If you know me, I mean really know me, you would know that for lunch and dinner, every day, I probably either have a sandwich or a home cooked meal. Sometimes, I would even buy buffalo chicken wraps at the cafeteria because it’s a pain to think of scheduling bus rides in between my free time. My point is, I love food. I have a family that cooks delicious food. I could eat food all the time, even go for a slice of cheese if I was feeling hungry when I shouldn’t be.

One thing I used to like to eat was fast food. Very convenient, but so unhealthy. It took me quite some time to get around to wanting to quit. It’s hard to quit when I have a little brother who’s very active, and gets McDonald’s or Burger King every other week, or every three weeks. Without the nutritional labels on containers of food, it’s hard to think that it is unhealthy because you have the feeling of wanting to eat and you don’t want to do anything without being hungry. Then, there’s that feeling after you eat of wanting more.

When you love or like something so much, there’s a point where your body is screaming at you to stop. That can usually occur after eating so much food. Somehow, that never occurs when you eat fast food (unless that only happens with me). No matter how sick we may feel after eating a meal, we tend to want to go back and have more. Even when an event happening near you or where you might be at the time can tempt you to have a meal.

In 2015, I started to make a change for myself in wanting to be healthy. Not only do I have to think about getting a certain amount of exercise per week, but I also would have to think of making better choices in what I choose to eat. Since deciding to make a change happened so late in the year, I decided to make it my goal for 2016. It’s difficult to change how you want to eat when you love food so much, but it is not impossible. It was not impossible to think of wanting to go a year without fast food for 2016. After having a crispy chicken wrap from McDonald’s on January 1, I made a promise to myself that for 2016 I would stay away from fast food.

Three months pass, and I have been doing well. I was content and I did not think about fast food at all. I did not think of it when my mom bought a wrap from McDonald’s for me when she picked something up for my brother. It took a few days, but eventually I threw the wrap out when nobody was around. I was not looking to cave in because I was doing so well. I did it, but this journey isn’t over yet.

Spring break happened, and my family went to vacation together. I would be in a different culture with new foods, but the American fast food restaurants just keep on showing up. One night, I decide to stay behind because I was feeling exhausted after a long day. Unfortunately, when my parents came back, they came with Wendy’s. My initial thought was “no!” I was already doing so well, but of all the foods that could be found at the hotel we were staying at, my parents chose to have Wendy’s for dinner! Unfortunately, I caved because I was thinking one burger couldn’t hurt a bit; I absolutely hated it being in my mouth after being free of fast food for close to four months. Because of caving in to have a Wendy’s burger, I have to start all over again. I am now saying no every time I get asked if I want to have fast food.

I quit fast food for a reason, and it is not because I am trying a diet. I am actually quitting fast food because it is gross and really so unhealthy for you. I am even surprised whenever I see my brother get fast food because as an athlete, he should be getting the nutrients needed. Not that I am criticizing, but when I want to change and make new habits for my body, I think of my brother as well. Everybody may think that fast food is okay, but it is honestly not when something can be cooked fresh instead of wanting something that is heated for some time.