fast food

Wow. Lots of passion here! I'm a MFP newbie and this is my first post. I personally think there is some truth to the OPs post. Fast food isn't usually as good as a homemade meal. However, it is easy, fast, and can sometimes be more inexpensive than making food at home.

Ultimately, shaming people for what they eat generally doesn't sit well with people and I'm guessing that is why people have gotten their back up in response to the post.

Very few people can eat clean all of the time and I personally believe that when people are cognizant of their food consumption, they can splurge at McDonalds or Taco Bell occasionally. When I was at my worst, I would bury my head in the sand and didn't want to be cognizant of my meals. I still don't like to track my bad days! However, I also realize that one bad meal (or even two or three) doesn't make me a bad person nor does it mean that my "diet" is shot and I can't get back on the horse the next day.

Ultimately, it is a matter of choice for people to eat as they feel fit and it is not my place to judge them for it. On the other hand, if people ask me for my opinion or help, I'm more than happy to tell them my thoughts and support them in any way that I can.

I don't understand how people can eat fast food! Taco Bell can't even call their meat beef because it contains so little actual meat and then they stuff it with chemical and flavoring. Mcdonalds and burger king never molds. How is that possible! You tell people this and they still go and order a big mac! So gross. At least KFC uses real chicken, although they fry the health benefits right out of it and Wendy's uses real American raised beef. still tastes gross.. I also tried explaining to one of my friends that if a salad has 500 calories in it, then it's not healthy... they just don't get it.

I haven't eaten it in years.

While many find your post offensive, I can see what you are saying about how bad fast foods are for you. I eat them, but trying to cut down. They are high in sodium as I see when I log them in. Many fast food places have salads and I order them instead of french fries. True, the dressing adds to calories, but you can get low cal dressings like Balsamic and Italian though, they are still high in sodium. You can even eat your salad w/o dressing if you like. Jack in the Box and McDonalds have smoothies which are better than burgers and fries.

It is better not to put others down for eating fast foods because you don't. Everyone is different and each has a different schedule & different circumstances. While eating at home is far better than fast foods, Some of the fast food places do have healthy choices.

Leave the OP alone, I'm sure everybody has better things to do. She probably didn't mean to piss everyone off.

How's the weather high upon your pedestal?

Serious question.....if KFC makes me wait 45 minutes for my fried chicken, is it then not considered "fast food" and is therefor healthy for me? I'm going to assume it is and log this entire bucket as "Romaine lettuce - 1 leaf"

Well that was to the poster before you. but it's ok. I'm not obsessed over it either. Just getting tired of hearing .. oh i feel like crap and i can't lose weight.. lets go to Mickey Ds for dinner again. Ick.

I don't eat completley clean. which has been raked all over this post, obviously. But it's really not hard to make better choices and it can be just as quick. or make the bad choice, but don't whine about it?

If I eat fried chicken. I get sick, but I knew that going in, so your not going to hear me complain about it. Usually when i eat fried anything I've fried it without oil in an oil-less fryer because it's the oil that does it to me.

I guess I really have a hard time grasping it because I grew up eating fresh whole organic foods.. so it's just part of who I am. Even my son doesn't really like fast foods and doesn't ask to go.

I just don't get it.

What I don't get is why you'd cook something for yourself that you know is going to make you sick? That makes no sense to me as someone who doesn't enjoy sick.

I eat fast food every weekday for lunch because as a mom of 3 school agers, I just don't want to make time to deal with making it. And I sit at a front desk and don't have a private place to eat in at work on my hour long lunch break. I eat salads with grilled chicken and dressing. The dressing adds most of the calories btw. And wendys Cobb salad is also popped up by the blue cheese and bacon, all real. I also eat grilled snack wraps, no sauce and the shrimp scampi platter at long John silvers and a small chili with chive baked potato. Healthiest? Maybe not. But it fits my calories, fats, protein, and sodium, etc. It's a vast improvement over the angus deluxe with large fries and sweet tea that I used to consume some variation of 5x a week. If you don't like it, don't eat it. But there are healthier, whole food options for those that choose to use it. Sure, my own home cooking is better, but that hour with my children, husband or working out are more important to me personally.

i am so glad i am in the same boat with someone!!

What? Thinking there are whole food options at fast food places? Not sure that's a great boat to be in.

I believe in everything in moderation. If I like fast food, I eat it, but not everyday because of the sodium. and yes, some make you feel like crap after you eat it. to me your topic was about how you don't like fast food, and how can we eat it. I think the same thing about salads, I hate dressing, I hate lettuce, how can you eat that stuff :huh:

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thank you..
That was what I meant by the salad comment. usually salads at those places are just full of crap, they are not healthy.
I don't really agree that you can healhitfy fast food anything.. i guess if you can i'll just have to take your word for it.
I have a lot of like-minded friends, so it boggles my mind when they go to those places and then complain about it, i mean come on.. this isn't rocket science. It's no secret what crappy food like this does to you. It's a shame that people need a wake up call to change their habits. lol my doctor would probably be happy if I went and got a whopper every so often, I'd certainly reach the caloric intake goals they want me at. .. but i just can't do it. doesn't even taste good.

I have found that with mcdonalds that the mcchicken or the chicken wrap is the best way to go. It has been verified by weight watchers as correct on calories. I used to do ww and then got sick of counting the point system. but anytime i feel i need the grease i just get the mcchicken and im good to go~!

well... the BEST way to go is out the door...