Reality & Fast Food

Amandac6772
Amandac6772 Posts: 1,311 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Ok guys I need your help. There are times in life when you have to grab some fast food. Today is going to be one of those days. I was thinking I would do a cheeseburger happy meal but the total of that is 530 with a diet coke. That is a lot of my calories for lunch. I can't stand fast food salads so what do some of you do on the days that you have to eat it?

Thanks,
Amanda

Replies

  • JenniferH81
    JenniferH81 Posts: 285 Member
    subway?
  • Amandac6772
    Amandac6772 Posts: 1,311 Member
    I thought of Subway but we have to go to a graducation tonight and that is whay my darling husband wanted for supper. I do love subway...I could probably eat it twice in one day.
  • sandara
    sandara Posts: 830 Member
    Wendy's and Chic Filet have a very good chicken sandwich. I"ve also had just the regular roast beef sandwich from Arby's. I don't do fries with any of them though. Wendy's has a doublestak that is good and I usually side it with a small chili and come out much better than with fries.

    And I forgot most places have salads. Chic Filet's Southwestern salad is good with their rasberry dressing. Zaxby's salads are good if you get them to leave off the extras like potato stiks, tortilla strips and toast.

    Sorry, I missed that you didn't like salads. Oops!
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
    REMOVE the bread from any sandwich you get would help. But generally most fast foods have grilled chicken options and the key is NOT to order fries and soft drinks. I think chic-fil-a and wendy's offers you the best alternatives and again, even if you are getting a grilled chicken sandwich, take off the bread or at least 1 side of it to help reduce the calories. I guess packing a "take out" meal from home is not an option today?
  • kah78
    kah78 Posts: 376 Member
    Especially in the summer, my fave is a small hamburger (about 250 cals) and a vanilla ice cream cone (about 150 cals) from McDonalds. I get water to drink...or a diet coke if I need another splurge. Sometimes I'll substitute a grilled chicken snack wrap if I don't want the burger--it adds like 10-20 more calories, I think. I love getting the ice-cream though...it feels like such a treat! PS--most of the websites have a tool where you can build a meal to see what it will be. That's helpful to plan ahead--I try to have a meal idea ready for just about every place I would usually go, just so I don't even have to really think about it when I get there.
  • ssmom
    ssmom Posts: 128 Member
    I try to order something off of the dollar menu that way I don't get the fries and if there is a chicken option I get that with NO MAYO! Just a plain cheeseburger or whopper junior--no mayo, no cheese and then side it with a diet drink or water. The happy meals you can get with the apple slices instead of the fries and that make an enormous difference. Most places offer a healthier option for kids meals like apples or fruit salad. I don't know why they don't off a healthier option for the adult menu. But a side salad is usually on the dollar menu also. Good luck.
  • hkystar
    hkystar Posts: 1,290 Member
    If you are ordering the kids meal, you can always sub the fries for apples, and not eat the caramel sauce. I always opt for water (due to not liking diet soda).
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
    If you have to go to McD's, my personal option is the grilled classic sandwich (you can get rid of the mayo if you are anti-mayo). The sandwich as-prepared I think is about 400cals. I don't get anything else since it's a pretty hearty sandwich.

    Chik-Fil-A's grilled chicken sandwich runs around 300cals, but I haven't tried it (YET!). It looks so yummy on the website.

    Wendy's Chili isn't all that bad either. Good protein and fiber! They have some fruit you can get too.

    I'd just avoid Burger King, Arby's, and Jack in the Box, they seem to have more transfats than other places.

    Other people have suggested it, but just to add more onto that column of voting, go to the websites (or in the diary area on here) and look for the options you have. A lot of places have some better options than they used to. Don't get fries. Sub something else, like the apples. The biggest thing I've learned is that after eating healthfully after awhile, when I go to a fast food place and I think that the crap I used to eat is what I'd still need to be satisfied, I'm *horribly* wrong. If you just can't get yourself to avoid the burger/fries, then opting for the smaller portions is the right way to go. (Just think about it, when McD's opened, what we call the kid's meal is really what adults ate!!! Sickening, isn't it?)
  • kimberly428
    kimberly428 Posts: 237
    I didn't read all the responses but I have been ordering the snack wraps grilled at McDonald's, they are under 300 cals (depending on the sauce) and pretty yummy too :D
  • jeroboah
    jeroboah Posts: 1 Member
    Subway - Piri Piri Sub - 360 calories
  • khskr1
    khskr1 Posts: 392
    I pack my own lunch and keep protein bars with me. I'll eat Subway and Tropical Smoothie (but they are a little high in calories too). If it has a drive through lane...they don't get my business. Keeps me from being tempted...especially those darn french fries!!
  • summersmi
    summersmi Posts: 50 Member
    If you get the kids meals now days you don't have to get the fries ( which are a real calorie killer) try the apple pieces. Their pretty good and fewer cals. Probably better for you as long as you avoid the dipping sauce.
  • Callmefia
    Callmefia Posts: 42
    What about Jimmy Johns subs (they atleast scoop out a lot of the bread!
    They have all their nutritional info on their website too so you can track it easier.

    I sometimes keep a small thing of skim milk in the fridge to go with my morning cereal. That might be a good option in the future, keeping things around the office in case you didn't get a chance to grab lunch....
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    REMOVE the bread from any sandwich you get would help. But generally most fast foods have grilled chicken options and the key is NOT to order fries and soft drinks. I think chic-fil-a and wendy's offers you the best alternatives and again, even if you are getting a grilled chicken sandwich, take off the bread or at least 1 side of it to help reduce the calories. I guess packing a "take out" meal from home is not an option today?

    This is what I do..............

    Bunless chicken breast or bunless burger.

    Just an FYI...............Burger King uses 100% beef in their hamburger meat. Mc Donald's does not. They add soy and other fillers to their hamburger............
  • CharleneM
    CharleneM Posts: 64 Member
    If I find myself having to eat at a fast food place which I hate, i always ask for a calorie menu. A lot of palces have them you just have to ask for them. McDonalds does, as does Red Robin (well some of them) I also look online ahead of time if I know I am going out. You can decide what you are having in the privacy of your own home and the smells/aroma don't make you order something bad. i did that at Red Robin. You can even print it out and take it with you. You can build y our own lunch. You add stuff and delete stuff. It was cool.
    Yes, McDonalds has a grilled chicken wrap for 270 calories but it is pretty small. I just had that and waited 15 minutes. It hit bottom and I was full, especially if you have already shrunk your stomach from lowering your portion control. GOOD LUCK!!!
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