Fast Food Help

etrain911
etrain911 Posts: 6 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I work 12 hour shifts with only a 30 minute lunch break. My diet usually consists of Wendy's salads and the occasional subway sandwich while at work. Does anyone know of any healthy fast food options that would leave me filling full and satisfied without bringing my lunch to work?

Replies

  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
    I am 100% a packed lunch person. I basically plan out my entire day for eating the night before when I am packing my lunch. It's fantastic.

    BUT....if you refuse to pack, considering you have 30 minutes you will be limited based on what is around you. Personally I find Subway sandwiches to be filling. I get the chicken breast and tons of veggies. "Salad" =/= healthy in fast food, or non fast food really. Check nutrient contents online for places you have access to. Look for high protein and fiber.

    Can you snack on shift? A little trail mix or apple and peanut butter between lunch and end of shift might help the most.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    Both of those options (Wendy's and Subway) can be part of a healthy diet.

    You can't look at individual foods/meals to determine it's healthiness, you have to look at the diet overall.

    If you can eat those within your calorie allotment and meet your nutrient needs you're good to go.
  • redoakcircus
    redoakcircus Posts: 32
    I usually eat at Panera (500-750 calories depending on what I order), or I bring a wrap from the Target deli section.
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
    redoakcircus wrote: »
    I usually eat at Panera (500-750 calories depending on what I order), or I bring a wrap from the Target deli section.

    And Panera has a new system where you can order and pay for your food online. It's ready to go and waiting for you when you get there. That could really save you some precious time on your lunch break.
  • Vune
    Vune Posts: 674 Member
    I don't know if you can do this at subway, but some sub shops will wrap your fillings in lettuce instead of bread. Bread is fine and all, but if you need a big meal to get through work, a foot of bread is a little excessive.
  • JonKinarthy
    JonKinarthy Posts: 44 Member
    A footlong cold cut combo or BLT with all veggies, lite mayo and mustard and no oil or cheese is under 800 calories. Also, Taco Bell has something called a shredded chicken mini quesadilla(sp?), they're 180 each, and 3-4 of them work for me (and I'm a big eater) for under 800 calories.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    I like getting Wendy's Chili and baked Potato.

    Wendy's Small Chili : 170 calories, 4G Fiber, 15G protein, 16G carb, 5G Fat

    Baked Potato: 320 calories, 7G Fiber, 8G Protein, 4G Fat, 63G Carb
  • etrain911
    etrain911 Posts: 6 Member

    yayamom3 wrote: »
    redoakcircus wrote: »
    I usually eat at Panera (500-750 calories depending on what I order), or I bring a wrap from the Target deli section.

    And Panera has a new system where you can order and pay for your food online. It's ready to go and waiting for you when you get there. That could really save you some precious time on your lunch break.

    That would be amazing and I am a big Panera fan. Unfortunately, there is not a Panera in my town :/. Is their any other restaurants with similar systems ?
  • etrain911
    etrain911 Posts: 6 Member
    Troutsy wrote: »
    I like getting Wendy's Chili and baked Potato.

    Wendy's Small Chili : 170 calories, 4G Fiber, 15G protein, 16G carb, 5G Fat

    Baked Potato: 320 calories, 7G Fiber, 8G Protein, 4G Fat, 63G Carb

    That's a good idea, and potatoes usually fill me up pretty well!
  • etrain911
    etrain911 Posts: 6 Member
    JonKinarthy wrote: »
    A footlong cold cut combo or BLT with all veggies, lite mayo and mustard and no oil or cheese is under 800 calories. Also, Taco Bell has something called a shredded chicken mini quesadilla(sp?), they're 180 each, and 3-4 of them work for me (and I'm a big eater) for under 800 calories.

    I'll have to check into the mini quesadillas, thanks for letting me know!
  • etrain911
    etrain911 Posts: 6 Member
    Vune wrote: »
    I don't know if you can do this at subway, but some sub shops will wrap your fillings in lettuce instead of bread. Bread is fine and all, but if you need a big meal to get through work, a foot of bread is a little excessive.

    I agree a footlong of bread from subway is over 500 calories just by itself dependent on the kind you get. I'll check into the lettuce, but I think my hometown subway just has shredded lettuce.
  • MindySaysWhaaat
    MindySaysWhaaat Posts: 401 Member
    Pretty much any fast food restaurant you go to will have at least one or two things on the menu that are lower calorie. I would definitely spend some time online researching your options and just browsing over the nutrition info.
  • etrain911
    etrain911 Posts: 6 Member
    esjones12 wrote: »
    I am 100% a packed lunch person. I basically plan out my entire day for eating the night before when I am packing my lunch. It's fantastic.

