, some grilled chicken alongside raw veggies.. or any nutritious option that sounds good to you. You picture both of them in your head.
Usually the original one starts off larger and more vivid. Keep your attention there, but let it shrink back and dim, while the replacement does the reverse. Pull the new one nearer, make it larger and more vivid, and concentrate on rendering it as tempting as you can. Picture the aroma, the flavor, the bright colors and so on..
Let the original image shrink and drift away until nothing is left. Keep your mind on the superior option and allow yourself to picture how tasty it would be.
This works for any decision, routine and so on..
Tony leans toward the positive side... Personally, I've always hunted for tricks that would disgust me, and I picture that alongside whatever I'm trying to stay away from. For example, imagining cigarettes as burning compost.
Or cookies containing lard.. things like that. cheese decaying... that tends to do the trick.
Mate, absolutely nobody is perfect. It happens, and it's simply a piece of the whole process. As others have said, there are healthy swaps out there. But if I'm being honest, at times that craving for something like Canes is just too strong to resist (for me, it's any decent smash burger ...). What matters most is hopping right back on track afterward.
Also, if you're keeping up with your calorie tracking, a burger or fried chicken isn't going to wreck the bigger picture. Just aim to leave out the sides and go for diet drinks. Once in a while, I'll slip in a cheeseburger on a Friday, but I always log it.
When I go past my targets (my sat fat especially, which I monitor closely), I attempt to balance it out the following day. In the end, your rolling average counts for more than one single meal. Keep at it!
Also, if you're keeping up with your calorie tracking, a burger or fried chicken isn't going to wreck the bigger picture. Just aim to leave out the sides and go for diet drinks. Once in a while, I'll slip in a cheeseburger on a Friday, but I always log it.
When I go past my targets (my sat fat especially, which I monitor closely), I attempt to balance it out the following day. In the end, your rolling average counts for more than one single meal. Keep at it!
lessthanhalf
Explorer
I went with a pretty drastic approach: I basically ruled out all foods that are high in calories, highly rewarding, or high on the glycemic index. I stuck with that for 3 1/2 years and dropped 80kg.
For me, every earlier diet fell apart because of intense hunger I couldn't push through. It showed up 1 or 2 hours after I ate even a little of those foods, so I assume something hormonal or neurochemical was reacting to what I figure were blood sugar spikes and dips. After that, stopping became incredibly difficult. The way I eat now is built specifically to avoid those spikes and dips as much as possible.
My guess is that whether having high calorie foods once in a while causes trouble comes down to whether you deal with binge eating disorder or food addiction, ( which is very common in people with obesity ) and, if you do, how well you could previously control how much you ate and for how long when eating rich food. If controlling your eating was a problem, doing that after a large weight loss could be far harder. After losing weight, I found that intense hunger response became amplified to very high levels.
If those kinds of eating issues were not part of your picture, then giving in sometimes probably will not be a problem.
GLP drugs clearly lower hunger and cravings for rich food, so if your hunger or cravings are climbing, that could mean a higher dose is needed. That assumes there are no problematic side effects and the dose is not already at maximum.
Still, getting rid of cravings completely is not realistic. Even tirz15mg/reta5mg/cagri0.5mg does not eliminate them for me, though it does make overall hunger far more manageable and unhealthy food cravings much weaker.
For me, every earlier diet fell apart because of intense hunger I couldn't push through. It showed up 1 or 2 hours after I ate even a little of those foods, so I assume something hormonal or neurochemical was reacting to what I figure were blood sugar spikes and dips. After that, stopping became incredibly difficult. The way I eat now is built specifically to avoid those spikes and dips as much as possible.
My guess is that whether having high calorie foods once in a while causes trouble comes down to whether you deal with binge eating disorder or food addiction, ( which is very common in people with obesity ) and, if you do, how well you could previously control how much you ate and for how long when eating rich food. If controlling your eating was a problem, doing that after a large weight loss could be far harder. After losing weight, I found that intense hunger response became amplified to very high levels.
If those kinds of eating issues were not part of your picture, then giving in sometimes probably will not be a problem.
GLP drugs clearly lower hunger and cravings for rich food, so if your hunger or cravings are climbing, that could mean a higher dose is needed. That assumes there are no problematic side effects and the dose is not already at maximum.
Still, getting rid of cravings completely is not realistic. Even tirz15mg/reta5mg/cagri0.5mg does not eliminate them for me, though it does make overall hunger far more manageable and unhealthy food cravings much weaker.
Pin&Play
Explorer
Since starting Tirz, my relationship with junk food has improved... if that makes sense.
In the past, I'd think about getting breakfast delivered but then worry because it would take up 40% of my daily calories...
With Tirz now, I know I can have whatever I want since I won't overeat in the end. It feels freeing to be able to eat anything I want.
But, a quick point about the kind of cheat meal matters.
I know for sure that chocolate is my #1 trigger; if I have it once, I'll want it every day. If I avoid it for 3-4 days, my overall hunger cues go down. I think it's not only about glycemic ups and downs, but teobromine/serotonine play a big role.
It's different when I crave salty foods. Low-calorie diets often lack minerals, especially with exercise, so sometimes we need salt. So for me, it's not really an on/off trigger in this case, but moderation is key
In the past, I'd think about getting breakfast delivered but then worry because it would take up 40% of my daily calories...
With Tirz now, I know I can have whatever I want since I won't overeat in the end. It feels freeing to be able to eat anything I want.
But, a quick point about the kind of cheat meal matters.
I know for sure that chocolate is my #1 trigger; if I have it once, I'll want it every day. If I avoid it for 3-4 days, my overall hunger cues go down. I think it's not only about glycemic ups and downs, but teobromine/serotonine play a big role.
It's different when I crave salty foods. Low-calorie diets often lack minerals, especially with exercise, so sometimes we need salt. So for me, it's not really an on/off trigger in this case, but moderation is key
lessthanhalf
Explorer
I've struggled with serious addictive patterns around multiple foods — chips, ice cream, chocolate, you name it. But for some reason, dark chocolate at 70% cocoa or higher doesn't set off that same reaction. Milk chocolate does, and even dark chocolate that isn't quite as dark will trigger it too. So my daily allowance for a high-calorie treat has been 20 grams of dark chocolate, which comes to 100 calories. If I tried the same approach with milk chocolate, it would be really tough — the moment I swallowed the last bite, I'd be craving another.