Regularity of fast food consumption

Baako

Hi there folks, I've got a question that I'm hoping someone on here will be able to answer.

I'm keeping my daily caloric intake to a few hundred below my goal which has been working pretty well so far as I've managed to lose a respectable chunk of weight in 20 days.

Because of my success I decided to treat myself to something pretty naughty, a pizza from Dominos. I was still very careful about the calories it contained, resorting to a small low fat cheese pizza. Because of my maintained caution I managed to eat all but one slice of the pizza and still remain under my daily allowances of calories, carbs and protein (Went over my fat allowance by a little bit, oops).

This has gotten me wondering whether it's okay to eat fast food somewhat regularly provided I maintain my calorie deficit, it sounds unlikely, surely there is some other negative health implications of eating fast food beyond the high calories, carbs and fat?

In short: Is eating fast food semi-regularly okay if you maintain your deficit?

Thanks for any responses, I'm horrendously uneducated regarding nutrition and such so please forgive me if the answer to this is obvious, haha!

pinuplove

I think the answer is going to vary a lot from person to person. For me, part of the journey is figuring out how to do this and still live my life without always planning it around food. I typically have fast food once every week or two. Usually just a burrito or a burger, no fries or chips. It's actually quite easy for me to fit that into my calorie allowance.

BUT I know even though it fits my calories, it doesn't fit my nutritional expectations for myself. So while I don't mind eating out every so often, I wouldn't do it multiple times a week.

Baako

Do you mind if I ask what aspects of your nutrition you are keeping track of? It would be handy to know if there's other things I need to monitor beyond calories, carbs, fat and protein.

_persephone_

I think what you have done here is fine...there is nothing wrong with an occasional treat, especially if your usual diet contains all your essential nutrients.

However, to answer your question a little more fully, there is a difference between a generally healthy, nutritious diet with the occasional treat, and a diet based on junk food that keeps below the desired calorie goal. It would be pretty difficult to get the correct nutritional balance when eating fast food too regularly, but once a week or so I think should be fine.

I've read in a few places that if you keep your diet healthy for 80-90% of the time, a little junk the rest of the time will not negatively affect you, and this seems pretty sensible to me.

Hope that helps, and that I didn't ramble on too much

megs2003

I think it depends on your goals. For weight loss only it's really only about the calories. But for overall health it's about the nutrients (vitamins etc.) too. Plus you can eat way more veggies than fast food so if you are having trouble feeling/staying full within your calorie goals it might be good to concentrate on eat fruits, veggies, lean protein and complex carbs. That being said everything in moderation is fine and you are going to have to do what works for you and what keeps you sane.

pinuplove

Do you mind if I ask what aspects of your nutrition you are keeping track of? It would be handy to know if there's other things I need to monitor beyond calories, carbs, fat and protein.

I have my diary set up to show calories, carbs, fat, protein, fiber, and sodium. I also watch my daily sugar intake (not usually a problem if I'm staying under on carbs) and cholesterol.

chevy88grl

In order for me to be successful in this journey, I've learned to include a lot of the things I truly love to eat. There's nothing that says you can't have fast food once in awhile or whatever - just do it in moderation. Everyone approaches weight loss with a slightly different view. Some people will tell you it is all or nothing for them and if it works, great. Others will tell you it is all about moderation.

Figure out what works best for you. If you can fit your favorite fast food meal into your daily calories once in awhile and lose - go for it! This is your life and you aren't on a diet.

CoraGregoryCPA

Yes, Absolutely! However, you will notice a different with the way you feel. You may not have enough energy to workout after a fried fill of greasy type foods. Or you may get hungrier quicker. Or you may create more cravings. I usually feel the effects the next day.

It is possible, but the "domino affect" (ha, you just had Dominoe's) is the hard part!

Baako

Thanks for your responses!

My main problem is that my typical eating habits aren't particularly nutritious(not unhealthy, I'm just awfully picky), so continuing to treat fast food with extreme caution is probably best for me.

I'm pretty good at stopping myself from grabbing a bite to eat when I'm hungry if it means I'll likely go over my calorie goal, I'd rather sit around and be hungry for a while than feel bad about myself for eating too much, so I don't need to worry too much about which foods will fill me and and which won't.

I'm not suggesting that it's an advisable thing to do, I'm just postulating, but if somebody were to incorporate fast food into their diet every day, whilst remaining under their calorie goal and still taking in a healthy balance of vitamins/nutrients, would they still lose weight?

