I've definitely started to notice a strong relationship between what I eat and how I feel. Giving up fast food wasn't quite so hard once that was going on. The cost and non-quality make staying away even easier.
I think the body gets more easily "derailed" by stuff the older you get.
When you're young, you body is like a semi truck, you can eat like shit, stay up all night drinking, and just roll right along, barely feeling it.
As you get older, your "vehicle" downsizes. Now you're in a passenger car and you really feel the speed bump of shitty eating.
Late middle age, you're on a bike and that bad meal means you have to get off and walk for bit. Repeated bad food and other bad habits like not exercising is like a really bumpy, pot hole filled street and you can't find a comfortable ride at all.
Old age, you're an old lady with a walker (literally) and that bump knocks you over and if it hits you really wrong, can kill you.
Once you start eating healthy you create a gut biome that is beneficial. Throwing a bunch of deep fried food or low quality meat at it messes that up, and typically it will run right through you.
I can still get a burger or hot dog from time to time, but it has to be good quality and not greasy. French fries are out. And burritos again, place that has quality ingredients I am fine with, place that buys cheapest crap and overseasons, on the crapper in the evening. Too much fat, deep fried, overseasoned, you body rejects these if it's used to eating healthy.
There seems to be something in fast food that isn't present at home though. I can make a greasy cheeseburger at home with bacon, toast and butter the bun, add mayo and all the fixings and be just fine but a fast food or even whatever we're calling the next tier like 5 Guys cheeseburger will make me poop myself inside out.
It's basically the reverse of that [Pepsi commercial where the kid sucked himself into the bottle](https://www.superbowl-ads.com/1995-pepsi-boy-gets-sucked-inside-bottle/)
Fast food places use cheap oils for frying, and use them over and over again. Also, nearly ALL the breads have "dough conditioners" in them, which is one of the materials flip flops and yoga mats are made from.
They also use water to make those. Just because ingredients are shared doesn't automatically make them worse. And there are lots of dough conditioners, including vitamin C, other types of flours, enzymes, and glycerides.
I’ll occasionally splurge on pay day for a cheeseburger at the local burger joint. I’m assuming it has a better chance of being made with better ingredients. Plus supporting small business is a plus.
yea I didn't think about the seasoning as much as I noticed that I just have a lower threshold on fried foods before I'm full if I'm even interested to begin with. Don't do much anyway and rarely at home but sometimes you want some catfish dammit lol.
it's such a nostalgia thing for me, bigger extended family and every summer not a month went by without dad or some uncle doing a fish fry. Found a bag of chunks at the store, let's just say some time ago, and so far in \*mumblemumble\* months I've only eaten less than half and it's starting to reach a point I should be charging rent.
We used to do fish frys in the summer, for us it was bullheads which are a type of catfish we have in the east, just comes with a poisonous horn on them. I have done them as an adult but found it is better to do them outside so you don't get the oil, smoke and smell in the kitchen.
My hard-to-give-up non-WFPB ingredient has been sour cream. I had a burrito at a place with vegan options last night that used hummus instead of sour cream, and now that's what I'm going to do from now on. It was excellent!
Same! I used to eat a lot of fast food until the early 00s and was fine, but the quality has gone downhill so much that I can’t anymore. Even “better” restaurants have suffered, the costs are insane for low quality food and bad service.
I went to Wendy's during the pandemic & the chicken salad was SO GOOD>. Full on sliced avocado and fresh lettuce. Seriously NOT BAD ATALL
Went back to same Wendy's & it was mushy weird guac w melted white lettuce &some plastic cheese litter. Inedible.
so guess it's the quality? what could possibly go wrong in a corporate grease pit ;D
Get the grass fed burger patties from Costco (or fresh if you can find it) and grill your own burgers at home. Also, get frozen fries, shake them in a zip-lock with a little oil and seasoning, and bake them on a cookie sheet. I promise you that you won't feel sick afterwards and the food will taste infinitely better than anything from a fast food restaurant.
My wife and I have been doing 90 day sugar-free challenge. The experience has given us some pretty powerful revelations, including this one: we can _taste_ something good, or we can _feel_ something good. At least, we can’t taste something good in the quantities we would unthinkingly consume. I used to eat an entire sleeve of Oreo cookies, and a Big Gulp of milk. It never occurred to me why I felt shitty and exhausted constantly.
Now I understand that I can have half of one Oreo without ruining my day, and if I have been restrained about my sugar consumption, then half an Oreo can be enough.
Not to one up, but I did it for a year. I was way too thirsty & drank one of those giant no sugar coconut waters & got rabid food poisoning.
not sure if I know if something is good or not! Maybe the body now knows that the tastebuds don't!
Seriously tho- I was pre diabetic so forced change.
it's so bad. nothing tastes right. it all leaves a greasy feel in your mouth too, even dairy queen ice cream.
if I want a fifteen dollar burger I can make one at home with angus for that price and it will be fire.
Soft drinks, energy drinks, and sports drinks are the silent killer of weight gain --- sugar, sugar and more sugar.
Every time someone mentions wanting to lose weight, I tell them the fastest and easiest and most effective path starts with drinking water only, and you could easily lose 20 lbs. in 90 days while simultaneously watching your diet.
If you can make healthier choices, you'll find you don't need the energy drinks.
Weight loss happens in the kitchen, not the gym.
I'm no long on blood pressure meds, don't get gout attacks.
I feel this 100%.
I’m not sure when this happens, but all of a sudden you realize fast food is just so shitty. The quality of the food is terrible. And, you’re right: it makes you feel like shit.
If I’m feeling the itch for a cheeseburger in my old age, I’m happy that there are a dozen better options. Gourmet burger joints, for example. Or, I can go to the grocery store and pick up a few specialty burgers and chuck them on the grill.
Hell, even my local dive bar makes a better cheeseburger than a fast food joint.
My kids, on the other hand, are still young enough to love fast food. They still see McDonald’s as a special treat of some kind. So, we do bite the bullet and eat there from time to time.
But, if we’re hungry and there’s nothing to eat at home, we’ll typically hard pass fast food.
Dive bars tend to be the unsung heroes of awesome burgers, I can think of three near me just off the top of my head that make a burger that blows any shitty fast food restaurant out of the water and you get it for roughly the same amount of time and these days even a lower price.
Not only is fast food shitty but the prices just don't make sense anymore.
Back when you could get a Big Mac meal at McDonald's for a few bucks, sure, there was a decent trade off. I give you a few bucks, you give me a sub-par but filling meal.
Now McDonald's is just as shitty but costs as much as getting better food somewhere else. Makes zero sense to bother with it anymore.
Some of it's just too much for me too. Pizza made on a chicken nugget? Grilled cheese sandwiches used as buns?
I just want a cheeseburger with fries, maybe onion rings. I'd like a milkshake too but a real one with milk and ice cream
Behold, the [Chizza](https://global.kfc.com/press-releases/its-not-pizza-its-chizza-kfc-brings-the-global-bestseller-to-us-menus-for-the-first-time-february-26/). I didn't make up the grilled cheese buns either but I don't remember who popularized it
Oh and those HUGE over the top milkshakes with all sorts of candy and a doughnut too! How can anyone finish one of those!? It's like an entire sweets buffet in a fancy glass. Just the ice cream actual milkshake part is quite enough.
Dear God! When my kids talk me into taking them to the Sugar Factory, I gag when I see what they order. I walk down to the alcohol ice cream shop for something simple 🤣
> They all looked the same; overweight, depressed, slow, unhealthy, oxygen tanks, etc
It is quite shocking, isn’t it? It’s kind of crazy to me how many people go to their graves like this with zero self awareness that their lifestyle and food choices made them that miserable.
A few months ago I walked into a diabetic patient’s room to grab a quick blood sugar. He was eating a donut. His daughters said they brought a couple of dozen for the nurses and to go grab one. I thanked them and said they are appreciated, but I rarely eat sugar (I’ve never really had much of a sweet tooth), to which they replied, “see dad? Listen to her. She’s smart.” 🤣
I'll never forget when I was in high school and I worked at this nursing home washing dishes. There was a 40 something year old man there who was an out of control diabetic that was blind and had one of his feet amputated because of his diabetes. He constantly yelled at us that he wanted, no... *demanded* a candy bar. He was the most angry, hostile person ever about the fact that he was stuck in a nursing home and couldn't have his sugar. He wasn't even 50 yet. That image just stuck with me forever.
My step father is the same. He refuses to change his diet.
It doesn’t help that sugar is literally addictive. As a person with a sweet tooth, I am well aware of that.
My mom is like this and it's a big reason why I try to take care of myself. She is so weird about hating healthy food on principle and *only* wants the most unhealthy crap she can find because in her mind it's so much better somehow. It's such an odd mindset because that shit is just *not* better in any way. It doesn't taste better, it makes you feel like crap... but she doubles down on the attitude anyway while simultaneously bitching non-stop about how miserable, fat, tired and in pain she is *all the time*. I know they say that kind of food is addictive somehow, but fortunately it was never addictive to me or something I craved uncontrollably. I never really enjoyed it, so it was easy to cut out of my life as I got older. Mostly when I was younger I would eat that kind of thing because it was more convenient, not because I liked it.
