Any tips for trying to lose weight working at Burger King?
purpletunic
Posts: 16 Member
I got a job as a shift manager at Burger King about a month ago. I've been working 5 days a week, 8-9 hours a day. It's been difficult for me to adjust to being on my feet that long, and I'm sore everywhere. I have a gym membership but I don't even have energy half the time. I don't have time to cook most of the time now so figuring out what I should be eating and how I'm supposed to have energy to work out is killing me. I want to lose weight so bad! Anyone have any advice?
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Replies
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Eat salad with grilled chicken.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Well if you're on your feet your entire shift, you would be considered lightly active or active even, so yay...you get more calories.
Burger King provides nutritional information online, so you can always scope out certain items that fit your calorie goals and work around that. You also have the advantage of working there, so you can put a la carte items together to make a meal that fits your needs.
Drink water or diet soda instead of regular soda or juice.
As for the exercise, it's not mandatory for weight loss, but if you have fitness related goals, then you can go to the gym before work or after work. You don't speak about going to school so if the job is 40 hours a week, and you're working on getting a good amount of sleep per night, you still have about eight hours of free time to work out, prep meals, relax, and enjoy yourself.5 -
How long is your commute? 8-9 hours a day is as much as a normal full time worker works. You should still have plenty of time to cook, clean, pack a lunch, etc.
Eat a well rounded diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Include grains, meat/eggs/dairy (assuming you aren't vegan), and some fat. That stuff should be the majority of your diet and then leave some room for treats. You'll need to figure out how often to allow those.3 -
I work in a food cafeteria making 3 meals a day for 150 people. Buy lots of tuna, 100 cal bags of popcorn etc..Basically bring your own food. Salads are good. Bring instant oatmeal. Try to divorce yourself from the fact you are working with food. It works for me. good luck1
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Buy a really supportive pair of runners. Ones designed for walking maybe, that are very cushioned. If your feet and legs aren't as sore, you'll be more likely to feel like going to the gym, but will also feel less fatigued and thus be able to make better food choices during and after your shift. And on your break, sit with your feet raised above your waist. If there isn't a space inside for you to raise your feet, you might have to go outside and find a park, lay at a tree with your feet up in the air. Or in your car if you've driven to work. Having them above your hips, even better above your heart, significantly reduces swelling and fatigue. It really helps.3
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Every hour, excuse your self. GO in the back, or outside and do Push ups, squats, etc.. do a set of 10, every hour1
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Sounds like your new job is making you more active than you were previously, which is something that will help, even if you don't find the time or feel like working out. I lost 50 lbs, the majority of which was with no change in activity level (and no formal working out) at all. Your calorie intake is more important for weight management.
Planning and preparation will go a long way towards staying on track. Figure out a few easy breakfasts that fit your goals, and have the ingredients for them on hand and prepped (for instance, hard boil a dozen eggs, cook a batch of steel cut oats and portion it out so you can quickly warm up some in the morning, wash and/or cut up some fresh fruit so it's ready when you are, etc). Seek out some fast and easy dinner ideas (crock pot meals are awesome - throw everything in the pot in the morning, by the time you get home dinner is done! You might have to open a bag of salad or nuke some frozen veggies, but that takes moments) and plan out and shop for dinners in advance. As for lunch, either bring your own (leftovers from dinner are nice - working at a restaraunt means yu have access to both a fridge and a microwave) or look over BK's nutritional info online and figure out what foods they serve that fit your needs and get those items on your break. You'll need to tailor this to whatever shift you are working, but the basic idea is the same. Prelogging your day will go a long way to helping you stay on track.0 -
When I was a teen I worked at an ice cream store..I still am not a fan of ice cream!
Eat before your shift lean protein and veggies..bring snacks or whatever meal u have during it.
Walk on your break but u are burning calories in that job because its very active!
Don't drink the sodas and don't use your meal allowance and trust me you are going to lose weight!
Best of luck!
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I work 40-60 hours a week at a desk and on the days I dont work from home I have an hour commute each way. It's about personal priorities. For me strength training and being fit is more important than the scale, personal choice, so I make myself work out after work but purchased home programs so I dont have to hit the gym if that seems like too much trouble that day.
