Moderation is the key. Did you know that food portion sizes in the U.S. have grown about 50% in recent decades? We are eating up to an extra 200 calories per meal than we did previously. It used to be normal to actually eat a small hamburger the size of your palm, and wash it down with a soda that is child-sized by today’s standards! Now, it seems everyone is scarfing down giant monster burgers with extra-large fries and drinks the size of their head.
2 simple strategies for eating fast food while trying to maintain your weight:
1. Only 3 Grams of Fat per 100 Calories. Looking at your entire meal, attempt to keep it between 350-450 calories with about 30% fat (about 12 grams). A super quick way to see if something has under 30% fat is to do some quick math (3 fat grams for every 100 calories). For example, if a sandwich has 300 calories (at 3 grams per 100 calories) there better not be much more than 9 grams of fat in that sandwich. You can give and take a couple and it won’t kill you. Realize that this could mean that even if a taco only has 6 grams of fat, it may be a bad choice if it only has 100 calories (55% fat). It is the proportion of fat to calories that you should look at.
2. Don’t “combo-meal” it. No soda & no fries! Avoid those worthless calories. If you must down the fizzy brown stuff, then by all means drink a “diet” soda. I prefer water or unsweetened ice tea, and generaly only order a sandwich, burger, or taco. There are simply no health benefits to french fries that I am aware of. I’m not a huge fan of fast-food salads, because the dressing usually ruins the health-factor. At times I will order a side order, if I can fit it into my rule #1. Again, the bottom line here is “portion size”. Keep an eye on the kid’s meals, because they often have contain adult size calories!
Some decent fast food menu choices at popular fast food restaurants:
McDonalds: Cheeseburger, Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich, Honey Mustard Grilled Snack Wrap, Egg McMuffin
Taco Bell: Spicy Chicken Soft Taco, Burrito Supreme Beef or Chicken, or any item on “Fresco” menu
Panda Express: Mushroom Chicken, Tangy Shrimp
Burger King: Whopper Jr. (without mayo or cheese), Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich (substituting BBQ for the mayo), BK Big Fish (without tarter), BK Veggie Burger
Arby’s: Roast Chicken Fillet Sandwich (substitute “dijon honey mustard sauce” instead of the mayo), Ham & Swiss Melt, Kids Meal – Junior Roast Beef Sandwich
Wendy’s: Chili, Plain Baked Potato w/buttery best spread, Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich
Starbucks: Nonfat Latte, Banana-Chocolate Blend, Perfect Oatmeal (Read about the benefits of oatmeal)
Jack-In-The-Box: Chicken Fajita Pita, Chicken Teriyaki Bowl
Sonic: Grilled Chicken Salad w/Fat Free Golden Italian dressing, Grilled Chicken Wrap, Jr. Reeces Sundae
Remember, some of these foods are still high in sodium, low in nutrients and fiber. This is not an every-day meal plan for anyone! But if you find yourself at the fast food drive-thru, these menu choices won’t demolish your health & fitness goals.
Where can you find the nutrition facts for your favorite fast food restaurants? Simply type the restaurant name & “nutrition facts” into Google. Dieting is easier when you LOVE the food – Get delicious meals shipped to your door - It’s a proven strategy that works!
SOURCES:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/01/030122072329.htm
http://www.caloriecontrol.org/fatrepl.html
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