How do you choose a salad over a Big Mac?
Replies
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Back when I was getting my lunch every day from McD, my decision process management had one word, "Money". For $2.16 I could get a chicken sandwich and a side salad. I did that each day. During that time, I was not trying to lose weight. I was just going about my life trying not to spend 'too much' on food.6
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Pointing out the obvious, But dieting is hard enough sometimes, Without you packing in things you dont like into your calories. Eat the damn burger, Just do it less often and work on finding counter offers to bribe yourself with when you just MUST have fast food. Wendys chili is alot of peoples go to. Yum.
Never eat something you dont enjoy, Its just so unnecessary. Especially if you only eat if because its "healthy" -mcdonalds salads arent healthy- Theres so many things in the world you do enjoy you could be filling those calories with. Like why eat things you dont like10 -
Big Mac: 520 Cal, 45 carb, 28 fat, 24 protein, 3 fiber.
McDouble: 370 Cal, 34 Carb, 17 fat, 21 protein, 2 fiber
McDouble with 2 extra patties (approximately): 530Cal, 36 Carb, 29 fat, 33 protein, 2 fiber
The last one costs the same or less and has twice as much beef as a Big Mac...
(Canadian MyMcD app values)
Coke Zero is 1 Cal, or so. Side salad no dressing about 25 or 30...6 -
I think you're looking for a Jedi mind trick here. These are all reasonable suggestions, but can you put them to use? Say you force yourself to eat three apples before you go? And if you don't eat the apples you don't get to go? But if you do...you get your Big Mac. Can you have your McDonalds meal and eat nothing for the rest of the day? Can you force yourself to order all the food and take three bites and throw it away? Pavlov's dog stuff. Or go eat twice as much as you want until you're ready to puke....must re program. Associate it with something unpleasant. Make yourself drive around the block ten times before you go in. Just do something. If you want something to change you have to change something.3
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We took our niece to McDonalds today. I had a cheeseburger kids meal only lettuce and add mac sauce and a gogurt and apple slices with a bottled water. I wanted a big Mac and was satisfied with the smaller serving1
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Planning. Prelogging my day.
I decide what I am going to get before I get to McDonald's. I get something I like that fits my calorie goal. I don't usually get a salad from there. I can get a regular burger or some nuggets. I may or may not get the small fries. I get an unsweetened iced tea.1 -
go to the grocery store and get a better salad1
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Don't go into McDonald's if you want to eat the salad! Nobody goes there to eat their salads. I ate McDonald's yesterday but I don't particular like their hamburgers anymore. Do not taste like real meat--the fries are my temptation. So I order a regular hamburger which is under 300 calories and a small fries. I rarely eat there, just because I can make a much better burger at home!
My condition yesterday was that if I ate the hamburger and fries I had to go swimming. This was after work (which for me ends at 8:00 pm). I didn't get to the pool until 10:30 pm, but I swam!8 -
If I had to eat at McD's I would get the filet o fish and figure out how to make the calories work. I love them, but only about once a year.2
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If you have one, go to In and Out and get a protein style cheeseburger. That might solve your problem.1
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sampsondavidj wrote: »McDonald's has always been a nemesis for me. I have stood in line, pondering if I should get a salad or McWrap instead of a Big Mac. 99.97% of the time, I choose the Big Mac....I did get the McWrap once. What I am looking for is "decision process information" that helps you choose the salad. What I mean by "decision process information" is any thoughts or reasonings that you have that lead to the decision to eat the salad.
No McDonald's where I live, so it isn't really a problem for me. Other fast food restaurants around, but that isn't my preferred way of life. Most of my meals are prepared and eaten at home.
So my thought process at rare visits to a fast food restaurant is usually to buy the very smallest cheapest meal possible until I can get home for "normal" food again.3 -
sampsondavidj wrote: »McDonald's has always been a nemesis for me. I have stood in line, pondering if I should get a salad or McWrap instead of a Big Mac. 99.97% of the time, I choose the Big Mac....I did get the McWrap once. What I am looking for is "decision process information" that helps you choose the salad. What I mean by "decision process information" is any thoughts or reasonings that you have that lead to the decision to eat the salad.
My decision process = McDonalds is not even an option. I just don't like that food. But if you do, pull up the menu online and look at the nutrition info. Pick your poison and make your decision before you even go through the doors.
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The cost makes it an easy decision for me.3
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Wow many comment. Well I think that if you crave junk like McDonald´s then you you don´t have healthy diet in general, am I right? Have you ever eaten fresh veggies two times a day with your meals, over a period of time? I used to crave junk for every meal but I´d never had a normal diet, so when my diet went from junk to home made with fresh veggies every time for about seven months, the cravings for junk stopped and it actually started to repel me.
How I went about the change is I got a job at a farm and got two meals a day cooked for me by a chef... and this was in the country so there were no fast food places. That was a game changer for me to eat normal every day, for the first time in my life. Never went back to the old habits and lost a lot of weight.25 -
I know this doesn't answer the question you originally asked, but it's really helping me. I like to make salads that are reminiscent of what I'm craving. I started with taco salads and realized there was room to be creative. I add a bunch of diced zucchini or cucumber to these bowls to make it big and filling.
