Eating fast food

TomSak

hey guys, so is fast food necessarily bad in your diet? i mean, i end up going out on weekends atleast once, usually twice for friday/saturday. and the night here in melbourne always ends up at mcdonalds. its like an unwritten rule of the melbourne nightlife..haha. the day i plan on going out, i do my exercise as normal, but eat less or 'healthier' than normal so that i have enough calories left over to fit in drinks and fast food. i know i wont loose weight this way but will i put it on? i mean, its fast food and its bad for you but 1 quarter pounder w/ cheese and small fries is 740 calories. i can easily fit that in to my food diary and not go over. but is that still bad? just because its fast food, is it magically going to make me pack on pounds even if im not over??

mags2504

I wouldn't say it's a problem if it's only once a week and you earn and log it.

suzycreamcheese

if you take it into account when you plan the rest of your eating its fine, although the extra sodium might cause you to retain water even if youre under calories.

If its extra on top of your normal food then youll gain of course.
Even my 14km run doesnt give me enough calories for an extra mcdonalds unfortunately, so i try and make it just an occasional thing

fredd500

One simple question. Are you happy with your weight loss so far? If so, something is working so why not stick to it?

michelle_mareshfuehrer

I eat what I want when I want it and I still lose. It's just a matter of exercising enough to make sure you don't go over on your cals/fat/sugar, etc. At least for me, that's the case.

aaaaaamyyyyyyy

Haha, every night out in NZ ends at Burger King! You can still go along, grab a big diet Coke to fill you up, get a burger with no fries, or eat half the burger or take off at least one of the buns.. it's all about finding the balance between fitting in and being social with the ones you love, and not putting your health/weight loss at risk

ohthatmomma

I love restaurants... And fast food (taco bell, wendy's, in and out burger) If I want it, I get it. I use to feel guilty about food, now I don't feel guilty. I am happily a lover of food and I enjoy savoring every bite. Instead of guilt, I just enjoy and take responsib ility for the number of calories in the meal. I work it off :-) I lost weight (once upon a time) by eating well through the week. On the weekends my husband and I rewarded ourselved with pizza, Olive Garden, burgers.... And the weight still came off. I am a firm believer that if you eliniate every 'bad' thing from your diet your body will hold onto it when you give it just a bit! So, enjoy your meal, be thankful, and be responsible. (Just my opinion... It works for me)

Tiggermummy

I am still eating a lot of fast food, but partly because my mum is sick, so I have to drop my plans and deal with her problems,
and although I would wait until later, the kids can't and I know it doesn't work for me eating at 10pm or later.
So you have to adapt to your lifestyle and its limitations.
I know it will take longer to loose the weight, but I also know life isn't going to be like this for ever. so I have also learnt some of the ways to make what I choose healthier than I would have had in the past. things like dropping the cheese and asking for fries with no salt. (mcd's uk - will do this if you ask, you just might have to wait for a fresh batch to cook, but they will be hot & fresh)
I have a regular size instead of the medium I used to. I do drink diet soda, but that's because I have always prefered the taste, but I now only drink it with a meal. but I will often just have water with a meal instead, this can save a few hundred calories.

good luck

Noctuary

I've become addicted to the dollar tacos al carbon at pollo loco. You can separate the 2 tortillas and make two tacos out of them. Which works perfect for me since I need to watch the carbs due to being Diabetic. And the protein from the chicken fills me up.

KarenLouise1981

I love restaurants... And fast food (taco bell, wendy's, in and out burger) If I want it, I get it. I use to feel guilty about food, now I don't feel guilty. I am happily a lover of food and I enjoy savoring every bite. Instead of guilt, I just enjoy and take responsib ility for the number of calories in the meal. I work it off :-) I lost weight (once upon a time) by eating well through the week. On the weekends my husband and I rewarded ourselved with pizza, Olive Garden, burgers.... And the weight still came off. I am a firm believer that if you eliniate every 'bad' thing from your diet your body will hold onto it when you give it just a bit! So, enjoy your meal, be thankful, and be responsible. (Just my opinion... It works for me)

Totay agree with this post - well said! I don't eat McD's nearly as much as before but if I want one I get one, you still have to live. I get chicken burger rather than beefburger though but thats personal and nothing to do with losing weight ha! Well done so far!

Brandon74

I try and avoid them as much as possible.

brocantrs

I think fast food is a large part of the reason I am in the shape I am in. Have only eaten fast food once in the past 2 months. I used to eat it everyday.

mielikkibz

I still eat at McDs' every now and then, I just plan accordingly. . and I've found getting a "McDouble" and sharing it with my 'best girl'(whichever dog is in the car lOL) is less calorie than a single hamburger (probably cuz of less bread? )

serendipity22

I think it is okay to eat fast food sometimes. I sometimes go to Burger King for a junior whopper without cheese or mayo and fries. It satisfies a craving. As long as you log all the food you put in your mouth, you should be okay.

Barneystinson

A lot of fast food joints are now offering better choices. So, check the nutrition (if it's available) and see what fits into your goals.

I really like salads from fast food joints. Love the chargrilled chicken ones from Chick Fil A and they're under 300 cals. Snack wraps and sandwiches with partial or no bun are also good options.

cmmull67

1 word for that burger...TRANSFAT

Seriously, all else being equal, and you coming in below goal, the burger is loaded with transfat. Just something to consider. I know my fast food excursions have it, andI am aware of it when I order, but I also monitor transfats throughout the week/month.

supermom1114

I will put this as best I can. Every food is fine in moderation. However when you eat fast food you're getting more than just food. You're getting a lot of chemicals, additives, preservatives, disgusting stuff when you do the research on it. If you've never seen the youtube videos about the woman who kept a Mcdonald's happy meal for like 5 years you should watch it. They food looks pretty much the same, nothing has mold, nothing has broken down, you could probably reheat it and give it to someone and they'd never know the difference. That's pretty gross. Watch the documentary Food Inc. to see what they do to hamburger meat in order to lower the E.Coli risk. They wash some of it in ammonia and call it beef patty "filler". And the 28 ingredients in a chicken mcnugget?? Like what?? Why not just cut up some chicken and fry it? But it's not that simple, and therefore fast food is morphed into a science experiment that defies the laws of food spoilage.

I truly believe a hamburger, or fried chicken, or whatever, homemade or made properly at a restaurant from actual whole foods is wonderful! But when it comes to fast food and processed food that could sit on store shelves for years, I'm way too grossed out.

So it really comes down to, are you more concerned with just losing weight or with being healthy? Yes, you can still lose weight while eating fast food in moderation. However, your body will not be functioning at it's optimum level. The chemicals mess with your metabolism, your endocrine system, I mean, basically everything. Plus as others have stated even if you burn off those calories you have trans fat, high sodium, etc to deal with. Do some research on the company's websites and find the healthiest option, meaning, actually LOOK at the nutritional information. There are some things on menus that seem like they'd be healthy but can pack more calories and chemicals in than a choice that you may assume is unhealthy.