Is fast food really THAT bad?

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Replies

  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 928 Member
    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.
    Srsly??? no nutritional benefits whatsoever???? You gotta be kidding!

    actually i'm not. what benefits do french fries and DR pepper offer?

    French fries have carbs and some protein, and loaded with potassium. Fried in oil, they provide fat, and fat is a dietary necessity. Dr Pepper (and I believe she had diet), just like any fluid, provides hydration. And it tastes damn good. :happy:

    Not the best choice for those nutritional benefits, but it certainly still has some.

    sorry but i respectfully disagree. French fries have very little protein, and its not worth the potassium for the high amount of sodium you would have to consume. Not to mention peanut oil isn’t necessarily a good source of natural fat. And to me soda is wasted calories. I’d rather eat those couple of hundred extra calories, not to mention it makes your stomach so bloated. I’m not saying one should never eat fast food, but we shouldn’t trick ourselves into thinking fast food is real food. It’s pretty much a step above eating plastic with all the junk they put into it.
  • dianediaz
    dianediaz Posts: 53 Member
    Regarding some of the discussions about craving fast food or fries or whatever, keep in mind the only reason that you crave it is because you've conditioned your body to need it. Look, I'm totally addicted to coffee. I'll confess that I could quit drinking coffee if I really wanted to and the only reason I "need" it or "crave" it is because I've taught my body to need it. The same thing happens with fast food and sugar, etc. If you eat it even on a somewhat regular basis you will want it, crave it even. But if you stop eating it for awhile and begin to eat more healthy and natural options you'll find that the cravings go away and you actually feel a little icky even thinking about eating it. I eat fast food maybe twice a year (usually after a half Ironman race or half marathon) and I never crave fast food. I live within a 2 minute walk of McDonalds. Never crave it. Never want it. Never need it. Ever. Because I've conditioned my body to not want it. It really is true. If you don't believe me, try a little experiment. Cut out fast food, or soda, or whatever you junk food of choice is for 3 or 4 weeks and replace it with healthy options and see if the cravings go away.

    The honest truth is that nobody needs to eat fast food. There are so many healthier options available that you don't need to eat that crap. It will kill you. It is bad for you. But, if you don't believe that it's okay. It's all about choice. Eat what you choose, see how you feel. Guarantee you the better more healthy options will make you feel and be in better health.
  • gotpaper
    gotpaper Posts: 17
    It just amazes me how many calories you can use up when you go to a fast food place. Well, today I treated myself to onion rings, but I kinda got a stomach ache. But that won't stop me from eating in moderation on occassion.
  • maremare312
    maremare312 Posts: 1,143 Member
    If you can work it in to your meal plan once in a while and not go over, that's great! But if it triggers a crazy binge (me) it's better to stay away.
  • becki1815
    becki1815 Posts: 51 Member
    Check out the Weight Watchers and 550 menu at Applebees. The sodium content is through the roof.
  • Devlyn_P
    Devlyn_P Posts: 294 Member
    Home cooked = You know whats really the ingredients.

    Fast Food = Hodge podge of mystery ingredients. (ie. pink slime, wood pulp, etc).
  • debussyschild
    debussyschild Posts: 804 Member
    Well, I think the question is how bad can it GET? The answer: really bad. For your health, that is. A treat at Mickey D's every once in a while won't hurt anyone. But... It really depends on what your fitness and health goals are as to whether you ever let that into your body again, lol. For some, in moderation will do just fine. For others, like myself, not only will it not help me meet my goals, but I don't have a taste for it anymore. What you put into your body will make a difference in how you look and feel. There are some who have the mentality "as long as I stay under my calorie goal..." going on, and that's their choice. I'm not judging, but personally, I'd much rather put something healthy (and delicious!) into my body than something that really isn't providing me with much nutrition. Just my two cents :drinker:
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    I don't think that fast food/restaurant food is significantly worse than packaged food from a store. They all contain lots of ingredients and things you would never include when preparing fresh whole foods at home.

    Preparing your own food is perhaps the single best thing you can do for yourself. But, I still eat fast food more often than I should because it is convenient and doesn't taste too bad.
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    Check out the Weight Watchers and 550 menu at Applebees. The sodium content is through the roof.

    For most of the populace, sodium doesn't really matter at all.
  • AsellusReborn
    AsellusReborn Posts: 1,112 Member
    OP have you ever seen Super Size Me?

    It's a must.


    And not to disgree with the perils of eating the way he did, but his real problem was that he went WAY over on calories. That wasn't because it was fast food, it was because it was supersized fast food. If you could stuff yourself with 4000 calories of clean food (or however many he ended up eating, because it was way above maintenance) you would gain weight too.


    Everything in moderation. Denial usually means cheating and binging eventually - allowing yourself a treat now and then is healthy. Don't make it a habit, and try to fit it in your macros when you do it - but it's not going to kill you or make you gain 10lbs of fat. (It might make you retain some water weight from sodium, but that's transient.)
  • jadedzen
    jadedzen Posts: 221 Member
    My reasons for finding fast food THAT bad is knowing that people like my brother have worked fast food. I question the ingredients and the care in preparation, things like that. The occasional fast food won't kill you, it just shouldn't be a major part of your diet
  • Dudagarcia
    Dudagarcia Posts: 849 Member
    What if you don't eat the bread and get order of small fries?
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    I'm a bit of processed food/fast food avoider (sometimes with near religious zeal I will admit) but I'm having a massive pile of takeaway fish and chips tonight. Complete with much Heinz ketchup. And I am looking forward to it a great deal.

    It doesn't happen often but it can work as part of whatever does the job for you.

    Personally the default macros on MFP do not work for me so I do not use them as a judge of how well my nutrition is going.

    Everyone is different, some may need to just discard the buns/starch (the biggest problem with fast food as far as I can see, dodgy cooking fats and a lack of nutrients aside), some can tolerate them ...

    (edit) And Supersize Me is a crock. Fat Head shows Spurlock up for what he is.
  • HorseWithNoName27
    HorseWithNoName27 Posts: 188 Member
    I think it is a waste of money, personally.

    I don't know about you, but I can make much better sandwiches, burritos, tacos, burgers and fries at home. And at home, I can moderate the salt/fat/calories a lot easier.

    That's just my opinion.

    For you, however, as long as it is not impeding your progress (which it shouldn't if it's a once-a-week kinda thing) and you don't feel ill from eating it, then I would say go for it.
  • xxcandywrathxx
    xxcandywrathxx Posts: 200 Member
    i had like 500 cals for just breakfast thanks to fastfood.
    Its high in fat, sugar, sodium and barely has any nutrients!

    I can have something more filling, healthier and cheaper for breakfast



    Fast food is good as a treat every now and then. :)
  • TheDeviation
    TheDeviation Posts: 149
    i had like 500 cals for just breakfast thanks to fastfood.
    Its high in fat, sugar, sodium and barely has any nutrients!

    It depends on what you're eating too. Here's a lunch I do on a regular basis:
    McDonald's
    Southwest Chicken Salad Grilled with Dressing
    Extra Grilled Chicken Breast
    Calories: 480
    Fat: 16g
    Carbs: 40g
    Protein: 48g

    Not bad eh? Granted the sodium in fast food is high, but that's not an issue for me. Lots of vitamin A, C, calcium and iron too.

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