20-Somethings - Eating well at a fast food place?!

Hey guys!

I know that there are SO many times I am in a time crunch and just have no other options than fast food. That happened today and yesterday...obviously it helped create my weight problem.

BUT on Thursday, I went to McDonald's for lunch and had a southwest chicken salad from there and it was DELICIOUS! I got grilled chicken, I picked off the shredded cheese and tortilla strips, and used only half the dressing! According to the website, that's only 300 cals!!

Also, today I went to taco bell planning on just getting one bean burrito...they have a baja fresh menu that I forgot about so I chose two selections of there for a grand total of 320 cals!!

I know that mcdonalds and taco bell are not the most healthful places in the world, even when choosing from their "healthier options". But given a choice of being ravaging hungry because I don't have time to get something - and then because of that eating everything in sight when I get home, or getting something on the road and not being hungry, I"ll choose the latter option.

Anyone else have any good fast food tricks/tips?

I LOVE SUBWAY! I always get a 6 inch veggie on whole wheat... no cheese, just all veggies and honey mustard. It's only 4 WW points! There's a Subway near where I work, so I'll eat that for lunch with yogurt and a piece of fruit that I brought from home.

I like my cheeseburgers once in awhile, so I'll get a plain cheese burger (no saucy junk or bacon) at Wendy's and have that. If it's one of those big thick buns then I take off the top bun and eat it open-face. Skip the fries and either get a side salad (no dressing) or nothing on the side, depending on how hungry I am.

I love veggie subs! We also have a local chicken place here that has grilled chicken fingers that I get sometimes.

i dont know if you have them where you are but chickfila is probably the healthiest fast food ive found

they have a chargrilled chicken sandwhich is is only 260 calories! and then instead of waffle fries i get the fruit cup which is only 70 calories! :)

Wendys chili is my "go to" fast food lunch and McD egg mcmuffin for breakfast. If it's just a snack and I'm driving, chocolate milk.

Randomly, you can actually get the apple dippers at McD's in place of french fries with a meal from the adult menu, too. ^^

Since I keep a paper food journal the last few pages are actually dedicated to all the fast food places around me and what the best choices are. That way if I forget my lunch at home or get really hungry while I'm out I can pull by a place and get something that's not too horrible. I actually had a McD's southwest chicken salad myself for lunch with balsamic dressing and a fruit and yogurt parfait for dessert. :)

Mcdonalds has some decent options; Taco Bell (fresco menu); Jack in the Box (chicken fajita pita). If I have a little more time and money Denny's actually does some decently healthy togo options. Other advantage of writing the book was I looked up the calorie countents of all the stuff I used to eat and wrote it down too. I didn't eat fast for for like 2 weeks after reading that. *shudders*

Misora - that's a wonderful idea about the journal! I might keep a notecard in my glovebox that has all the "good" fast food on it, so that way I can always be ready and not get sucked into the allure of a big mac.

Although, I've found that if I stay away from the "bad" fast food after a couple weeks, the thought of eating a big, greasy cheeseburger sickens me. And if I do eat it, let's just say I have issues for the rest of the night...TMI?

And Carye - I absolutely love Wendy's chili...it's the only chili I will eat as a matter of fact...I always thought it wasn't that good for you until you posted on here, then I went to look up the nutrition facts on it and saw it's actually pretty healthy! I'm so happy to know this! THANK YOU! :)

Although, I've found that if I stay away from the "bad" fast food after a couple weeks, the thought of eating a big, greasy cheeseburger sickens me. And if I do eat it, let's just say I have issues for the rest of the night...TMI?

I am the same way! I remember the food the way it was when I loved it, but if I tried to eat it, it seems to tasteless and greasy and... yuck! And the stomach is none too happy with even a few bites. :rolleyes:

It's just awful...I remember a time when I had been eating really really healthy for about 6 weeks, and then I went to my BF's house to have dinner with his family who doesn't always eat the healthiest stuff...I can't remember what we had but I had to go home immediately (an unbearable 10 minute drive) and I spent the next hour in the bathroom. I was just amazed at how quickly my body reacted to eating greasy, unhealthy stuff!