McDonalds Breakfast Sandwiches

uncurvymotivation

Im sure this has been discussed but I haven't been on MFP for very long. I started this 'lifestyle change' in June because I decided enough is enough. Since then I've done my best to cut out fast food because I had a bad habit of not eating at all during the day then coming home after 2 jobs and family would have fast food....

anyway getting to the point I on occasion run late and grab an egg & cheese biscuit from Mcdonalds, is this a bad thing?

joejccva71

No, it's fine as long as you add it into your daily intake.

allaboutty

splurges are not bad. Everything in moderation is my motto

tigerblue

Very large number of calories in any of the biscuit sandwiches at McD's. Train yourself to love the Egg McMuffin. It is reasonable in calories and nutrition, and really pretty tasty!

CassandreNoreen

You know what? It's not horrible. There are 300 calories and 12 g of fat. As long as you have those to spare, it could be much worse.

bearsfan2334

I agree with Tiger - if you want something - don't limit yourself. Eat in moderation but the egg mcmuffin is much better for ya!

bjohs

Im sure this has been discussed but I haven't been on MFP for very long. I started this 'lifestyle change' in June because I decided enough is enough. Since then I've done my best to cut out fast food because I had a bad habit of not eating at all during the day then coming home after 2 jobs and family would have fast food....

anyway getting to the point I on occasion run late and grab an egg & cheese biscuit from Mcdonalds, is this a bad thing?

It's not the best thing, but if you planned it in to your day... it's not totally bad. The Subway breakfast sandwiches are better (calorie and sodium wise) than McDonald's. If you have a Subway near you, consider stopping there instead. Good luck!

vettle

There is a lot of sugar in these breakfast sandwiches, but once in a while it's not evil. On occasion I will run to tim hortons and get a breakfast sandwich there. But like others have said, if you have the mcmuffin from there, it's pretty decent actually.

Texalese

Hi! I think you can work that into your calorie goals for the day but there are certainly healthier choices out there.

At McDonalds you could get the Egg McMuffin and save some calories. But if you want the egg & cheese biscuit, why not get it and cut something else out?

http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/nutritionfacts.pdf

adagolden

If you are near a dunkin donuts...they have an egg white flatbread. Wonder how the two compare?

malyca

I read somewhere that the mcmuffin (not the biscuit) is one of the better fast food breakfast options out there. Even just looking at calories along you can see the difference - 420 calories for the biscuit over 300 for the mcmuffin.

Of course, the obvious thing is to avoid it altogether but I know that it can be difficult - I'm out on the road early in the morning sometimes traveling longish distances and it is just convenient to go through the drive through - get a bottle of water and the mcmuffin and use sparingly

chauncyrenayCHANGED

So... I used to be obsessed with chicken mcnuggets. OBSESSSSSSSSSSSSED. But, I weaned myself off of them by starting to order them without sauce to save calories. Then I found some similar ones in the frozen foods section. Then I found a healthier version of nuggets. Now, I eat them only on rare occasion.

I would suggest finding something similar in the frozen food section, then a healthier version of that once you get used to it.

You'll be surprised how quickly your taste buds can change and your calorie count can increase!! Best of luck to you!

Oh! Check out Subway breakfast sandwiches with the egg whites as well. Subway is quick in the morning because even though you have to get out of your car, there aren't that many people in there.

carlxo21

everything in moderation is fine. I would personally make your own mcsandwiches though. Those things are extremely high in fat, calories, etc. AKA very bad for you! But like I said, it's okay to have things in moderation. Take into account what you are eating.
I really suggest you try making your own though. I do this and they are 1000 times better for you and better tasting than fast food things.

yo can do like a whole wheat english muffing with egg whites, cheese, tomato, onion on it, etc. will save you lots of calories

porksiopao

The Egg McMuffin calories (300) are reasonable, and even if you make it yourself at home you'll have around the same calories, even more:

English muffin - 120 cals
Egg - 80 cals
Canadian bacon slice - 80 cals
American cheese slice - 60 cals

For some reason when "McDonald's" (or any major fast food brand name) is included in the same sentence all of the sudden everyone cries out "bad! unhealthy!" even though when you make the same thing in your home or in another restaurant it suddenly becomes 'okay'. Typically cheese is your culprit when dining out or eating fast food, you'll save a lot of calories just by cutting out cheese.

Enjoy eating, do it in moderation and you'll be okay. And keep moving!

uncurvymotivation

Thank you everyone I will look into getting the mcmuffin next time ive never tried it, however... i do have a hard time even meeting my 1200 calorie goal daily...just not sure if the cals are worth the sodium in the sandwich, even though i never have the whole thing...

bgelliott

I happen to not agree with most of the responses. I don't think it's ok if you are making a lifestyle change. Fast food is the last thing you should be eating. If you are strictly going for weight loss, calories in and calories out and the amount contained in the food fits into your daily budget then go for it but if it's a lifestyle change then fast food should be out completely for a while.

If you have a hard time meeting your 1,200 cals per day then you need to take some time to re-evaluate your meals so that you can get to that goal with good clean food that your body can use properly for fuel.

trishlambert

I would suggest finding something similar in the frozen food section, then a healthier version of that once you get used to it.

I've recently discovered the Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches in my grocery frozen foods section. The ones using turkey and egg white have very reasonable calories counts---like mid200s for a breakfast croissant (not sure if they have a biscuit version).