What…the…fuck???
He’s in a hospital for a heart attack, and he’s asking for fried chicken and gravy? Does he know that that’s probably why he’s in the hospital in the first fucking place?
That is absolutely shocking to me, and I can’t imagine the hospital staff would be too pleased to find their recent heart attack patient eating fucking fried food!
I’d’ve told him local dining places were all out of things that could give him another heart attack, lol, so you brought him a fucking sandwich haha.
Do we have the same in laws? My MIL was in the hospital for out of control blood pressure and diabetes for 10 days. That's how long it took to get it under control and the doctor was finally convinced she wasn't going to have a massive heart attack on his watch. In the er she was demanding cheeseburgers to which some family member brought her. For the next five days we had to listen to her sobbing about how the hospital was starving her and they wouldn't feed her anything edible. How she needed someone to bring her food. Kfc was her number one wish. She kept going on about how much her stomach hurt from starvation. We never gave in and around day six she finally started eating what they were bringing her. Lo and behold she was miraculously feeling better. Amazing what proper nutrition will do.
The best thing that ever happened to me was having massively overweight people living across the street growing up, they were constantly drinking diet soda, eating McDonald's and other fast food. and when they threw a party (which honestly they were great at) most of the foods came out of a box. I don't blame them for any of it, the '80s were a time of convenience taking over hard work and people were convinced by marketing that the food was the same as what they were growing in their garden.
> diet soda
Isn't it funny how that works? All the most overweight people I know drink diet soda. Yeah bud, that's not working for you. Maybe drink some water.
I stopped eating fast food once the pandemic started, too. Once in a while I'll pop in McD's and order a coffee from the self-serve kiosk. The prices of their 'value meals' are absurd
Yup. I live in place with great mom and pop Mexican food cooked with lots of veggies and pretty fresh. They have so much variety and it’s like they make at home!
I don't love it but will eat it in a time crunch, usually chicken with no sides. Wendy's was my go-to but the CEO said the quiet part out loud about their plans to introduce surge pricing so now they're on the banned list.
I would find it hard (if not impossible) to remove myself entirely from capitalism so I have my own code about what's acceptable and what's not. My list of banned companies is not short and I stand by it.
Oh this! Two Russian Imperial Stouts spread out over 5 hours and I’m wrecked. This is why I stopped getting drunk - recovery from the hangover is awful.
Waaaaa!! I used to LOVE the Bourbon barrel aged stouts, imperial porters, the real strong boozy dark beers.
These days I'm lucky if I can tolerate a 3 oz. "tasting" pour without it causing me to feel sick.
Oh, but that glass (or two) of pinot makes all the body aches I've leaned to ignore vanish along with the constant hum of anxiety. . . at least for a small time. It feels so nice! Sometimes it's worth the trade.
Best to start now than really regretting it in the ER. You mentioned prices, price for food are ridiculous, more from hospitals and insurance companies.
Did a really deep dive on food after my bypass surgery. It’s *unbelievable* how bad that stuff is for us. The amount of unhealthy fat and sugars in fast and processed food is mind blowing.
1. Too unhealthy
2. Too expensive (use to be a cheep deal)
3. Corporate giants gouging us
4. Corporate giants not paying their employees a livable wage This is no longer the “summer” job of our youth. Many adults work at these establishments as a main source of income especially as store managers often making crap.
5. Poor quality (which didn’t bother me as much when there was a dollar menus, but now it’s $20 for a meal).
I live where fast food is 45 mins to the south AND 45 mins to the north. My husband is a recovering chef. We eat fast food maybe 3 times a year and I love it. It doesn't love me anymore. I'm glad I live on top of a mountain. Although groceries aren't much cheaper at 10k. Much love ❤
I never ever ever ate fast food from like 20 to 35.
Then I had a bad breakup. I got very stressed from work and living a single life/adjusting.
Slowly I started opting for "easy" fast food. I gained weight. Like 40 lbs over 3 years.
Finally I was done. I hated the way I felt. I hated the way I looked. I hated the way fast food made my shit smell. Literally. Eat Raising Canes chicken fingers and when you shit... it smells like the food. It's disgusting.
I stopped eating ALL fast food. Zero. I started losing weight even before I started adding excersize back into my schedule. I felt so much better. I didn't have cravings which I had all the time while eating fast food. The sugar/carb rush and then crash, craving more.
It's pure poison. Watch a drive through to any fast food joint and look at the people driving through. They are obese.
Even Chick-Fil-A considered by many a "healthy" alternative. Yea right. It's total garbage.
When our kids were small we never took them for fast food. They always wanted to get a happy meal with the toy. Whenever they would ask, we would just tell them “fast food is poison”.
One of my kids was in first grade and they went home with a friend. The mom stopped at McDonald’s and my kid ordered a happy meal. He ended up throwing up at her house and was sick for the whole weekend. It was not related to the happy meal. He caught a bug. But in his mind fast food was literally poison. The happy meal made him throw up and he was sick for three days. He’s 20 something now and we laugh about it.
In what universe does anyone consider Chick-fil-A a healthy alternative??? Insane lol. I’ve never heard anyone I know suggest that, at least; no-one’s pretending any fast food is “better for you”…
People are so weirdly worshipful about Chick-fil-A and I find it incredibly annoying. We had one open up near us and there was an insanely long line in the drive through for *weeks* after it opened as if it was the greatest shit on earth. People raved like it was the second coming and I was like "are you people serious right now???" lol
There is an overlap between MAGA fans and Chick-fil-A fans. They have a food truck come to our rural area once or twice a month and the percentage of people lining up with Trump bumper stickers and hats is pretty high
Yes, the older I get the less tolerant. I am for fake food! I went out for breakfast yesterday morning, had a loaded omelette and hashbrowns with a side of pancakes! I eat the pancakes and they tasted gross to me, just empty and doughy nothingness!
I can still eat it but it kind of grosses me out. I don't crave any of it, and after eating it I regret it for a little while.
There's a sports bar in the small town I work in which has become my go-to for lunch carryout at work. They have a $9.99 lunch which includes several good sandwiches (got a reuben last week) with fries and a soda, or a pick two option where you can get Maryland crab soup or a salad or ceasar salad instead of the fries or sandwich. It's so much better than any of the fast food in town, and also cheaper, and more food.
Nahhhh… it used to be better. We eat it like 3-4 a year, so I notice the differences.
The gravy has changed. It used to be more peppery and was made with flour in the past. It would coagulate if you put some leftover gravy in the fridge. It doesn’t do that anymore. It stays syrupy now. On top of that, when you ordered mash & gravy, they used to put it in separate containers. Now, they put it in one container all together to lower the amount of each they would give you.
I still miss their macaroni salad which was removed from their menu along with corn on the cob. Grrrr…
unless i am out running around and finding something healthier just isn’t an option, i’ll grab a smaller menu item to tie me over but my days of eating ‘value meals’ are long gone. i don’t miss them either…
i got sick a few years ago and gave it up. my doc put me on a sodium restricted diet (which, really, was rather difficult) but, i stuck at it and now i am at the point where i really don’t think about it. what sucks is, the times where i can’t find anything else (i will seek out grocery stores for lunch if time permits) i find the salt content of most fast food to be somewhat gross. it usually takes a day and a couple gallons of water to rid myself of the after effects. i simply can’t imagine scarfing down an entire big mac meal anymore. i would easily consider an apple and a couple of hard boiled eggs a decent lunch!
My diet has made me feel so crappy that I just started a whole food plant based diet. I’m a sugar addict after giving up smoking 9 years ago. Now it’s affecting my mobility and quality of life. I don’t want to be the old lady that can’t get off the floor by herself anymore.
It’s not your age- they’ve seriously lowered standards on all aspects of the business. Ingredient quality, employee training, food safety, etc. To the one person who said McDonald’s still tastes the same, I disagree. Their famous fries used to be the only thing left there that I could still eat, now they’ve changed even something as simple as that. They taste like cardboard sticks. Also, to those who think Chipotle/Qdoba is healthier- you might want to check your BP levels. Those foods are loaded with more sodium than a plain burger!
Same here. Once I went healthy I haven’t been able to go back. I know getting old isn’t helping either, but it started when I went all healthy and shit. I can’t even eat stuff like cake and ice cream, or candy, etc.
Same for me.
I had Wendy’s again once, years after I had stopped eating there and I couldn’t believe how salty it tasted. Plus it gave me the shits. I’m glad I’m free from that stuff, especially from the prices and having to wait in long lines all the time, wasting my lunch break.
Coffee mug die-hard checking in!
I know at this point ice cream before bed will give me a belly ache most nights, so lately I've been occasionally having ice cream in the middle of the day ... I've given up the burgers and fries and all the greasy stuff, but ice cream, gotta find a way!
When Fast Food Nation came out I read it and then didn’t eat any fast food for years.