Thanks again!

misscaligreen

I think it depends on your goals. For weight loss only it's really only about the calories. But for overall health it's about the nutrients (vitamins etc.) too. Plus you can eat way more veggies than fast food so if you are having trouble feeling/staying full within your calorie goals it might be good to concentrate on eat fruits, veggies, lean protein and complex carbs. That being said everything in moderation is fine and you are going to have to do what works for you and what keeps you sane.

What a great answer!

tsh0ck

it absolutely is. just watch what you get ... plan ahead. I was getting something today on the go. thought wendy's. but looked up the nutritional data on my phone and didn't see anything that sounded good at the time that fit into my plan for the day. so decided to hit taco bell -- because I know the hardshell there is right about 170 calories is all.

and all my markers have been getting better, I've dropped near 20 pounds in 2 months and I feel great. have started taking a multivitamin to help me out and fish oil. probably once a week or so, at least, I get something from a fast food joint or subway. like I said, just do it smart and you've got no worries.

pornstarzombie

Last semester I ate McDonald's and Taco Bell quite frequently, but still managed my weight. Lost muscle, but that was also due to the fact I stopped riding as much and was sitting on my butt a lot at school.

I don't cut out anything like fast food, etc because I know when I cave...I'll cave badly and eat too much.

I cannot, however, keep the stuff in my house or I will eat it. I take ambien, so sleep eating is part of that.

All in moderation. I love pizza.

CoraGregoryCPA

Yes, they should. Don't you know of the twinkie diet?

_persephone_

You would still lose weight if you ate fast food and stayed below your calorie goal, but that's not to say that you would not feel like crap, and for some people this can lead to increased cravings for unhealthy food.

snrose

i think it basically comes down to nutrient dense calories versus empty calories. those empty calories are not going to give the body the long term energy and health it needs (just from what i've gathered) plus the immense amount of sodium in fast food is going to bloat you (more than likely)

Baako

I'm afraid I don't know of the Twinkie diet, CoraGregoryCP. In fact, I don't even know what a Twinkie is, haha! :P

tsh0ck

In fact, I don't even know what a Twinkie is, haha! :P

this makes the puppies cry.

chrisc16

The bottom line is that calories is the only thing that matters when losing weight. However, nutrition is another matter!

30yearssincebikini

Personally, I have found that the more I eat fast food, the more I crave it, so I have had to completely eliminate it from my diet. But if you don't feel it is addicting, and you can control those cravings and make good choices, like it seems you did last night with the pizza, then I am sure you will be fine. I don't have that king of willpower. The first time I would reward myself is when I started to slip with the diet altogether and gain the weight back.

baxgilter

For me personally eating is a very big part of my life. I cant manage the mindset of eating for fuel only, which really is foods purpose. Eating fast food satisfies something inside me that needs to be satisfied. I certainly don't eat fast food everyday or even once a week but sometimes it just needs to be done. Ive lost 80 lbs in 2 years. Be mindful, research your options, and make sure your goals and your wants for fast food can agree to disagree and you can live with it. Hope that helps and makes sense.

- JoAnna

tabinmaine

The calories from a big mac is the same as the calories from whole wheat pasta and almonds.....

however, you will not feel as good as you would if you fed yourself quality food instead of garbage, your workouts might suffer or you may find yourself lacking energy just to get through your day or not fall asleep on the couch....

I have fast food , probably 1-2x a week for a meal, I make sure it fits into my day, if it doesn't, I may still have it and just commit to working my *kitten* off at the gym that day.... making sure I burn enough to cover it....

Many recommend, myself included, that you put your fast food into your diary BEFORE you eat it and see if you can afford to have it that day..... stops you from being taken off guard or surprising yourself...... and then being disappointed

Baako

Yeah, I always look up what something contains and then calculate things like how much it leaves me for the rest of the day and how much I expect to need. I've spent over 30 minutes cross references the nutritional information of various fast foods to work out which would be the least damaging. I was truly shocked to find out that the Dominos garlic and herb dip by itself contains a whopping 174 calories!

Inebriated

Some people will say it is and some people will say it's not. In the end, it all comes down to how you feel about it. I still consume fast food from time to time (and even Ben And Jerry's icecream when I'm craving it ) and I've still had steady weight loss. For me, this is sustainable. You need to find what works for you.

brittanidigby

I eat fast food and have Starbucks several times a week and I feel great. The only reason I feel bad is if it's my rest day because I feel like I need to workout. I just control my portions and stay under my calorie goal. I'm not going to make the same mistakes I've made in the past with trying to lose weight, by that I mean cutting everything I love out, what a way to fail.