Big Mac: crumbled cooked hamburger, lettuce, red onion, pickles, thousand island dressing, and croutons.
Wings: diced cooked chicken, diced celery, blue cheese, hot sauce.
Barbecue: diced chicken or pork, pickles, barbecue sauce, shredded lettuce or cabbage.
My weakness is wings. But I've noticed if I have a wing sauce chicken salad every once in a while, I don't crave it as much.
Hang in there. You'll figure it out and then wonder what was so difficult!18 -
SigrnOddgeirsdttir wrote: »Wow many comment. Well I think that if you crave junk like McDonald´s then you you don´t have healthy diet in general, am I right? Have you ever eaten fresh veggies two times a day with your meals, over a period of time? I used to crave junk for every meal but I´d never had a normal diet, so when my diet went from junk to home made with fresh veggies every time for about seven months, the cravings for junk stopped and it actually started to repel me.
How I went about the change is I got a job at a farm and got two meals a day cooked for me by a chef... and this was in the country so there were no fast food places. That was a game changer for me to eat normal every day, for the first time in my life. Never went back to the old habits and lost a lot of weight.
Who said having McDonalds every once in a while wasn’t healthy? I know many people who eat a bunch of nutrient-dense foods but will still go if they have the calories/macros for it.9 -
I dont. I go for the big mac. I still lose weigh as well. I opt for no bun though...I dont need the carbs
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Fast food chains and other corporate conglomerates are able to persuade you through advertising subliminally. It might not be that you are actively making that decision on your own. Colors, advertisements, placement , emphasis, all effect the buyer. I'm a psychology major, and I just got done doing a paper on this exact subject
I believe the Big Mac meal is number one on the menu right? While they don't want to get criticized by the media, in a society that is becoming more health conscious, they add things like Vitamin water ( full of sugar ) Salads ( that are full of hidden fats ) and Diet Sodas which have been PROVEN to make people more hungry. The number one seller , the Big Mac, is not placed at Number one by accident. It is meant for you to see it. The best way to say no, is just to not go in. .Because once you are in the restaurant, your decisions are already being made for you. I'm not saying EVERYONE is subjected to this form of advertising manipulation, but MCdonald's is not a billion dollar corporation for nothing. They know exactly what they are doing.29 -
SigrnOddgeirsdttir wrote: »Well I think that if you crave junk like McDonald´s then you you don´t have healthy diet in general, am I right?
No.22 -
Fast food chains and other corporate conglomerates are able to persuade you through advertising subliminally. It might not be that you are actively making that decision on your own. Colors, advertisements, placement , emphasis, all effect the buyer. I'm a psychology major, and I just got done doing a paper on this exact subject
I believe the Big Mac meal is number one on the menu right? While they don't want to get criticized by the media, in a society that is becoming more health conscious, they add things like Vitamin water ( full of sugar ) Salads ( that are full of hidden fats ) and Diet Sodas which have been PROVEN to make people more hungry. The number one seller , the Big Mac, is not placed at Number one by accident. It is meant for you to see it. The best way to say no, is just to not go in. .Because once you are in the restaurant, your decisions are already being made for you. I'm not saying EVERYONE is subjected to this form of advertising manipulation, but MCdonald's is not a billion dollar corporation for nothing. They know exactly what they are doing.
LOL. I work for a rather large ad agency in Chicago. We represent several multinationals in a wide array of verticals including food service, and I do not seem to remember the copywriters or production folks adding subliminal messages to any of our campaigns. McDonald's is actually headquartered not far from here in nearby Oak Brook, Illinois, though they are sadly represented by an out of town ad agency called Omnicom Group located in New York City. I know a slew people who work there, and none of them are illuminati plotting with Mc Donald's for subliminal world domination one Big Mac at a time.22 -
Can you ask for a cheeseburger with Mac sauce? Same flavor, much smaller size. And a regular cheedenurger is only about 300 calories, the sauce can't be too much more. Personally for me, I've found that a cheeseburger and a diet soda really is enough food for me usually, even if I thought I was starving before.5
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I simply don’t go into fast food places. They offer healthy food; but the healthy food is the least tasty. I found myself there with a group at breakfast time. I ate plain oatmeal and 2 packs of apple slices. I drank skim milk and black coffee. My table mates had biscuits and pancakes and fried potatoes and smoky greasy meats and gooey cheese and eggs and sweet coffee drinks. If I had to do what I did every day, I would be miserable! I truly enjoy my food because I work hard to make it tasty and filling while staying within my calorie and nutrient boundaries. So, if I was in that line with the ‘salad vs big greasy burger’ going on in my brain, I would break it all down mentally. Let’s see: refined carbohydrate, red meat of questionable quality, processed cheese with who knows what in it, potatoes fried in grease (I picture a spoonful of that fryer grease, cold), and you get the picture. The thought of eating that turns my stomach. I do eat eggs. I also eat some red meat. And I’m not a food snob. I’m just trying my best to get this weight off and keep it off and do it in the healthiest way I can.