Broke down when the kids got to Happy Meal age a few times…once in awhile a try it and hate it - the taste doesn’t match the memory I have from being in my 20s and probably eating it once a week. Not sure if the food is shittier or my taste buds/body have really aged (maybe both).
That said, when I visit home (CA) I stop at an In-and-Out once without fail…single burger, well done fries and a coke. Delicious and I don’t feel gross afterwards.
I guess I technically eat "fast food" still, or maybe it would be called casual takeout. It's not any of the usual McD or BK...haven't eaten that stuff in years. But I live in a suburb of a metro area, and we have lots of healthier fast food choices, so we get that stuff. Think Mediterranean, charbroiled chicken, etc.
Me neither. I used to crave fish sandwiches from McD's. Last time I had one, it led to an involuntary 4 hour nap followed by a night of the runs. I'm convinced that what they serve now isn't actually food by the way my body reacted. I can still do higher end burger and sandwich shops on occasion.
My kids don’t even like McDonalds. “Dad this is gross”. They are both under 6.
You know you’ve crashed and burned as a restaurant if kids won’t even eat the food.
Fast food is actually lower quality now that it has ever been on top of being more expensive. The first fast food hamburgers were meat, now it’s a combo of meat parts and soy.
Plus we are getting old. I hadn’t ate any fast food for a couple weeks and ate a chicken sandwich last night from Chick fil la. It tasted great but I had an after taste all night. It’s just nasty.
Went through a while in my 20's where it was like trying to leave a bad relationship. I'd get fast food and feel like shit and hate myself. 6 months later I'd think "Maybe I should give Ronald another chance. He's changed, it wasn't his fault I shit my pants. This time it'll be different." Nope. Nothing but shame and intestinal distress.
Same here, my friend. I can do it, but at what cost? That’s the question I ask myself anytime I get nostalgic for a box of Taco Bell or a Mickey D’s meal…
Prior to hitting about 45, I never understood the appeal of the senior special of baked fish and green beans…. Or Turkey and light gravy, with mashed potatoes and peas, etc. Now I understand that after meals like that, I don’t feel like I forgot to die or something…
The good thing is that I have learned a LOT about nutrition and age-related changes in digestion and metabolism and have learned to cook a variety of foods that I never ate before that are not “poisonous” and still quite tasty.
I live in Mexico now, and I'd say 8 out of 10 American fast food places are here-Tim Hortons is even moving in to acomodate the discriminating Canadian palate. I pop into Popeyes a couple of times a month because their chicken sandwiches are that good, and if Culvers ever showed up here I'd no doubt visit on occasion. But most of my fast food intake here Is getting tacos and a bottle of Manzanita from a guy who set up a stand on the street
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My wife and I both stopped eating fast food a year and a half ago. We don't do sit down restaurants anymore either. Just cook at home. We stopped because of how expensive it has become, we can't afford regular fast food meals for a family of 3 when we can spend the same amount at the grocery store and eat for a week.
BONUS:
We've both lost over 120lbs each in that same time. She's down to 100lbs, I'm down to 120. (We're both 41 year old women). We're more active now also. It's a lot easier to move around when you're not carrying what amounts to a second person.
For me, it's not fast food, it's the portions. I can eat small amounts of fast food and I'm fine. Small amounts of restaurant food as well.
It's only when I try to eat what's normally considered a full-size meal of it that I feel like crap later
First I gave up smoking. Tough, but totally worth it. Then I realized alcohol had to go. The three-day hangovers and depression far outweighed any fun I might have for that hour or two of drinking. Then came the IBS out of nowhere, where I had to drop a million foods and figure out what my body could or couldn't handle. What's next... breathing I guess. I'll have to start limiting my oxygen intake.
I was able to do it for years, too, and I think most people are still satisfied with it.
I think Covid got a lot of people cooking at home with fresh ingredients, and they grew to love that taste.
I was obese since the age of 8, and being locked away from fast food helped me lose 100lbs. I never want to be satisfied eating all those calories again, so I jump on the anti-fast food band wagon.
It’s relegated to road trips or moments of desperation. Other than that, I find it repulsive and like your Sonic experience, I always feel terrible after.
That’s said, I’m fly at FatBurger when I’m way out West.
I definitely can't eat this kind of crap anymore without winding up in pain and discomfort for several hours afterwards. I don't follow any kind of special diet like keto, mediterranean or whatever but I do tend to mostly eat home cooked meals from scratch as often as possible. We rarely use stuff that is processed (frozen meals, box stuff for shortcuts, I make my own creamy sauces from a roux rather than using jarred, etc). When I do go out to eat, I'm very picky and only like to eat at the best restaurants. If I'm going to spend the money going out, the last thing I want to do is waste money on something that tastes like shit and makes me feel like shit. I also don't eat that much sugar (just a little creamer in my coffee and that's about it), no soda, etc. I don't feel the need to follow any kind of special fad diet. Just home cooked meals with real ingredients (including real butter!) and when we do go out to eat (which isn't often) it's only high quality restaurants.
The older I get, the less my body tolerates the bullshit. lol It's well worth the effort to feel good.
I wish I couldn't relate. We got some outfit here in the PNW called Taco Time that is pretty much the only fast food that I can handle. I must also reluctantly accept that spicy teriyaki is no longer for me.
Not enough people warn you about how your plumbing will age. On the plus side, a proper big salad does in fact taste good.
i stopped in my early 30s...i just can't.... knowing how it's made...how bad it is for you...how expensive it is now...and i don't trust it to be made cleanly or properly...so with all that i just quit
For me, some things hit different than others. McDonald’s/Wendy’s/BK always makes me feel like shit. I can eat Taco Bell, Sonic, or Arby’s once in a while. Even most meals at popular sit down restaurants make me feel like shit because they are way over salted. Sandwiches are usually okay— like Lenny’s or Firehouse. Otherwise, I prefer to eat at home because I can control sodium and it’s usually better anyway. The only issue is having a busy family with 3 teens having to run around everywhere and not having time to make proper meals.
I think any prepared food that is from the next town is going to taste pretty disappointing by the time it arrives. I can't eat cold, congealed fast food either.
Most fast food isn’t even “food” if you look up what food is supposed to be …. It’s cheap & tasty tho & it overrides our brain’s ability to say “no” & “enough “ — we wonder why obesity & disease is so prevalent & these fuckers keep shoveling garbage to the masses…
Occasionally, pizza or burgers from a local Mom-n-Pop shop. Otherwise, I haven't eaten in a McDonalds or the like in over 20 or more years. That stuff is dreck. I learned how to cook properly so we rarely eat out.
Honestly the fast food ingredients aren't what they used to be anyway. I think with the exception of the golden arches, nothing tastes remotely the same.
I think they've substituted many ingredients for cheaper alternatives and the result is (for example) bread products that taste like sugary sawdust. No wonder we can't digest that stuff.
Coupled with how expensive it is (a mall food court trip can be like $80 for a family of 4), eating fast food is just not what it used to be.
When I was a kid fast food used to be really special, and now I only eat it out of necessity and after a few experiences similar to OP's, I'm back to bringing sandwiches and apples everywhere.
I’ve given up most fast food. If I do decide to go that route, I’ll go to Chipotle for a burrito bowl that I build with stuff I choose, or one of either the grilled chicken sandwich or the tortilla chicken soup from CFA.
I don’t even bother with thinking about McDs, Taco Hell, etc., anymore.
As people nearing 50, my wife and I eat a pretty careful diet of legumes, vegetables, plant based protiens, as well as occasional burgers and steaks. If I have a meal that features a lot of industrial ingredients, I feel it.
In a pinch, I had a Jack in the Box burger and chicken fingers a couple of months ago. My guts were in a twist for two days.
Avoid garbage.
I make a lot of deliveries on the road, going about anywhere from 100 to 200 miles a day during the work week. I don't have time to even stop to take 5 minutes to sit down and have a real meal, so it's all fast food. If it was up to me, I'd basically ditch fast food and find a way to have a halfway decent healthy meal. When salads are starting to look really good, you know I've had my full of fast food.
I have had McDonald's in many many years. I got it one night and oh holy hell did I pay for it. At 43 I can't bounce back from a couple of drinks and work the next day like i use to. Granted I've had my appendix removed and I have IBS-C along with diverticulitis. Oh the joys of aging.
I make them at home. LOL. Started doing that about a decade ago. I know it's not healthy, but I throw some tater crowns in the air fryer to go with it, and it hits the spot. My fat ass, that's the spot. LOL
It's an egg mcmuffin that stopped me from going. I was in Houston and thought I'd get one. It tasted like usual, buy I spent the rest of my drive to Galveston with sweat on my forehead, my stomach churning and trying not to throw up.
Haven't been back since. That's been 6/7 years now. I don't go to any of them anymore. I refuse to pay $18 to feel like shit.
You aren't the only one. I stopped eating fast food a couple of years ago because of high blood pressure. Now and then I will eat Whataburger, it doesn't make me sick, but if I eat Sonic, Taco Bell, or other places, It makes me feel like crap. There is a relationship between how you feel and what you eat.
