How do you choose a salad over a Big Mac?
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sampsondavidj wrote: »McDonald's has always been a nemesis for me. I have stood in line, pondering if I should get a salad or McWrap instead of a Big Mac. 99.97% of the time, I choose the Big Mac....I did get the McWrap once. What I am looking for is "decision process information" that helps you choose the salad. What I mean by "decision process information" is any thoughts or reasonings that you have that lead to the decision to eat the salad.
I wouldn't. I would only go to McDonald's if I had enough calories and thr right macros for a big mac and fries (or whatever my meal of choice there was)2 -
When I first started and was struggling with the change in eating and how to fit it into my busy life, I wrote down the calorie counts of my favourite menu items - that way if I ended up getting McDonald’s for dinner after work, I could at least avoid eating 2 days worth of calories. It also made it easier sometimes to just go home and cook at 1am.
Now I pretty much avoid McDonalds - I have the meal prepping/planning to eat down and don't find any need to go there anymore.
(sorry about the size of the images - don't know why it's so large)
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2 things I haven't seen mentioned yet:
1. For me, smells are triggering. If I'm standing in line waiting, smelling fries, I'm definitely getting the burger and fries. If my goal is to get the burger and salad, drive thru might be more successful.
2. I have more willpower to make good decisions earlier in the day. More likely to be successful and follow my plan if I'm stopping in for lunch than if it's late in the day, I'm tired and hungry on the way home from work.7 -
I don't see anything wrong with a having a burger and fries if it fits my calories. When I do have them they're either homemade (so less calories than McDs) or out at places of higher quality than McDs (Five Guys, Smashburger, Red Robin, Bareburger, etc.).
I also
- have a light breakfast
- eat my most calorie dense meals during lunch
- have a small low cal salad/vegetable soup for dinner
- exercise consistently throughout the day
I walk past a dozen of cheap fastfoods places on my walk home and it does take willpower to resist walking in. To build that willpower, I decided to learn to cook the foods I found myself buying. I did not want to give them up entirely. When I can make the same foods at home, the temptation to buy them decreased. The only time I noticed that willpower shrinking is when I work late and am hungrier than usual during the walk home. In those cases, I'll get Subway, Panera, or Chipotle for dinner and expect the high sodium content to mess up my weigh-ins for the next couple days.6 -
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PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »
I remember as a kid there were people trying to say that McDonalds burgers were made out of worms.5 -
Here is my strategy:
I'm hungry
I go to McDonalds
I ask myself "what is my calorie goal for today?"
I then ask "how many calories have I eaten today?"
I then think "that much? god, you're a loser"
That moral scolding notwithstanding, I am still hungry
I look at the various menu choices
They all have calorie amounts listed next to them
I figure out a calorie goal for that meal
I choose the item (or combination of items) that meet that goal
I ask myself "why are you the only person who still eats a filet-o-fish?"
I order, pay my money, and receive my food.
I eat the food.
It sounds like a lot of steps, but it really is a quick process.15 -
My McDonald's order on the rare occasion I go is 2 small hamburgers (2 × 250 calories) and kids fries (100 calories). This fills me up and doesn't derail my deficit. When I go somewhere I know doesn't have any good options for my goals I simply leave.
You are in charge of what you consume. I could blow my whole daily allowance on a burger but what good is that when it will set me back in my goals. I've changed my thinking from short term gratification to long term gains.3 -
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TavistockToad wrote: »
In the US, too. But ever since the "pink slime" nonsense people have been trying to claim various other ~scary~ additives that don't exist.9 -
diannethegeek wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »
In the US, too. But ever since the "pink slime" nonsense people have been trying to claim various other ~scary~ additives that don't exist.
The definition of "pink slime" I heard from someone who was fearmongering was just a needlessly gross explanation of what ground meat is...11 -
UUUGGGG - read what really is in McD burgers. It's disgusting. That was enough to turn me off for good.PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »There's a fair chance that what you read was propaganda.
Strangely (or appropriately) enough, when you do a search, one of the first results that pops up is an article from Mercola. MercoLOLa, the fearmongering quack.
McDonald's burgers are made from 100% beef. Relax.6 -
stevencloser wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »
In the US, too. But ever since the "pink slime" nonsense people have been trying to claim various other ~scary~ additives that don't exist.
The definition of "pink slime" I heard from someone who was fearmongering was just a needlessly gross explanation of what ground meat is...
That's really all it was. It was a great way to avoid food waste by cleaning the useable meat left on the bone. But it looked scary so they were forced to start wasting meat again.4 -
I just plan for the Big Mac....and nuggets....and water. I don't go to McDonald's for a salad.4
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Why not just stop going to McD's in the first place? Anyway a big mac has less than 600 calories, so it's not the worst thing in the world, assuming you don't get the fries and a "diet coke"7
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I usually pick the salad. All things equal, I’d take the Big Mac, but in my mind things aren’t equal. I do believe that micronutrients are important, so the idea that there’s more nutrition per calorie in a salad helps. Also, it’s not my last chance at a Big Mac. I tell myself that I can get one next time, if I must. Occasionally, I opt for a burger or something. Usually, when I’m on vacation, or with friends. For the most part, it’s just food to me. I know not everyone thinks this way, and that fine. It’s just why I tend to pick the salad and don’t issues w it.1
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sloth3toes wrote: »
I got a diet coke today with my McDonald's order, but I didn't get the fries. How do I rank on the global disasters scale?13 -
I used to eat fast food every day and then i just committed to myself. I learned to cook and stopped eating fast food entirely.
Soon as i adjusted to this process, fast food wouldn't even feel appealing. I went from having it every day to not having it for years.
I lost the bulk of my weight in under 7 months. I went from 265 to 200 in that time (overall i went from 285 to 190). You just need to decide what you want more. Consistency leads to results and each day it gets much easier.4 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »sloth3toes wrote: »
I got a diet coke today with my McDonald's order, but I didn't get the fries. How do I rank on the global disasters scale?
Somewhere between the Black Plague and Chernobyl.11
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