Usually if I do a McDonald's breakfast it's an egg and ham biscuit, and I take off the top half of the bisquit, no cheese or anything. Unless I'm pampering myself, then I'll splurge for the hotcakes with butter and a scrambled egg. They are the only hotcakes I really love, lol.1 -
- Don't force yourself to eat things you don't like to lose weight. It ends badly.
- Go to the McD website and find something that fits better than the Big Mac, but you would like more than the salad, and see if this helps.
- Don't go unless what you will most likely order, fits.
- A little tough love here - put on your big boy pants and do what you need to do. You need to decide which is more important to you - hitting your calorie goal or getting a Big Mac and fries. If the Big Mac is more important to you, then own it and log that truth in your food diary and move on. Figure out why you have to employ Jedi mind tricks with yourself to make a smart choice at McDs, maybe there's something behind there that needs dealing with. (I had to do a lot of that)
Good luck :drinker:15 -
SigrnOddgeirsdttir wrote: »Wow many comment. Well I think that if you crave junk like McDonald´s then you you don´t have healthy diet in general, am I right? Have you ever eaten fresh veggies two times a day with your meals, over a period of time? I used to crave junk for every meal but I´d never had a normal diet, so when my diet went from junk to home made with fresh veggies every time for about seven months, the cravings for junk stopped and it actually started to repel me.
How I went about the change is I got a job at a farm and got two meals a day cooked for me by a chef... and this was in the country so there were no fast food places. That was a game changer for me to eat normal every day, for the first time in my life. Never went back to the old habits and lost a lot of weight.
I eat vegetables with dinner most nights.
I dont have cravings for junk food but every now and then I like to eat what you call junk.
you know, variety in a balanced diet.
Mcdonalds isnt my favourite place but if I were there for some reason - eg friends wanted to go there, was only place open, whatever - then i would get the Mcwrap - I dont know if it is lower calorie but I like wraps and I dont like their salad and I dont eat burgers
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Well, it's easy for me since I think McDonald's is pretty bad, but when I go to a Five Guys, I order the hamburger. And the milk shake. And plan all my other meals around having so many calories at once, so I can still meet my goals.11
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SigrnOddgeirsdttir wrote: »Wow many comment. Well I think that if you crave junk like McDonald´s then you you don´t have healthy diet in general, am I right? Have you ever eaten fresh veggies two times a day with your meals, over a period of time? I used to crave junk for every meal but I´d never had a normal diet, so when my diet went from junk to home made with fresh veggies every time for about seven months, the cravings for junk stopped and it actually started to repel me.
How I went about the change is I got a job at a farm and got two meals a day cooked for me by a chef... and this was in the country so there were no fast food places. That was a game changer for me to eat normal every day, for the first time in my life. Never went back to the old habits and lost a lot of weight.
I have always eaten more vegetables than most people, even when I was at my highest weight. I eat vegetables for all meals plus snack on them between meals and average 50-60 grams of non supplementary fiber a day without even trying and have had days where my fiber intake was even higher, much higher. It's just how I've always eaten and my norm. That didn't stop me from wanting a fast food meal every now and then (granted, due to cultural conditioning I also eat these less often than many), and it didn't stop me from getting very very fat. People like what they like and enjoy what they enjoy. There is nothing wrong with working a diet around someone's preferences and it doesn't make it unhealthy by default. There is a point for some people where it isn't worth it to eat these foods too often, and that point is for the person to figure out. Any changes or non-changes geared towards making a balanced reasonable calorie diet are good, but there are no specific rules to them.7 -
That decision process starts long before you "find yourself standing in line at McDonald's". If you want a burger, you go to McDonald's. If you don't want a burger, you don't go to McDonald's. It is pretty straightforward.15
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Just eat the burger and work it into your calories... Often I'll have fast food lunch with water or diet drink and it fits in my calories. I'm short and relatively light female and it never stalled my weightloss. I like to get double cheeseburger or quarter pounder, Big Mac has way too many calories IMO. Also, going to McDonald's just to get a salad is a little bit sad.2
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sampsondavidj wrote: »McDonald's has always been a nemesis for me. I have stood in line, pondering if I should get a salad or McWrap instead of a Big Mac. 99.97% of the time, I choose the Big Mac....I did get the McWrap once. What I am looking for is "decision process information" that helps you choose the salad. What I mean by "decision process information" is any thoughts or reasonings that you have that lead to the decision to eat the salad.
I quit eating at McDonalds some time ago ... and have been eating good food instead. There's so much better food out there ... better quality, better tasting, in a better environment.
My decision process goes like this:
Do we want to eat out tonight (usually for convenience). Answer: Yes.
Do we want something quick or a sitdown meal. Answer: Quick.
Where do we want to eat? Answer: There's Subway, Zambreros, or one of three local Indian places, each of which is delicious.
What do we feel hungry for?
Well ... earlier in the week we went to Subway, yesterday we went to one of the Indian places, tonight we went to Zambreros.
McDonalds doesn't even come up in conversation.
Last weekend we went here: http://burgergotsoul.com/ That was more of a sit-down meal, and our burgers certainly weren't McDonald's burgers!!2 -
UUUGGGG - read what really is in McD burgers. It's disgusting. That was enough to turn me off for good.24
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