Can you still lose weight by eating McDonalds occasionally?
neely47
Posts: 30 Member
Like once every week or 2 weeks as long as my daily caloric intake is lower then my body maintenance, and if I exercise 3x/week? Surely, a quarter pounder burger & fries once in a while won't make much difference?
Or do you completely avoid fast food altogether?
Or do you completely avoid fast food altogether?
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You can exclusively eat McDonalds and still lose weight if you want, as long as you're in caloric deficit.
There was a big news story a while back about a teacher who lost over 50 pounds eating nothing but McDonalds. He just counted the calories and went on walks. Here's a link to one article about it: https://www.today.com/health/man-loses-56-pounds-after-eating-only-mcdonalds-six-months-2D7932915811 -
Yep, so long as you are at a deficit, you will lose weight.2
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I eat fast food several days a week. It's all a matter of where you go and what you order. It's not tough to score meals under 500 calories at lots of different places, so no need to limit yourself to McDonald's. Wait until you discover fresco tacos from Taco Bell.
If you utilize the search function above, you will find that there are entire and quite lengthy threads dedicated to the subject with lots of items to order at the various chains. I have picked up lots of good tips this way.0 -
Yes.1
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Sure, as long as you account for it in your calories, just like anything else. I'm not sure why eating meat, potatoes, and bread at home is considered okay but eating them prepared by a fast food restaurant is not. Granted, the fat content (and therefore calorie content) can be controlled better at home, but I assure you people are capable of deep frying their potatoes and using fatty meat at home too.
People need to break away from that stigma and understand it's not the food in and of itself that is fattening, it's the convenience and ease of getting that calorie dense food which make people more likely to overeat. Once you understand this you know exactly what to control for (amount and/or frequency that doesn't strain your calorie allowance and makes it harder to diet) instead of being randomly scared of perfectly okay ingredients.13 -
Yep. A cheeseburger and a diet soda is only s 300 calorie lunch, better thanost of whst you'd get st Subway. Generally I try to keep breakfast and lunch right around 300. Tacos aren't too bad either, especially if you lay off on the extra cheese and sour cream, and get a soft tortilla rather than a deep fried one.0
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Yeppers. Log it and keep on keeping on. I eat fast food a couple of times a week, plus a couple slices of pizza every other Friday.0
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I used to eat McDonald's and other fast foods most nights, all throughout my major weight loss. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but yes you can.0
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Yes. Exercise regime is irrelevant... Deficit is important.0
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No never. You can't have so much as a bite or you will put on weight. Unless you exercise 7 days then maybe you can have a bite but no more than a bite or you will put on weight. Nah... of course you can. Actually l might have some tomorrow and l might not even do exercise!2
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My regular treat is an egg mcmuffin and a latte from McD! I just count the calories.0
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Yeah log it, fit it in and.you can eat pretty much what you want, I have lost almost 40lbs eating the occasional Dominos, Maccy D's etc. I have reduced it because I want to improve my nutrition but still have one maybe once a fortnight.
The thing to take into account with fast food is that it's morr sodium heavy and generally more carb heavy so yes you will see a weight increase even if you kept to your deficit but it's water retention not fat and just your body balancing your fluids out. So nothing to worry about.4 -
I had Maccys the other night. Cheese burger and a diet coke for me0
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YES!0
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My boyfriend loves fast food so we eat McDonald's, KFC, Subway, Domino's etc several times a week - hasn't stopped me losing or maintaining weight! One great thing about fast food places is they typically have nutritional information readily available so you can look things up in advance and make informed decisions about what you can fit into your calorie allowance. Since I don't really care for fries, I swap them for salad at McDonald's or beans at KFC - keeps the calories down and means I can then eat a McFlurry guilt free
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Most restaurant menus are on here, so It's easy to track. What I like about that is I can compare calories - a burger and fries at Burger King has more calories than a carnitas bowl from Chipotle, which is more food so is often what I will go for. Or 2 drumsticks at KFC with mashed potatoes and gravy is about the same calories as a nugget meal from McD's. Or several soft chicken tacos versus a 4 piece nugget meal.... You can preplan your fast food meal to fit into your day based on your exercise that day. I try to limit fast food to one day a week, usually lunch, but that isn't always possible, so I preplan as much as I can.0
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Like once every week or 2 weeks as long as my daily caloric intake is lower then my body maintenance, and if I exercise 3x/week? Surely, a quarter pounder burger & fries once in a while won't make much difference?
Or do you completely avoid fast food altogether?
Weight management is about calories not type of food. Lose weight with a calorie deficit. Make it fit in your calorie goal.
Look up nutritional info and make your choices.
I've lost weight eating fast food once a week. Sometimes I get fries sometimes I don't. I don't get the triple bacon cheeseburger, large fries and a shake. I might have a regular burger, side salad with vinaigrette dressing and unsweetened iced tea for under 400 calories.
A lunch I prepare at home is typically about 400 calories. I've found things at many restaurants for around that amount.0 -
Yep it's fine. For weight loss, being in a caloric deficit is the most important thing followed by a balanced diet. Have your McDonald's. Although I don't rate their burgers, it's not big enough nor does it taste that good.0
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No. You need to eat only kale.
