So I've been working on eating healthier and for the most part portioning at home and cooking is going well. I love to cook and I like taking that time to make a great dinner (and tasty leftovers!).
Where I'm struggling is with my morning commute. I drive an hour each way for work and although I'm in the process of career switching, the drive time is not something I can really change right now. I drive on a state route that goes past a million fast food restaurants and more often than not I find myself scooting through a drive through in the morning. I think it's more boredom driven vs being actually hungry half the time.
Does anyone have any tips or insight into tackling this problem? Right now this is just a shame spiral about knowing better and choosing the easy way out, and I know there has to be a way to solve this. Thank you queens in advance for your help!
I struggle with an eating disorder. I’m generally a really clean and healthy eater. But stress and anxiety makes me binge eat fast food. From my experience of weaning myself off of fast food I think giving yourself grace/acceptance and honoring your cravings is an important first step. I’d start with changing my negative narrative around eating too much fast food into something positive. Like “I understand that boredom eating is what I’m doing to cope with stress right now. It is the way my body and brain are used to in this situation and there is nothing wrong with it. However I know I am smart and resourceful so I believe I will find other healthier ways to cope in the future.” Instead of telling myself “I’ve eaten fast food again and that’s really bad. I’m disappointed in myself and feel so guilty.”
There really are healthier ways to honor your cravings. Your body craves certain things for a reason. Instead of punishing your brain and body by telling yourself not to eat it, why not practice radical self acceptance and give your body what it needs. The more you forbid yourself from doing something the more your brain will want to rebel. Here’s what I’d do - think about what will happen the next morning on your way to work before you go to bed. Which restaurant will you drive through tomorrow? What would you want to order? This way the next morning you start your drive knowing what will happen instead of making split decisions on the drive without giving your brain the chance to convince yourself otherwise. practice this to make your trips predictable for you. When you get really good at making this process more predictable for your brain (the brain loves predictability. This will ease your stress and shame), it is time to take a leap to the next step - if I really want to get a sausage egg and cheese McMuffin but really do not want to drive thru, I’d spend some time the night before and make myself a copy cat sausage egg and cheese McMuffin. This way you honor your cravings but avoid the repetitive behavior that you wish not to engage in anymore. This also empowers you to take control of what you put in your body in your own hand.
Another trick I do - when I’m surrounded by all these fast food places and don’t have a healthier choice nearby, I’d stop my car and get on the website of the restaurant. Look for healthier options, even just the tiniest modification, like switching from a double quarter pounder to a quarter pounder. You still get the burger but you know you’ve made a better choice than the last time you drove through. Keep the momentum going and maybe in a few tries you would be up for a salad instead of any burgers at all. Go into the drive through knowing what you’re getting instead of giving yourself only a few seconds to decide in the drive thru. This will help you make better decisions.
Another important piece for me is eating intuitively. This is hard bc this requires you to work on your own mind-body connection and be more in tune with your body and how certain types of food makes you feel. For me after years of switching back and forth between super healthy and binging fast food I notice a huge different in how my body feels after eating fast food. It actually really takes a toll on my GI and my nervous system and makes me less productive as a person and more anxious. Everytime I think about eating fast food i do a risk assessment. I ask myself - is this how you want to feel for the rest of the day? Lethargic and bloated? Sometimes it is worth it. So I do eat the fast food. No guilt bc I’ve thought it through I know I need it. Sometimes it’s not worth it and at the end of the day I applaud myself for making good choices for myself.
It’s all about being kind to yourself! When I talk to myself regarding my relationship with food I try to pretend I’m talking to my imaginary daughter, someone I love dearly and want the best relationship with food for her. This tends to help me bring more acceptance and empathy to myself.
Meal prep can help. I like to occasionally do things like overnight oats (you can add things like peaches and honey or banana and peanut butter or whatever combo you like). Then, when you feel like it, take yourself on a nice date at a nice restaurant. I no longer feel like fast food restaurants tempt me, because I really enjoy my own cooking, and spend the "extra calories" on really good food.
I hear ya, @onelifetolive001. First of all, HOORAY for your goals and successes in portioning, cooking, and eating healthier food! I also struggle with a long morning commute (not as long as yours, though!) and I was just this minute writing a post about it. But I'll follow yours as well because I'm curious how other people handle this. My main problem is not fast food per se, but not getting up early enough to prepare breakfast for myself, or to pack a healthy lunch. My only idea for you (for avoiding the fast-food traps on the highway) is to listen to music that you love, or an engaging podcast; maybe that focus will help you? Of course you have to be careful not to get so absorbed that you miss your exit. (Ask me how I know this. Hahahahaha!)
I think it takes small steps at first like keeping healthy light snacks in your car that way you’re not so tempted and buying yourself the nicest organic ingredients in stores so it motivates you to cook and eat healthier.
Maybe you're stressed? Maybe it's your work which could be causing these cravings? The shame felt afterwards usually causes me more stress.