Kicking the Food Delivery Habit - A Practical Guide
Break the Urge to Order Food and Overcome Delivery Addiction
Why are we addicted to food delivery apps?
The advent of food delivery services like Uber Eats and DoorDash has totally transformed the way we eat. While these services offer never-before-seen convenience, they can also lead to hard-to-change habits, and they can even feel like an addiction.
If you find yourself constantly succumbing to the urge to order food, you're not alone.
In this article, we'll explore why the urge feels so strong, how this can harm you over time, 5 concrete strategies to help you regain control over your food delivery habits starting today, and resources that will help you break free from addiction.
In This Article:
Jump to…
What Goes On In Your Head (you’re not crazy, I promise)
How To Actually Change (not just temporarily, but for good)
The Second Part of Adulting: Gifting Yourself Alternative Comforts
A takeout dinner. Is there anything else more lovely to dig into after a crazy day at work?
Where is the craving coming from? Why me?
Since losing 100 lbs in 2018, maintaining that loss, and helping clients achieve weight-loss, I’ve spent a lot of time working in and around this question of food-delivery addiction.
I’ve also BEEN there. I spent about 5 years stuck in this cycle, and worked with clients who have changed their ways.
And I’ve discovered some key similarities that most people tend to have with their thought-process around ordering dinner every night.
Do you experience this kind of thought-stream daily?
“I really don’t want to order dinner again tonight. I know I should cook something at home. I’m just eating crap every single day; this is definitely taking a toll on me. My clothes aren’t even fitting the same way anymore.”
“AND MY WALLET. My god, can you imagine how much I could save if I didn’t order Door Dash every night? ….But I am so insanely tired. I can’t even THINK about the idea of cooking.”
“Wow, I’m already looking at the menus on my phone. I do this every time I commute home. I mean, everyone else I know does the same thing. Maybe I should just go with the flow and do it. It’s not a HUGE deal, I mean it’s not like I eat a whole pizza to myself. Honestly, I order pretty healthy stuff.”
“And today was absolutely insane, should I really be expected to not give myself a break? I have to get ready for tomorrow, put my laundry away, and somehow walk the dog too. This is self-care; I can’t run myself ragged like I do all the time. ”
“Cooking can wait another day. I’ll make up for it tomorrow by bringing my lunch instead of ordering with my coworkers. Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll just order something now and relax for the rest of the evening. It’s worth it for the comfort, to be honest. I mean, getting through the DAY I just had? Come on. This BARELY makes up for it.”
Sound familiar?
The urge to order food every night? It makes sense.
It often stems from a variety of factors, including convenience, stress, boredom, and cravings. You can see it in the stream-of-consciousness above.
We’re missing reward and fun during our (usually) difficult days. Door Dash and Uber Eats is an incredibly convenient way to bring ourselves a little comfort and pleasure. Of COURSE it’s natural for humans to get sucked in! You’re not different, and you’re not strange.
Even if you want to stop, there could be some parts of you that don’t want to change. Maybe you think:
Home-cooked food never tastes good
I don’t know what to make at home
I always end up putting off preparing your food for too long, and getting overly hungry
But if you could overcome these barriers, would you still want to change your habit?
Is kicking the Food Delivery habit even worth it?
I feel like you already know the answer to this. Some of the reasons you might have googled “Food Delivery Addiction” are:
1️⃣ You feel sluggish all the time
2️⃣ You’re overweight, and your clothes aren’t fitting
3️⃣ You feel like you’re harming your body
4️⃣ You don’t know what you’re actually consuming every day
5️⃣ Your wallet is hurting, and you can’t save money for important things in life
6️⃣ You feel addicted and like you can’t stop, which feels awful (no one likes being out of control)
7️⃣You just don’t feel like you’re properly adulting (you feel like an immature kid)
So, what do you think? Is kicking this habit worth it for you? If it is, keep reading.
So how do I actually change?
Now that you have the power of knowledge, here’s how to change. You have to ask yourself these 2 key questions.
First, what are you willing to do to keep yourself fed at home? (That’s what we’ll discuss next).
Second, if food delivery is no longer your comfort at the end of the day, what other kind of comfort do you want to gift yourself? (That’s what we’ll discuss near the end of the article).
