Fast Food Cheats

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stelly76
stelly76 Posts: 120 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Every once in awhile I will indulge in some fast food, but I still keep track and try to make a healthier choice. Being informed on what you are going to eat helps immensely: FOR EXAMPLE - I plan on having Burger King's new crispy chicken sandwich tonight and went onto the website to look at the Nutritional information. Those buggers put over 200 calories worth of mayo on that sandwich!!!! So, what I will be doing is ordering that bad boy without mayo and getting a packet of mayo on the side (which is 80 calories if you use the entire packet).

What are some things you do to make a fast food meal healthier?
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Replies

  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    Depending on the place, I'll go without the fries - or get bunless burgers. And I always try to get Diet Coke if I'm going to have pop.
  • stelly76
    stelly76 Posts: 120 Member
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    sammyliftsandeats wrote: »
    Depending on the place, I'll go without the fries - or get bunless burgers. And I always try to get Diet Coke if I'm going to have pop.

    I usually get a small or value size fries and give half to my husband. He doesn't object at all.
  • Penthesilea514
    Penthesilea514 Posts: 1,189 Member
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    Hmmm...I like Taco Bell stuff by going "fresco" or the cantina power bowl thing without dressing. Sauces are a major issue so having them on the side is smart. No fries/small fries.

    OP, I also like to look at fast food choices ahead of time to make these decisions too. Sometimes, I just want a big old burger and fries, so if that's what I want, I look it up to decide sizes/calorie shifts from other meals so that I can accommodate what I want.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
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    I usually ditch the sauces too. My typical craving for fast food is Taco Bell, and there I usually skip the cheese and sour cream 'cause usually what I want is the tortilla and beans anyway. My other craving is for Subway 'cause I die for their flatbread, and that's a little easier to handle because I can get all the vegetables and vinegar and none of the other stuff.

    I may like bread things. Just a thought.
  • My_Butt
    My_Butt Posts: 2,300 Member
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    When I order Chinese, I get steamed broccoli and rice with tofu.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
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    I do what you did, and check the nutritional info before going, Im on a business trip so this morning breakfast was starbucks, and lunch was panera bread :( I try to never eat fast food,but if you can look online first, you should be able to still fit it in to your calories goals
  • Justamom410
    Justamom410 Posts: 90 Member
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    I'm going out tonight with friends from elementary school to an Italian place...no nutrition values on their website...and my email to them has so far gone unanswered. This place is all pastas, pizzas...so I'm going to do my best and not feel guilty tomorrow. I'll get my water in...get myself moving and keep moving forward.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
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    Burger King slathers mayo on everything! :s
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    dbanks80 wrote: »
    Burger King slathers mayo on everything! :s

    Yep. I like mayo but they go overboard with it.

    I stopped ordering fries from almost all of them. They aren't satisfying unless they're Arby's curly fries.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    When I go to Chipolte I get a wrap, but cut calories by not getting sour cream or avocado and just get a little but of cheese. Same with Subway, I'll get cheese but none of the sauces. When it comes to places like Mc Donalds or Burger King I don't cut anything, although I never get burgers unless it's a fish burger (personal preference, has nothing to do with the calories).
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    I often swap in a side salad for fries. I could do without the fries and actually prefer the salad. Mrs Jruzer thinks I'm nuts - she'd rather have the fries than the sandwich.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I'll order sandwiches without mayo or cheese. I'll put light mayo mixed with mustard. Still tangy, way less needed. If I want cheese I have some 2% slices at home. I don't need a lot of cheese either....just a taste.

    The only fries I "splurge" on are Culver's - because they are made to order - they are always fresh.

    Chinese - I get steamed rice & just use less. No batter-dipped deep fried anything, there are plenty of options on the menu without resorting to that. I make a decent sweet-n sour at home - Splenda is a life saver.
  • Luna3386
    Luna3386 Posts: 888 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Burger King veggie burger: 410 calories

    Taco Bell cantina power burrito bowl with steak no dressing, guac, or sour cream: 370 calories

    McDonald's egg McMuffin: 300 calories

    Subway oven roasted chicken breast sub no mayo: 320 calories.
    Baked lays: 130 calories

    Wendy's chicken BLT Cobb salad: 380 calories with fat free French dressing: 40 calories

  • stelly76
    stelly76 Posts: 120 Member
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    I don't like cheese on sandwiches or burgers, so that helps a lot. I also noticed that when it comes to tacos, I hardly notice the taste of the shredded cheese, so I leave it off.
    Got the chicken sandwich Friday night without mayo - used only half a packet and STILL ended up taking off a glob at some point. 40 calories vs 210 calories UNBELIEVABLE!!
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
    edited May 2017
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    I don't eat fast food too much, so when I do I just eat what sounds good, count it and move on.

    But, one exception for me is Chipotle. I used to get the burrito. Now, I get the exact same thing, but get the burrito bowl and save the 320 calories by eliminating the tortilla.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
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    I used to try and make fast food places healthier - or less calories by eating sandwiches without the bun, without sauces, no cheese, no fries, side salad instead, etc... Now I just meal prep because what I can make at home is way tastier than that. If I do want fast food - then I just order it the way I want and eat it.
  • stelly76
    stelly76 Posts: 120 Member
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    I pretty much eat it the way it is as well, otherwise what's the point? But I've noticed (even when I was skinny and didn't care what I ate) that most places put way too much condiment on the food. And now I realize just how many more calories they're adding to my meal!
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
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    I get the kids meals!
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    edited May 2017
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    I always order my mayo on the side. I walk everywhere as my cardio so I always have a backpack with me that hides my favorite low cal dressing so I don't get 100+ extra calories in dressing I had to settle for (the options for dressings always suck lol)
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
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    I refuse, absolutely refuse to give up my mayo - the nectar of the Gods. So I fit all my other calories around it and move on. Same with sour cream at Chipotle. YUM!

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