From Diet Blog Share: At almost 300 pounds, I loved the secrecy of the drive thru lane. The anonymity, the faceless ordering box, the busy cashier and the taste of the food appealed to all my senses. It was a rare day when I didn’t swing through my favorite restaurant in search of extra food. It was as if the bright signs and catchy slogans communicated directly with my brain – “Turn in here. Try this.” And I willingly obliged. Day after day, whenever there were errands to run, or children to pick up, I’d buy fast food and eat it right in the car. Sometimes the desire for fries was so strong that I’d order two different meals, complete with drinks, just so I could have two boxes of fries. In case you were wondering, I ordered two different meals so the cashier wouldn’t think I was going to eat all that food by myself! After being obese for 10 years, I finally got serious about losing weight and getting healthy. There were a lot of bad habits I had to slowly work on, but one of the hardest to break was my fast food habit. Even though I had drastically altered my eating and purchasing habits at home, conquering the fast food obsession was difficult. Driving down the road I’d spot my favorite restaurant, and could almost taste the food. It took a conscious decision, and a little bit of planning to change this habit. If you love fast food, or know someone who does, here are some tips to help break the fast food cycle: 1. Plan Ahead If the reason you purchase fast food more than you want to is due to lack of planning, I’d encourage you to analyze your schedule for the day, and look for times you may be vulnerable and hungry. When I knew my schedule would require me to

be out at lunchtime, or out when those mid-afternoon munchies struck, I began bringing snacks and/or packing a lunch. By spending five minutes in the morning gathering up healthy snacks, you can save yourself a 1000 calorie mistake. 2. Wait The scenario that was most common for me was to impulsively pull into the restaurant’s drive thru lane before even analyzing why I wanted food. As I was losing weight, I bargained with myself to wait 15 more minutes before choosing to eat fast food. By not pulling into the first restaurant I saw, I gave myself time to evaluate what I was hungry for. I cannot think of a single time when I resisted the first restaurant, but pulled into the one down the road. Every time I made the better choice, and ate food I had with me, I gained confidence that I could be successful at controlling my impulse for fast food. 3. Choose Wisely If you don’t have appropriate snacks with you, and you are truly hungry for food and not emotional comfort, choose the restaurant and the food you purchase wisely. Years ago, when I lost 150 pounds, there weren’t as many healthy choices at fast food restaurants as there are now. These days, it is the rare restaurant that doesn’t have some healthy offerings. Choose the lowest calorie, lowest fat option you can. By employing these three techniques I was able to conquer the fast food habit. Along the way I improved my own health, set a better example for my family and lost 150 pounds. That was twelve years ago, and I still work hard to make good choices whether I am eating at home, or at a fast food restaurant. You too can conquer the fast food habit by daily choosing what you will and will not eat.

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[SharePost] How to Break the Drive-Thru Habit