Craving fast food after months without it: how do you shake that awful feeling?

[CariocaLeftSeoul]

I just give in to whatever craving hits and don't beat myself up over it. What changes is the quantity: a few spoons of ice cream and I'm done, rather than ploughing through the entire pint. If the kids ask for McD's, I struggle to finish a double cheeseburger plus a few fries and that's me finished — no demolishing the full portion of fries and the extra burger from the deal (the one where the second is $1). A small handful of chips is enough; the bag survives. Same pattern across the board. I refuse to judge myself for it. Plenty of years went by where I treated giving in to a craving as a personal failure, and I'm past that now. With GLP-1's, when a craving does show up (maybe once every week or two?), I can satisfy it and then stop at a portion size that won't leave me feeling rotten afterwards.

 

[woundcarping]

Atlanatpr said:


How do you get over the terrible feeling when craving fast food after months without it?​

Click to expand...

Honestly, there's zero guilt on my end.

As of tomorrow, I've completed 21 weeks, and I'm 54lb lighter... that works out to 2.6lb/week, and that's with starting TRT (water weight went up and down) plus creatine (probably added 2-4lb of water). I still basically eat whatever I feel like, but now it's more intentional and the amounts are completely different... and if a food doesn't actually taste good (Whataburger, for example—tried it once), I just put it down.

You have to live and enjoy yourself. For me, Reta has so far landed me in a goldilocks spot—physically, mentally, and emotionally—when it comes to food and how I see life.

Below are some shots of the tastier things I've eaten over these 21 weeks... the piles of lean turkey and chicken, 25-30lb of protein powder, basic sushi, and so on are dull, who cares about those?

Rotel Sausage Cream Cheese Dip

Delightful Birria Tacos

Chicken, rice, beans, queeessooooo

Prime NY Strip

Bacon galore

Cream Cheese Jalapeño poppers

Almost forgot the pizza! I rarely snap a photo, but this was my first or second time having Marcos in the same week, either in Orlando or Vegas.

 

[lastresort]

Back when my diet was extremely low-calorie, I went through bottles and bottles of diet soda. Wouldn't suggest it, since you end up urinating around 5 times every day.

 

[Sasquatch]

Cain's isn't junk. That's damn good protein!

Just stay calm. Overdo it and you'll regret it. Next time, cut back a little.

You all and your protein powder—NFW

 

[domin8brix]

So when a fast food craving hits, I handle it one of two ways. Option one: I go ahead and eat the fast food, then build the whole day's eating around it by keeping calories, carbs and fats lower for the remaining meals (though at Canes I'd order naked tenders and then drown them in that sauce). Option two: I figure out a homemade version that comes as close as possible in taste while still fitting my diet. Using canned chicken, shredded cheese and egg, I've come up with a way to make "McNuggets" or a "McChicken" patty that turns out excellent.

 

[domin8brix]

lessthanhalf said:

Pin&Play said:

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

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.

The cravings haven't gone away for me, though I've found something that helps: really dark chocolate, somewhere between 85-95%. Choczero makes a sugar-free bar at 92% that I'm crazy about. I stock up heavily on it and aim to keep myself to 2 squares a day.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

BNLFL said:

What does "canes" mean? It's been more than 20 years since I last ate at a fast food restaurant. I'm not joking.

That's awesome! Going that long is seriously impressive. Fast food only happens a handful of times for me each year—typically chikfila, pizza, or something while on the road.

 

[miameow]

I honestly assumed you meant sugar canes. Every so often, I get a hankering for sugar canes too. When a craving shows up, I simply allow myself to give in, since I can only manage a small amount before feeling unwell afterward, and that stops me from repeating it.

 

[deleted.user.26]

For the past 2 months I've stuck to one-ingredient foods, zero exceptions and zero slip-ups. What stops me from giving in to fast food is the smell. Last week my daughter carried McDonald's inside, and to me the odor was straight-up foul. I didn't even feel pulled toward it....

 

[woundcarping]

I suppose this isn't a thread for pictures

Seeing all the negative talk about fast food got me thinking about the many Chick-Fil-A items and other sandwiches, wraps, and similar things I eat on a regular basis.

It's not something that tempts me—it's simply part of my routine.

 

[dancs]

Hmm....

Give yourself a hand?

 

[lessthanhalf]

Having no appetite for certain foods is 1 of the ways GLP medications do their job. With semaglutide, that shift stood out to me more than anything, yet it persists on tirz/reta too and usually makes me far less drawn to novel or heavy meals — the very thought turns my stomach.

 

[birdwhacker]

Raising Cane's isn't going to do you in.

Seems to me you were in need of some food, my friend.

What I've noticed is that even on occasions when I overeat, my tdee is seldom surpassed.