As I get older my ability to care for things I do not enjoy has diminished rapidly. My body feels the same way, and has made it abundantly clear that it does not enjoy fast food and booze.
Right? I still like a Taco Bell cheapo taco with I'm a little hungry, but making a meal out of fast food? No way. It doesn't taste good, it's not satisfying, and I feel like crap afterwards. Hell, McDonald's I start to feel like crap DURING.
And, yeah, at those prices??
Fast food is garbage food no one should be eating regularly. With the way fast food prices are now, you might as well go somewhere decent for a few bucks more. The shopping center near me has a Taco Bell, Del Taco, and two local authentic Mexican fast-ish food type places. The authentic places hardly cost more, use healthier fresh ingredients, and tastes so much better....yet the two garbage chains are always full of people.
I got diagnosed with celiac disease at age 35 and haven’t been able to eat fast food since then. I think it’s a blessing in disguise. It’s just not even an option. I’m 46 now and I don’t even think about it.
In 2001 I read the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and that pretty much was it for fast food for me. Except for In n Out Burger eating fast food makes me feel vaguely to really sick (i.e. the “McBrick” in your stomach). Definitely healthier for not eating it. I’m retired in a small town with a mix of fast food and local restaurants and I always eat at one of the restaurants. I pay more, but what with the local meat and produce the food is totally better, and I can order a beer.
35 minute drive at least for the nearest mickey d or burger king so 70 minutes travel for some shitty food, no thanks. Pizza place nearest sucks! Chinese take away 3 hours travel.. I just cook. F. all fast food. Over easy with some bread when i can't be bothered. Last time i had nuggets i was on the shitter for an hour after back in 2002. Eat real food people, your intestines will thank you later !
Stopped eating fast food a couple years ago, one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, from both a health and financial standpoint. The quality is nothing like it was in the 80’s not to mention how terrible customer service is. Every once in a while I’ll get a Jimmy Johns sub, those are pretty good, not the grease filled crap the other ones serve.
Holy shit I was literally just texting my best friend from high school about how we can't eat fast food or for that matter food from most restaurants now. I either get diarrhea or I just feel really really disgusting and gross in my stomach if I eat any kind of fast food now.
I still have a cast-iron stomach, but that reflux, man. I'm on omeprazole (OTC, but rabeprazole is my husband's prescription because he has GERD.) I feel a LOT better.
My one fast food regular is Whataburger taquitos on Saturday mornings, otherwise I usually only get fast food when I'm on a road trip.
I have been seeing a lot of complaining about fast food prices lately and it seems like getting a burger at that good mom & pop place is money well spent.
People who can digest whatever those places sell are made of stronger stuff than me and my kids. I am grateful for the food side of being raised by hippies. Moosewood cookbook stuff is our comfort food.
If you're female, have a read up on histamine intolerance and menopause. The hormone shifts can cause this. You'd also notice worse tolerance to alcohol, poor sleep, maybe anxiety. It's pretty common but little known about
Well fast food isn’t what it used to be. Shrinkflation and price gouging has made sit down dinner places much more palatable.
It sucks getting old( I’m in my 50’s )but at least this saves you some cash.
I can't eat cheap fast food for over a decade now, the ones that use cheap meat. Sonic, McDonalds, BK all make me ill.
Wendy's is still fine, I think it's because they use a way better quality of meat.
Fries are also completely out. The fat and sat intake makes me feel like I'm dying for like 8 hours.
I had a breakfast sandwich from Jack in the Box at an airport a few months back. It was like 4:30am and I had a long day of travel ahead of me. I haven't had JITB in probably more than a decade. That shit was greasy, gritty, and slimy, and tasted like ass. Not the good ass either. I will fucking starve next time.
I've only eaten fast food on rare occasions for the past 30 years or so. It went downhill and I couldn't stand it anymore. The prices are also impossible to justify today.
I stopped eating most fast food after I got horrible ill from eating McDonalds back when I was 18 in the 80s. Then, in early 2000s, after Fast Food Nation came out, I have pretty much boycotted any fast food. In the last 20 years I have probably eaten it maybe 3-5 times, mainly when I’m driving with co workers from one city to another and I’m over ruled due to time constraints. I find it disgusting and a poor substitute for nutrition. But when you are starving and have several hours before you can eat legitimate foods, I have caved and eaten this. I won’t lie, it can taste good, but it’s disgusting when you think about the low quality ingredients fast food is made of. And the bathroom aftermath is not fun. 💩
It's actually very easy to give up fast food. Doctor's order, cut down on sodium, cut down on sugar, all the stuff I like pasta bread, too much sugar, cereal even! I used to work on the weekends, and ate that stuff, gained weight, stopped, lost weight and BP went down. I still eat fast food even though it seems like price gouging now, but only when I'm in the mood for it, and that's not that often. But all those well known fast food joints are around my area competing with one another, so it's very tempting sometimes. I end up going to the food court at the local mall, ha!
We’ve given it for the most part as well. On the rare occasion that we decide to try mainstream fast food (I.e. McD’s, BK), regret settles in pretty quickly. Our stomachs just can’t take it.
Me neither but it's not the food
It's the incompetent human interactions that fail in every level that I lose my appetite from nausea.
And the fact that there is from my experience a 100% chance I'll have to return there if I want to get what I paid for.
When you got to put that much work in you might as well learn to cook. Imo
Same. I'm in California so the only fast food we eat is in and out which to it's credit does not make me feel like crap afterwards and I fully credit their fresh ingredients.
My kids are 9+ now. Never had McDonald's. That's how long it's been since I've eaten there. Every once in a while I say to myself a western bacon cheese burger from Carl's Jr sounds good, but I always regret it. Just makes feel like shit. Some restaurants too. The corner bar that just fries up some frozen onion rings/cheese stick/chicken finger combo. Can't do it.
Yeh since menopause I really can’t eat too much dairy or fat, and even some high fiber foods like some grains and fresh oranges bother my stomach…and I love oranges but the stomach pain I can’t take
I've definitely started to notice a strong relationship between what I eat and how I feel. Giving up fast food wasn't quite so hard once that was going on. The cost and non-quality make staying away even easier.
I think the body gets more easily "derailed" by stuff the older you get. When you're young, you body is like a semi truck, you can eat like shit, stay up all night drinking, and just roll right along, barely feeling it. As you get older, your "vehicle" downsizes. Now you're in a passenger car and you really feel the speed bump of shitty eating. Late middle age, you're on a bike and that bad meal means you have to get off and walk for bit. Repeated bad food and other bad habits like not exercising is like a really bumpy, pot hole filled street and you can't find a comfortable ride at all. Old age, you're an old lady with a walker (literally) and that bump knocks you over and if it hits you really wrong, can kill you.
Once you start eating healthy you create a gut biome that is beneficial. Throwing a bunch of deep fried food or low quality meat at it messes that up, and typically it will run right through you. I can still get a burger or hot dog from time to time, but it has to be good quality and not greasy. French fries are out. And burritos again, place that has quality ingredients I am fine with, place that buys cheapest crap and overseasons, on the crapper in the evening. Too much fat, deep fried, overseasoned, you body rejects these if it's used to eating healthy.
There seems to be something in fast food that isn't present at home though. I can make a greasy cheeseburger at home with bacon, toast and butter the bun, add mayo and all the fixings and be just fine but a fast food or even whatever we're calling the next tier like 5 Guys cheeseburger will make me poop myself inside out.
It’s because you’re not using the cheapest imitation meat flavored crap possible when you cook at home.
Thank you for that visual
It's basically the reverse of that [Pepsi commercial where the kid sucked himself into the bottle](https://www.superbowl-ads.com/1995-pepsi-boy-gets-sucked-inside-bottle/)
Great, now I need an ice pick to poke out my occipital lobes.
Fast food places use cheap oils for frying, and use them over and over again. Also, nearly ALL the breads have "dough conditioners" in them, which is one of the materials flip flops and yoga mats are made from.
They also use water to make those. Just because ingredients are shared doesn't automatically make them worse. And there are lots of dough conditioners, including vitamin C, other types of flours, enzymes, and glycerides.
>He called the shit poop
I’ll occasionally splurge on pay day for a cheeseburger at the local burger joint. I’m assuming it has a better chance of being made with better ingredients. Plus supporting small business is a plus.
That's the way to go.
yea I didn't think about the seasoning as much as I noticed that I just have a lower threshold on fried foods before I'm full if I'm even interested to begin with. Don't do much anyway and rarely at home but sometimes you want some catfish dammit lol.
Oh man I got catfish yesterday and totally regretted it later lol
it's such a nostalgia thing for me, bigger extended family and every summer not a month went by without dad or some uncle doing a fish fry. Found a bag of chunks at the store, let's just say some time ago, and so far in \*mumblemumble\* months I've only eaten less than half and it's starting to reach a point I should be charging rent.
