Fast Food Finds

crb426

Yesterday I was left with less than 500 calories for dinner and no motivation to cook. Plus, not a lot of money to spend. I googled low-cal options at various fast food places and found the following suggestion at Taco Bell:

2 Fresco-style shredded chicken soft tacos (chicken, pico, lettuce, small flour tortilla)- 140 calories each
1 side of rice and beans- 180 calories

Total: 460 calories (website estimation)

So I tried it. I put the side of rice and beans in each of the tacos, stuffing them to capacity. And Oh My God, it was delicious! And after eating it at 5:30 I was still full throughout the rest of the night until breakfast.

So, I'd love to hear about other low-cal fast food options that you have discovered and fallen in love with.

Chef_Barbell

Wendy's chili is good and filling.

inertiastrength

I almost have Wendy's chilli every single day lol it's my fave fast food meal because 3$ and 250 cals with tons of fibre and a nice macro split that keeps me full till dinner

sabinaholtby

Wendy's chicken go wrap!! Yum.

AgidGirl

Yummmmm! Great tip...I love Taco Bell

domgetsfitter

I also have an obsession with Wendy's chili

sandsofarabia

Taco Bell also has those Power Bowls that I'm pretty sure is under 500 calories.

I usually just eat half of the fast-food meal to save on calories depending on how large the portion is. Like you can get a decent sized burrito from chipotle/qdoba for around 600-700 calories and if you just eat half (which is actually filling and more than enough), you only eat 300-350 calories. Then you have leftovers for another day!

Subway CAN be low in calories, I always get a flatbread 6" Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki and it comes out to around 400 calories (i just add cheese and then a bunch of veggies)

Not sure if you have Jimmy Johns but you can order an "unwich" from there which is a sandwich wrapped in lettuce instead of bread. Panera is a great choice as well, their website gives all the calorie info with each size of each meal. I never really searched for "low-calorie options" for fast food places because I usually would rather just eat half of something i really really like. If you feel its not enough you can always order a side salad or eat vegetables from your home when you are feeling like cooking a bit. I mean, even a McDonalds hamburger is technically only 250 calories and a cheeseburger only 300 calories. You may not feel as full from one burger though so that's probably not the best option if you have a big appetite.

It usually a lot easier to just search "[fast-food restaurant name] nutrition info pdf" and look through every menu item and its respective calories. You'll find a decent amount of foods that actually fit under 500 calories that you wont find by searching articles that list "low cal options".

fitoverfortymom

I had the Fresco Steak Burrito Supreme today for lunch and it was great. I needed a lunch for under 350 and it was perfect and filling.

LessCookiess

I used to eat that a few years ago a lot the fresco menu it's definitely delicious and a great low calorie option. I'm currently obsessed with the spicy potatoe soft taco ^_^ it's amazing.

cdkelly

I like the chicken souvlaki pita from extreme pita. 350 calories. Mostly healthy. And very filling and satisfying.

jtomaszewski81

Panda Express bowl - veggies and beef n broccoli. 220 calories. Love it for lunch. It keeps me filled up until dinner.

AnnPT77

Subway chopped salad helps fill me up, and I usually just have them put vinegar on it for dressing (I like vinegar ). Calories vary depending on what meat or cheese you have them add, but with all the veggies added it's a pretty big, tasty and filling thing. If it's a meal, make sure to add something with protein, and something with fat (so that you get the most out of the micronutrients in the veggies).

PixelPuff

Hardees/Carl Jr, but making it Lettuce instead of Bun [low-carb it option]... Jimmy John's Unwich [depends on your toppings and dressings]..

SusanMFindlay

Extreme Pita has lots of tasty options. My kids love Fatburger, and I like their burgers lettuce wrapped. Subway is okay (not as tasty as Extreme Pita, but they're on campus so more convenient); I usually stick to mustard for my condiment as the sauces are what get you calorie-wise at Subway.

Tricia7188

Love the fresco option at Taco Bell. Also really like Wendy's salads. Apple pecan chicken is yummy, half size is still filling and has decent protein. The chili is good but I like the bulk of the salad.

