favorite go-to fast food meals

I've really cut back on my fast food, but when I have it, I generally stick with kids meals, so that the portion sizes and calories are far less. Avoiding fries is another thing I try to do. Once in a while I will have some.

Here are a few of my go-to things:

Fazoli's - kid's size spaghetti with meat sauce with one bread stick (410 calories, 11 g fat, 5 g fiber)
TacoBell - one crunchy beef taco and pintos and cheese (340 calories, 15 g fat, 11 g fiber)
Wendy's - small chili and a baked potato with reduced fat sour cream (530 calories, 10 g fat, 13 g fiber)

I stopped all fast food in Feb 2008 after years of eating in at least one fast food restaurant daily. The only thing I will allow myself to, on occasion, is a six-inch veggie delight Subway sandwich with no mayo and no cheese. Unfortunately this does sometime lead to uncomfortable moments when with a group who decide to stop at a McDonald's, or Burger King. I actually don't mind sitting at the table with nothing, but it really gets everyone else upset it seems.

I stopped all fast food in Feb 2008 after years of eating in at least one fast food restaurant daily. The only thing I will allow myself to, on occasion, is a six-inch veggie delight Subway sandwich with no mayo and no cheese. Unfortunately this does sometime lead to uncomfortable moments when with a group who decide to stop at a McDonald's, or Burger King. I actually don't mind sitting at the table with nothing, but it really gets everyone else upset it seems.

I have started doing this as well, if my family wants to go to a McDonald's or Burger King, or another fast food that I really don't want to eat at then I'll enjoy their company and think about all the food I'm going to prepare when I get home and how much better tasting it will be and with a lot less calories- which means I can actually have a full meal, not a skimpy one at a "fatty" fast food restaurant.

grilled chicken salad from subway with lettuce, light cheese, grilled chicken, 1 fat free italian dressing, and 1 cracker pack. About 350 cals.

grilled chicken salad from subway with lettuce, light cheese, grilled chicken, 1 fat free italian dressing, and 1 cracker pack. About 350 cals.

no one has mentioned grocery store delis? Especially whole foods or trader joe's that have ready-to-go one person meals with no preservatives or fillers or plain old "crap"

well, YOU just did...

Not quite what you were looking for but you should try out MyFitFoods. You don't have to do the full 30-day program. They always have a microwave in the store so you can heat up and go. This is where you'll get the most bang for your buck as far as quick, healthy foods. Plus, its usually pretty easy to find a Buy One, Get One Free coupon online. I keep a few of these in my car just in case!

no one has mentioned grocery store delis? Especially whole foods or trader joe's that have ready-to-go one person meals with no preservatives or fillers or plain old "crap"

I love targets chef salad! I get it all the time! I'm eating one today for lunch! I didn't think of that as fast food though. To me, fast food involves a drive thru!

I agree "fast food" probably does involve a drive thru. How about a smoothie pace like Jamba juice or planet smoothie? The tropical smoothie I go to in a rush has a smoothie called the "health nut" and it has fruit, almonds, and protein powder. It's very filling but probably 500 calories. I figure that's OK if it's real fruit and I'm eating it as a meal.

Starbucks has a decent feta, egg, spinach, wrap with less than 300 calories

I suggest just checking out the nutiritional info online before going anywhere. That's what I usually try to do. It helps me feel like I'm not really depriving myself, but yet I can still keep control of my calorie intake. I was shocked at how many calories are in certain foods at places.

My go to favorite lunch would be at Chick-fil-a: 1 grilled chicken breast (just the chicken, not on a bun or anything.)- 100 calories
Side Salad - 70 calories
Small fruit Cup- 50 Calories


That's not bad. Plus, you have to add on whatever dressing you get for your salad. For a snack a few hours later, when I am close to getting off work and about to head to the gym I have an apple that I keep stocked in my office. Or I'll grab a yougurt with fruit. Hope this helps!

Subway Veggie Delite on Wheat with lots of veggies, no cheese, and vinegar and lite mayo. The 12" is only about 550 calories which makes a great lunch if I'm working out in the evening.

McDonald's Filet-O-Fish, no cheese, and I only eat half the bun and I blog the fish with a napkin. Still tastes good to me, but has less calories.

Wendy's Chili. Somewhere a little over 300 calories for a large bowl and it's actually good. I always feel full afterwards, and if not, I add a baked potato.

bump

I'm with the others who try to avoid fast food for all the hidden "extras"... That said, I run around a LOT at random times for my work sometimes, so I've been known to grab the occasional quick meal. As far as super-fast food places with drive-thrus, I think Wendy's is the best!

Taste-wise, their current salads are pretty awesome... The full-size options all weigh in at about 400ish calories (or less!) without dressing -- and they have enough different tastes that I almost always eat them without dressing. The BLT Cobb is suitable for low-carbers, and the others, like the apple pecan chicken salad, feature more fresh fruits and interesting produce selections than you find in other fast food salads. The other thing I like about them is that they offer the half-salad option, so you can either have one as a hearty snack/mini meal for like 200 calories, or combine it with a small chili.

The chili on its own is a pretty satisfying and almost complete meal on its own too; I think a small is about 300 calories?

Burger King officially has the most pathetic salads and the fewest calorie-controlled options, I think. Seriously, most depressing "garden" salad ever

A tostada from Taco Bueno.... 400 calories