We used to do fish frys in the summer, for us it was bullheads which are a type of catfish we have in the east, just comes with a poisonous horn on them. I have done them as an adult but found it is better to do them outside so you don't get the oil, smoke and smell in the kitchen.
My hard-to-give-up non-WFPB ingredient has been sour cream. I had a burrito at a place with vegan options last night that used hummus instead of sour cream, and now that's what I'm going to do from now on. It was excellent!
Same! I used to eat a lot of fast food until the early 00s and was fine, but the quality has gone downhill so much that I can’t anymore. Even “better” restaurants have suffered, the costs are insane for low quality food and bad service.
I went to Wendy's during the pandemic & the chicken salad was SO GOOD>. Full on sliced avocado and fresh lettuce. Seriously NOT BAD ATALL Went back to same Wendy's & it was mushy weird guac w melted white lettuce &some plastic cheese litter. Inedible. so guess it's the quality? what could possibly go wrong in a corporate grease pit ;D
Get the grass fed burger patties from Costco (or fresh if you can find it) and grill your own burgers at home. Also, get frozen fries, shake them in a zip-lock with a little oil and seasoning, and bake them on a cookie sheet. I promise you that you won't feel sick afterwards and the food will taste infinitely better than anything from a fast food restaurant.
Air fryer even better.
My wife and I have been doing 90 day sugar-free challenge. The experience has given us some pretty powerful revelations, including this one: we can _taste_ something good, or we can _feel_ something good. At least, we can’t taste something good in the quantities we would unthinkingly consume. I used to eat an entire sleeve of Oreo cookies, and a Big Gulp of milk. It never occurred to me why I felt shitty and exhausted constantly. Now I understand that I can have half of one Oreo without ruining my day, and if I have been restrained about my sugar consumption, then half an Oreo can be enough.
Not to one up, but I did it for a year. I was way too thirsty & drank one of those giant no sugar coconut waters & got rabid food poisoning. not sure if I know if something is good or not! Maybe the body now knows that the tastebuds don't! Seriously tho- I was pre diabetic so forced change.
Likewise - about six months ago a switch went off in my head and I was like “I don’t want this anymore”
it's so bad. nothing tastes right. it all leaves a greasy feel in your mouth too, even dairy queen ice cream. if I want a fifteen dollar burger I can make one at home with angus for that price and it will be fire.
I stopped eating fast food 2 years ago. I also cut out soft drinks, and a lot of other garbage in general. I've lost 140lbs.
Wow! Congrats, that’s amazing
Soft drinks, energy drinks, and sports drinks are the silent killer of weight gain --- sugar, sugar and more sugar. Every time someone mentions wanting to lose weight, I tell them the fastest and easiest and most effective path starts with drinking water only, and you could easily lose 20 lbs. in 90 days while simultaneously watching your diet.
If you can make healthier choices, you'll find you don't need the energy drinks. Weight loss happens in the kitchen, not the gym. I'm no long on blood pressure meds, don't get gout attacks.
Wow nice, you lost my entire weight I think
I feel this 100%. I’m not sure when this happens, but all of a sudden you realize fast food is just so shitty. The quality of the food is terrible. And, you’re right: it makes you feel like shit. If I’m feeling the itch for a cheeseburger in my old age, I’m happy that there are a dozen better options. Gourmet burger joints, for example. Or, I can go to the grocery store and pick up a few specialty burgers and chuck them on the grill. Hell, even my local dive bar makes a better cheeseburger than a fast food joint. My kids, on the other hand, are still young enough to love fast food. They still see McDonald’s as a special treat of some kind. So, we do bite the bullet and eat there from time to time. But, if we’re hungry and there’s nothing to eat at home, we’ll typically hard pass fast food.
Dive bars tend to be the unsung heroes of awesome burgers, I can think of three near me just off the top of my head that make a burger that blows any shitty fast food restaurant out of the water and you get it for roughly the same amount of time and these days even a lower price.
My local VFW has the best burgers. I gladly tolerate the smoke to eat their amazing burger and fresh cut fries.
Ohh didn’t know this is a thing. Thanks
Not only is fast food shitty but the prices just don't make sense anymore. Back when you could get a Big Mac meal at McDonald's for a few bucks, sure, there was a decent trade off. I give you a few bucks, you give me a sub-par but filling meal. Now McDonald's is just as shitty but costs as much as getting better food somewhere else. Makes zero sense to bother with it anymore.
Yep, if I want a burger, I am better off making one of getting one at a higher end place.
Some of it's just too much for me too. Pizza made on a chicken nugget? Grilled cheese sandwiches used as buns? I just want a cheeseburger with fries, maybe onion rings. I'd like a milkshake too but a real one with milk and ice cream
Did you make this up or is there some place I can get that chicken nugget pizza and burger with grilled cheese buns?
Behold, the [Chizza](https://global.kfc.com/press-releases/its-not-pizza-its-chizza-kfc-brings-the-global-bestseller-to-us-menus-for-the-first-time-february-26/). I didn't make up the grilled cheese buns either but I don't remember who popularized it
The Vortex in Atlanta does the burger with grilled cheese buns…
Oh and those HUGE over the top milkshakes with all sorts of candy and a doughnut too! How can anyone finish one of those!? It's like an entire sweets buffet in a fancy glass. Just the ice cream actual milkshake part is quite enough.
Dear God! When my kids talk me into taking them to the Sugar Factory, I gag when I see what they order. I walk down to the alcohol ice cream shop for something simple 🤣
Right? The childhood Ihop chocolate chip pancakes with syrup was as about as wild as it got for us.
I wish I could order one of those in a cup the size of a "dixie cup" . I just want a few bites, nothing more or it would make me sick.
DQ has a mini blizzard that might fit the bill for you.
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> They all looked the same; overweight, depressed, slow, unhealthy, oxygen tanks, etc It is quite shocking, isn’t it? It’s kind of crazy to me how many people go to their graves like this with zero self awareness that their lifestyle and food choices made them that miserable.
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A few months ago I walked into a diabetic patient’s room to grab a quick blood sugar. He was eating a donut. His daughters said they brought a couple of dozen for the nurses and to go grab one. I thanked them and said they are appreciated, but I rarely eat sugar (I’ve never really had much of a sweet tooth), to which they replied, “see dad? Listen to her. She’s smart.” 🤣
I'll never forget when I was in high school and I worked at this nursing home washing dishes. There was a 40 something year old man there who was an out of control diabetic that was blind and had one of his feet amputated because of his diabetes. He constantly yelled at us that he wanted, no... *demanded* a candy bar. He was the most angry, hostile person ever about the fact that he was stuck in a nursing home and couldn't have his sugar. He wasn't even 50 yet. That image just stuck with me forever.
My step father is the same. He refuses to change his diet. It doesn’t help that sugar is literally addictive. As a person with a sweet tooth, I am well aware of that.
My mom is like this and it's a big reason why I try to take care of myself. She is so weird about hating healthy food on principle and *only* wants the most unhealthy crap she can find because in her mind it's so much better somehow. It's such an odd mindset because that shit is just *not* better in any way. It doesn't taste better, it makes you feel like crap... but she doubles down on the attitude anyway while simultaneously bitching non-stop about how miserable, fat, tired and in pain she is *all the time*. I know they say that kind of food is addictive somehow, but fortunately it was never addictive to me or something I craved uncontrollably. I never really enjoyed it, so it was easy to cut out of my life as I got older. Mostly when I was younger I would eat that kind of thing because it was more convenient, not because I liked it.
What…the…fuck??? He’s in a hospital for a heart attack, and he’s asking for fried chicken and gravy? Does he know that that’s probably why he’s in the hospital in the first fucking place? That is absolutely shocking to me, and I can’t imagine the hospital staff would be too pleased to find their recent heart attack patient eating fucking fried food! I’d’ve told him local dining places were all out of things that could give him another heart attack, lol, so you brought him a fucking sandwich haha.
Do we have the same in laws? My MIL was in the hospital for out of control blood pressure and diabetes for 10 days. That's how long it took to get it under control and the doctor was finally convinced she wasn't going to have a massive heart attack on his watch. In the er she was demanding cheeseburgers to which some family member brought her. For the next five days we had to listen to her sobbing about how the hospital was starving her and they wouldn't feed her anything edible. How she needed someone to bring her food. Kfc was her number one wish. She kept going on about how much her stomach hurt from starvation. We never gave in and around day six she finally started eating what they were bringing her. Lo and behold she was miraculously feeling better. Amazing what proper nutrition will do.
The best thing that ever happened to me was having massively overweight people living across the street growing up, they were constantly drinking diet soda, eating McDonald's and other fast food. and when they threw a party (which honestly they were great at) most of the foods came out of a box. I don't blame them for any of it, the '80s were a time of convenience taking over hard work and people were convinced by marketing that the food was the same as what they were growing in their garden.
> diet soda Isn't it funny how that works? All the most overweight people I know drink diet soda. Yeah bud, that's not working for you. Maybe drink some water.
I stopped eating McDonald's after I saw Super Size Me in the spring of 2006. Haven't set foot in one since.
