Okay...McDonald's...Yes, No, Sometimes?
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Sometimes. We'll go for the kids mainly, I try to do no more than once a week preferably less. More when we're traveling or moving.0
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The way I see it, it's perfectly ok to eat pretty much anything if it fits into your calories. The only problem I have with restaurants is the sodium content of 90% of the food. It's the only reason Chili's and I don't get along
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Beast_Mode_Engaged wrote: »I say no. Get a real burger that tastes good and good fries from a local joint instead.
I don't know, Five Guys Burgers and Fries is pretty good...
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Salad = Always!
Fries = Never!0 -
I find the food really un-satisfying and unappealing. But also - it was my knowledge of how foods are grown/produced/processed that got me to change my diet in the beginning. In other words, my weight loss began as a political choice.
But for you - if it fits in your calories go for it, I guess.0 -
Beast_Mode_Engaged wrote: »I say no. Get a real burger that tastes good and good fries from a local joint instead.
Most "local" joints are getting their beef and fries out of the back of a Sysco truck.0 -
The problem with McDonald's or any fast food for that matter is trying to stay under my meal goals of no more than 400 calories per meal. About the only time I eat McDonald is if I can share a meal with someone else, I'll usually eat half a burger and half a small fry, If I cant share it with someone else then I'll simply throw it in the trash. The idea is not merely weight loss but retraining myself for a healthier life style and McDonald's highly processed junk food is part of the reason I got so fat and out of shape in the first place..
Now I do have 2 cheat days a week where there is no calorie budget and I can eat whatever I want. I learned early on that half the trick to weight loss was playing mental tricks on yourself. Just like a kid if you tell yourself you cant have something then you will simply obsess over it until you finally cave in. So I never tell myself I can't have something. My cheat days are Wednesday and Sunday, I simply tell myself that I have to wait for a cheat day, Well just like a kid I have a short attention span which usually means I'll forget about it come cheat day LOL!! But not always, there have been times I was out the door and down at I-hop for Pancakes before the sun was up on cheat day.
A year and a half ago I tipped the scales at nearly 300 pounds and wore a size 48 pants, My blood pressure was 160+ over 90+ my resting heart rate was in the 80's and wuld sky rocket past 100 just walking to the frig, Today I'm down over 90 pounds my son and I fit into the same 36 size pants, I'm just 1 pound shy of being under 200 for the first time in over 15 years, My blood pressure is 114/62 and my resting heart rate is 44 and I have to jog to get my heart rate above 125.
I lost all the weight by eating healthy, walking, Jogging and biking every single day. Most of it was walking every day I walk between 3 and 10 miles every day. I walk 5 miles 3 times a week 10 miles twice a week and 3 miles 2 days a week I mix in a bit of jogging in the walks and I do a 20 mile bike ride once or twice a month. The three mile walks are my recovery walks from the 10 mile hikes. The reason I mention this is that the half way point of my 5 mile and 3 mile walks is McDonald where I stop and get a cup of coffee. Stopping for coffee at McDonald's almost every morning has been a great exercise in will-power.
I'm in my late 50's and sitting there drinking my coffee in the morning I can see my reflection in the window. For the first time in 15 years my man boobies are gone and my chest is bigger then my belly and I have definition in my arms and chest, probably from the 150-200 push-ups I do daily in sets of 50. Watching all the fat people stuff their fat faces with McDonald junk is all the incentive I need not to make a habit of eating McDonald again. With that said my wife and I do occasionally split a 10 piece chicken McNugget, as the old saying goes "old habits die hard"
So to answer your question, should you feel guilty, Well that all depends on what your goals are, If you are looking for permanent weight loss then yes you should feel guilty. There is no magic bullet or pill for permanent weight loss it Permanent weight loss for most people requires a life style change which requires a lot of will-power, a life style which should be void of as much processed fast food as possible, again something easier said than done.
