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No Fast Food in 2007

January 2nd, 2007 at 01:24 am

My DH, DD and I watched "Super Size Me" last night for the first time, and before the end credits rolled my DH and I both agreed to cut out fast food in 2007. This is the only resolution we have ever made together, and it is a big one.

By some definitions I am sure we are not being all that radical, as we have agreed to start with just the obvious fastfood places - McD, BK, KFC, Wendys, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Boston Market, etc. We are not including larger chains such as Applebees, TGIF, but we hardly ever eat at those places anyway since they are more expensive. It is the McD, et al that are way too convenient when we don't feel like cooking, so I think keeping this resolution will be very helpful to our family - both our health and our bank account!

Wish us luck! Smile

Posted in Saving Money | 32 Comments »

32 Responses to “No Fast Food in 2007”

  1. janH Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 01:26 am 1167701193
    1167701193

    Sounds like a great idea to me. I think I will try to not eat at the fast food places for the year. We will have to support each other on this when the going gets tough!

  2. cindilee Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 01:28 am 1167701299
    1167701299

    I saw that show last night too, wasn't that something? He could have died from just eating at Mc D's for a month! Something to think about. It's amazing what it will do to your health!

  3. boomeyers Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 01:31 am 1167701486
    1167701486

    I do think the show was a little "over the top" about what it wants you to see, however in principle it is a good lesson in "too much can hurt you"! Good luck with your goal!

  4. LuxLiving Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 01:32 am 1167701535
    1167701535

    Wow -- now that IS a challenge!!

    I'd surely love to give it a go. I've actually been doing very little anyway. The family hardly never eats fast food anymore on the family budget, but I would ocassionally treat myself. Of course the boys got their fill of it at burgercentral employment.

    Can I do it??? Will give it a ponder!

    Good luck to you and yours on this one!! I would definitely have to have support and a good stock of Campbell's Tomato Soup and always have mayo (why Yes HELLMAN's you silly) or butter, bread, and real american cheese slices on hand to make a quick cold sandwich or grilled cheese for lunch or evening meal.

    I'm rooting for you!

  5. denisentexas Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 01:41 am 1167702102
    1167702102

    I've seen that a couple times and it does help to curtail the fast food!

    Have you watched or read "Fast Food Nation"? Ugh...

  6. mariannej Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 02:16 am 1167704185
    1167704185

    Thanks for the good thoughts, guys! Jan & anyone else who wants to join, I will be glad to support you. Smile
    I have heard of "Fast Food Nation" but couldn't remember if it is a book or a movie. ??? I will have to check it out. ALso, I told my DH we've got to buy "SuperSize Me" to watch when the going gets tough! *grin*

  7. MsSuperSaver Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 02:31 am 1167705087
    1167705087

    Hubby and I watched that movie for the first time yesterday as well. Great movie--I thinking watching it has turned hubby off from fast food (at least for now). I also skipped Starbucks today because I realized how many calories you "drink" as was pointed out in the movie. Count me in on the No Fast Food for 2007 campaign Smile

  8. sarah Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 03:37 am 1167709031
    1167709031

    Good Luck. This is a great challenge. I think it is much harder than my buy nothing new challenge

  9. monkeymama Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 06:46 am 1167720417
    1167720417

    Oh gosh I was SO turned off from fast food when I saw that movie, but it wore off eventually, hehe. I don't know why though, I consider myself pretty smart, but when I got a giant drink from a fast food place I could not waste it. After that movie I thought what the heck, why am I drinking these GIANT sodas?????? I no longer even order value meals. I just carry cans of soda with me and always order small items off the menu. I'd be right with you but the $1 meals are too cheap to pass up for now. But I have cut back significantly on it.

    Good Luck!!!! If you feel a relapse just watch the movie again - sure it will knock sense into anyone. Wink I really should watch it again myself...

    My favorite scene is still the teenager saying she wanted to lose weight like JAred but could not afford SUbway. (??????) Oy vey!!! Yes Subway - how could you possibly lose weight if you could not eat at Subway for every meal!!!!!!

  10. LuckyRobin Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 07:14 am 1167722068
    1167722068

    The thing about that movie was that it seemed to me the guy didn't even try to make sensible choices at McD's. He just went straight for the junk, when there are sensible choices on the menu. They have some terrific salads, grilled chicken sandwich, or chicken fajitas. Choosing an egg McMuffin over sausage is a healthier choice or over any of the biscuit sandwiches. And they do have the options of low fat milk, apple juice, grapefruit juice and orange juice. Even eating in moderation, like a regular cheese burger and small fry and milk, instead of a double quarter pounder with cheese or Big Mac, large fry and big soda or milkshake would have been of benefit.

    If you eat without thinking you will get sick and fat. That's a fact of life. I'm not particularly defending McDonalds, but it certainly wasn't a controlled experiement and was very sensationalistic.