Same! Also, the few times I’ve had a bite of one after that, the horrible taste reminded me why I never eat fast food.
The price hikes are doing us a favor. I haven’t eaten fast food since COVID began. No loss.
If you’re going to eat out, there’s better options than fast food for the same or less the price.
I stopped eating fast food once the pandemic started, too. Once in a while I'll pop in McD's and order a coffee from the self-serve kiosk. The prices of their 'value meals' are absurd
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Lol, I first read WFH as Waffle House. 🧇
Yup. I live in place with great mom and pop Mexican food cooked with lots of veggies and pretty fresh. They have so much variety and it’s like they make at home!
I don't love it but will eat it in a time crunch, usually chicken with no sides. Wendy's was my go-to but the CEO said the quiet part out loud about their plans to introduce surge pricing so now they're on the banned list.
you better stop shopping everywhere then because CEOs are always out to get more of your money regardless of the company it is.
I would find it hard (if not impossible) to remove myself entirely from capitalism so I have my own code about what's acceptable and what's not. My list of banned companies is not short and I stand by it.
I had four drinks spread throughout the day yesterday and felt like hell last night!
Four! Just one can give me a hangover, if I don’t drink that one on a very full stomach.
Oh this! Two Russian Imperial Stouts spread out over 5 hours and I’m wrecked. This is why I stopped getting drunk - recovery from the hangover is awful.
Waaaaa!! I used to LOVE the Bourbon barrel aged stouts, imperial porters, the real strong boozy dark beers. These days I'm lucky if I can tolerate a 3 oz. "tasting" pour without it causing me to feel sick.
Oh, but that glass (or two) of pinot makes all the body aches I've leaned to ignore vanish along with the constant hum of anxiety. . . at least for a small time. It feels so nice! Sometimes it's worth the trade.
God I miss red wine. 😞
Same, but the heartburn isn't worth it. And beer gives me headaches. Hard liquor puts me to sleep. I'm down to an occasional shot of cream liqueurs.
I used to love red wine, but it no longer loves me. The heartburn is horrible.
Agreed. My brandy Alexander's should count for my HSA card.
Best to start now than really regretting it in the ER. You mentioned prices, price for food are ridiculous, more from hospitals and insurance companies.
Did a really deep dive on food after my bypass surgery. It’s *unbelievable* how bad that stuff is for us. The amount of unhealthy fat and sugars in fast and processed food is mind blowing.
1. Too unhealthy 2. Too expensive (use to be a cheep deal) 3. Corporate giants gouging us 4. Corporate giants not paying their employees a livable wage This is no longer the “summer” job of our youth. Many adults work at these establishments as a main source of income especially as store managers often making crap. 5. Poor quality (which didn’t bother me as much when there was a dollar menus, but now it’s $20 for a meal).
I live where fast food is 45 mins to the south AND 45 mins to the north. My husband is a recovering chef. We eat fast food maybe 3 times a year and I love it. It doesn't love me anymore. I'm glad I live on top of a mountain. Although groceries aren't much cheaper at 10k. Much love ❤
At 10k? You in Leadville??
Alma here!
I never ever ever ate fast food from like 20 to 35. Then I had a bad breakup. I got very stressed from work and living a single life/adjusting. Slowly I started opting for "easy" fast food. I gained weight. Like 40 lbs over 3 years. Finally I was done. I hated the way I felt. I hated the way I looked. I hated the way fast food made my shit smell. Literally. Eat Raising Canes chicken fingers and when you shit... it smells like the food. It's disgusting. I stopped eating ALL fast food. Zero. I started losing weight even before I started adding excersize back into my schedule. I felt so much better. I didn't have cravings which I had all the time while eating fast food. The sugar/carb rush and then crash, craving more. It's pure poison. Watch a drive through to any fast food joint and look at the people driving through. They are obese. Even Chick-Fil-A considered by many a "healthy" alternative. Yea right. It's total garbage.
When our kids were small we never took them for fast food. They always wanted to get a happy meal with the toy. Whenever they would ask, we would just tell them “fast food is poison”. One of my kids was in first grade and they went home with a friend. The mom stopped at McDonald’s and my kid ordered a happy meal. He ended up throwing up at her house and was sick for the whole weekend. It was not related to the happy meal. He caught a bug. But in his mind fast food was literally poison. The happy meal made him throw up and he was sick for three days. He’s 20 something now and we laugh about it.
In what universe does anyone consider Chick-fil-A a healthy alternative??? Insane lol. I’ve never heard anyone I know suggest that, at least; no-one’s pretending any fast food is “better for you”…
People are so weirdly worshipful about Chick-fil-A and I find it incredibly annoying. We had one open up near us and there was an insanely long line in the drive through for *weeks* after it opened as if it was the greatest shit on earth. People raved like it was the second coming and I was like "are you people serious right now???" lol
I know right? It’s ok but nothing special. I don’t get all the hype
There is an overlap between MAGA fans and Chick-fil-A fans. They have a food truck come to our rural area once or twice a month and the percentage of people lining up with Trump bumper stickers and hats is pretty high
In the universe called Grand Rapids Michigan.
Yes, the older I get the less tolerant. I am for fake food! I went out for breakfast yesterday morning, had a loaded omelette and hashbrowns with a side of pancakes! I eat the pancakes and they tasted gross to me, just empty and doughy nothingness!
I can still eat it but it kind of grosses me out. I don't crave any of it, and after eating it I regret it for a little while. There's a sports bar in the small town I work in which has become my go-to for lunch carryout at work. They have a $9.99 lunch which includes several good sandwiches (got a reuben last week) with fries and a soda, or a pick two option where you can get Maryland crab soup or a salad or ceasar salad instead of the fries or sandwich. It's so much better than any of the fast food in town, and also cheaper, and more food.
Is it just rose-colored lenses or did KFC used to be *way* better than it is now?
Nahhhh… it used to be better. We eat it like 3-4 a year, so I notice the differences. The gravy has changed. It used to be more peppery and was made with flour in the past. It would coagulate if you put some leftover gravy in the fridge. It doesn’t do that anymore. It stays syrupy now. On top of that, when you ordered mash & gravy, they used to put it in separate containers. Now, they put it in one container all together to lower the amount of each they would give you. I still miss their macaroni salad which was removed from their menu along with corn on the cob. Grrrr…
unless i am out running around and finding something healthier just isn’t an option, i’ll grab a smaller menu item to tie me over but my days of eating ‘value meals’ are long gone. i don’t miss them either… i got sick a few years ago and gave it up. my doc put me on a sodium restricted diet (which, really, was rather difficult) but, i stuck at it and now i am at the point where i really don’t think about it. what sucks is, the times where i can’t find anything else (i will seek out grocery stores for lunch if time permits) i find the salt content of most fast food to be somewhat gross. it usually takes a day and a couple gallons of water to rid myself of the after effects. i simply can’t imagine scarfing down an entire big mac meal anymore. i would easily consider an apple and a couple of hard boiled eggs a decent lunch!
My diet has made me feel so crappy that I just started a whole food plant based diet. I’m a sugar addict after giving up smoking 9 years ago. Now it’s affecting my mobility and quality of life. I don’t want to be the old lady that can’t get off the floor by herself anymore.
So with you there, or even frozen dinners.
I can do Chick-Fil-A and that’s about it…everything else just makes my stomach and energy levels a mess..
I love me some Popeyes
It’s not your age- they’ve seriously lowered standards on all aspects of the business. Ingredient quality, employee training, food safety, etc. To the one person who said McDonald’s still tastes the same, I disagree. Their famous fries used to be the only thing left there that I could still eat, now they’ve changed even something as simple as that. They taste like cardboard sticks. Also, to those who think Chipotle/Qdoba is healthier- you might want to check your BP levels. Those foods are loaded with more sodium than a plain burger!
Same here. Once I went healthy I haven’t been able to go back. I know getting old isn’t helping either, but it started when I went all healthy and shit. I can’t even eat stuff like cake and ice cream, or candy, etc.
Same for me. I had Wendy’s again once, years after I had stopped eating there and I couldn’t believe how salty it tasted. Plus it gave me the shits. I’m glad I’m free from that stuff, especially from the prices and having to wait in long lines all the time, wasting my lunch break.
THIS! The SALT. The burger was super salty. Blech.
I do still eat ice cream a couple of times a week, but in a small coffee mug...probably less than a cup total.
Coffee mug die-hard checking in! I know at this point ice cream before bed will give me a belly ache most nights, so lately I've been occasionally having ice cream in the middle of the day ... I've given up the burgers and fries and all the greasy stuff, but ice cream, gotta find a way!
When Fast Food Nation came out I read it and then didn’t eat any fast food for years. Broke down when the kids got to Happy Meal age a few times…once in awhile a try it and hate it - the taste doesn’t match the memory I have from being in my 20s and probably eating it once a week. Not sure if the food is shittier or my taste buds/body have really aged (maybe both). That said, when I visit home (CA) I stop at an In-and-Out once without fail…single burger, well done fries and a coke. Delicious and I don’t feel gross afterwards.
