God Forbid we eat fast food

Jack in the Box - They have a great grilled chicken salad!
Subway
Jimmy Johns - Make it an "Unwich" and choose your own toppings.
Chipotle
Wendys - Salad, Chili, Potatoes
Taco Bell - Chicken Fresco Tacos are tasty and low cal.

MFP is full of people who used to love fast food, then convinced themselves it's "gross" while they lose weight.

I think it is because of brain farts, because of all the fat they are cutting out of their diets!

MFP is full of people who used to love fast food, then convinced themselves it's "gross" while they lose weight.

I once saw a comment where someone thought the smell of McDonald's french fries was the worst smell, and smelled of "chemicals."

Maybe if they meant "chemicals" as in the smell could get you high...

I generally pack my lunch for budget reasons. Most of the fast food I do get is off of the value menus, just make sure it fits your day!

Chick-fil-a is the only option.

Everything else is gross and will eventually give you cancer.

Oh please. What a ridiculous statement. I know people who eat perfectly and still get cancer.

Uhm...sense of humor...sarcasm...funny....etc... :bigsmile:

I eat fast food once a week because I love the stuff. Yes, I know it's terrible for me, and yes, I know it's full of salt and sugar and crap, but whatever. It's once a week. I only eat dinner anyway, so I can usually just eat whatever I want from anywhere. Wendy's is definitely a favourite though, because it's delicious.

It's not terrible for you. There is nothing wrong with salt and sugar in moderation. I don't know about *crap* though.

I've never been a take out eater, even when more overweight. My husband laughs at me because I've never eaten KFC... or Burger King .. or whatever the other 300 fast food chains are in the US (am not from here). Got food poisoning from Subway salad in 2008, can't go back. Thought I was going to die...

Anyway, most days I pack my lunch, but some days, like today, I left it on the kitchen bench...

So I left my real food at home, need real food to replace it...

I go to a supermarket/grocery store and get a small avocado and shrimp sushi roll (fresh made in front of me!), a tub of greek yogurt, piece of fruit etc. or soups, salads, sandwiches whatever you prefer. Easy, fresh and for the same $. I prefer to avoid the fast food... personal choice I know, I don't have a problem with others doing it, isn't for me.

Anyway. Most places have supermarkets with all sorts of hours. All sorts of real food. Make the choice, tis up to you. My motto is fresh, light, healthy, cos that's what I want to be.

I honestly haven't stepped a foot into a fast food restaurant in well over a year (Unless you could Starbucks & Tim Hortons for coffee) I used to eat a lot of Subway but then i read some article about how gross the meat was and I've also cut out gluten so that's not an option for me. Honestly, I find that a lot of things I used to enjoy including fast food just taste off and processed to me. If I'm going to cheat it's going to be something super delicious with quality ingredients like homemade burgers loaded with veggies and sweet potato fries, or a steak dinner at a restaurant or a bowl of pasta with really awesome ingredients that compliment each other, etc. So for me, fast food isn't worth it at all anymore. If I'm starving and need something fast I'd rather hit up a grocery store than a fast food restaurant. This is totally all a personal choice though and I really don't think there's anything wrong with occasionally eating fast food!

That said, I think that fast food restaurants are getting a LOT better at providing healthy options and you can easily look up the nutritional information on your phone and make the right choices for you at almost any fast food restaurant. I have no self control, so my problem would be actually choosing the healthy choices over the fries and chicken fingers or something. I've also heard that the new veggie wraps at McDonalds are yummy and super reasonable in terms of price, ingredients and calories. And honestly, if you want to indulge in something NOT healthy from a fast food restaurant go for it and don't feel guilty if you've hit your nutrition and exercise goals for the week. I firmly believe that cheat meals should be a serving of whatever you want, including fast food!

Okay I know we all try to avoid fast food, but the reality of it is, sometimes its unavoidable. In my opinion starving yourself until you get home is worse than grabbing a takeout meal. So my question to you: If you just absolutely have to eat fast food, where do you go and what do you order?

I'm sure there are plenty of folks on MFP that don't avoid fast food, but your scenario is fascinating to me.

How far am I from home that I will starve before I get there without fast food? And if there is fast food available, why wouldn't other food also be available (like say, a grocery store)? Have I been dropped in the middle of some wilderness devoid of natural food and civilization except for fast food restaurants?

If that very odd thing were to happen, I suppose I'd eat whatever was available, because I'm sure it's all better than starving.

