Dieting While Working in Fast Food

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  • alyssa0061
    alyssa0061 Posts: 652 Member
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    misskarne wrote: »
    Only half an hour's lunch in eight hours? Is that even legal?

    The solution is simple: take your own lunch.

    Depending on the state they're not even legally required to give you a lunch. I worked years and years without ever taking a break or a lunch. 100% legal
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    Zero difference compared to working anywhere else, save for the food being right there. Don't eat it, do what you would do if you worked anywhere else.
  • joley456
    joley456 Posts: 8 Member
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    Asher_Ethan wrote: »
    You say you don't have time. You can always make your lunches while you watch tv at night. Besides your 8 hour shift what else do you have going on?

    Being a student, exercising and caring for ailing parents. But you know, whatever, I'm totally just sitting on my butt watching tv.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    joley456 wrote: »
    Asher_Ethan wrote: »
    You say you don't have time. You can always make your lunches while you watch tv at night. Besides your 8 hour shift what else do you have going on?

    Being a student, exercising and caring for ailing parents. But you know, whatever, I'm totally just sitting on my butt watching tv.

    Full time student, 40+ hours a week at work, 2 kids, exercise, still find ways to not ram cheeseburgers in my face daily. Life is full of excuses.

    I do love hamburgers, though. We make them at home grilled cheese style.
  • joley456
    joley456 Posts: 8 Member
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    LazSommer wrote: »
    joley456 wrote: »
    Asher_Ethan wrote: »
    You say you don't have time. You can always make your lunches while you watch tv at night. Besides your 8 hour shift what else do you have going on?

    Being a student, exercising and caring for ailing parents. But you know, whatever, I'm totally just sitting on my butt watching tv.

    Full time student, 40+ hours a week at work, 2 kids, exercise, still find ways to not ram cheeseburgers in my face daily. Life is full of excuses.

    I do love hamburgers, though. We make them at home grilled cheese style.

    I'm not making an excuse, I'm just saying the guy was making it sound like I spend the rest of my non work time being lazy and watching Netflix, and that deeply offended me because I'm a f'ing hard worker, I just need to make some adjustments. I've literally only had the job for a few days.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    joley456 wrote: »
    LazSommer wrote: »
    joley456 wrote: »
    Asher_Ethan wrote: »
    You say you don't have time. You can always make your lunches while you watch tv at night. Besides your 8 hour shift what else do you have going on?

    Being a student, exercising and caring for ailing parents. But you know, whatever, I'm totally just sitting on my butt watching tv.

    Full time student, 40+ hours a week at work, 2 kids, exercise, still find ways to not ram cheeseburgers in my face daily. Life is full of excuses.

    I do love hamburgers, though. We make them at home grilled cheese style.

    I'm not making an excuse, I'm just saying the guy was making it sound like I spend the rest of my non work time being lazy and watching Netflix, and that deeply offended me because I'm a f'ing hard worker, I just need to make some adjustments. I've literally only had the job for a few days.

    I understand, but I wouldn't take it personally. The point is more that we tell ourselves we do this have time, when really we don't prioritize our health over other things.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
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    Is it just me or anyone else find prepackaged sandwiches, wraps, boiled eggs from Walmart, Food4Less, Kroger are relatively tasty, convenient and nutritious? I ate them to lose my first 10 lbs.
  • joley456
    joley456 Posts: 8 Member
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    endlessfall16 wrote: »
    Is it just me or anyone else find prepackaged sandwiches, wraps, boiled eggs from Walmart, Food4Less, Kroger are relatively tasty, convenient and nutritious? I ate them to lose my first 10 lbs.

    That's a good point, I do sometimes get CVS salads or sandwiches from stop and shop
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Food is fuel. You can lose weight working in fast food - its the same as any other work environment. Make choices, be aware of how many calories you need and budget accordingly.

    I have worked part time at Dominos for nearly 7 years. I lost weight working at Dominos. I have maintained for 18 months now. I eat at Dominos - and take food home from there. I get a 50% discount and sometimes paying more for other food is just not ideal. And sometimes due to time constraints its just the easiest choice. But I account for them, log and move on. Every meal does not have to be a perfect balance in terms of food groups and macros. But big picture: make sure you're meeting your nutrient and calorie goals.


    joley456 wrote: »
    I recently started working at Five Guys, and while I'm happy to have a job, it's thrown a wrench in my diet plans. I only have a half hour break (over an eight hour shift) and the easiest thing for me to do is eat their food. I try to make healthy substitutions (one patty, lettuce wrap instead of bun) but I know it's not healthy. Any tips on how to deal with this?

