Is fast food really THAT bad?
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i realize that fast food isnt entirely healthy, but its not intended to be eaten on a daily basis either. my weakness is mcdonald's fries sadly. the other day i had a fish sandwich, med fries and med diet dr pepper from there which added up to 760 calories, 87 carbs, 37 fat and 20 in protein.
i was still able to remain within my daily goals in MFP. so should i stop eating there even if it doesnt put me over my daily limits? does it do some other unhealthy things that MFP just doesnt keep track of?
Funny because yesterday I posted the same thing. I ate like crap within my cal range and then hit a wall.. Bloated and lethargic. You should eat foods with nutrional value ...sure its fine for a treat but it should only be a treat.0 -
I try to stay away from fast food (typical hamburgers, french fries soda) just because even though I can keep within my calories my body cannot do anything with it. It's like I just filled up my car with diesel instead of gasoline, it doesn't know what to do with it. Then the next day I have a horrible time working out. I still eat it sometimes, but never fails I always end up taking the punishment from it.0
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Another thing to think about - are you eating it because its convenient or because you crave it?
In either case you can avoid it with more planning. I fully agree you don't have to avoid within a calorie controlled diet (just read the study everyone) but I find I enjoy it more if I sautee my own fries, make my own burger, and have a coke. I just think it tastes better and there's something more satisfying about it. Plus it is nutritionally better. OR if I bring some chicken breast or turkey meatloaf muffins with me on the road. Just a suggestions.0 -
it depends what you get. it can be awful for you, but most places have lots of options that are not bad. obviously you could be eating healthier things at home, but so long as you're careful about what you get then id say its fine. im not gonna lie, i eat fast food about once a week and it always fits into my cals easily. i always look it up online for the cals and prelog what i get though.0
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Fast food really is THAT bad for you, really. Here's a link to an article about a study done on 52,000 Chinese residents with regard to fast food consumption. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120702210214.htm.
The Chinese population is seeing a higher level of diabetes and heart disease with the recently greater proliferation of Western style fast food availability.
This article pretty much just sums up that you really should NOT consume fast food. Would you rather eat fast food of be healthy?0 -
Personally, if I'm going to eat something that is bad for me I'd want it to taste a lot better than McDonalds!0
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Personally, if I'm going to eat something that is bad for me I'd want it to taste a lot better than McDonalds!
Nothing tastes better than McDonalds' fries...0 -
FWIW, have you ever tried making shoestring fries at home? I have bought the Safeway brand and baked them in the oven. They taste similar to McDs and you can control the portion size, added fat, and sodium much better, but still satisfy a craving. Just an idea.0
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Personally, if I'm going to eat something that is bad for me I'd want it to taste a lot better than McDonalds!
Nothing tastes better than McDonalds' fries...
Give me big fat english chip shop chips anyday :laugh:0 -
Assuming you are overweight and therefore looking for permission to eat it then the only answer can be YES fast food IS THAT bad!0
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Have you ever seen "downsize me" a guy eats only McDonald's for a month and loses weight and bf% and his blood work is fine after the month. The reason being: he ate a reasonable amount of cals, and he worked out. It's a good watch.OP have you ever seen Super Size Me?
It's a must.
Come on. He ate it for 3 meals a day for 30 days. That is A LOT different (and not comparable) to someone who eats it once in awhile. Good grief. I don't even eat fast food and your post is plain silly to me.0 -
In the past, I would take the approach "as long as it fits into your calories" but I've gotten to the point that when I eat it, I feel nauseas afterwords. The food is high in sodium and the macros are horrible. Very little protein and all fat. My husband unfortunately lives on this food. He always needs a quick lunch and will have fast food on average of five times or more per week. I took him to the super market and told him to get whatever he wanted. I will wake up earlier to make him a lunch to take! Lets hope it works!0
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Fast food really is THAT bad for you, really. Here's a link to an article about a study done on 52,000 Chinese residents with regard to fast food consumption. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120702210214.htm.
The Chinese population is seeing a higher level of diabetes and heart disease with the recently greater proliferation of Western style fast food availability.
This article pretty much just sums up that you really should NOT consume fast food. Would you rather eat fast food of be healthy?
No mention of caloric intake values in relation to the control group. Also mentions reduced daily exercise in the study group. Both are MAJOR factors in considering their conclusion, which they made no extra mention of other than in their listing of methods.0 -
I personally don't eat McDonald's anymore mainly because it made me sick once I ate it after starting my diet. I get sick after eating many fried foods since I haven't been putting them in my system. I still love their french fries, though! I am a Taco Bell girl. I still get something from there every now and again. But in your case, I would say it all depends on how you feel after eating it. I made the mistake of eating fried seafood Saturday night and I felt AWFUL afterwards. If it was good for you, you wouldn't feel like poo after eating it. So if you don't feel like getting up and exercising or doing housework, etc. just because you ate fast food, I wouldn't do it again. It obviously is doing something to your body to make you feel like that. Like someone else said, they do contain a lot of sodium as well, so you'll be more likely to retain water for the next day or so. If you have to do fast food, choose a healthier option, like a grilled chicken sandwhich or a salad. (Personally, I don't like fast food salads...not fresh enough.)0
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When I look fast food I think...
- WHAT is in it??
- WHO prepared it??
- HOW did they prepare it??
- WHEN was it prepared??
If you can't answer those questions... then really WHY would you eat it? I like to know what is in my food (what ingredients, preservatives), who made it (because who knows what they did to it, maybe Joe at McDonalds had a bad day and wants to take it out on your food), how they prepared it (did they add lots of extra fat??? ) and when (was it made a minute ago? or an hour? or more?).
