Fast Food
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krismurphy798
Posts: 8 Member
So sometimes it’s tough to find time to cook. I’ll meal prep and stuff, but some days it’s just easier to get fast food. I try to stick to things like sandwiches or salads but I’m curious: what’s your guys’ go-to fast food (or fast casual) restaurant and what do you order??
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Replies
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If I'm at work and forget my lunch I go with sashimi. If my wife and I are out I get a steak but for fast food I can get just about anything without a bun. I do chicken salads too.2
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I love the Taco Bell Power Bowl (chicken). I get it with no rice, no beans and extra lettuce.5
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Honestly, if I'm looking for something quick when I'm out and about at work I hit the grocery store. Grab something from the deli (usually labeled with nutritional information) and it's typically cheaper.3
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The good news about fast food is that the nutritional information is all online. Look it over before you order and plan out what you can and can't have according to your goal. There are higher and lower calorie option at every place.9
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to be honest, salads can be calorie bombs. check online or order carefully. Ditto sandwhiches.
nothing wrong with stopping to pick up fast food, but most chains have their nutritional info online so go in an informed buyer and stick to your calories.3 -
And, on a lot of the fast food websites, you can customize your order so see what the calories/macros are without mayo, cheese, bread, veggies, etc.2
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Here's some meals I had this month that I just pulled out of my diary: (daily intake ~1650 calories)
Chick-fil-a: small fry + cobb salad with no cheese + 8 grilled nuggets + half package fat free honey mustard = 745 calories (estimated the salad)
Chipotle: white rice + barbacoa + guac + green salsa + lettuce = 630 calories
Wendy's: spicy chicken sandwich with 1/2 bun + 1/2 large fry = 675 calories
Raising Cane's: 2 chicken fingers + 12g cane's sauce + ketchup + 1/2 fry + 1/4 Cole Slaw = 564 calories
My strategy is to have a limited amount of what I want. For example, I usually split fries with my husband, measure out the high calorie condiments like salad dressing or special sauce, take the top part of a bun off a sandwich, order 0 calorie drinks, and leave off the cheese. I can pretty much eat anywhere if I make little cuts all around to the meal.5 -
I like the double chicken avocado salad at El Pollo Loco. They have things that are lower in calories, but that's my favorite item on the menu.0
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Street tacos are awesome! I also love avocado rolls with spicy mayo from the sushi place.1
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My typical.. Wendy's, chicfila, subway and taco Bell. As stated .. plenty to choose from depending on your Cal goal. Myself.. I have 2k cal per day. 😇1
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Fast food doesn't have to be off limits, is how I see it. Because most of us are regular people on a budget and it's just a reality of life that sometimes you need an inexpensive meal on the go. I usually hit up Wendy's or McDonald's for a cheeseburger, plain, no bun. Wendy's also does good salads. If you're on the East Coast, the best premade salad I ever had in my life came from Wawa (gas station/convenience store). $5.59 and it comes in its own very generous plastic bowl, with several varieties to choose from and it's always fresh.3
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I don't eat fast food for a lot of reasons (save for when I'm in Europe and I can doner kebab...). That said when I get food that takes a similar amount of time as fast casual it's typically chicken shawarma from a really good Lebanese grocery store near my house (it's actually only two blocks farther away than the closest fast food restaurant) or a stir-fry from the local not Whole Foods which is also very close to my house.
I also am a fan of many of the food carts that are in Portland.3 -
I treat myself to Chipotle naked burritos or Noodles & Co's penne rosa once a month. But it's easy to control the calories at those places, and I can make them fit into a regular calorie allowance without sacrificing other things.
When I truly want salty, greasy, calorie-bomb fast food, I get a quarter-pounder (no onions) with fries at McDonald's (sometimes a 10-piece chicken mcnugget instead), or I get a steak quesadilla at Taco Bell. It can be a struggle to make those work, but it's usually do-able if I get the smallest sizes.
My problem is pizza. I love pizza and we have it 3-4 times a month. I don't know how to control myself around pizza, certainly not if my husband is ordering.1 -
Subway at least 2x a week. Roasted chicken breast x2 on honey oat with all the veggies, mustard and vinegar and a bag of Salt and Vinegar Lay's - 560 calories.2
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I don't eat fast food for a lot of reasons (save for when I'm in Europe and I can doner kebab...). That said when I get food that takes a similar amount of time as fast casual it's typically chicken shawarma from a really good Lebanese grocery store near my house (it's actually only two blocks farther away than the closest fast food restaurant) or a stir-fry from the local not Whole Foods which is also very close to my house.