  11. tinapbeana Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 02:24 pm 1167747886
    1167747886

    i thinkt he reason he didn't make sensible choices is b/c most folks don't make sensible choices when eating fast food. and something that appears sensible (say a salad), isn't when you add in the cheese, 'crispy' chicken, and dressing. wind up being about the same as a burger...

    DH & i watched this one a couple of months ago. eye opener for him, an avid micky d's eater, but i agree the effect does wear off after a while.

  12. Ima saver Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 02:26 pm 1167747975
    1167747975

    Well, I am a hamburger lover, just call me whimpy! I get a plain burger and water when I go to Wendys'. Are burgers really that bad for you?

  13. kristinecfp Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 04:25 pm 1167755136
    1167755136

    Good luck with your resolution! I haven't eaten at the major fast food chains for over 10 years now (one bad experience was enough to turn me off). But, I still have trouble with the soda, coffees, etc. I guess if it's not one bad habit, it's another!

  14. mariannej Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 06:08 pm 1167761312
    1167761312

    LuckyRobin, I thought the same thing while watching the movie, but he did say that he had to eat everything on the menu at least once. I kept thinking, "Okay stop ordering the double quarter pounder with cheese, and start eating the salads"...but then near the end of the movie it said that the salads with dressing are just as many calories as the BigMac's!!! Ugh. :X

  15. debtfreeme Says:
    January 2nd, 2007 at 08:13 pm 1167768803
    1167768803

    right after that movie came out a magazine (either Self or Health) did a report where a woman ate only fast food for a week and she loist something like 6 lbs because she choose foods that were healthy. Amd she did eat at places like McD, subway, Burger King etc. They gave the calorie count and everything for wach meal.

    I think i wnt to join the 2007 challenge.

  16. DivaJen Says:
    January 3rd, 2007 at 03:19 am 1167794342
    1167794342

    DH and I haven't had fast food since summer of 2002, after reading Fast Food Nation. It can be done - good luck to you. Smile

  17. LuckyRobin Says:
    January 3rd, 2007 at 03:39 am 1167795576
    1167795576

    There are things you can do to improve the "healthiness" of fast food as well. Adding lettuce and tomato to burgers or not having dressing on the salad. I carry a little bottle of extra virgin olive oil in my car and bring it with me when I eat salads instead of eating their dressing, which can more than double the calories. Of course, it isn't all about calories, either, there are transfats and sugar to consider as well. Personally, I don't think you should eat fast food every day, but once or twice a month with sensible choices should be fine. If you can't hold it to sensible choices than its better not to go at all. But I hold with moderation in almost all things foodwise. I guess that probably isn't normal.

  18. mariannej Says:
    January 3rd, 2007 at 06:33 pm 1167849203
    1167849203

    Actually for us, we don't eat fast food all that often (maybe once or twice a month) but it is way too easy to say, "I don't feel like cooking tonight so we're getting McD or TacBell, etc". I am hoping to teach my DD #1 that fast food is not healthy, #2 that fast food is an expense we can cut and not miss, and #3 that it is better to plan ahead than to say, "Well I forgot to plan dinner/ put the crockpot on/etc, so I am going to take the easy way out". I am also hoping to train myself and my DH to become more creative with making dinner and lunch choices. There has got to be a much healthier option when we forget to plan dinner than to eat fast food. I think it is one thing to plan on a fast food treat every once in awhile, and a totally different thing to throw your hands in the air and "give in" to fast food as an easy out...unfortunately, our fast food consumption mostly comes from the latter. Frown

  19. kashi Says:
    January 4th, 2007 at 05:34 pm 1167932041
    1167932041

    That is one of the perks of being a vegetarian...fast food really doesn't appeal to me because there aren't too many options except salad. The only place that sucks us in now and again is Taco Bell, and even that is rare.

    Good luck, Marianne! You can do it!

  20. all4money Says:
    January 5th, 2007 at 01:38 pm 1168004324
    1168004324

    I just saw the show last night... brought me into reality if anything else. I doubt we can delete fast food completely but our family is going to take small steps in getting into a heathier diet lifestyle. Good luck to us all!

  21. Aleta Says:
    January 5th, 2007 at 02:32 pm 1168007529
    1168007529

    I saw part of the movie the other day. To Ima: No, I don't think having a burger once in a while will kill you. I think having one every day might not be the best thing for you. Like you, I buy a burger and have water. Our bodies were meant to break down poisons and sometimes that is what junk food is. That's why I don't believe in total deprivation unless it is a food addiction to a certain food.

    Sometimes when I feel like having a chocolate bar, I'll buy a York Mint Patty and only eat half of it and give the rest to my hubby.

    I'm not crazy about food being touched, shaped, and prepared in bags either. The more people that touch food, the worse.