One more note. I've learned that when you crave something you probably do more harm deigning yourself that craving because chances are you will over compensate by eating to much trying to satisfy it.. That's what Cheat days are for, they are off the record so no guilt0 -
If it fits your macros just do it :P If it doesn't, well, do it anyway but don't make a habit out of it ^^
Last time I splurged and had a Quarter Pounder I felt sick to my stomach, there was just too much crap in it that my body sort of... rejected it :P When I've been since I've grabbed their salads, they're.... not the greatest, but if you eat with a group of friends who wants to go there I guess it's okay
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asflatasapancake wrote: »Culver's is usually my jam. Awesome bacon cheeseburgers. And most know my feelings towards deep fried cheese curds and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Yummy. If I go to McDs I'll usually get the grilled chicken sandwich or the grilled chicken wrap.
Culvers just opened a store near me. Good lord it was backed up around the block for weeks. I'd hate to see what would happen if In and Out opened here.0 -
limetree683 wrote: »Most items are priced to reflect their quality and the cost it takes to produce them. I'm not trying to say that that the costs of the two items are related, I am saying that it is bizarre that meat can be produced in such an industrial quantity that living creatures can be sold cheaper than common house-hold items.
McDonald's has built a hugely efficient supply chain, and they sell at a much higher volume than your typical six-pack of Charmin. I'm not saying McDs food is super quality, I'm saying it's false to simply say "It's cheap, so it's bad." Economics are complex.
Yes, and what I'm saying is that it is ethically wrong (as well as the fact it tastes gross, but that's just my opinion :P) - nutritionally it is not 'bad' depending on if you can eat it in moderation and make it to fit your calorie/health/fitness goals, the supply chain McDonald's has built up relies on destruction of the environment and rearing animals in a cruel environment. Being able to buy something so cheaply means people have expectations of rock-bottom prices which perpetuate the cycle. We already have one poster above who says that if he can't find someone to share his meal with he'll throw half of it in the bin. To me, that's pretty shocking, to throw good food away on a whim. Don't think many people will feel that way about fillet mignon, but a whole meal that costs next to nothing? Sure, it's disposable.
Sorry to that poster btw! Don't mean to pick on anyone, really, but I'm always surprised how casually food is disposed of in developed nations, and I think a lot of that has to do with how disconnected we've become with how it's produced.
Aaaaanndd... I've derailed. Sorry x1000, but it's just a topic that interests me as you can see lol
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Beast_Mode_Engaged wrote: »I say no. Get a real burger that tastes good and good fries from a local joint instead.
Amen!
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OP I think the majority of the people here have told you that yes, it's fine to eat McDonalds, or any other fast food, in moderation. If you can fit it in your day, and most people should be able to do that fairly regularly, then it will not hinder your goals.
I'm concerned that you are associating guilt with your food choices and if you're getting this worked up about one meal at McDonalds (which wasn't even that high in calories), what other foods are you unnecessarily restricting because you feel like you shouldn't eat them?
Many of the most successful people on here eat a balanced diet with primarily nutrient dense foods and leave room for whatever treats they like on a regular basis. I have wine and/or something sweet almost every day. I eat pizza and fast food fairly often. I lost my 30 lbs and am successfully maintaining with this approach.
Good luck.0 -
Nothing wrong with it. I've cut about 100 calories each day this week to save up for some Swenson's tonight (delicious fast food in Ohio). Work it into your plan. Or if not, get back to it the next day.0
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CaptBligh001 wrote: »The problem with McDonald's or any fast food for that matter is trying to stay under my meal goals of no more than 400 calories per meal.
They make an Artisan Chicken Sandwich now that comes in at 360 calories. I get that with a diet coke when I get fast food.
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CaptBligh001 wrote: »The problem with McDonald's or any fast food for that matter is trying to stay under my meal goals of no more than 400 calories per meal.
I generally aim to have all my meals more than 400 calories (breakfast is often around that level).
I don't eat McD's since it's not my thing (I have other indulgences), but the calories have never struck me as all that high compared with similar options for the same things, and contrary to the "and you'll be starving 1 hour later" I also found that kind of food pretty filling when I ate it (probably depends on whether you are someone who finds fat filling or not).
I'm not saying anyone should eat it (I don't, although I ate Chipotle today, so possibly same thing), but that I would not feel bad about fitting it into my calories if I liked it.A year and a half ago I tipped the scales at nearly 300 pounds and wore a size 48 pants, My blood pressure was 160+ over 90+ my resting heart rate was in the 80's and wuld sky rocket past 100 just walking to the frig, Today I'm down over 90 pounds my son and I fit into the same 36 size pants, I'm just 1 pound shy of being under 200 for the first time in over 15 years, My blood pressure is 114/62 and my resting heart rate is 44 and I have to jog to get my heart rate above 125.