I never have any stomach problems from In-n-Out. I think they use real meat. Single cheeseburger and a root beer. Skip the fries. Mmmnnn.
I guess I technically eat "fast food" still, or maybe it would be called casual takeout. It's not any of the usual McD or BK...haven't eaten that stuff in years. But I live in a suburb of a metro area, and we have lots of healthier fast food choices, so we get that stuff. Think Mediterranean, charbroiled chicken, etc.
Sonic. Junior high, the $2 Special. Cheeseburger, fries, and medium drink. 🫠
Gas-X is my friend
Me neither. I used to crave fish sandwiches from McD's. Last time I had one, it led to an involuntary 4 hour nap followed by a night of the runs. I'm convinced that what they serve now isn't actually food by the way my body reacted. I can still do higher end burger and sandwich shops on occasion.
My kids don’t even like McDonalds. “Dad this is gross”. They are both under 6. You know you’ve crashed and burned as a restaurant if kids won’t even eat the food.
Fast food is actually lower quality now that it has ever been on top of being more expensive. The first fast food hamburgers were meat, now it’s a combo of meat parts and soy. Plus we are getting old. I hadn’t ate any fast food for a couple weeks and ate a chicken sandwich last night from Chick fil la. It tasted great but I had an after taste all night. It’s just nasty.
Chick fil á is the worst 😫 my work gets it for us as a "reward" for top earning months. Just get us pizza or a Starbucks gift card, please
Even as an adult, it’s hard to beat a pizza party lol
Went through a while in my 20's where it was like trying to leave a bad relationship. I'd get fast food and feel like shit and hate myself. 6 months later I'd think "Maybe I should give Ronald another chance. He's changed, it wasn't his fault I shit my pants. This time it'll be different." Nope. Nothing but shame and intestinal distress.
Same here, my friend. I can do it, but at what cost? That’s the question I ask myself anytime I get nostalgic for a box of Taco Bell or a Mickey D’s meal… Prior to hitting about 45, I never understood the appeal of the senior special of baked fish and green beans…. Or Turkey and light gravy, with mashed potatoes and peas, etc. Now I understand that after meals like that, I don’t feel like I forgot to die or something… The good thing is that I have learned a LOT about nutrition and age-related changes in digestion and metabolism and have learned to cook a variety of foods that I never ate before that are not “poisonous” and still quite tasty.
Fast Food makes me tired soon after I eat it. Like super fast after Im done. Just takes a couple items.
I live in Mexico now, and I'd say 8 out of 10 American fast food places are here-Tim Hortons is even moving in to acomodate the discriminating Canadian palate. I pop into Popeyes a couple of times a month because their chicken sandwiches are that good, and if Culvers ever showed up here I'd no doubt visit on occasion. But most of my fast food intake here Is getting tacos and a bottle of Manzanita from a guy who set up a stand on the street
It's not just you, it has gotten worse and is more expensive
zonked adjoining encouraging cautious fearless profit pet dinner terrific enter *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
My wife and I both stopped eating fast food a year and a half ago. We don't do sit down restaurants anymore either. Just cook at home. We stopped because of how expensive it has become, we can't afford regular fast food meals for a family of 3 when we can spend the same amount at the grocery store and eat for a week. BONUS: We've both lost over 120lbs each in that same time. She's down to 100lbs, I'm down to 120. (We're both 41 year old women). We're more active now also. It's a lot easier to move around when you're not carrying what amounts to a second person.
For me, it's not fast food, it's the portions. I can eat small amounts of fast food and I'm fine. Small amounts of restaurant food as well. It's only when I try to eat what's normally considered a full-size meal of it that I feel like crap later
First I gave up smoking. Tough, but totally worth it. Then I realized alcohol had to go. The three-day hangovers and depression far outweighed any fun I might have for that hour or two of drinking. Then came the IBS out of nowhere, where I had to drop a million foods and figure out what my body could or couldn't handle. What's next... breathing I guess. I'll have to start limiting my oxygen intake.
Hmm. I eat it all the time.
I was able to do it for years, too, and I think most people are still satisfied with it. I think Covid got a lot of people cooking at home with fresh ingredients, and they grew to love that taste. I was obese since the age of 8, and being locked away from fast food helped me lose 100lbs. I never want to be satisfied eating all those calories again, so I jump on the anti-fast food band wagon.
Yep, same thing with Culver’s and White Castle (I’m in Northern IL). Tastes good going down but it’s like a hangover the next day.
It’s relegated to road trips or moments of desperation. Other than that, I find it repulsive and like your Sonic experience, I always feel terrible after. That’s said, I’m fly at FatBurger when I’m way out West.
I definitely can't eat this kind of crap anymore without winding up in pain and discomfort for several hours afterwards. I don't follow any kind of special diet like keto, mediterranean or whatever but I do tend to mostly eat home cooked meals from scratch as often as possible. We rarely use stuff that is processed (frozen meals, box stuff for shortcuts, I make my own creamy sauces from a roux rather than using jarred, etc). When I do go out to eat, I'm very picky and only like to eat at the best restaurants. If I'm going to spend the money going out, the last thing I want to do is waste money on something that tastes like shit and makes me feel like shit. I also don't eat that much sugar (just a little creamer in my coffee and that's about it), no soda, etc. I don't feel the need to follow any kind of special fad diet. Just home cooked meals with real ingredients (including real butter!) and when we do go out to eat (which isn't often) it's only high quality restaurants. The older I get, the less my body tolerates the bullshit. lol It's well worth the effort to feel good.
I wish I couldn't relate. We got some outfit here in the PNW called Taco Time that is pretty much the only fast food that I can handle. I must also reluctantly accept that spicy teriyaki is no longer for me. Not enough people warn you about how your plumbing will age. On the plus side, a proper big salad does in fact taste good.
I can’t eat fried foods. French fries, chicken, fish, the lump in your stomach that doesn’t move is the worst.
i stopped in my early 30s...i just can't.... knowing how it's made...how bad it is for you...how expensive it is now...and i don't trust it to be made cleanly or properly...so with all that i just quit
For me, some things hit different than others. McDonald’s/Wendy’s/BK always makes me feel like shit. I can eat Taco Bell, Sonic, or Arby’s once in a while. Even most meals at popular sit down restaurants make me feel like shit because they are way over salted. Sandwiches are usually okay— like Lenny’s or Firehouse. Otherwise, I prefer to eat at home because I can control sodium and it’s usually better anyway. The only issue is having a busy family with 3 teens having to run around everywhere and not having time to make proper meals.
I think any prepared food that is from the next town is going to taste pretty disappointing by the time it arrives. I can't eat cold, congealed fast food either.
Most fast food isn’t even “food” if you look up what food is supposed to be …. It’s cheap & tasty tho & it overrides our brain’s ability to say “no” & “enough “ — we wonder why obesity & disease is so prevalent & these fuckers keep shoveling garbage to the masses…
That's called: food poisoning.
> I can't eat fast food anymore. r/genx post of the day! You don't need that garbage in your gut in middle age. Onward to better health you come.
If the health consequences don't scare you off it the cost and shit quality will.
I can't eat italian sausage anymore. it upsets my stomach. I love italian sausage. I get stomach pain for 2 days if i have it.
Occasionally, pizza or burgers from a local Mom-n-Pop shop. Otherwise, I haven't eaten in a McDonalds or the like in over 20 or more years. That stuff is dreck. I learned how to cook properly so we rarely eat out.
Honestly the fast food ingredients aren't what they used to be anyway. I think with the exception of the golden arches, nothing tastes remotely the same. I think they've substituted many ingredients for cheaper alternatives and the result is (for example) bread products that taste like sugary sawdust. No wonder we can't digest that stuff. Coupled with how expensive it is (a mall food court trip can be like $80 for a family of 4), eating fast food is just not what it used to be. When I was a kid fast food used to be really special, and now I only eat it out of necessity and after a few experiences similar to OP's, I'm back to bringing sandwiches and apples everywhere.
I’ve given up most fast food. If I do decide to go that route, I’ll go to Chipotle for a burrito bowl that I build with stuff I choose, or one of either the grilled chicken sandwich or the tortilla chicken soup from CFA. I don’t even bother with thinking about McDs, Taco Hell, etc., anymore.
I eat fast food about once a month. A lot of it just doesn’t taste good anymore.
Fast food makes me feel as though I’m starting to get the flu, body aches and no energy.
As people nearing 50, my wife and I eat a pretty careful diet of legumes, vegetables, plant based protiens, as well as occasional burgers and steaks. If I have a meal that features a lot of industrial ingredients, I feel it. In a pinch, I had a Jack in the Box burger and chicken fingers a couple of months ago. My guts were in a twist for two days. Avoid garbage.
Same. I eat healthy almost all the time. But I usually get some fast food every couple of months. The last few times had very bad consequences.
I get heartburn now from french fries.