The First 5 Steps To Adulting: Building the Habit of Home Prepared Meals
One of the most effective ways to control the urge to order food is by learning how to make your home-prepared food EASY (not stressful). So you need to set aside time each week to plan out these easy meals. By having a clear plan in place, you'll be less likely to resort to ordering takeout on a whim.
Step 1: Delete the Apps
No excuse. If the changes are worth it to you, take this first step. You got this. I’ll wait here.
Step 2: Do Your 15-minute Go-To-Meals Activity
Before you expect yourself to actually make a meal plan, you need 15 minutes to set yourself up for success. You need a starter-list of go-to meals. You only have to do this once (not every week).
Grab a sheet of paper.
Divide it into 4 boxes, labeled “Breakfasts” “Lunches” “Dinners” “Snacks.”
Set your timer, and jot down any and all meals you’ve ever had (or can remember from the past) that you created at home.
For most people, this is sandwiches, cracker-cheese plates, eggs, grilled cheese, pasta and jar sauce, frozen burritos or other frozen microwave meals, canned soups, meal kits, hot dogs, boxed mac n cheese, nut butter toasts, yogurt bowls, oatmeal, frozen pizza, frozen appetizers like chicken tenders, tater tots, fries, pizza rolls, etc, baby carrots and dressing, apple and nut butter, lunch meat roll ups, wraps, ramen, or maybe even easy-cook things like tacos, burgers, etc.
The reason this works is that when you sit down to plan your meals for next week, you won’t be staring at a blank sheet. You have tons of ideas to pull from, ones that are already realistic!
It also works because you’re not expecting yourself to make a ridiculous new recipe every night. That’s stressful, and you don’t need that.
Here’s where a barrier often comes up. You might be saying to yourself, “Hot dogs? Grilled cheese? But these things aren’t healthy!”
Listen. Your goal is not to become healthy overnight. Your goal is to become healthy over time. And if you stay stuck in the food delivery addiction, you’ll never get there.
So you need to create a new belief. Repeat after me. HOME FOODS ARE KNOWN FOODS. They’re healthier simply because you have the ingredients, calories, and nutrients on the label right in front of you.
By keeping your Go-To list as SIMPLE and easy as possible (even if it’s not perfectly healthy), you’ll be breaking the cycle, kicking the addiction, and building the necessary foundation for you to become healthier over time.
Step 3: Create the easiest, simplest, quickest meal plan every week.
There’s a lot of help I can offer (how to build a pantry of no-cook non-perishable staples, how to assemble meals instead of cook them, how to make your home cooking taste better). Join my club for free help on these things, and more! It’s awesome; we’d love to have you.
Step 4: Set boundaries
It's important to set boundaries for yourself when it comes to food delivery. Limit the number of times per week that you allow yourself to order takeout, and stick to a budget for food delivery expenses. Use a habit-chart to track every day you are successful with this, and celebrate every time you get 7 days in a row!
By setting clear boundaries, you'll be able to regain control over your eating habits.
Step 5: Seek support
If you're struggling to control your food delivery habits on your own, don't be afraid to seek support from friends, family, or a professional. Consider joining a support group or seeking help from a therapist who specializes in addiction. Talking to others who have overcome similar challenges can provide valuable insight and encouragement.
And you can always apply for a free 1-1 strategy session with me, to get yourself unstuck.
The Second Part of Adulting: Gifting Yourself Alternative Comforts
Now for the 2nd part of the puzzle (arguably, the hardest). You still deserve comfort and fun at the end of the day, don’t you? So find some other things besides food!
This is my favorite comprehensive list; it’s got 52 concrete actions you can take that actually physically comfort you. Give yourself a challenge to do one of these every day.
Remember, you’re not wrong. You DO deserve comfort. Your days ARE difficult.
It’s just that food is not the way you have to do that.
What if I need more help?
I help stuck + busy single adults break the habit of takeout, delivery, and drive-thru meals, so that they can bring their calorie consumption into balance. When you no longer resist home–meals due to exhaustion and overwhelm, you’ll have the tools to start losing weight and feeling better.
Apply for your first free strategy session, to see if we can get you moving in the right direction.
Do you already know you want to work with me 1-1?
If you need a partner to guide you through the ups and downs of your weight-loss journey, my 1-on-1 coaching program is for you.
Can’t wait to connect!