Congrats on your success!So to answer your question, should you feel guilty, Well that all depends on what your goals are, If you are looking for permanent weight loss then yes you should feel guilty. There is no magic bullet or pill for permanent weight loss it Permanent weight loss for most people requires a life style change which requires a lot of will-power, a life style which should be void of as much processed fast food as possible, again something easier said than done.
Why is occasionally eating McD's within your calories something that is contrary to permanent weight loss or something to feel guilty about? Heck, I don't think guilt about food is productive even when one eats over one's calories or the like. (I actually have complicated feelings about guilt in other areas of life too, as I'm someone who was brought up feeling guilty about everything and does not think that was helpful. I'm not over it at all, but food isn't something I'm going to attach it to now.)0 -
I'm kind of over Five Guys now it's no longer new here (I never loved their fries), but my current struggle is Red Robin. I was partially raised in and my parents live in the west and I have positive memories of going to Red Robin occasionally in high school and in my 20s, and I loved it much more than McD's or the like. We never had it here, but just recently it has appeared (in a weird fast food form) including one right across the street from my office, and it's one of the few places open on Saturday and only place open on Sunday and whenever I work on the weekend I think "maybe I should see if I still like Red Robin."
Those calorie figures have prevented me so far and I have a suspicion that it won't be as good as in my memory, but it's the one major indulgence I've been thinking of recently.
Anyway, I also love burgers, but the homemade ones are usually just as good to my taste at so many fewer calories and better macros and sides, that I rarely indulge at a restaurant.0 -
I don't do MacD but I love KFC .... I now cheat odd days and have their salad box, don't eat the wrap, and half the fries, but simply love their Krushems .... Some days in the week my stats are so low so I don't care...0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »
I'm kind of over Five Guys now it's no longer new here (I never loved their fries), but my current struggle is Red Robin. I was partially raised in and my parents live in the west and I have positive memories of going to Red Robin occasionally in high school and in my 20s, and I loved it much more than McD's or the like. We never had it here, but just recently it has appeared (in a weird fast food form) including one right across the street from my office, and it's one of the few places open on Saturday and only place open on Sunday and whenever I work on the weekend I think "maybe I should see if I still like Red Robin."
Those calorie figures have prevented me so far and I have a suspicion that it won't be as good as in my memory, but it's the one major indulgence I've been thinking of recently.
Anyway, I also love burgers, but the homemade ones are usually just as good to my taste at so many fewer calories and better macros and sides, that I rarely indulge at a restaurant.
It's funny, I never thought Five Guy's burgers were that good...something with the fat/lean ratio in their meat seems off to me, and not that well seasoned.
I do like Smashburger, and I really miss Fuddruckers, there's none out here.
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I have positive memories of Fuddruckers as well. It's here, but far out in the 'burbs, so haven't been in years and years. Smashburger is really convenient, but I haven't tried it yet. Oh, dear. ;-)0
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I'm not a huge Five Guys fan, either. I'm all about Steak 'n Shake.0
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Ewwww on Steak 'n Shake.
Now, OTOH, the Shake Shack....
:drinker:0 -
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Bacon ranch salad with crispy chicken, skip the dressing, ~400 calories, yum yum.0
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Pretty much never, though I used to love Filet o' Fish sandwiches. I probably haven't been to McDonalds in a year or so.
My son has Celiac Disease and it limits where we can go. Fast food became mostly a no no.0 -
Where else would I get the twix McFlurry? I do get the snack size and mostly eat just half... They finally kind of replaced the Rolo McFlurry for me, I missed the hell out of it. They stopped doing the Caesar salad, chicken strips/selects, and also their southern style chicken sandwich or breakfast biscuit. Some of these items will occasionally reappear, but they're what I like.0
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asflatasapancake wrote: »Culver's is usually my jam. Awesome bacon cheeseburgers. And most know my feelings towards deep fried cheese curds and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Yummy. If I go to McDs I'll usually get the grilled chicken sandwich or the grilled chicken wrap.
Long John Silver's cheese curds, yup0 -
McRib. Boom.0
This discussion has been closed.
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