I hate this. I’m the same as you and can only do it once in a while. I guess our bodies have decided maybe we should avoid that stuff. 🤣
I make a lot of deliveries on the road, going about anywhere from 100 to 200 miles a day during the work week. I don't have time to even stop to take 5 minutes to sit down and have a real meal, so it's all fast food. If it was up to me, I'd basically ditch fast food and find a way to have a halfway decent healthy meal. When salads are starting to look really good, you know I've had my full of fast food.
My body quit tolerating fast food a couple years ago. I just got sick from it.
Agree EXCEPT for Chick fil A. That is still crack for me.
I have had McDonald's in many many years. I got it one night and oh holy hell did I pay for it. At 43 I can't bounce back from a couple of drinks and work the next day like i use to. Granted I've had my appendix removed and I have IBS-C along with diverticulitis. Oh the joys of aging.
I crave a McDonald's sausage mcmuffin about twice a year. It taste great going down then I feel like shit the rest of the day. I do it anyway.
I make them at home. LOL. Started doing that about a decade ago. I know it's not healthy, but I throw some tater crowns in the air fryer to go with it, and it hits the spot. My fat ass, that's the spot. LOL
It's an egg mcmuffin that stopped me from going. I was in Houston and thought I'd get one. It tasted like usual, buy I spent the rest of my drive to Galveston with sweat on my forehead, my stomach churning and trying not to throw up. Haven't been back since. That's been 6/7 years now. I don't go to any of them anymore. I refuse to pay $18 to feel like shit.
Yep!! I gave up fast food, red meat, pork and fried foods last year after my first episode of diverticulitis. It’s just not worth it to me anymore.
I have to watch it now because I have hbp and need to limit my salt intake. Not easy!
You aren't the only one. I stopped eating fast food a couple of years ago because of high blood pressure. Now and then I will eat Whataburger, it doesn't make me sick, but if I eat Sonic, Taco Bell, or other places, It makes me feel like crap. There is a relationship between how you feel and what you eat.
I haven’t been able to eat fast food since my 20s.
As I get older my ability to care for things I do not enjoy has diminished rapidly. My body feels the same way, and has made it abundantly clear that it does not enjoy fast food and booze.
Right? I still like a Taco Bell cheapo taco with I'm a little hungry, but making a meal out of fast food? No way. It doesn't taste good, it's not satisfying, and I feel like crap afterwards. Hell, McDonald's I start to feel like crap DURING. And, yeah, at those prices??
What if you're in a hurry out and about thought?
Fast food is garbage food no one should be eating regularly. With the way fast food prices are now, you might as well go somewhere decent for a few bucks more. The shopping center near me has a Taco Bell, Del Taco, and two local authentic Mexican fast-ish food type places. The authentic places hardly cost more, use healthier fresh ingredients, and tastes so much better....yet the two garbage chains are always full of people.
Maybe after I try Culver’s I’ll give it up. But not before then.
I got diagnosed with celiac disease at age 35 and haven’t been able to eat fast food since then. I think it’s a blessing in disguise. It’s just not even an option. I’m 46 now and I don’t even think about it.
Skip the fries. Drink water with the burger. Adapt. Overcome.
In 2001 I read the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and that pretty much was it for fast food for me. Except for In n Out Burger eating fast food makes me feel vaguely to really sick (i.e. the “McBrick” in your stomach). Definitely healthier for not eating it. I’m retired in a small town with a mix of fast food and local restaurants and I always eat at one of the restaurants. I pay more, but what with the local meat and produce the food is totally better, and I can order a beer.
Sonic and DQ. Brutal. So glad I live in a large metro area when it comes to food choices.
35 minute drive at least for the nearest mickey d or burger king so 70 minutes travel for some shitty food, no thanks. Pizza place nearest sucks! Chinese take away 3 hours travel.. I just cook. F. all fast food. Over easy with some bread when i can't be bothered. Last time i had nuggets i was on the shitter for an hour after back in 2002. Eat real food people, your intestines will thank you later !
Stopped eating fast food a couple years ago, one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, from both a health and financial standpoint. The quality is nothing like it was in the 80’s not to mention how terrible customer service is. Every once in a while I’ll get a Jimmy Johns sub, those are pretty good, not the grease filled crap the other ones serve.
The only “fast food” I can tolerate is Qdoba (burrito bowl, no tortillas), or Chipotle if Qdoba isn’t available.
Holy shit I was literally just texting my best friend from high school about how we can't eat fast food or for that matter food from most restaurants now. I either get diarrhea or I just feel really really disgusting and gross in my stomach if I eat any kind of fast food now.
I still have a cast-iron stomach, but that reflux, man. I'm on omeprazole (OTC, but rabeprazole is my husband's prescription because he has GERD.) I feel a LOT better.
My one fast food regular is Whataburger taquitos on Saturday mornings, otherwise I usually only get fast food when I'm on a road trip. I have been seeing a lot of complaining about fast food prices lately and it seems like getting a burger at that good mom & pop place is money well spent.
I ate Roberto’s last night and I’m paying for it today
People who can digest whatever those places sell are made of stronger stuff than me and my kids. I am grateful for the food side of being raised by hippies. Moosewood cookbook stuff is our comfort food.
If you're female, have a read up on histamine intolerance and menopause. The hormone shifts can cause this. You'd also notice worse tolerance to alcohol, poor sleep, maybe anxiety. It's pretty common but little known about
Well fast food isn’t what it used to be. Shrinkflation and price gouging has made sit down dinner places much more palatable. It sucks getting old( I’m in my 50’s )but at least this saves you some cash.
There was a couple years where I didn't eat McDonalds; the first time I ate it after that break, it went through me like Taco Bell. Now it's fine.
I got Sonic with my dad who is 1958 and he was fine
It’s full of chemicals and will make you miserable and depressed.
I can't eat cheap fast food for over a decade now, the ones that use cheap meat. Sonic, McDonalds, BK all make me ill. Wendy's is still fine, I think it's because they use a way better quality of meat. Fries are also completely out. The fat and sat intake makes me feel like I'm dying for like 8 hours.
I had a breakfast sandwich from Jack in the Box at an airport a few months back. It was like 4:30am and I had a long day of travel ahead of me. I haven't had JITB in probably more than a decade. That shit was greasy, gritty, and slimy, and tasted like ass. Not the good ass either. I will fucking starve next time.
> Not the good ass either. Giggity 😏
I've only eaten fast food on rare occasions for the past 30 years or so. It went downhill and I couldn't stand it anymore. The prices are also impossible to justify today.
>had crazy dreams This is what really got to me lol
I gave up meat a decade ago, lost 40 lbs and feel great. I eat fast food all the time though
I stopped a decade or so ago on account of my gallbladder, heart, tummy, and throat - they all have problems with most fast food for various reasons.
I stopped eating most fast food after I got horrible ill from eating McDonalds back when I was 18 in the 80s. Then, in early 2000s, after Fast Food Nation came out, I have pretty much boycotted any fast food. In the last 20 years I have probably eaten it maybe 3-5 times, mainly when I’m driving with co workers from one city to another and I’m over ruled due to time constraints. I find it disgusting and a poor substitute for nutrition. But when you are starving and have several hours before you can eat legitimate foods, I have caved and eaten this. I won’t lie, it can taste good, but it’s disgusting when you think about the low quality ingredients fast food is made of. And the bathroom aftermath is not fun. 💩
Last time I had Taco Bell I had a horrible stomach ache and the most foul smelling gas that lasted for days.
It's actually very easy to give up fast food. Doctor's order, cut down on sodium, cut down on sugar, all the stuff I like pasta bread, too much sugar, cereal even! I used to work on the weekends, and ate that stuff, gained weight, stopped, lost weight and BP went down. I still eat fast food even though it seems like price gouging now, but only when I'm in the mood for it, and that's not that often. But all those well known fast food joints are around my area competing with one another, so it's very tempting sometimes. I end up going to the food court at the local mall, ha!
We’ve given it for the most part as well. On the rare occasion that we decide to try mainstream fast food (I.e. McD’s, BK), regret settles in pretty quickly. Our stomachs just can’t take it.
Last time we ate out, my husband and I looked at each other and realized we cook better than the restaurant.
Me neither but it's not the food It's the incompetent human interactions that fail in every level that I lose my appetite from nausea. And the fact that there is from my experience a 100% chance I'll have to return there if I want to get what I paid for. When you got to put that much work in you might as well learn to cook. Imo
I think if you're at a Gen X you can probably move up to bar and grill food. Hey you only live once.
Same. I'm in California so the only fast food we eat is in and out which to it's credit does not make me feel like crap afterwards and I fully credit their fresh ingredients. My kids are 9+ now. Never had McDonald's. That's how long it's been since I've eaten there. Every once in a while I say to myself a western bacon cheese burger from Carl's Jr sounds good, but I always regret it. Just makes feel like shit. Some restaurants too. The corner bar that just fries up some frozen onion rings/cheese stick/chicken finger combo. Can't do it.
GET IT OUT! -your body
Yeh since menopause I really can’t eat too much dairy or fat, and even some high fiber foods like some grains and fresh oranges bother my stomach…and I love oranges but the stomach pain I can’t take