When I used to work in food service I struggled with temptation so I started keeping a protein bar in my bag. It filled me up and worked for me.1 -
Commander_Keen wrote: »Every hour, excuse your self. GO in the back, or outside and do Push ups, squats, etc.. do a set of 10, every hour
Did you ever work in fast food? That would get your fired so quick.
To the OP, best advice is figure out the lowest calorie food and get used to eating it. And drink water instead of pop. I always liked soda water over plain water (still do).5 -
I can have BK on my diet. I just have to watch what I get and carefully log it. Good luck! When you're not used to standing on your feet that long it can be very tiring at first.0
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I work in a hospital and don't spend the day taking the drugs we dispense. Bring your own snacks (cashew nuts, fruit, water). If you get a free lunch then choose chicken, don't eat the bun, salad without dressing if that's available and diet drinks or water. 8-9 hours is a normal working day.3
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_runnerbean_ wrote: »I work in a hospital and don't spend the day taking the drugs we dispense. Bring your own snacks (cashew nuts, fruit, water). If you get a free lunch then choose chicken, don't eat the bun, salad without dressing if that's available and diet drinks or water. 8-9 hours is a normal working day.
Because a burger is the exact same as Oxycontin.
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i would think working there would make you LOSE your appetite
LOL 1 -
callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »i would think working there would make you LOSE your appetite LOL
Never did in the years I worked at one as a kid. No issue with having a burger every day from an appetite perspective. Still enjoy fast food burgers, although BK has never been my favorite.2 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »i would think working there would make you LOSE your appetite LOL
Never did in the years I worked at one as a kid. No issue with having a burger every day from an appetite perspective. Still enjoy fast food burgers, although BK has never been my favorite.
ive never liked them and flat out refuse to eat mcd. LOL0 -
I worked at a Wendys way back in my teens (man that makes me feel old lol).. I remember trying to eat healthy when I was there and would often get a grilled chicken - no bun for lunch and cut it up into a garden salad with light dressing. That worked for me.
But honestly, bring your own lunch everyday. Meal prep on your days off. I know how tiring it can be to be on your feet all day and running around - so plan in advance.
Also start by working out on your two days off so that membership doesn't go to waste.
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samanthaluangphixay wrote: »_runnerbean_ wrote: »I work in a hospital and don't spend the day taking the drugs we dispense. Bring your own snacks (cashew nuts, fruit, water). If you get a free lunch then choose chicken, don't eat the bun, salad without dressing if that's available and diet drinks or water. 8-9 hours is a normal working day.
Because a burger is the exact same as Oxycontin.
I understood her analogy. Valid point. If I worked at BK, I would probably eat there for a short time, then pack my own lunch. Or just pack my lunch from the start. That said, OP, you just need to eat at a deficit to lose weight. Once you figure out what that is you should be able to eat at BK and maintain a deficit. Work out when you can fit it in, but it's not necessary for weight loss. You've been working at this job a month, you will get used to the routine and get back to a normal life in a short time.0 -
Bring your own food, or figure out what fits into your day on the menu there...being sure it's a way of eating you can adhere to, that you are getting a good amount of protein and micro nutrients.
Most people work 8-9 hour days and still workout. My day from door to door is 13.5 hours between work and working out. If I can do it, you can. If you WANT.3 -
I worked at McDonalds for four years, so I understand where you're at. Have you ever considered a Fitbit or fitness tracker? You'd be surprised how many steps and active minutes you can get working these fast food jobs, and keeping track of that might help you out. I would recommend skipping out on that employee discount for lunch or breaks (even though it saves you some bucks) and opting to pack your own meals or snacks for breaks, that makes a hell of a lot of difference. If you need to eat at work, the grilled chicken salads, wraps or smoothies are generally your healthiest lunches. Opt for water on breaks as well. Good luck!0
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Just track what you eat and you will lose weight. Learn the BK menu by calorie and take advantage of free or discounted lunches, then you will have to worry less about cooking at home. I used to maintain 120 lbs eating Pizza Hut for lunch and dinner. Hint: most fast food restaurants have salad and chicken. Your job is somewhat active so you actually have an advantage over those that work in an office all day. No matter what job you do for 8-9 hours a day you will end up sore and tired. If you are interested in working out you just have to push through the exhaustion and do it.1
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I worked at a Burger King MANY years ago. There are tricks to eating at FF REstaurants.
