eating out......fast food restaurant

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crazylibraluv2684
crazylibraluv2684 Posts: 24 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm going to Burger King?......I'm getting my usual (spicy chicken sandwich w/lettuce mayo tomatoes) or (10-piece chicken nuggets w/sweet & sour sauce)
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  • IrenaKaraman
    IrenaKaraman Posts: 42 Member
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    Try to ditch fast food. If u can't do it yet; go for salad. If you like BK a lot, u can get chicken Caesar salad. Just don't use whole dressing package, use it half or 1/3rd.
  • mistikal13
    mistikal13 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    Fast food is not the best option, but if it's something that you really want and it's fits into your calories, enjoy every bite!
  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
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    Eat whichever fits into your daily calories... flip a coin, which one do you want more?! :smiley: It's alright to eat whatever from fast food and lose weight, as long as it fits into your daily calories!! No need for all this "fast food is bad". I eat it at least once a week and I'm losing weight pretty well. :drinker:

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  • karensuegill
    karensuegill Posts: 67 Member
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    I rarely have fast food because it is so high in salt and fat! I used to eat it quite a bit, but don't miss it now. If I do eat fast food, I usually go for Subway or Panera Bread. They have much much healthier choices.
  • JennJayBee
    JennJayBee Posts: 45 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I would exercise caution on fast food salads. Some of them (particularly if you include dressing) can have as many calories (of more) as the burgers. Oftentimes, food that we think of as "fresh" or "healthy" can be the most deceptive and have far more calories than we'd realize.

    Take the Zaxby's Zensational Zalad, for example. It's marketed as a fresh, healthy salad with a veggie eggroll on the side. Total calorie count? Over 1100 calories!!! For someone like me who's aiming for 1300-1500 calories per day, that's nearly my entire day's worth.

    Subway can also get you into trouble. You think you're going to get something that is automatically good for you, but the bread is going to have some calories packed in, as will the cheese and dressings.

    Instead, check out the nutrition info (posted online) for any restaurant before you go and know your calorie/nutritional goals. Pick something within that range.

    Things to avoid: Anything fried, milkshakes, sodas and other sweetened drinks

    Things to look for: grilled chicken or steak, fresh veggies, fresh fruits, water or unsweetened tea, coffee

    Things to be cautious with:
    1. Salads (The veggies are great, but avoid croutons, cheese, tortilla chips, and heavy dressings. Try dressing one with fruit, instead!)
    2. Grilled chicken sandwiches (Again, check the other ingredients. Many grilled chicken sandwiches go heavy on mayo or cheese or bacon, and white bread buns aren't particularly great for you, either.)
    3. Snack wraps (Yet again, look at the other ingredients. Avoid cheese or heavy dressings or bacon if you can.)

    Fast food can be loaded with fat and sodium, yes, but if it's your only real option at the time, you can definitely make do. One of my favorites is Taco Bell. You can order various items off the menu and replace sour cream and cheese with pico, making a grilled steak soft taco a fair option in a pinch.

    All this said, I personally don't deprive myself at all. Every food is on the table for me, both literally and figuratively. I just limit my intake of these foods. I can occasionally have that Big Mac or small fry, but only if I've been good that week and only if I keep my portions in check. It provides some motivation for me to stick to my diet the other six days of the week, and I don't go nuts with cravings because I feel like something is forbidden.

    Another option is to get whatever it is that you want and cut the portion size in half to fit your calorie/nutrition goals. If you're really craving that chicken nugget, it might be better to go ahead and have 2-3 of them with a nice salad instead of eating a whole dozen with some french fries.
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
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    BK always equals chicken fries or tendercrisp. If I am going out to eat I am going to eat what is delicious. Usually only 2 times a month.
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
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    Chick-fil-a or Krystal for me. Or Five Guys. . . Or Moes. . .
  • MaxPower0102
    MaxPower0102 Posts: 2,654 Member
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    I always go back to this article before I eat out. I use Coach Levi for most of my cycling advice, and I like this information coachlevi.com/nutrition/how-to-eat-healthy-at-fast-food-joints/
  • PLHalifax
    PLHalifax Posts: 2 Member
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    One little hidden fast food gem in my opinion is McDonalds chicken snack wrap. Filling, mostly protein, not a lot of calories.
  • BicepsAndBows
    BicepsAndBows Posts: 197 Member
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    What exactly is your question? Are you asking which of these options is better, or what you should get in general? I would definitely recommend looking up their menu ahead of time so you can determine the nutritional info for what you are planning to eat. Just make sure you pick something that stays within your sodium, fat, and calorie goals for the day. And like others have said, ditch the fast-food if at all possible, or try to limit it to just once a month or only when you are traveling and there is no other option. It tends to be loaded with fat, sodium, and sugar, which are okay in moderation, but fast-food tends to overdo it!
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
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    Something I do now is take a small, single serving bag of chips with me so I am not tempted to get fries. This saves so many calories and I don't feel deprived at all. I'm not a person that can just eat a sandwich when I get FF.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    PLHalifax wrote: »
    One little hidden fast food gem in my opinion is McDonalds chicken snack wrap. Filling, mostly protein, not a lot of calories.