Obviously I DO eat out, and I obviously can't answer all those questions every time either, but when I run through those questions in my head it makes me do a double take and usually I make smarter choices when I am out in the end.
Good luck!!!
★Melissa0 -
Maybe I am a conspiracy theorist... but I believe that there are fast food labs out there that put a lot more thought and study into the fast food menu (and ingredients) than we could imagine.
I used to eat it all the time, I rarely do now, I don't trust it and I do not trust large corporations for the most part..
IMO McDonalds is one of the most powerful forces in the world when it comes to peoples poor health. I don't think you get that way by trying to take care of peoples health first.
Just my opinion of course but from a business perspective I don't see how it can't be questionable.
I do stop by every now and then for one of their ice cream cones or coffee so I am not all anti fast food.
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Srsly??? no nutritional benefits whatsoever???? You gotta be kidding!you may be within your caloric goal but fast food doesn’t offer any nutritional benefits, so i wouldn’t recommend making it a habit. maybe once a week is a fair amount? When I eat fast food I order a kids meal and water. Soda is wasted calories (to me at least) since you don’t really taste what you’re drinking when eating. And smaller portions = less calories.0 -
Yes, it's that bad.
It would be best for your health if you could give it up altogether.
That's hard to do. But if you can, you should.0 -
You are doing it right.0
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Yes, in frequent amounts. If its a once a month thing than no.0
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Please look over your daily diary to see if the other meals are healthy. Take it all into consideration.0
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i realize that fast food isnt entirely healthy, but its not intended to be eaten on a daily basis either. my weakness is mcdonald's fries sadly. the other day i had a fish sandwich, med fries and med diet dr pepper from there which added up to 760 calories, 87 carbs, 37 fat and 20 in protein.
i was still able to remain within my daily goals in MFP. so should i stop eating there even if it doesnt put me over my daily limits? does it do some other unhealthy things that MFP just doesnt keep track of?
It's what goes into making it that is really not good.0 -
I've really learnt a calorie is not just a calorie. Make it an occasional treat! X0
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It's junk food.
Not healthy. Let's not make fast food into something it is not.
Nobody goes to McD to get healthy.
We eat fast food, because it is tastes FABULOUS!
I love going to McD, KFC and the rest...you bet!
Life is to be lived.
Just know what you're eating, and if it fits in your daily calorie goal, treat yourself from time to time.
I lost 78 pounds eating well. Check out my diary; I EAT WELL!
No need to be a food Nazi to see results.0 -
Start tracking your sodium intake.
Average healthy intake per day is around 2500mg. If you have any issues with high blood pressure this drops to 1500 mg or less.
I bet that your McD's meal hit close to your whole day's allotment.0 -
There's really only place I'll go in a pinch for fast food and that's taco bell. I'll get a steak burrito supreme without the sour cream and a side of black beans or some crunchy tacos... When I say in a pinch, I mean, A HUGE PINCH. The Sodium is high (about 1,000mg per burrito), but, it leaves me enough room to eat clean the rest of the day.0
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everything in moderation! If you are good with having your Mc'd food and you know you've worked out and it fits in your calories for the day than why the hell not? Go for it. Life's to short not to revel in what you really really like once in a while.0
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I'm not about to tell you that you can't ever have it, you've had plenty of advice here. But for me, I used to be a frequent fast-food eater and I rarely eat it now, 70 pounds lost.
1) It doesn't taste as good anymore, all I can taste is the salt. McDonald's filet o'fish used to be a favorite.
2) I feel like crap afterwards. I do Zumba multiple times a week. If I had fast food that day, I can feel it in my workout, I have less energy and can't move as quickly. You can't tell me that's a coincidence.
3) I'm afraid (for me), that I'll get back into habits that were impossibly hard to break the first time, I can't go back there again.0 -
Stop and think for a moment. Haven't you ever wondered why a hamburger from a fast food place has more fat and calories than a hamburger cooked at home? I did. That's how I found out that most fast food places are using the lowest, fattiest quality of meat they can legally sell. It's mostly hoof meat (not the actual hooves, but the meat within, which is mostly fat). Hoof meat has higher levels of E-coli in it. :sick: This is also the reason it has to be gassed with ammonia to kill the bacteria in it. You won't read "ammonia" in the content because it isn't considered an ingredient since it is used for "processing" the meat. Don't believe me? Do your own research. I haven't had a fast food hamburger since long before I began my lifestyle change and joined MFP. I found plenty of other foods to keep me fat. :laugh:0
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to answer some questions here, i got it because i didnt feel like cooking and i was also craving the fries! at first i was going to jus get a salad from Wendys so i did a nutrition comparison on their web site and found that their salads had as much calories as their 1/4 lb burger! so i immediately struck that from the list. so thats when i did the nutrition count on McDonalds web site and made sure what i got wasn't over my intake goals.
prior to a few days ago, i haven't eaten at McDonalds in probably about 3 months, if not more, and the last fast food burger i had was at Rally's more than a week ago before i started doing MFP; i just started MFP about 4 days ago. and before that burger i hadn't had a fast food burger in several months. i stopped eating fast food burgers because like someone else mentioned earlier it made me feel bloated and lethargic and makes me want to vomit. i had gotten the Rally's burger because they used to be good but when i had that Rally's burger it just made me feel gassy and bloated too. so i guess i won't be eating there anymore either.0
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