So my mom is gone for a few days, and it's just me, my sibling and my dad. Dad can't cook for beans, and we don't really have the money to go shopping right now. We do, however, have a few loose bills to go buy... fast food. I haven't had fast food in months. I don't want it, need it, or crave it. But I'm also very hungry because there's little here I can actually eat.

I hear getting a salad at a fast food place is just as bad as eating fast food, is that true? I think BK has this grilled chicken salad, but I don't want to waste my money if it's not good for me. But then I wonder, how can a salad be bad for you? It's grilled chicken and spinach with tomato and cheese, etc. Even if I only eat half of it I'm sort of paranoid and don't know if I want to risk it.

But that means I have nothing to eat for today or tomorrow then and I've done SUCH a good job of not having ANY of the cookies my sibling made the other night!

I exercised this morning and it put me in the right frame of mind!

Its the cheese, dressing and any croutons or add ins that will get you. Also bacon and breaded chicken. Salad in its "pure" form is great, but there are some fast food ones that are well over 1,000 calories.

I guess I could always ask for less cheese, or no cheese at all and just add my own at home, but I don't know if the salads there come premade or not. The dressing comes in a little thing, but I can eat these salads without dressing. If it's spinach I don't need dressing, but if it's lettuce, yuck! I do

google the nutrition facts on the salads/grilled chicken sandwich's, etc. If they decide to go the fast food route, don't go with them. give them your order and stay home this way you're not tempted being there smelling the food. Plus if you haven't had fast food in about a month, your body is not used to the greasy food and you will have one **** of a stomach ache and feel nauseous

If the plan is to eat fast food for 2-3 days, ask your dad for the $15 instead and get some healthy fare at the grocery. You could get 1lb chicken, a box of whole grain rice, a few fruits and veggies, and some yogurts for the same $15.

Otherwise, here are a few suggestions:

In 'n Out burger -- get the hamburger without the bun.
Wendy's -- get the chili.
McDonald's -- get the grilled, BBQ chicken snack wrap
Taco Bell -- get the fresco style taco

Good luck!


Edited to add: you can get a small chili and jr. cheeseburger at Wendy's for <500 cal, 18g fat, and 33g protein. A very good fast food choice.

You can get the salad but modify it a bit. Those salads are HUGE. If I get one, I always cut it in half and never have the croutons and get the Italian dressing. Like another poster said, ask your dad for some cash and go get some tuna, chicken and veg at the store. Good luck!

Can't you maybe get a loaf of whole wheat bread and a pack of turkey for sandwiches instead of fast food? You don't have to do a huge shopping to get a few decent things to eat, I hate to think of you feeling like you have no real options!

IMO, when money is tight...my suggestion is to think a bit more conservatively whether someone is on a diet or not. You really do have many low-budget healthy options. Go grab a head of lettuce/bag of spinach...2-3 cans of tuna in water, a large tomato/cucumber and some store brand light italian dressing or buy lemons/limes to squirt over it if you dont like dressing...and mix it together. Buy light laughing cow swiss cheese and add and mix a wedge into it if you want. That's 2-3 meals right there.

Good luck.

I weighed my options and decided to go with a turkey flatbread subway sub, cut in half, filled with lettuce and veggies. So that's roughly 140-something-150-something calories.

haha, the scare is over, since I now have breakfast tomorrow, too. Thanks for the suggestions though, everyone, I'll definitely consider some of them for lunch or dinner tomorrow!