Fast food places other than Subway?

CameronJohnny

Hey everyone I eat out a lot. and normally I eat the same thing 3-4x a week twice a day which after inputting into my daily nutrition plan allows me to achieve my goals (foot long oven roasted chicken on Italian with Swiss cheese low sodium veggies only with oil and vinegar and pepper as shaker) I'm not burnt out yet but am going to be.

Has anyone else found a fast food place with meal specifications that keep them on track? Just curious to hear someone else who may have a "standard" meal like I do to meet my goals.

Also I'm 27, 6'3 180 lb's. I'm lean with decent muscle, my lower abs are there but unfortunately have become covered with a bit of fat over the past 2 years.

Any thoughts or suggestions for other meals really helps.

Best,
Cameron

Kalikel

I really avoid fast food as much as possible and am not suggesting this is healthy, but Taco Bell has a lowish-calorie Chicken Soft taco. McNuggets (without the fries and sauces and shakes) aren't too bad for calories. I think a 6 piece is less than 300.

They all have their nutrition info online.

karyabc

Im not a fast food expert but as someone who lives on a budget -___- to be honest my to go places are either mcdonald's; i usually order 2 snack wrap w/ grilled chicken that is less than 500 cald for both ( i eat one with ranch and one without it) or wendys i sooooo love their chilli, is so good and filling, a small chilli is only 180 cals or so,

When i go to fast food places i eat pretty much what i want but where i "save" calories is that i eat my main meal and dont buy any side like fries or soda, just plain wataaaa'

P.ssss yeah and getting a salad for me at a fast food location is a no no , i leave that for home ,no matter how good they are..

intruhvurt

I eat at Panera for lunch - all their nutrition info is online.

ew_david

I lost almost 30# eating at Boston Market at least once a week. Not sure if there are any in your area, but I would get the chicken market bowl; chicken breast (i doubled up), mashed potatoes, and green beans. You can make any combination you want with the sides they offer. They're about 500 calories with a decent macro breakdown.

Also, Charley's Grilled Subs. I'd get a regular sized cheesesteak for about 525 calories.

Roxiegirl2008

I really like chic-fil-a grilled chicken nuggets and fruit cup. I also love panera.

aippolito1

Chipotle is great. Make good food choices & eat half. Their website has a macro/calorie counter so you can put EXACTLY what you got into a new entry in the diary here on MFP... pretty nifty. I also like In N Out 'cause I can do protein style (I'm doing low carb, high fat so no buns!) or Wendy's if I *have* to 'cause their chili isn't too bad - lowish calorie and pretty filling (also cheap).

adnerbharley

Del taco has a new chicken fresco taco on corn tortillas on their dollar menu and I add a slice of avocado to each. Also I love Wendy's salads and if you have el pollo loco they have great chicken tacos and salads, again I like to order a side of avocados for the tacos and extra pico.

DoreenaV1975

Del Taco regular beef hard shell tacos are only 120cals... and they are also only .59 cents. If you want to go vegetarian, Bakers Drive Thru has Veggie Hard Shell tacos for 160cals.

You can Google the menus of the places you wan to go and you should be able to find the nutrition info.
That's how I figured out the info I just gave you. My family wanted to visit those to places recently and I wanted to join them while still staying w/in my calories.

If you like fries check out the calories of those too... I didn't have any but I remember that Bakers' fries were a lot less calories than I thought! In fact some of the food I thought would be good for you wasn't... so don't be afraid to look at everything, even if you think there is no way it will fit!

E_Goldfish

McD's Sweet Chili Chicken wrap isn't horrible as far as calories go. Also Chipole's burrito bowls aren't bad either. You just have to skip the chips. That's the hard part for me.

fish2find

I frequent Wahoos and Rubios several times a week, both have very satisfying and filling salads. El Pollo Loco has a great under 500 calorie menu and Ive had several of the items. The 99 cent side salad at McDs' (add Jalepenos) is a great snack. Even In and Out if you only eat half or less of the fries and drink tea is not too bad. I get extra lettuce and tomato and its a side salad. LOL

(oops made a typo)

fish2find

_dracarys_ wrote: »

I lost almost 30# eating at Boston Market at least once a week. Not sure if there are any in your area, but I would get the chicken market bowl; chicken breast (i doubled up), mashed potatoes, and green beans. You can make any combination you want with the sides they offer. They're about 500 calories with a decent macro breakdown.

