Keeping Fast Food Within Your Calorie Budget

kevinrbarger
kevinrbarger Posts: 87 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Yes, we all know that fast food is horrible for you. This isn't news. For me, personally, though (and I assume many others), cutting it out is not realistic. I basically live in my car most of the time, and usually running late somewhere. If drive thrus weren't a thing, I would probably starve.

That said, the land of fast food was built on calorie mountain. It is easy to completely blow your daily calorie budget with just one meal. Add in to that the fact that nutrition information is not usually immediately accessible, and you're on your way to fat city on the heart disease express faster than you can say curly fry.

I guess what I've learned over the past couple of days as I was looking in to this is that eating at fast food places requires planning. You should know the things on the menu that have the lowest calories before hand so that you're not flying blind. Those things that seem like they might be healthier might be loaded with calories, while something that seems like it would be loaded with calories might be okay. For instance, at KFC there is the Chicken Little sandwich and the Honey BBQ sandwich. They both have 320 calories, but the Honey BBQ sandwich is a lot larger and more filling. Add on to that a small order of mashed potatoes and gravy (120 calories) and an order of cole slaw (180 calories) and you have a meal of only 620 calories. For comparison, the last time I ordered lunch from the kitchen at work (I work in a nursing home) the whole meal was around 750 calories.

I guess my point is that with a little forethought eating out does not have to break your calorie count, which was a huge revelation to me. If anyone has any more information on this, I would love to read it. For starters, though, here are a couple of links that I found that opened my eyes:

From Fitness Magazine: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/on-the-go/healthy-fast-foods/

From Wake Forest Baptist Health: http://www.wakehealth.edu/Drive-Thru-Diet/

For those of you, like me, who keep fast food in your diet, what do you normally order? How do you plan?

Replies

  • kevinrbarger
    kevinrbarger Posts: 87 Member
    Bump
  • ashdawg8790
    ashdawg8790 Posts: 819 Member
    Some places, such as Wendy's and McDonald's that I've been to recently, post their calorie counts right on the menu. They also have displays that show which foods fit into the "under 100", "under 200", etc through 400 calories in an effort to fit in with today's healthier standards of some folks. I find that looking at those is helpful. Then with some mental adding I can figure in a meal that doesn't run me my entire calorie allotment for the day.
  • kevinrbarger
    kevinrbarger Posts: 87 Member
    Some places, such as Wendy's and McDonald's that I've been to recently, post their calorie counts right on the menu. They also have displays that show which foods fit into the "under 100", "under 200", etc through 400 calories in an effort to fit in with today's healthier standards of some folks. I find that looking at those is helpful. Then with some mental adding I can figure in a meal that doesn't run me my entire calorie allotment for the day.

    Yeah, this is a good point! I know that my McDonald's locally have started to put calorie info up (but not for everything), and I haven't been to Wendy's in a while.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    My whole daily budget is 1350 so my choices get limited but I like to get a kids meal at either Wendy's or McD's. The Wendy's chicken strip combo with a garden side salad and low fat dressing used sparingly is another go to for me if I have more to spare.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I like Arby's roast beef. I get the midsize one and use the three pepper sauce. Then I make my husband order fries and eat just a few of his.
  • kevinrbarger
    kevinrbarger Posts: 87 Member
    My whole daily budget is 1350 so my choices get limited but I like to get a kids meal at either Wendy's or McD's. The Wendy's chicken strip combo with a garden side salad and low fat dressing used sparingly is another go to for me if I have more to spare.

    At Wendy's you could also get a large chili for just 20 more calories than a cheeseburger kids meal. You wouldn't get the cool toy, though. I love how they give you the ability to switch in healthier sides like a garden salad instead of fries.
  • kevinrbarger
    kevinrbarger Posts: 87 Member
    I like Arby's roast beef. I get the midsize one and use the three pepper sauce. Then I make my husband order fries and eat just a few of his.

    Arby's is my weakness. Their curly fries are so, so good. However, a small order of them is pushing 400 calories.

    I stopped there today because I skipped breakfast and knew that I could kind of indulge. My meal was 900 calories! Which is what sparked this post. I didn't plan ahead.
  • carliekitty
    carliekitty Posts: 303 Member
    I eat the oatmeal from mcdonalds alot w a sugarfree vanilla latte.
  • kbogati
    kbogati Posts: 39 Member
    after working at mcdonalds for 6 yrs, i will warn you all about their grilled chicken sandwiches. if you are going to order one (especially if its not during the lunch or dinner rush) order it made fresh if you have the time. to keep them from drying out they lake to spray them frequently with extra butter (even tho not supposed to), so the calories are a whole lot more than they claim
  • kiesha23
    kiesha23 Posts: 16
    I can't eat healthy when I go to fast food restaurants, but I do try to limit myself. If I'm getting a sandwich no fries, if I want fries- no sandwich.

