Fast Food - Fighting The Urge

We all battle with this one. You're driving around from running errands. You haven't eaten and you don't feel like going home to cook. You don't have $20 or more to spend on a nice dine-in meal. So, you head towards the nearest drive-thru window in your area.

Don't even act like you don't know where the fast food restaurants are. Not only do you know where they are, but you know their menus, their prices, their specials, and sometimes you even know the friendly cashier that takes your order. You also know that almost everything on their menu is absolutely terrible for you in terms of fat, carbs, calories!!! Nonetheless, you tell yourself that it's ok and that you don't do this often. You won't do it next time. Right.

If this is indeed a similar if not exact match of your experiences with fast food restaurants, then don't feel too bad because you're not alone. Millions of Americans eat fast food each day. Why do you think they're making so much money and popping up on as many corners as they possibly can? Because you and millions of other people are buying their products.

What's worse is that adults now force their children to participate in this same indulgence of eating very unhealthy food. It may not seem like it, but you are forcing your children to eat it. If you don't buy it, then how else would they get it? And although a large portion of the blame for these indulgences can be placed on great marketing campaigns and cheap prices, most of the blame ultimately rests with you, the consumer.

Because you know that fast foods aren't the healthiest choice for you, you must also know that you should probably avoid consuming them as much as possible. This, like most things in life, is easier said than done. But with the proper motivation and a little mental discipline, you can build a strong resistance to those 2 for $0.99 and "win a free prize when you buy this combo" establishments.

Here's a few simple ways you can do it:

1. Drink water and plenty of it before meals. Carry it with you in your cars, purses, backpack, whatever. Just keep drinking water through out the day. It helps in so many reasons, but for our purposes, it will help keep you full.

2. Start counting your calories. If you know that you don't allow yourself to consume more than 2,000 calories a day, then you'll think twice or thrice before you pull into that drive-thru.

3. Set a goal. Lose the flab abs? Man Boobs? Back fat? Thunder Thighs? Come on, you know that some area(s) of your body can use improvement by cutting down that fat. Why not make it a goal and give yourself something to strive for?

4. Don't let your kids eat anything that you wouldn't you consider to be unhealthy. By setting an example for your children, you can also force yourself to practice healthy eating habits. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetable. Allow them to make suggestions. Make finding healthy foods a fun family activity.

5. Drive! When you see a drive-thru opportunity, drive! And don't you dare stop! Go as far away from evil as you possibly can. You'll be better because of it.

These are just a few simple ways that you can begin to fight the urge of eating fast food. Despite the popular commercial advertisements, think: Just DON'T Do It!