Also, Charley's Grilled Subs. I'd get a regular sized cheesesteak for about 525 calories.

http://www.bostonmarket.com/pdfs/healthyWebMenuFull.pdf

Ready2Rock206

Panera - they just took my favorite thing off the menu though. Last time I had some chicken quinoa salad that was quite good though. Might be my new go-to meal.

foursirius

Chipotle is great with the flexibility you can have and their nutrition calculator on their site is a useful tool as well. Taco bell's fresco menu is another good one.

aureus8

I have an underweight super active kid and go to burger king for high calorie food for him sometimes. I'll pick up their grilled chicken apple cranberry salad for me though. I like it a lot and it's pretty low cal if you pick the right dressing.

rmitchell239

Mcdonalds asian grilled chicken salad with italian dressing--310 calories ( I hate the sesame it comes with and is 30 calories more). Fruit parfait from there is about 140 calories, its likely loaded with sugar. Chik fil a chicken with buffalo sauce is surprising low calorie (they use peanut oil) then hit it up with a fruit cup. Bojangles grilled chicken sandwich sans mayo (it has butter on the bread isnt that enough?). I like wendys for chili. Mcalisters turkey sandwich with their veggie soup is yum.

whmscll

Chipotle! You can get a bowl for around 400 calories (depending on what you put in it).

CameronJohnny

Awesome this is great stuff thank you guys for all the replies!!! Love Chipotle salad bowls that will be a great mix-up. Unfortunately, Vegas area doesn't have any Boston Market's - huge bummer love that place. We do have Panera though and that is also great choice.

I'm a bit paranoid of places like McDonald's/Del Taco/Taco Bell, etc. but to be honest I think it's mostly from that documentary "Super Size" me coming out in 04 scaring me away from the golden arches and burger king and all those joints. However, it might just be the selection of the items from those places, i.e. - if McDonald's Asian grilled chicken salad is working for you I might give it a try!

- thanks again everyone, this really helps me create some diversity in my meal plans!

Best,
Cameron

DietitianWriter

Starbucks actually offers several great healthful and tasty options...all with nutritional info included. Here are a couple of our favorite combos:

Chicken & Hummus Bistro Box (hummus, grilled chicken, grape tomatoes, cucumber, and pita bread) plus a banana; 380 calories, 7g fat (1.2g saturated)

Zesty Chicken & Black Bean Salad Bowl (grilled chicken, black beans, roasted corn, jicama, tomatoes, feta, greens, and quinoa with chile vinaigrette) plus Seasonal Harvest Fruit Blend; 450 calories, 15g fat (2.5g saturated)

professionalHobbyist

Chic fil a

Lots of salad and sammich options, fruit cups too.

Splenda sweetened lemonade!

Grilled chicken cool wrap is yummy low calorie

ibamosaserreinas

Chipotle tacos are very reasonable depending on what you have put in them. Moe's tacos - same deal.

BBQ places are good too if you get the chicken or turkey and are careful about your sides. I love Dickey's.

RockstarWilson

Well, I am on a high fat diet. Believe it or not, it is actually very hard to stay within macros for a high fat diet when eating at fast food restaurants, probably just as hard for someone on a low fat diet. I have found three options that keep me on track: McD chicken nuggets with creamy ranch dipping sauce (it is all fat, no hfcs); all Carls Jr burgers bc they can be offered low carb style (no bun); and now, because of living situation and budget constraints, I am hanging on to JITB 2 tacos/99¢. I take their surveys and get two free every time I order.

IMO, most the fast food places will give you a ton of calories as a whole bc virtually everything is breaded or fried. Exceptions are things that are vegetably or fruity, but you overpay for those things anyways.