Sorry, sure, you can eat whatever you want and lose weight.1 -
No never. You can't have so much as a bite or you will put on weight. Unless you exercise 7 days then maybe you can have a bite but no more than a bite or you will put on weight. Nah... of course you can. Actually l might have some tomorrow and l might not even do exercise!
Truth. I'm picking up Chick Fil A for lunch, and I even cancelled spin class this morning!0 -
Today's threads inspired me order McDonald's. I ordered the Mushroom burger and a diet drink thinking "how bad could it be?". It was pretty good and bigger than what I was expecting, but when I looked up the calories (couldn't find them on the website, so closest thing was Angus Mushroom and Swiss burger) it turned out to be 770 calories. That's how fast food gets you, not because it's made up of some magical "unhealthy" molecules. I've been at it for this long and even I made this mistake. Always pre-log and plan fast food when possible, especially if you're ordering something new.
ETA: no exercise today (rest day). That's only 200-300 calories over what I was expecting. No big deal but it's good to be aware that I went over what I was planning.3 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »Today's threads inspired me order McDonald's. I ordered the Mushroom burger and a diet drink thinking "how bad could it be?". It was pretty good and bigger than what I was expecting, but when I looked up the calories (couldn't find them on the website, so closest thing was Angus Mushroom and Swiss burger) it turned out to be 770 calories. That's how fast food gets you, not because it's made up of some magical "unhealthy" molecules. I've been at it for this long and even I made this mistake. Always pre-log and plan fast food when possible, especially if you're ordering something new.
ETA: no exercise today (rest day). That's only 200-300 calories over what I was expecting. No big deal but it's good to be aware that I went over what I was planning.
McDonalds was the first chain I noticed here in BC (Canada) to put calorie counts on the menu board. It is law in other provinces (Ontario) and looks like the fast food chains are just complying across the board instead of waiting for it to be legislated (very good on them).
It's nice because it does help you make the choice right there and then instead of pre-logging or being surprised.
Swiss Chalet doesn't and I did eat a bit more for dinner last night then my day allowed. Didn't realize how much it was until I got home and logged. But I'm under for the week so I'm okay with it.2 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »Today's threads inspired me order McDonald's. I ordered the Mushroom burger and a diet drink thinking "how bad could it be?". It was pretty good and bigger than what I was expecting, but when I looked up the calories (couldn't find them on the website, so closest thing was Angus Mushroom and Swiss burger) it turned out to be 770 calories. That's how fast food gets you, not because it's made up of some magical "unhealthy" molecules. I've been at it for this long and even I made this mistake. Always pre-log and plan fast food when possible, especially if you're ordering something new.
ETA: no exercise today (rest day). That's only 200-300 calories over what I was expecting. No big deal but it's good to be aware that I went over what I was planning.
McDonalds was the first chain I noticed here in BC (Canada) to put calorie counts on the menu board. It is law in other provinces (Ontario) and looks like the fast food chains are just complying across the board instead of waiting for it to be legislated (very good on them).
It's nice because it does help you make the choice right there and then instead of pre-logging or being surprised.
Swiss Chalet doesn't and I did eat a bit more for dinner last night then my day allowed. Didn't realize how much it was until I got home and logged. But I'm under for the week so I'm okay with it.
Yeah, none of this listing calories nonsense here. The only restaurants with any calorie counts anywhere (usually online and even that is not exactly accurate to local ingredients) are international chains, and even those don't have the count for things that are only offered locally. Eating out is pretty much a guessing game for me, but it's alright. I don't eat out or order in all that often anyway.3 -
Not only can you, some people find that fitting in some fast food every once in a while makes dieting easier because it doesn't feel like you have to change your life so drastically to lose weight.
The ease of being able to comply with whatever method of dieting/calorie restriction you chose is very important.
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Not only can you, some people find that fitting in some fast food every once in a while makes dieting easier because it doesn't feel like you have to change your life so drastically to lose weight.
The ease of being able to comply with whatever method of dieting/calorie restriction you chose is very important.
I am one of those people. There are faster ways to lose weight im sure, but I just cant stick to them. And failure is worse than a slow loss.2 -
No, just walking past a McD's makes you gain a pound, and if you walk in the door you gain 3 lb without ordering anything. haha5
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Yes, of course you can. And likely at the same rate over time as you'd lose without McD's (assuming the same calories in both cases). McD's breakfast is still one of my favorites when I feel like grabbing something on the way to work.0
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I have a cheat meal or two per week, and it's not uncommon for me to go over my calorie goal a day or two per week as well. As long as I don't overdo it, I'm still able to lose weight.
Simplest suggestion I could offer is to try it, make sure you log what you can, and if you're able to lose weight anyway then great. If not, at least you have an idea of what to change.0 -
I ate fast food at least once a week and lost 50lbs. Just plan for it, log it, and keep it within your deficit for the day.0
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MotherOfSharpei wrote: »I ate fast food at least once a week and lost 50lbs. Just plan for it, log it, and keep it within your deficit for the day.
It gets even better and easier: for the day or for the week.1
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