I also am a fan of many of the food carts that are in Portland.
Mmm, there were so many better close options for take out when I lived in South Florida, including shawarma. There also were a lot more Thai restaurants and they were cheaper, too.
We do have McD, BK, and Wendy's, but those don't interest me. I make better burgers and chicken at home.
My OH often values convenience over taste, and that's fine.0 -
If I'm busy then it is what is near me... Maybe Subway or Tim Hortons or a local cafe. It's harder to know calories in restaurant food though. I am pretty well acquainted with the Tim Hortons chili. Super high sodium though. Or I get the lunch BLT on an all dressed bagel. I try to avoid mayo at Subway and stick to things like mustard and avoid the donuts and sugary drinks at Tims. I find it helpful to keep nuts, bars in my bag in case I get hungry. I've also become super good at FAST meals. For example- seasoning, can of beans or some grounded beef, microwave rice, and frozen veg and BAM dinner in like 5 minutes. Or an egg sandwich.2
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I'm a big fan of ordering food at work because I like cooking but hate doing it just for me, and my husband and I work opposite schedules. Panera is my go-to, specifically the Green Goddess Cobb Salad. It has lots of protein and good fats and the dressing is delicious (I only use half of what they give you). Their salads are great and when you order online you can customize to your heart's desire.
If I'm really, really craving Chick Fil A, it's grilled nuggets and a fruit cup.2 -
I try to bring my lunch most of the time, but there are lots of options, including but not limited to: Freshii salad, Protein Bar salad, Pret soup or wrap or some other options, the Med salad at a local Med/Middle Eastern place, a poke salad option, local salad bar with make your own salads, turkey sandwich at Potbellys, salad at one of the noodle places like Noodles Etc., or in a pinch a fajita bowl at Chipotle. All of those places (but for the salad bar, but I can figure that out easily enough) have nutrition information, so I'm comfortable I know what I'm choosing and unlike dinner if I have to have lunch out that's what I go with.
On the other hand, there's a doner kebab place here that has a cart, and I've been wanting to try them, so I would deal with no cals to do so should I happen to notice them around on a day I want to buy lunch: https://www.donermen.com/ (They were at our Christmas market this past year, which is near my office, but I never ended up getting lunch over there since I hate crowds and lines.)0 -
Favorites:
* Rotisserie chicken - delicious, high protein, cheap, can make multiple meals. Grab a prepackaged salad. Boom! Done!
* McDonald's grilled chicken sandwich - no FRIES!
* McDonald's Sante Fe salad - use 1/2 of dressing!
* Sushi - my grocery stores and Trader Joe's has decent sushi which often is lower calorie than the salads.
* Prepackaged salad - Trader Joe's is pretty good.
* Panera - 1/2 sandwich
* Wendy's - baked potato - seriously!
* Taco Bell - there's a Protein Burrito (forget the exact name) it's a bit higher calorie but very high in protein.3 -
I eat fast food once or twice a week. My go-tos currently...
Steak & Shake: triple steakburger, no cheese - lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion & mustard.
McDonald's: McDouble, half bun
Arby's: regular roast beef, horsey sauce & half bun
Local fast food Mexican place: bowl of refried beans with cheese & a black coffee, or 2 crunchy tacos
Chipotle: steak or chicken burrito bowl, rice or beans but not both, pico de gallo & 1/2 serving sour cream but no cheese
Burger King: Whopper, half bun, no mayo
Mall food court: small falafel & boba tea (avocado or taro). Higher calorie than most of these options but IMO, worth it!
Braum's: regular breakfast burrito w/ Greek yogurt for the side or their "Kids Meal": jr. burger with no cheese & tiny milkshake...I get Greek yogurt for the side instead of fries and save for breakfast the next day
Taco Bell: mini beefy quesadilla (I get two of these if it's for an actual meal and not just a snack)
Local steakhouse quick lunch: 2 piece catfish with collard greens, served with 2 types of bread but I don't eat it.
I also really like Dominos pasta primavera bowl but it's difficult for me to trust the calorie count at around 540 so I usually log it as 700-ish.3
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