Maybe this info is relatable, maybe not, but good luck in your search for gold!

randi475

Hello!
Have you been to 'Jimmy Johns'? They have the nutritional information on their website. They're really good- you can get a decent sandwich (WITH Mayo, no cheese) for 500 or less calories (you do have to look at the online nutritional information first, though). They also offer an 'Unwich' which is without the bread (wrapped with lettuce instead). Around here (PA) their meat and veg are fresh and their bread is amazing, and they seem to hollow it out so you're not eating all carbs.
There's also DiBella's if you have them, another sandwich shop, really good, if you make the right choices.
Of course everyone is right about Chipotle, they're amazing!

Emilia777

I can’t believe no one has mentioned Wendy’s. I like their chicken snack wraps better than McDonalds, and they’re both cheap and nutritious: value menu and 260cal/10fat/18protein. Their salads are also really good. Burger King used to have these buffalo chicken strips that were amazing, both delicious and solid nutritionally, but they don’t seem to make them anymore .

Anyway, I don’t think fast food is bad at all. Even a burger is fine, you just have to be smart about building your meals so that you’re satiated and are hitting your macros.

stfuriada

Chik-fil-A nuggets

I try to stay away from carbs (so no fries), but the Call of Fried Chicken is too strong for me.

8 count nuggets is 270 calories, 28g protein
12 count nuggets is 400 calories, and 41g protein.

bmchenry02

Finding healthier choices at most fast food places can be done.
-McDonald's, they seem more limited to me but their grilled chicken salad has decent macros. The grilled chicken sandwiches don't usually fill me up alone so something paired up from home would be good.
-chick fil a's market salad with grilled chicken is the healthiest thing on their menu with berry dressing or grilled nuggets paired with a small salad and diet lemonade
-Potbellys? I've had it twice on vacation and ordered a roast beef flat with just lettuce and tomato and kale lentil soup that had good protein. Another day I had the chicken and cheddar flat.
-subway you can order most subs as a salad. I love ordering the teriyaki chicken as a salad with just the vinegar dressing and TONS of veggies. Super filling.
-Wendy's, small chili with a grilled chicken and sometimes I skip the bun and of course no mayo
-chipotle someone mentioned...they have a great nutrition calculator on their site.

If you have places you can frequent to eat look up their nutrition facts and pair a few options together and keep it with you for reference. It has helped me a ton to get a better idea of what to order. It can be eye opening!! Not all subs, even without mayo, (think jimmy johns) are good options. You can tailor your other meals to allow for the higher sodium, carbs etc.

Hope that helps

enterdanger

I enjoy cooking so we don't eat much fast food. However, I think McD's actually has a lot of decent options. They are doing breakfast all day now at a lot of the stores and you can get an egg mcmuffin and hashbrown for 450 calories. I really like their southwest salad with grilled chicken. It doesn't need dressing as they put some sort of canned, pickled peppers on it which kind of act as the dressing. I think it's like 330 calories without the dressing and then I'll get a fruit and yogurt parfait to go with it if I'm still hungry. If I really need a burger and fries I get the single plain hamburger and a small fry for 570 calories. I also like the sweet chili chicken wrap at 400 calories.

On their website they have a "favorites under 400 calories" section if you want to quickly see what isn't too bad. I think McDonalds gets a bad reputation. They are easy to pick on since they are so big and have so many bad choices, but they are obviously trying.

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/meal_bundles/favoritesunder400.html

HardcoreP0rk

I like to hit BK and get a grilled chicken sandwich with no mayo and an extra chicken breast. It comes in pretty low calorie for all that protein. You can add a plain side salad to get your veggies.

conniehgtv

Bibibop Asian grill is awesome,Applebee's has meals under 500 cal that are good, most places if you study the meanu will have grilled chicken and salad

alias1001

Taco Bell's Catina bowls are pretty good. High protein (27g) for the steak one, and without sour cream or guacamole, it lands in at 450-ish calories.

DancingMoosie

You can get a salad with grilled or lean meat almost anywhere (I'm thinking of McDonald's, Wendy's, Whataburger, Chick FilA, and Bill Miller just off the top of my head). You can always ask for lower calorie dressings/sauces and grilled instead of fried for chicken sandwiches. My HB loves Whataburger and when I want to save calories, I order grilled chicken sandwich on small bun(instead of large honey wheat), dry(no mayo or bun oil) with lettuce/pickle/tomato. Their grilled chicken melt is also really good, and lots of protein.