Lindy901

As anything a little isn't going to hurt anyone. We have pizza most Friday nights. I just plan for it and it works out okay. Once in a while I'll hit Culver's. That's about the extent of my fast food experience. We haven't been much of a fast food family anyway so I wasn't giving too much up.

nahralynn

OBVIOUSLY not an expert here but I can tell you from experience that I feel a huge difference going from sticking under my calories and macros by eating whatever I want such as fast food, chocolate, and cakes with veggies thrown in here and there just to get in enough for the day to what how I am eating right now. I am currently doing a no meat, no dairy, no oil challenge for 28 days. I'm a week in and I FEEL healthier. I noticed that I have more energy during the day (but this could also be because i've been doing more exercise as well), I've been eating less throughout the day because meals are filling me up more, and I haven't had any huge cravings for anything. I could easily eat a burger at a fast food joint and then be hungry soon after but I haven't really had this feeling yet. Eating the way I am is suppose to lower your cholesterol level a big amount even in the short time that we're doing this (If curious we are following the Engine 2 Diet which is part of the Forks over Knives deal) and I wish I could have gotten my blood work done first to see if it's true.

Everyone is different though. We are trying this and if we feel like it's something we can stick with we probably will (though I think I'll be the one to add some fish during the week and my boyfriend will go back to his steaks haha) and if we can't, no biggie! I personally think if you want to eat fast food and stuff and stay under your calories to lose weight .. go for it, it's YOUR body. For me eating fast food made me feel .. heavy (despite the fact I AM heavy, it made me FEEL that way) .. and eating mostly vegetables and fruits (processed stuff can be used doing this btw, but you have to watch for oils and how many calories from fat, sugar, and sodium are in it) makes me FEEL healthy. It fits our lifestyle as I am home most of the time I can plan out meals and take the time to cook them. You have to make things work for your lifestyle though, what makes you feel better?

littlesis412

Yeah, don't eat the sauces. They make you want to cry. So, yeah yeah fast food is bad but some of us depend on it at times. Here's my very unexpert two cents. Taco bell now has a "fresca" (fresh) line of tacos that are lower in calories. Stay away from the cheese sauce and refried beans. Subway isn't bad, especially if you stick to meats like turkey and maybe tuna. A lot of people here skip the cheese. And they usually even have a sign saying which dressings are low cal. McDonalds classic chicken sandwich I think is their lowest item. The salads sound innocent but add lots of meat, dressing, bacon (yes it's meat too), and cheese and you'd be better off with the big mac. Pizza, I can usually limit myself to one slice and some bread sticks but I think you're doing better than me there. Personally, when I eat out, I'll get a burger or something and make a salad at home. That way I know exactly what's going on it and I save some money. For nutrition, taking vitamins help. It's better if you get it from food but no one is perfect. I'm a college student so fast food is just part of my life, which is probably why it's taking so long for me to lose weight. But I wish you luck and hope this helps.

E1rlindsay

I also track sodium and sugar...too much of either of those will stall my weight loss; I'll still indulge in certain foods that aren't exactly "diet friendly." I just determine if it's worth working out for longer in the gym...usually it's not, though. I haven't had what would be defined as "classic fast food" in like 2-3 months, though...

E1rlindsay

and steer clear of the tuna at subway! it's made with full fat mayo but you can go with pretty much any other meat choice

DelilahFreeman

I was a lover of fast food and I guess you could say I still am..... BUT I now refuse to eat most of what you can get from fast food restaurants. There are a lot more options with fast food now, which includes a number of rather healthy options- grilled chicken, variety of salads, yogurts, etc BUT the burgers, pizza, and fried foods- No thank you! The calories are one thing but the fat, sodium, and carbs are an entirely different story.

I say different strokes for different folks and what works for me doesn't work for everyone but I have adapted a new outlook on food in general... I am only as good and as healthy as the food/drink I consume and I do not want to be a Big Mac OR a Dominoe's Pizza. I'd rather make my turkey burger or my spinach pizza and feel confident in the ingredients used. I don't expect everyone to agree, just sharing my 2 cent. Cheers to a happy & healthy you!


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Baako

I've been avoiding Subway like the plague as I've heard a few people criticise it for being completely awful calorie-wise, but judging by some of the posts here I'm starting to think they may be wrong. Having a naughty chicken sub every once in a while would be nice to have as an alternative option to pizza.

And sadly we don't have Taco Bell over here so their healthy range isn't an option for me.