  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
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    It takes me literally five minutes to pack my lunch. It's just a simple sandwich/wrap with a protein bar, small bag of chips, apple, or a cup of yogurt. I keep an ice pack in the freezer and just toss it all in a little cooler bag that's the size of a small purse. No big deal.

    You're going to have to start doing this anyway because even five guys (as awesome as it is) is going to get old if eaten daily.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
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    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    Food is fuel. You can lose weight working in fast food - its the same as any other work environment. Make choices, be aware of how many calories you need and budget accordingly.


    I'm sorry but I have to disagree here. Some environments are more contributive to one's goals than others. Nothing is equal.

    joley, I understand your situation. My mom works in a restaurant. It's more than difficult for her to lose weight. No time for her to drive out. She can eat any foods in the restaurant but most of them are salty and greasy which do not help to curb one's appetite.

    You are in a tough situation. Maybe tougher than other's so you have to work harder, be smarter to navigate your way. Not everyone is smart.

  • dunkut
    dunkut Posts: 50 Member
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    I am a district manager for Burger King and I gained almost 70 pounds the first year I worked there. I have lost all of it now, but I had to stop eating it for sure. Now I pack my lunch everyday and if I want something from there I squeeze it in on the calories every now and then. It keeps me sane, you can do it!
  • amandatapar
    amandatapar Posts: 246 Member
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    Pre plan and pre cook. Then bring your food.
  • Doit4theOMG
    Doit4theOMG Posts: 109 Member
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    Meal prep. You can prep a whole weeks worth of lunches and bring it with you to work. It would definitely make it easier for me to stay on track by making what I'm going to eat ahead of time. You can prep breakfasts, snacks, lunches, dinners, whatever you need.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Different people find different environments challenging. Gee, who'd have thought we aren't all the same?

    OP, I suggest taking a couple of minutes to think out 1-3 packed lunch templates. Write them down or don't write them down but remember them somehow. That way you can easily shop for what you need and have it on hand to pack quickly. I have 3 standard packed lunches:

    #1 - 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 avocado, Kashi or Nature Valley protein bar
    #2 - container of yogurt, 200-250 grams raw veggies/fruit, Kashi or Nature Valley protein bar
    #3 - 2 boiled eggs, 200-250 grams raw fruit/veggies, Kashi or Nature Valley protein bar

    When I go grocery shopping I just have to decide how many containers of cottage cheese or yogurt to get for the week, I always buy eggs/fruit/veggies, and I always make sure to have a box each of the bars. In the morning I just need to grab and go (boil the eggs the night before) with everything except the veggies, which take hardly any time to cut up. 10 minutes max each morning while getting my daughter ready for school, packing her lunch, feeding dogs, drying my hair, etc. Easy peasy.
  • Yisrael1981
    Yisrael1981 Posts: 132 Member
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    Obviously if you can bring your own food that would be best, however if you can't is best of you can avoid ground beef as it's extremely calorie dense. Turkey, chicken are much better options if they have them. Another option is to make your main meal ,lunch, so have a light breakfast and dinner.
    Keep in mind you can lose weight on junk food, as long as you are in a caloric deficit
  • Courtney_M_Mora
    Courtney_M_Mora Posts: 15 Member
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    I have worked at On The Border (Tex Mex) for over 3 years now and snacking on chips and salsa has definitely not been good for me. BUT I have learned to pack a lunch or just stick to the few healthy options my restaurant has. I guarantee you can mod your food or bring in a few things like some green leaf lettuce to wrap a burger in to make it healthier.
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
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    alyssa0061 wrote: »
    misskarne wrote: »
    Only half an hour's lunch in eight hours? Is that even legal?

    The solution is simple: take your own lunch.

    Depending on the state they're not even legally required to give you a lunch. I worked years and years without ever taking a break or a lunch. 100% legal

    WHAT? *boggles*

    And that is supposedly a first-world country?
  • jessiefrancine
    jessiefrancine Posts: 271 Member
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    You mentioned maybe you could pack your lunch the night before, and I think that's a perfect idea. I pack my lunch at night and also pre-log it for the next day so I can plan everything else around it.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    edited April 2016
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    i'm not sure what your calorie goals are, but i'm looking at the five guys menu, and here's a couple things you could try.

    the little hamburger is 480 calories. cut one in half and you have two 240 calorie meals. if you can't safely store them, i'd throw half away or give it to someone. or if you need more calories per meal, the little bacon cheeseburger is 630 calories; cut it in half and you have two 315 calorie meals. just don't add any extras, and these could work.

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