    I like cutting up my own chickens because of something that I heard on TV. If a whole chicken has a tumor, the processors can cut the tumor out and cut up the chickens for parts. They cannot put a whole chicken out there that has a tumor on it. I had a friend in Tennessee that also knew about that way before I saw it on TV because someone in here family worked in those places. They also told her to never eat the chicken necks because of the injections.

    Just think about how lmuch money you can save by not eating out.

  22. monkeymama Says:
    January 5th, 2007 at 05:59 pm 1168019959
    1168019959

    I think the salads at fast food joints are disgusting - not fresh. & the extras (dressing and such) made them more calroies in many cases than the junk. In the movie he cycled through the whole menu, including the salads - pointing out how unhealthy they were if you used all the dressing.

    Seems like it would be easier and a hell of a lot cheaper to buy some fresh fruits and veggies from the store... My coworker keeps getting some fruit from Wendys or something - it looks gross if you ask me - like $3 for a little cup of un-fresh fruit???

  23. Aleta Says:
    January 5th, 2007 at 10:13 pm 1168035185
    1168035185

    What is disturbing to me is what I heard on the TV the other day about the government allowing cloned animals to be part of the grocery store and that no one has to tell us. I don't like being a guinea pig and I think that we have the legal and moral right to know what we are eating - including irradiated food.

  24. baselle Says:
    January 7th, 2007 at 11:00 pm 1168210816
    1168210816

    That's a great goal. I would maybe eat FFood a couple of times a year for years. It gets a little tricky if you are out on a road trip, but then we used to pack coolers and hit the grocery store instead of Mickey D.

    Along with that goal, just plain old eating food that it is clear what it is and what the ingredients are is a great second step. That's what really got me with the book Fast Food Nation.

  25. daylily Says:
    January 10th, 2007 at 09:51 pm 1168465867
    1168465867

    Good luck with your goal.
    I've seen the movie and I also read Fast Food Nation a while back.
    I haven't eaten fast food in ages because I was diagnosed with celiac disease = gluten intolerance = no wheat, barley, rye or oats.
    It's pretty easy to avoid fast food because of those restrictions!
    I don't miss it a bit. In fact, I can't stand the smell when someone has a bag of McD's.

  26. Aleta Says:
    January 11th, 2007 at 12:46 am 1168476398
    1168476398

    I hope that no one here has stock in those companies after that movie came out. It's all about the choices you make. You don't have to eat their everyday and you don't have to drink a coke. You can have the small hamburger, water, or tea. I'm not going to forgo everything. I think that it's not what you ear once in a while, but how often you eat it.

  27. mariannej Says:
    January 11th, 2007 at 11:07 pm 1168556835
    1168556835

    Aleta, I agree that it is probably safe to each fast food every once in awhile, but it will certianly be better to forgo it entirely!
    My first challenge came tonight. We live with my parents, and my mom wanted to get chinese food since she was late getting home. I told her my DD and I would make something for ourselves since we are not eating ff this year. Guess what? She, my dad and my sister decided that, since I wasn't going to drive to pick it up for them, that they would have tuna melts instead. Looks like our resolution is saving money and calories for not only us! Smile

  28. flinnie Says:
    January 15th, 2007 at 04:47 pm 1168879629
    1168879629

    I have seen that show too .I wish you all the luck.I haven't had any fast
    food in years.Because of my health I became a vegettarian lost 50 lbs now
    have gained it back.
    Won't to loose the weight again but,it is so heard.So I know what you are
    going thought.

  29. LuxLiving Says:
    January 18th, 2007 at 06:05 pm 1169143532
    1169143532

    It's day 18 of the year and I have been thru the drive-thru only once to buy drinks for the work-crew here when they had my kitchen torn up. No fast food and only this one pop and another one at the house since the beginning of the year. Actually drank both of them before I even realized what I was doing - just habit! Sheesh!

  30. lrjohnson Says:
    January 19th, 2007 at 04:24 am 1169180668
    1169180668

    I'll join.

    I don't go much. But when I do, I always regret it. We have a locally owned taco truck that I can use if I feel the need for fast take out. I'm clean for 2007 so far already.

  31. jersey jen Says:
    January 21st, 2007 at 03:41 pm 1169394114
    1169394114

    i haven't seen the movie, but i heard it's very revealing about McD's fatty food. although i do like McD's breakfast offer and their $1 6-piece chicken nuggets. i've trying to go to Panera instead of McD when getting fast food.

  32. mariannej Says:
    February 21st, 2007 at 01:28 am 1172021309
    1172021309

    Tonight was my first fall off the proverbial wagon! I had Boston Market. I only ate about half of the meal, and I totally forgot my resolution until I came back and read that they were included in fast food. Ah well, not bad that I made it this far. I will get back on the horse and continue on with my resolution once more.

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