    I do love that more and more restaurants are posting their calories right on the menu. It made me think twice when I was at McDonald's the other day.
  • kiesha23
    kiesha23 Posts: 16
    after working at mcdonalds for 6 yrs, i will warn you all about their grilled chicken sandwiches. if you are going to order one (especially if its not during the lunch or dinner rush) order it made fresh if you have the time. to keep them from drying out they lake to spray them frequently with extra butter (even tho not supposed to), so the calories are a whole lot more than they claim

    Wow, good to know!
  • Eyeliner
    Eyeliner Posts: 6
    This is a really great post! I, like you, could never completely cut fast food out of my life. It's not only convenient, but I just love it so there's no way I'm giving it up! That being said, you're right... you can totally plan a meal out at a fast food place if you plan ahead. I have internet access with me at all times, so it's really easy to even just go to the restaurant's website (i've found they all have nutrition info online) and look up what I want to eat. If I know I won't be eating a lot that day, I dont even plan ahead and just get what i want and track it after. I'm almost always in range. Exercising and burning more calories on days you're going to indulge helps too. I find i'm MORE willing to exercise on a day i really don't want to pass up that whopper, just so i can have it! LOL
  • kbogati
    kbogati Posts: 39 Member
    oh that goes for ANYTHING that involves grilled chicken. salads, wraps...
  • firemanfive0
    firemanfive0 Posts: 228 Member
    Wendy's is my place to go....spicy chicken w/o mayo and then lose the top bun...cuts about 130cals from the sandwich. They have a nice side salad also (although too many shredded carrots).
  • Queen_Adrock
    Queen_Adrock Posts: 130 Member
    after working at mcdonalds for 6 yrs, i will warn you all about their grilled chicken sandwiches. if you are going to order one (especially if its not during the lunch or dinner rush) order it made fresh if you have the time. to keep them from drying out they lake to spray them frequently with extra butter (even tho not supposed to), so the calories are a whole lot more than they claim

    I was wondering about that. My sandwich would always be dripping, and it looked like the fat drippings you'd get off a Butterball turkey. It all makes sense!
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    As a fellow lover of fast food, I applaud this post and those posting in it.
  • kevinrbarger
    kevinrbarger Posts: 87 Member
    after working at mcdonalds for 6 yrs, i will warn you all about their grilled chicken sandwiches. if you are going to order one (especially if its not during the lunch or dinner rush) order it made fresh if you have the time. to keep them from drying out they lake to spray them frequently with extra butter (even tho not supposed to), so the calories are a whole lot more than they claim

    Oh, wow. This is really really good info!
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
    It's completely realistic, if you so choose to make it so.
  • kevinrbarger
    kevinrbarger Posts: 87 Member
    It's completely realistic, if you so choose to make it so.

    Sure! It's also completely realistic if I chose to run a marathon in 3 months and devoted all my time to training for it. That does not mean that I can or am willing to fit it in to my life right now.
  • angelahigdon1
    angelahigdon1 Posts: 4
    I currently work at McDonalds and I have worked there for 7.5 years and I have NEVER seen anyone spray butter on the grilled chicken to keep it from being dried out. . If you don't sell it by the time the timer goes off, you waste and start fresh.

    If the McDonalds you frequent does this, I would not order ANYTHING from there, because it means they don't adhere to the rules in place to serve fresh food, and I would be worried about of food safety issues as well.

    The grilled chicken seems as if it is "dripping" because it makes its own juices in the tray it is held in. Just like if you were to put grilled chicken (cooked) in a pan with a lid directly off of a grill.
  • jynnantonnyk
    jynnantonnyk Posts: 81 Member
    Soon after I started on MFP I started studying labels to see what was actually in the food I was eating. It soon shocked me that the 'healthy' chicken salad sandwich I was having at work was as bad as a double cheeseburger from McD's.

    So by preparing the food yourself, you can cut out most of the invisible crap they put in stuff.

    Obviously there are times where you're out with friends or not at home to cook a meal and have to grab something, I often go for something like curry and rice, just avoiding stuff that's fried and full of fat and cheese and all that kind of delicious goodness...
  • Codefox
    Codefox Posts: 308 Member
    http://www.ebags.com/category/travel-accessories/insulated-bags/b/ebags?origin=flyaway
  • kbogati
    kbogati Posts: 39 Member
    I currently work at McDonalds and I have worked there for 7.5 years and I have NEVER seen anyone spray butter on the grilled chicken to keep it from being dried out. . If you don't sell it by the time the timer goes off, you waste and start fresh.

    If the McDonalds you frequent does this, I would not order ANYTHING from there, because it means they don't adhere to the rules in place to serve fresh food, and I would be worried about of food safety issues as well.

    The grilled chicken seems as if it is "dripping" because it makes its own juices in the tray it is held in. Just like if you were to put grilled chicken (cooked) in a pan with a lid directly off of a grill.

    good to know yours is better..but my sis and i have worked at 2 different McDs in this area and they both do it.

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