I know you're talking about being in a rush and hitting McD's to save time...but perhaps you can pop one of these in the micowave, then take it along and hit McD's for your coffee? Might be worth the cumulative calorie savings over a week.

tlzidon

I like the Caribou Coffee breakfast sandwiches if you have one of those coffee stores nearby. In a pinch, I have also done the Jimmy Dean ones you can find in the freezer section.

Rae6503

Very large number of calories in any of the biscuit sandwiches at McD's. Train yourself to love the Egg McMuffin. It is reasonable in calories and nutrition, and really pretty tasty!

It's 300 calories!

Rae6503

And I disagree with the statement that fast food shouldn't be part of a "life style change". I like my life style to include most things in moderation.

Gary1977

The Egg McMuffin calories (300) are reasonable, and even if you make it yourself at home you'll have around the same calories, even more:

English muffin - 120 cals
Egg - 80 cals
Canadian bacon slice - 80 cals
American cheese slice - 60 cals

For some reason when "McDonald's" (or any major fast food brand name) is included in the same sentence all of the sudden everyone cries out "bad! unhealthy!" even though when you make the same thing in your home or in another restaurant it suddenly becomes 'okay'. Typically cheese is your culprit when dining out or eating fast food, you'll save a lot of calories just by cutting out cheese.

Enjoy eating, do it in moderation and you'll be okay. And keep moving!

I can do you better. Use Kraft fat free singles, 25 calories. Use Crystal farms egg whites. 1/4 cup 30 calories. Without even taking the time to do research I just knocked off 85 calories. If you can figure out ways of cutting at each meal like that, you'll save 255 calories just in 3 meals.

truc2878

Try dropping one side of the biscuit or muffin, eat it like a piece of pizza and get rid of some calories.

fiberartist219

I happen to not agree with most of the responses. I don't think it's ok if you are making a lifestyle change. Fast food is the last thing you should be eating. If you are strictly going for weight loss, calories in and calories out and the amount contained in the food fits into your daily budget then go for it but if it's a lifestyle change then fast food should be out completely for a while.

I also disagree with this. For me, I am trying to eat cleaner, but I'm not giving up all my eating out entirely. I am slowly reducing it, but I will never, ever, completely give up junk food.

I was able to stop eating junk food when I was trying to lose weight for my wedding. However, that had an end date in sight.

Now that I'm doing this as a lifestyle change, I can't honestly say that I will never go to a fast food joint again. I can try to choose the lower calorie options, and only go out to eat once a week, rather than several times a week, but I will not pretend that I am giving it up forever.

Another example was a birthday at work this week. My coworker said, "Oh, you're trying to lose weight. You probably aren't going to eat the cake, are you?" I said, "Yes, I'm going to eat the cake. I'm just going to have a small piece. I am going to celebrate with you guys, but I certainly will not pretend that I'm not going to ever have cake again. Happy birthday!"

As I lose the weight, I'm going to eat all the same things that I plan on eating when I am in maintenance mode. I don't believe that you can stop eating all your favorite foods and then go back to whatever it was that you were doing before and expect to keep the weight off. If I eat the junk food in moderation and have a slow and steady weight loss, I think I stand a better chance of keeping it off.

Damiancie

Check out this page from hungry girl - http://www.hungry-girl.com/askhg/show/2040
Some highlights...

Subway Egg White Muffin Melts - These are amazing. Most of 'em clock in at 150 - 220 calories and 3.5 - 8g fat (PointsPlus® value 4 - 6*). Just steer clear of the fattier Mega and Sausage Melts available at some locations.

Dunkin' Donuts Egg White Wake-Up Wraps - If you are lucky enough to live near a Dunkin' Donuts store, you should really try these. They rock... a lot! Go for Turkey Sausage or Veggie -- just 150 calories, 5 - 6g fat, and a PointsPlus® value of 4* each. So good!

A fave recipe for a McGriddle Swap!
http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1313

Jelleebean

i did a bit of math on this when i started this... i had a habit of going to tim hortons and getting 2 plain bagels with sausage, egg, and cheese... i didn't care at the time.. but, that right there is 1100 cals...

i didn't want to quit cold turkey, so, switched to a single bacon, egg and cheese on and english muffin... 330 cals... upon further research, found out could get almost the same thing at Subway for 190 cals.

do a bit of searching for places that offer breakfasts... you can find almost the same thing at a reasonable calorie count... cuz every now and then, you have to treat yourself. it's all about moderation, and not completely depriving yourself, as long as you're honest about it, and log it accordingly

CandyJ9

If you go the make it at home route and there's a Vons/Safeway near you, they have Canadian bacon from Eating Right. Clocks in at only 60 calories for FOUR slices. And for an English muffin, you only need one. I love that stuff on a muffin with egg beaters or sometimes with a poached egg. Yum.

AndrewTub

I love Mcds breakfasts too much ! I make my own egg muffins... I just poach the eggs, toast the muffin, maybe add slice of cheese or another egg. Takes around 2 minutes slurp

AndrewTub

I love Mcds breakfasts too much ! I make my own egg muffins... I just poach the eggs, toast the muffin, maybe add slice of cheese or another egg. Takes around 2 minutes slurp

Princessa1982

i really only get the egg mcmuffin when i have breakfast at mcdonalds. I find the biscuits or bagels are gross and not worth the calories. I always ask them not to butter the english muffin, and i am on my way. Sometimes I will even throw some bacon or sausage on it just for yummy fun!

You have to enjoy some things sometimes otherwise you will flip back to old habits!!!