Fast food, low calorie choices (mom on the go)

bwalls0020
bwalls0020 Posts: 1
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
I'd love to see some fast food, low calorie choices. Being a mom on the go, sometimes cooking isn't an option.

Replies

  • adamitri
    adamitri Posts: 614 Member
    Overnight oats are great for a filling breakfast.
  • hnm921
    hnm921 Posts: 49 Member
    I like the grilled chicken nuggets at Chickfila. That with a side salad is usually my go to fast food choice.
  • Tblackdogs
    Tblackdogs Posts: 325 Member
    If you're at McDonald's, get a Happy Meal. Or an Egg McMuffin. Yum.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    Wendy's chili or grocery store sushi are my in a pinch go tos. But if I know I am going to be home too late to cook, I try to put something easy in the crock pot in the morning. I also try and prep some things on weekends and freeze them for these types of situations.
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
    Check out the Hungry Girls Survival Guide to fast food - great picks from a lot of popular places there!
  • Lexicpt
    Lexicpt Posts: 209 Member
    Wendy's chili over half of a baked potato. Yum!
  • Cheri1218
    Cheri1218 Posts: 268 Member
    Taco Bell crunchy beef tacos FRESCO style are 150 calories each.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    Chicken Fajita Pita at Jack in the Box is around 360 calories. Plus it's fun to say. :smile:
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    How about a burger, smaller than the one you are used to....
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
    Cheri1218 wrote: »
    Taco Bell crunchy beef tacos FRESCO style are 150 calories each.

    And the pinto beans, fresco style are packed with protein and fiber for another 150.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Here's my list:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jgnatca/view/fast-food-choices-735649

    It pays to have a stash on hand to head off the fast food. That might include a Premier Protein drink, fruit, single serving yogurts, or snack bars. I did this on a recent trip and I headed off at least two restaurant meals.
  • beachlandia
    beachlandia Posts: 45 Member
    I second the grilled chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A. I think 8 nuggets have 140 calories or something like that.

    I don't know if you consider this "fast food" but if you go through the Panera bread drive through they have a lot of options that are low calorie and on the healthier side (be careful, though- things like full sandwiches there are very high in calories). I like to get a cup of turkey chili or a b-green smoothie, both around 200 cal
  • kellyjellybellyjelly
    kellyjellybellyjelly Posts: 9,480 Member
    Wendy's large Chili is 250 calories & they have some wraps that range in the 200s-300s.
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
    Most grilled chicken sandwiches are good choices if you hold the cheese and mayo. The Southwest grilled chicken salad at McDonald's is pretty good. I tend to take a serving of Baked Lays with me to fast food restaurants so I won't be tempted to get fries.
  • hhnkhl
    hhnkhl Posts: 231 Member
    Salads at McDonalds are pretty good...only use like half of the sauce though...
  • overlook237
    overlook237 Posts: 160 Member
    I love Wendy's Asian Cashew Salad (half size). I think it's around 230 calories with spicy cashews and dressing. (Full size is under 400 cals.)
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    Another vote for taco bell fresco menue
    I do ok at chick fil a too
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
    I had a McDonald's cheeseburger for lunch...just under 300 calories. I know, I know some people hate McDonalds, but I thought it was good. Haven't had one in a really long time, and I ran out of time this morning to make my lunch.
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    Taco Bell - Fresco Menu ( I like the power bowls, personally)
    Panera - Roasted Turkey and Avocado BLT (half size is 250 calories and a big sandwich!) and pretty much any of their soups/salads.
    Burger King, Mcdonalds, Wendys - Get burgers or chicken sandwiches (no mayo), stay away from fries is my philosophy. (Fries are my downfall...... I will eat and eat and eat lol)
    KFC: Grilled Chicken, Mashed Potatoes (no gravy), and coleslaw.
    I don't eat at Sonic or Checkers, too greasy.
  • BettyM1017
    BettyM1017 Posts: 616 Member
    Chick Fil A salads and wraps are awesome; however, you'll want to keep you're own dressing with you. The dressings at almost every restaurant, sit down or fast food, are outrageously high in calories! Oh, and don't think you have to stick to drive thru's. Keep menus from your favorite healthy restaurants in your glove box and just call ahead for take out.
  • Kaylew0125
    Kaylew0125 Posts: 5
    My on the go picks are usually crunchy chicken tacos from taco bell or a Flatbread blt from subway!
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    Even with lower calorie choices at several fast food places, I would try to make my own food most of the time. And I just read an article about the food preferences that children develop quite early in life. If you are eating fast food as a regular thing, I'm guessing that the kids are too. Batch cooking is the way to go. It's a fun family thing too.
  • gypsychic33
    gypsychic33 Posts: 79 Member
    Subway!
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    When I go through the drive through it is usually with my kids and we are on our way somewhere. I get them kids meals and then eat maybe half of one of their orders of fries. Even a full order of happy meal fries is only 100 cals. Most of the sandwiches I would order are 400 cals or so, so I can usually get out for less than 500 cals. If my husband is with us, he doesn't drink soda, so I get a combo and we all share the fries. That built in portion control really helps keep the calories in check.
  • marissafit06
    marissafit06 Posts: 1,996 Member
    When we eat fast food, we usually skip the drinks and fries when considering calories. Opting for chicken sandwiches, grilled not fried, over beef typically yields lower calories. You can also request to have sandwiches without mayo or cheese.
  • chubbles123
    chubbles123 Posts: 2 Member
    edited April 2015
    While it's not exactly fast food, I like to get take out Vietnamese food. Most Pho places can fill a to-go order really quickly; I usually only have to wait 5 minutes or so. I love getting fresh spring rolls for lunch. They are healthy and surprisingly filling.

    Also, if you have a Great Harvest Bread Company in your area, they make amazing sandwiches. Skip the mayo and cheese and you won't be eating too many calories.
  • Tatarataa
    Tatarataa Posts: 178 Member
    Hungry girl recipes and tips as well as subway. Or just go for a mc donalds ice cream cone or burger and combine eg with carrot stics or salad from grocery store.
  • Tatarataa
    Tatarataa Posts: 178 Member
    starbucks oatmeal without aditives sweeten with homebrought things and maybe some fruit from starbucks or home.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    hhnkhl wrote: »
    Salads at McDonalds are pretty good...only use like half of the sauce though...

    I thought so too, until five or six years ago, I bought one on a Friday night around 6:30 pm to bring for lunch at a Saturday seminar I was attending the next day. I put it in the refrigerator immediately and the next morning, at 7:00, took the bag holding the salad out of the fridge. There was something watery all in it. I couldn't imagine what had spilled into my salad. I put the bag in the sink, opened it, and ewwww it looked like four-day-old spinach soup. Turns out the shelf life for McDonald's salads are 8 to 12 hours (call your local one - they will confirm this) because the ingredients are actually weeks old from being stored and trucked and are kept looking fresh by "a sophisticated cooling system" when they aren't really fresh at all. I've never been to a McDonald's since.
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