When I eat fast food, typically once a week, I like

Subway
Schlotzsky's
Panera
Chipotle
Chick-Fil-A

I honestly haven't stepped a foot into a fast food restaurant in well over a year (Unless you could Starbucks & Tim Hortons for coffee) I used to eat a lot of Subway but then i read some article about how gross the meat was and I've also cut out gluten so that's not an option for me. Honestly, I find that a lot of things I used to enjoy including fast food just taste off and processed to me. If I'm going to cheat it's going to be something super delicious with quality ingredients like homemade burgers loaded with veggies and sweet potato fries, or a steak dinner at a restaurant or a bowl of pasta with really awesome ingredients that compliment each other, etc. So for me, fast food isn't worth it at all anymore. If I'm starving and need something fast I'd rather hit up a grocery store than a fast food restaurant. This is totally all a personal choice though and I really don't think there's anything wrong with occasionally eating fast food!

That said, I think that fast food restaurants are getting a LOT better at providing healthy options and you can easily look up the nutritional information on your phone and make the right choices for you at almost any fast food restaurant. I have no self control, so my problem would be actually choosing the healthy choices over the fries and chicken fingers or something. I've also heard that the new veggie wraps at McDonalds are yummy and super reasonable in terms of price, ingredients and calories. And honestly, if you want to indulge in something NOT healthy from a fast food restaurant go for it and don't feel guilty if you've hit your nutrition and exercise goals for the week. I firmly believe that cheat meals should be a serving of whatever you want, including fast food!

Just because you are eating fast food does not mean you are cheating on anything, and you can eat plenty of fast food, and meet your nutrition, and calorie goals every day.

Okay I know we all try to avoid fast food, but the reality of it is, sometimes its unavoidable. In my opinion starving yourself until you get home is worse than grabbing a takeout meal. So my question to you: If you just absolutely have to eat fast food, where do you go and what do you order?

I'm sure there are plenty of folks on MFP that don't avoid fast food, but your scenario is fascinating to me.

How far am I from home that I will starve before I get there without fast food? And if there is fast food available, why wouldn't other food also be available (like say, a grocery store)? Have I been dropped in the middle of some wilderness devoid of natural food and civilization except for fast food restaurants?

If that very odd thing were to happen, I suppose I'd eat whatever was available, because I'm sure it's all better than starving.

Curious, but where do you live? If it's predominantly highway driving, OP could very easily pass fast food at exits, but grocery stores would be several miles off of an exit.

When I lived with my parents, driving 30-35 minutes from work in Downtown Detroit to their house in pretty much farm country had no easily accessible grocery stores I'd pass. Any would be cumbersome miles off the exit [cumbersome being: no exit back on, Michigan lefts (annoying), etc.]. My parents' town didn't even have grocery store outside of a small party store that certainly wasn't open 24/7. But you can bet my parents exit had a Burger King in the gas station. (That's about it, still).

MFP is full of people who used to love fast food, then convinced themselves it's "gross" while they lose weight.

Because if you like, everyone who say they don't is just lying to themselves. :huh:

I don't avoid it because it's bad for me. I avoid it because it's gross.

This.

You guys are having the wrong fast food. You can't really think all fast food is gross?

To be fair, I have had some fast food that would be enough to turn you off. You know, the McDonald's in the middle of nowhere that's still open at 3 A.M. and serves you cold fries, or a Wendy's that gives you a "chicken sandwich" that should have been made as you ordered... but clearly wasn't.

But I find this is location, location, location. Find the one that gets hit up all the time, the fries and food will be fresher.

I have fast food maybe once a month, but I will not hate. Except for Burger King. Get your act together, BK.

When Burger King was giving away the Lord of the Rings figurines in their kid's meals, I had to go there every day for a month to complete my collection (big Tolkien geek here) and it kind of put me off of their burgers for a few years.

MFP is full of people who used to love fast food, then convinced themselves it's "gross" while they lose weight.

Live in town where a couple of teenage boys were caught jackingoff in the secret sauce and you will never eat that crap again, or maybe you will, who knows, I can not speak for you, only me. Maybe other MFPers can also speak for themselves as well?

It is very interesting to me how so many MFPers seem to know how others think and feel with out knowing them or anything about them.

Fast food is gross.

This doesn't only occur at fast food joints. Ever read the book by Tony Bourdain called Kitchen Confidential, or the book Heat by Bill Buford? I totally recommend the books by the way, not for the crazy kitchen shenanigans, but the funny real life stories. Good reads.