Is fast food really THAT bad?

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  • puffidredz
    puffidredz Posts: 119 Member
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    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.

    thanks for this. i added my sodium intake to MFP. the filet fish meal i had at McD calculated 950 in sodium HOWEVER, when i did get my fries they had tons and tons of salt on them (i hate when they do do that) which i'm sure that would have put it over the top when adding my other meals for the day on them.

    i also went over my diary and checked the other meals i had which i thought were ok to eat, my banquet pot pies and chinese food and the sodium on these were through the roof. 1250-1580 which put me way over my sodium limit. geez.
  • puffidredz
    puffidredz Posts: 119 Member
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    thanks for all the responses guys. i learned quite a bit here
  • zombiefarmboy
    zombiefarmboy Posts: 222 Member
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    Isn't there something to be said for keeping your caloric intake consistent throughout the day while still maintaining the total amount, too? I mean, over 700 calories seems like a ton for just one meal.
  • cbevan1229
    cbevan1229 Posts: 326 Member
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    We all know it's not healthy - poor quality meats, high in sugar, sodium, fats. So you are not going to get great nutrition from the calories you eat there. But you have the info you need to make the decision - do you want to choose to use some calories on a less nutritious food because you like the taste of it? The MFP community can't give you permission - only you have the power to do that.
  • puffidredz
    puffidredz Posts: 119 Member
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    Isn't there something to be said for keeping your caloric intake consistent throughout the day while still maintaining the total amount, too? I mean, over 700 calories seems like a ton for just one meal.

    based on MFP, my calorie intake minimum is 1200 but i can usually only eat about 2 meals a day, i struggle to eat a 3rd because i'm not hungry, so i always end up falling under it. i exercise, fast walk for a mile twice a day so that in turn just gives me more calories that i have to burn that i can't really meet because again, i'm not hungry enough to eat again in the evenings. maybe its something i have to work towards but i just dont have the appetite enough to eat 3 meals a day. i've never been able to. even as a kid i only ate lunch and dinner because the times i tried to eat a breakfast, it just made me nauseous.

    i am not sure if u can see it but i set my profile up for public and you can see that everyday i haven't been able to meet my calorie intake goal :ohwell:
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Isn't there something to be said for keeping your caloric intake consistent throughout the day while still maintaining the total amount, too? I mean, over 700 calories seems like a ton for just one meal.

    I typically eat about 800-1000 for dinner most nights. After exercise, my total daily calorie goal is around 2000.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Depends on what your fitness and health goals are.

    For me I try to stick to humanely raised locally produced (small family farm) meat as much as possible. We consider ourselves ethical carnivores in my house. :)

    For that very reason alone fast food does not often *fit* into the above. I will say that Chipotle is doing an excellent job (compared to other companies) in supporting small family farms. :)
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    i also went over my diary and checked the other meals i had which i thought were ok to eat, my banquet pot pies and chinese food and the sodium on these were through the roof. 1250-1580 which put me way over my sodium limit. geez.

    As for meals that are frozen check out Amy's Organics or Evol. Amy's in particular is rated a B+ or A- on most of their meals. It is one of the true organic companies out there (not owned by a large corporation) and they offer low sodium choices. :) I eat them several times per week for work lunches. :)
  • KarmaxKitty
    KarmaxKitty Posts: 901 Member
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    Isn't there something to be said for keeping your caloric intake consistent throughout the day while still maintaining the total amount, too? I mean, over 700 calories seems like a ton for just one meal.

    On a simple day, yes. But when you've been working out and your calorie goal seems to have shot through the roof, then no. 700 can be a reasonable amount for a meal. That's a WHOLE lot of nutritional goodness (or non nutritional...) that one could fit in there. :D
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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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.

    Good point for the way you feel during Zumba. I personally agree that is a good gauge!
  • BeautifulAmazonGoddess
    BeautifulAmazonGoddess Posts: 49 Member
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    preservatives, sodium, trans fats, artificial flavourings, aspartame... does this cancer/diabetes/obesity cocktail sound healthy?

    this garbage does not have any nutritional value AND it does not belong into ur body.

    and if u buy this, you should feed it to ur enemy, not to urself!!! love ur body and treat it like it is sacred!
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Also, check out The Weight of the Nation (you can watch it for free online) or Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (very inspiring)
  • islandmonkey
    islandmonkey Posts: 546 Member
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    Are we seriously still discussing whether fast food is bad or not?

    YES, OF COURSE IT IS BAD!


    Sheesh.


    Can you eat some now and then without dying or wrecking your health? Yes, of course. But YES, it still is BAD.


    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?
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Are we seriously still discussing whether fast food is bad or not?

    YES, OF COURSE IT IS BAD!


    Sheesh.


    Can you eat some now and then without dying or wrecking your health? Yes, of course. But YES, it still is BAD.


    It helps to learn exactly why it is bad (and why there are some chains out there that actually do a good job). But yes, we did not become an obese nation by nomnomnom healthy fast food.
  • reree6898
    reree6898 Posts: 42 Member
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    I agree with the other comments here-- yeah, it's bad, but you don't HAVE to stop eating it as long as you don't go over.

    HOWEVER, I have found that the less you eat fast food and replace with healthier stuff the more you'll crave healthier food. I've had fast food a few times since I began and eating it I don't feel great. Not that it makes me sick... I just feel... "blah".

    I don't think it's just me.

    Good luck!


    Yeah, me too. I was a die-hard fast food junkie previously. Like I would eat fast food at least once a day every day. About 9 weeks ago I gave up fast food, got serious about using MFP and joined a gym. I have replaced the fast food with healthy food and I have lost 32 lbs. now in 9 weeks! I did let myself eat fast food once while on vacation and I was sick for 2 days from it!

    Even though you may meet calorie goals while eating fast food, to me it is just not worth it anymore. It is full of grease and salt. I do allow a splurge every so often of some little something I want but I would highly reccommend that you don't keep fast food as a constant occurance. Best of luck in your journey!
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
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    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?
  • jsj024519
    jsj024519 Posts: 400 Member
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    Fast food is okay in moderation. Moderation meaning once every two to three weeks.
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
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    The only unhealthy food is one eaten in excess. Fit your calories. Meet your macros. Enjoy life.
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
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    If you stayed within your limits and its a treat not a daily occurence then I say go for it.
    This is a lifestyle change not a diet and if you cut out everything you once enjoyed, you will NEVER stick to it...
    Enjoy your life.
  • amymt10
    amymt10 Posts: 271 Member
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    When I do get fast foo (its not that often) I get a kids meal, smaller portion and gives me the taste I'm after. I do like the grilled nuggets that ChickFilA now has very yummy!!! Grilled nugget kids meal w/fries & water, its not too bad. I'll just hit the gym a lil harder & longer :) But I'm also in maintenance at this point. I've had my gallbladder out recently so I cant do too much greasy/fatty stuff..... its just not worth how it makes me feel!

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