    I must really not have the same notion of 'filling' than most people. The full size McWrap, now that's ok... but the snack wraps are a joke!

    Honestly I haven't eaten fast food in a year or something. I just don't crave it anymore, and I'd rather eat at home than go there at this point, as I can make something tastier for less calories. But if I HAVE to eat there, I just check the nutrition info beforehand. I know I wasn't too happy about Burger King because they don't seem to have low calorie salad dressing, and I'm not eating that tasteless lettuce without salad dressing, lol. And a burger alone doesn't really fill me up, so I pretty much haven't been to BK in over 2 years.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
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    IrenaKaraman wrote: »
    Try to ditch fast food. If u can't do it yet; go for salad. If you like BK a lot, u can get chicken Caesar salad. Just don't use whole dressing package, use it half or 1/3rd.

    If someone likes fast food why would they give it up? This whole thing is suppose to be for life, and if you start arbitrarily cutting things out that you enjoy eating you're much more likely to get frustrated and fail.

    OP-I love fast food and ate it several times a week while I was in active weight loss mode, and I continue to eat it quite a bit now that I'm in maintenance (I had bacon wrapped pizza on Monday night at Little Caesars, which was epic, and I had McDs for lunch today). Take a look at the restaurants nutritional info before going, adjust things so you can fit what you want to eat into your calorie goals, and have fun :)
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    edited May 2015
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    CrabNebula wrote: »
    Something I do now is take a small, single serving bag of chips with me so I am not tempted to get fries. This saves so many calories and I don't feel deprived at all. I'm not a person that can just eat a sandwich when I get FF.

    I had a small fry today at Mcds and it was 230 calories. A serving of Lays potato chips is 160 calories. For the 70 calorie difference it's going to be the fries :smiley: I paired it with a bacon ranch grilled chicken salad, with a packet of regular ranch dressing, and it was a great, filling lunch for a total of 690 calories. Still full several hours later :)
  • Noelv1976
    Noelv1976 Posts: 18,948 Member
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    Fast food for me is either KFC or Popeye's chicken strips with veggies as the side.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    I'm confused about what the question is.
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
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    Sarasmaintaining wrote: »
    CrabNebula wrote: »
    Something I do now is take a small, single serving bag of chips with me so I am not tempted to get fries. This saves so many calories and I don't feel deprived at all. I'm not a person that can just eat a sandwich when I get FF.

    I had a small fry today at Mcds and it was 230 calories. A serving of Lays potato chips is 160 calories. For the 70 calorie difference it's going to be the fries :smiley: I paired it with a bacon ranch grilled chicken salad, with a packet of regular ranch dressing, and it was a great, filling lunch for a total of 690 calories. Still full several hours later :)

    I usually take the Baked Lays, so more like 100. But it is an individual thing. I am sure I waste calories in lots of places others would clutch their pearls at. :p
  • JennJayBee
    JennJayBee Posts: 45 Member
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    CrabNebula wrote: »
    Sarasmaintaining wrote: »
    CrabNebula wrote: »
    Something I do now is take a small, single serving bag of chips with me so I am not tempted to get fries. This saves so many calories and I don't feel deprived at all. I'm not a person that can just eat a sandwich when I get FF.

    I had a small fry today at Mcds and it was 230 calories. A serving of Lays potato chips is 160 calories. For the 70 calorie difference it's going to be the fries :smiley: I paired it with a bacon ranch grilled chicken salad, with a packet of regular ranch dressing, and it was a great, filling lunch for a total of 690 calories. Still full several hours later :)

    I usually take the Baked Lays, so more like 100. But it is an individual thing. I am sure I waste calories in lots of places others would clutch their pearls at. :p

    My go-to grab-and-go food is protein bars. My current favorite is the Chocolate Salted Caramel Luna Bar. For 170 calories, I get 12g protein and 3g fiber, so it'll keep me full for a while. Also, it's a candy bar. :smiley:

    I keep these in my purse and in my car. I wouldn't have gotten this far without a LOT of easy to grab options.
  • kikichewie
    kikichewie Posts: 276 Member
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    The last thing I'm going to order at a fast food place is a salad. I like good salads. And most fast food salads suck, aren't filling, and still manage to have a crapload of calories that just aren't worth it. I'd rather have a double cheeseburger and unsweetened tea at McDs, and just accept a high fat day. I'll still stay under my calories and be relatively satisfied.
  • vixtris
    vixtris Posts: 688 Member
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    chicken sandwich!! If it fits in your calories and macros, dont fret it!

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