fast food?!

Everything in moderation.

This. Don't eat it every day, but every once in awhile it's okay.

It is fine to eat anything you want. If you are only concerned with losing weight then you could lose weight eating cheesecake. It's just you can only have one small slice a day...and that is it! As long as you are eating less than you are working off or creating a calorie deficit..you will...in theory...still lose weight.

Now, from a health standpoint, fast food is not healthy and shouldn't be considered part of a healthy lifestyle. I myself eat it several times a week. It is fast, easy, and let's face it...it tastes awesome! The thing that kills me is the incredible sodium amounts in all fast food! Even the chicken and some of the salads are no good and loaded with salt. Try to order chicken with no mayo...or only with a bottom bun. To stay on the healthy side...you can make small changes to the meals and make them a little healthier but not much!

Like I say to everyone who says "as long as you are still within your allotted calories".... yeah, if you are not someone who eats this kinda things regularly I guess it's fine. What people tend to focus on is the weight and calorie intake and what not, but you ignore the idea that fast foods have a ton of nasty fat and oils to clog the arteries, make your skin look nasty, and pack on more weight. I say this because I used to eat like this all the time because my job was very overwhelming and time consuming. I ate good every other meal, but when I was at work for lunch I would go get McDonald's or KFC. This wasn't everyday, mind you, but I still ended up gaining about fifty pounds. My caloric intake was probably around 1800 and I was on my feet all day. The only explanation I can give you for the weight gain would have to be the crazy hours of my job and that fast food meal every once in a while. Honestly, the best thing to do is avoid it. If you can't possibly avoid it, get a burger, but eat half or something.

For weight loss, yes. For health, probably not.

Is it just me or did you contradict yourself there?

Hopefully it's you. But then I read what I wrote and it didn't sound correct either. I guess IIFYM is developed out of the concept of calories in vs calories out. I partially use calories in vs calories out but 100 % is clean eating. IIFYM should be 80% clean but again, being able to eat pop tarts and such is not the best approach. :ohwell:

Welllllll lately with my living situation right now I can't cook as much as I'd like.... so I've been eating very poorly. lots of processed stuff. When I get my living situation straightened out I will be cooking like a mofo and eating healthily, but for right now I focus more on calories and my macros and things are going just fine.

Also, I believe everything in moderation is key. I will still eat at McDonalds sometimes and I still eat donuts sometimes. Just not all the time.

Yeah, it's fine as long as you don'r eat fast food every day for every meal.

I have KFC potato and gravy every few days, that **** is like my heroin.

I eat fast food nearly 4 times a week for lunch at work and I still managed to lose 30lb when I wanted to. You can make simple changes, like side salad instead of fries, omit cheese and mayo, etc to reduce the calories. It's not the healthiest food to be sure, but it's not the devil. Protein is protein. The carbs in the bread you get there are the same as the carbs in the bread you'd get anywhere else unless you get very specific dietary bread. None of those places use trans-fats anymore and saturated fats are not causing the problems that was once thought. Food places don't stay in business by deliberately putting stuff in their food that kills its customers.
In my opinion, most of the fast food demonization you hear is alarmist myth and vegan propaganda. And unless you're specifically directed to be on a low sodium diet or just don't like retaining a little water, there's nothing wrong with some extra sodium on occasion, especially if you sweat a lot. It's not poison, in fact, you would die without it.
One thing about fast food vs. other restaurants is that their food has strictly controlled portions and it's been analyzed ad-nauseum so you can get accurate nutritional information for calorie tracking. In other restaurants, the portions and preparations can vary wildly and if they even publish nutrition information, what you are actually served can vary in content dramatically even if the overall quality of the food is better.

I go to McDonalds often and get a grilled chicken sandwich with no mayo. And a side salad with lite balsamic vinaigrette. Tastes great, very filling, around 400 calories, and under $5.