    BUT....if you refuse to pack, considering you have 30 minutes you will be limited based on what is around you. Personally I find Subway sandwiches to be filling. I get the chicken breast and tons of veggies. "Salad" =/= healthy in fast food, or non fast food really. Check nutrient contents online for places you have access to. Look for high protein and fiber.

    Can you snack on shift? A little trail mix or apple and peanut butter between lunch and end of shift might help the most.

    I usually don't like to snack in between meals but I might just start. Sometimes I don't even get a lunch due to high activity at work. A bag of trail mix would be a great thing to have on hand!
  • Meglep24
    Meglep24 Posts: 270 Member
    can you not pack your food? I work 12 hour shifts as well.. .and just find it so much easier to prepare all my food for the day
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
    Subway. My go-to footlong is only 580. Veggie, Ham, or Turkey and Ham are lower cal options. Find the lowest cal bread in your area and always get that. Load up on veggies, and choose mustard. If you're craving something really hearty or for a treat, go for it, but get 6 inch.

    And their breads are not all 500 cals for a footlong. At least not in Canada...

    Leftovers are a great way to pack a lunch though. When you're putting them away, put them right into a tupperware, put your cutlery in a ziploc, put both in the fridge, one on top of the other. Boom. Lunch.

    Breakfast menus are sometimes lighter. Especially if it's on an english muffin.

    You can look up the nutrition menus for any chain restaurant you'd have access to. Google "restaurant nutrition" i.e. "subway nutrition" and you'll get the whole menu, with nutrition info, including combinations but also (with subway) ingredients separately. Spend a bit of time looking up the places you'd be able to go to, and see what they have that would fit into your calorie budget, that you'd enjoy.

    And by the way! The Subway website has a really cool feature. I don't know how to access it directly -- hopefully they fix the design (or maybe I am blind). Head over, and go to menu. Click on a sandwich you're interested in, to get to like, that sandwich's special page. On the right, there's a column of nutrition info. At the bottom of that, it says "Calculate Yours". Click it. You can select size, bread, the toppings, etc and the column will update with the whole nutrition info (calories but also protein etc). Really helpful!
  • rachwill2002
    rachwill2002 Posts: 16 Member
    This site has "survival guides" for several restaurants

    http://www.hungry-girl.com/biteout/show/2599-healthy-survival-guides-for-chain-restuarants-holidays-and-more-roundup
  • MiltonAFC
    MiltonAFC Posts: 121 Member
    I like McDonald's premium mcwrap with grilled chicken and no ranch. Good macros for the size and price imo.
  • KickinIt23
    KickinIt23 Posts: 24 Member
    etrain911 wrote: »
    I work 12 hour shifts with only a 30 minute lunch break. My diet usually consists of Wendy's salads and the occasional subway sandwich while at work. Does anyone know of any healthy fast food options that would leave me filling full and satisfied without bringing my lunch to work?

    Subway is a great healthy fast food option! Many of the sandwhichs there are filling, and low-carb. Remember Jared! Don't forget to drink plenty of water. This will help to make you feel full. Hope this helps.
  • misscaligreen
    misscaligreen Posts: 819 Member
    Mcdonalds has a grilled chicken sandwich under 400 calories. I order it with no mayo because personally I only like mayo on cold sandwiches. I add a side of jalapenos to give it a nice kick. I also add a side salad or sometimes 2 with low fat balsamic dressing. Jack in the box has a chicken fajita pita that is really tasty and under 400 calories.
  • KickinIt23
    KickinIt23 Posts: 24 Member
    KickinIt23 wrote: »
    etrain911 wrote: »
    I work 12 hour shifts with only a 30 minute lunch break. My diet usually consists of Wendy's salads and the occasional subway sandwich while at work. Does anyone know of any healthy fast food options that would leave me filling full and satisfied without bringing my lunch to work?

    Subway is a great healthy fast food option! Many of the sandwichs there are filling, and low-carb. Remember Jared! Don't forget to drink plenty of water. This will help to make you feel full. Hope this helps.

  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    id get a big chili from wendy's, or a grilled chicken sandwich from either place. Fast food is really easy to calorie count, and there are plenty of good options. Hell, a big mac is less than 600 calories.
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