DreaRN15

Chick-fil-a's salads and their grilled chicken nuggets are really good.

KatieNicole95

Chickfila's Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap. Its REALLY big and it's 330 calories. I don't need a side with it, it's filling.

tamonkay

Taco Bell chicken Power Menu Burrito is my current fav at $4 for 450 calories and 26g protein. That includes the cheese and sour cream, too, because this girl can't do fresco!

Francl27

FWIW hard tacos have less calories than soft tacos.

1houndgal

crb426 wrote: »

Yesterday I was left with less than 500 calories for dinner and no motivation to cook. Plus, not a lot of money to spend. I googled low-cal options at various fast food places and found the following suggestion at Taco Bell:

2 Fresco-style shredded chicken soft tacos (chicken, pico, lettuce, small flour tortilla)- 140 calories each
1 side of rice and beans- 180 calories

Total: 460 calories (website estimation)

So I tried it. I put the side of rice and beans in each of the tacos, stuffing them to capacity. And Oh My God, it was delicious! And after eating it at 5:30 I was still full throughout the rest of the night until breakfast.

So, I'd love to hear about other low-cal fast food options that you have discovered and fallen in love with.

Nice "fast food hack"!

fbmandy55

This week I got a 6pc chicken nugget and half-size power chicken salad from Wendy's for 500 calories total.

laur357

Some Wendy's chili over a sour cream & chive baked potato is super filling. Thanks, fiber!
Also, a Qdoba bowl or chicken & bean tacos for ~700 calories has lots of veggie, protein, and fiber and keeps me full for ages.

Sunshine_And_Sand

If you like salads, McDonald's Southwest Salad with grilled chicken has a lot of flavor. It comes with a cilantro lime glaze on it that for me works as a dressing and is only 350 calories.

sweetjen8302

I love the unwich from Jimmy Johns! That and a pickle is my go to!

BrianneTC

Can anyone help me figure out how to enter a food item into my food diary when I've eaten a grilled chicken sandwich from Wendy's with half the bun? Sorry, I know this probably isn't the right forum for this question, but since it's about fast food, I though maybe someone could help. Thanks!

Fat_Bottomed_Girl

BrianneTC wrote: »

Can anyone help me figure out how to enter a food item into my food diary when I've eaten a grilled chicken sandwich from Wendy's with half the bun? Sorry, I know this probably isn't the right forum for this question, but since it's about fast food, I though maybe someone could help. Thanks!

Someone has most likely logged that food item without the bun. Log that, look up the difference in calories for the "full bun" option, split the difference and log those calories as a quick entry. Or, find a similar type prepackaged bun and log 1/2 of that.

scarla67

You guessed it, Wendys chilli. Tastes good, fast, cheap, and easy

DancingMoosie

Whataburger grilled chicken salad with herb vinnaigrette. I don't eat the croutons.

Lounmoun

Wendy's power mediterranean chicken salad is very filling and flavorful. I use less salad dressing because there is so much flavor going on.
Most burger places a regular burger with side salad and vinaigrette dressing and unsweetened tea is 400 calories or less.
Subway- skipping the cheese, getting vinaigrette instead of mayo lowers calories. I like getting spinach instead of lettuce on my sandwich.
Runza has the tastiest fast food grilled chicken sandwiches I have tried. Around 350-400 calories for a sandwich.

nhmom80

A chicken burrito bowl from Chipotle. I just do brown rice, chicken, tomato and corn salsa and cheese and the estimator online comes up to 605 calories. I do add some extra though just in case. I don't add beans or anything else just because I don't like them.

jasondjulian

I also modded the side of rice at Taco Bell once.. I added tomatoes and chicken to it (it came as the cubed chicken breast, not shredded). It was also awesome, although that and two- steak soft tacos fresco style ended up at around $8 and change... which is as much as a large Burger King combo meal.. so not very cost effective, but the whole meal came out to 455 calories.