Golden Arches, the King and the Cute Dog
So, you have decided to start getting healthy. You want to drop some weight. You have committed to do better with your eating choices. Yeah you. *wave pom poms wildly*
Change the scenario now. You are in your car. You have had a crazy as hell day. You still have 8 million errands to finish running and your stomach is growling louder than the music blaring from your radio. You are faced with McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell or KFC. Only because you need to multi task and get it all done. You super hero you. So...what do you do?
Do you make a weak choice and blow that diet plan? Absolutely not. That’s right. It is possible to take the kiddos to McDonalds and still do right by your diet. You simply have to make the right choices. First, toss the idea of that soda right out the window. I am happy to say that the last time that I frequented a fast food place, they had unsweetened iced tea and they had bottled water. They also had a couple of non carbonated choices on the menu. Lemonade is much better for your bod than even a Diet Coke. Let’s add some more shock to you all, shall we?
I happen to have a lovely little book from Weight Watchers at my disposal so this should keep everything on track for most of you. For those of you who are not into weight watchers, I have found that more points = more calories and fat. So, big points baaaaddd. Are we all on the same page now?
McDonalds:
5 piece Chicken Selects. Something that I would normally have considered a healthy choice for fast food. They boast this as all white meat chicken. Yet this little beauty has more points than a 1/4 pounder WITH cheese. Yep. Chicken Selects 15 points. 1/4 burger with cheese 12 points. Nice huh? Welcome to fast food folks.
The golden arches does have a few healthier options on the menu. Instead of grabbing up that Big Mac grab a Grilled Chicken Classic and skip the fries. Congrats - only 7 points.
Burger King:
Lets compare their BK Big Fish against a classic Whopper with cheese. The Big Fish - yep, its big alright. Big on points. 14 of them to be exact. The classic Whopper? The same. Who woulda thunk it?
A healthy option at BK would be A Low Carb Angus Steak Burger weighing in at just 7 points or a Whopper Jr. with no Mayo at 6 points. I do have to say that I was very excited to see a veggie burger on the menu the last time I drove the kiddos through BK. Woot for the king. Veggie Burger by the way 7 points.
Moving on....
My favorite of all fast food places...TACO BELL!!!! This was by far the hardest thing that I ever had to give up. I think if you were going to hit a fast food place, Taco Bell gives by far the most low point options. Here is a list of all of the 3 or 4 point items that I could find on their menu: Spicy Chicken Taco 4 pts., Cruncy Original Taco 3 pts., Soft Taco (beef) 4 pts., Soft Taco Supreme 4 pts., Taco Supreme 4 pts., Meximelt 4 pts., Tostada 4 pts., Spicy Chicken Soft Taco 4 pts., and last but not least...dessert! Cinnamon Twists 3 pts.
Its not always about the salads. And it is a fact that you can not lose weight and be healthy by living on rabbit food. Yes. I said that. The vegetarian. I will say it again...YOU NEED TO EAT MORE THAN SALADS 24/7 to be healthy. So dive in. If you have to hit the fast food places, at least now, you can consider yourself armed. Happy Weekend Everyone. Ciao.