One of my favorites is getting a cheeseburger, cutting it in half, and "losing" half the bun - thereby you now can make 1/2 a double cheeseburger. OR lose the bun altogether. Grilled chicken is always better than fried chicken, but sometimes it is nice to "splurge".
Salads are always good - but the dressing can sometimes not be so good. So choose wisely there or bring your own (if you can).
Instead of a salad - see if you can "ring it up" as a salad and just have sliced tomatoes. SOmetimes I'll use just a little bit of salad to give a little flavor to it.
At restaurants that don't have grilled chicken nuggets, I'll get a grilled chicken sandwich, lose the bun, and cut it up and get some dipping sauce.
Don't be afraid to get put a piece of bacon on a salad. It can add a lot of flavor and may allow to cut back on whatever dressing you use.
For what it's worth...1 -
I eat the veggie burger there, grilled chicken, and salads are good options. Diet sodas and water or low cal beverages. It's good to be on your feet for burning calories, however just keep mindful of what you're eating at work. Try to save one day that you eat like fries or nuggets or burger or something and then the other days just try to stay cleaner. (Hope I helped)1
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Just don't eat. Don't eat there even on cheat days or meals. Bring food from home0
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I would think eating a salad +meat at work would be free, if so, that seems reasonable.
The biggest thing is probably that you are exhausted after work.
On a day off, make a big batch of something. Freeze half in individual portions. Eat the other half for dinner all week.
I eat hard-boiled eggs every day for breakfast. Super fast. I can eat them in the car, or pack them. I make a big pot that lasts for days.0 -
I worked at McDs in college and we got a huge discount so I'd end up getting the 2 cheeseburger meal (large) with an OJ, 6 piece chicken nuggets, and an oreo mcflurry weekly. I was tiny- like barely breaking 100lbs. Then I volunteered to scrub the tile in the dining area because I felt bad standing around one day when we were slow... big mistake. It was so gross I still have issues eating at some fast food places. And this was a pretty clean restaurant!
So bring your own food from the start (it'll taste better and you can control it) and keep busy, even with gross jobs haha.0 -
samanthaluangphixay wrote: »_runnerbean_ wrote: »I work in a hospital and don't spend the day taking the drugs we dispense. Bring your own snacks (cashew nuts, fruit, water). If you get a free lunch then choose chicken, don't eat the bun, salad without dressing if that's available and diet drinks or water. 8-9 hours is a normal working day.
Because a burger is the exact same as Oxycontin.
Mmmm....oxy burger!0 -
You will get used to the walking at work fairly fast, at that point you will realized that 8/9 hrs is a normal workday and that there are not any excuses to not food prep and work out during your time off. For now just make it a priority to stay under your cal limits.1
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A long long time ago (about 8 years now) I started my journey into weightless (with MFP of course ) and I was working there as a team member 40+ hours a week and going to school full time (Yeah....no personal days off...EVER). What I found helpful was to not eat as much food there as I was allowed (discount and all). If I did eat there, I tried to eat the healthier things like grilled chicken or the fish with the breading removed or the salads. Another thing that I did was I brought food from home and just kept it in the big refrigerator in the back. That was definitely helpful. I had also did at home exercises like Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred. Good luck! 0
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Weightloss - Track your calories, eat in a deficit. It's that simple.
Everything else-
I typical work day for me is 10 hours (just time on the clock, not including any commute) Mon-Fri, and I usually end up going in for a while on Saturdays as well. (This is mild compared to some schedules.)
I am in the gym 4-5 times a week for 2+ hours. I try to schedule my longer workouts for weekends when I'll have more time. Weeknights are basically getting off work, getting ready for gym, getting home to eat and before long it's time for bed. If getting to the gym is a priority, you can make time. As many people have mentioned, you can certainly still lose weight without going to the gym. Being more active at your job is going to help.
I've learned that the crock pot is my friend when I want a meal ready when I walk in the door. Just toss in your meat and veggies and turn it on. They even sell disposable liners to save on clean up time if you make something that's going to be a messy clean up. It makes cooking extremely easy.
I also agree with the salads and grilled chicken as a good option while at work. (I actually looove a gold ol grilled chicken sandwhich with mayo. Mmm.)
You're busy at work, you won't be having fries and milkshakes all day. You just have to make a good choice when/if you order. (And you can definitely still have fries and milkshakes if that's what you want, just make it fit your calorie goal.)0
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