Fast food

madisonelenaa

If I have a budget of 1,200 calories a day and I want fast food like once or twice a week and I fit the calories within my daily budget will I still lose weight? I know this sounds silly but I know fast food isn’t the healthiest so I didn’t know if I would still be losing.

janejellyroll

Assuming 1,200 calories is a deficit for you (and it likely is), then yes.

Weight loss is created by a calorie deficit. You can have one while eating fast food.

jjpptt2

Yep. If you're fitting it into your calorie goal you will lose weight. Depending on what the rest of your diet is normally like, the potential increase in sodium from the fast food might mask the weight loss over shorter periods of time (note the difference between weight loss and fat loss), but in the long run it won't make any difference. A weight trend app can be helpful for these types of scenarios.

LifeWithPie

Of course. I had McDonalds for lunch twice last week. Lost a pound.

KaleiAlanaSmith

2 years ago I lost 20 pounds of my “freshman 15” weight gain (I’m still embarrassed by that lol) by using MFP. My diet during that period included sonic and McDonald’s when I commuted to college 3x week and a 1250 calorie budget. I fit it into my calories by not ordering fries or tots with my burger or boneless wings, ordering diet sodas, or ordering a salad or one of their healthier options. It works !!

Now I'm a senior in college using MFP and still log the fast food I eat. Haven't gained that weight back and I don't plan on it!! Good luck

quiksylver296

I ate a whole Domino's pizza to myself over the last three days, within my calorie allotment. Down 0.8 lbs this morning.

toxikon

Yes!

sdolan91

yeah. food is food. calories is what matters.
i just stay away from fries usually, because sadly they have so many calories T_T

1houndgal

madisonelenaa wrote: »

If I have a budget of 1,200 calories a day and I want fast food like once or twice a week and I fit the calories within my daily budget will I still lose weight? I know this sounds silly but I know fast food isn’t the healthiest so I didn’t know if I would still be losing.

Yes!

BruceHedtke

Your body doesn't know if you ate a 1,200 calorie cheeseburger or a 1,200 calorie salad. It just knows you consumed 1,200 calories.

The high sodium content in fast food will probably cause you to retain water for a short period of time but it won't magically cause you to gain body fat just because it's fast food.

inertiastrength

With a budget of 1200 I'd probably be pretty hungry for the rest of the day making burger and fries fit but yes, you could

1houndgal

BruceHedtke wrote: »

Your body doesn't know if you ate a 1,200 calorie cheeseburger or a 1,200 calorie salad. It just knows you consumed 1,200 calories.

The high sodium content in fast food will probably cause you to retain water for a short period of time but it won't magically cause you to gain body fat just because it's fast food.

I just ate a salty "chili cheese dog" at dairy queen. And got a free ice cream cone to boot. It is still within my targets
I love this mfp eating plan.

DanaDark

Fast food contains A LOT of sodium. So, be sure to have an extra amount of water to help offset it, and do keep in mind the idea of water retention due to sodium.

Taco Bell has a series of healthier options, Fresco (lower calories) and Catalina (higher protein).

Chunkahlunkah

The summer before college I worked full-time at McDonald's. I had a double cheeseburger for lunch every day. I was a normal weight (around a size 4) and not trying to lose anything. I still ended up dropping 10 pounds by the end of the summer due to how active the job was.

As others have said, if you're eating at a deficit, then you'll lose weight even on a fast food diet.

I personally find protein and fat filling, so that daily double cheeseburger may even have left me eating fewer daily calories than was my norm before it.