The Fast Food Diet?

Anyone tried The Fast Food Diet? I'm having a very hard time switching to a healthier diet from an always-on-the-run, never stopping to cook, drive-thru diet. It sounds like a good idea for me. 400 cal breakfast, 400 cal lunch, 400 cal dinner, 300 cals in snacks/dessert. That's doable and most of the meals will come off the dollar menu. What are other people's experiences? 

Bear with me, please. This will seem pointless at first.

I am an attorney working full time (40-60 hours a week). I have two show horses I train and ride myself (about 90 minutes a day). I am in Ironman training (2-4 hours a day). I sit on the board of directors of two not-for-profits (about 6 hours a week). I do all the cleaning and cooking and grocery shopping in our house. Typical day starts at 4:30 AM and ends at 10-midnight.

Now, if I can find time to cook and make healthier choices, so can you. Weekends, I make large batches of food, usually while cleaning the house, too, and portion it out for lunches. If I'm on the go, I make sandwiches (it takes less than 5 minutes in the morning) and toss them in my bag with an ice pack. If I am really, really going to be pressed for time, loads of whole pieces of fruit and Luna bars go in the bag. I can eat an apple and a Luna bar on the way to a meeting or training session. Dinners are fast and healthy. Weeknights, I tend to cook once or twice but in large enough portions to have dinner for a few days and they are always fast. I buy pre-cut stir fry veggies if I'm in a pinch and always keep tofu in the fridge if I forget to pull meat out to defrost. Once a month, I go on a big grocery trip and stock the pantry with grains, oatmeal, snacks, etc. I boil 6-10 eggs at a time and put them in the fridge to eat for a week.

My concern with a fast food diet, while you may be sticking to your calories, is the nutrient content. Fries and small cheeseburgers are seriously lacking in nutrition. Forming the habits and setting the routine is hard but I promise you, it's worth it. Some days, I really am just way too busy. Then, I will try to go to a healthier place (we have a place called Pita Jungle here) and get a lentil salad or something. But it's rare. You have to learn to make every moment count. I don't have too much idle time. Even when I watch my favourite t.v. show, I am cooking or vacuuming or dusting or folding laundry or doing things on the computer for the not-for-profits. My "down time" is when I'm driving. I listen to audio books, sing, etc. I used to take conference calls in my car. Now, I don't. It's my time to be alone.

I agree with the previous post. I lead an extremely busy life too but I put aside Sundays to shop, prep and cook my food for the coming week. If you make it a priority you will be successful.

I'm sure it's possible to lose weight on a fast food diet but I would imagine you would feel sluggish and gross after eating all that junk.

Agree with Pita on the Sunday thing. Just set aside Sunday afternoons as your prep/cook time and commit to doing it. Try to make one change at a time. So maybe, this week, it's to make a quick shake or something for breakfast so no fast food. Or to bring a salad for lunch so you only have one small thing off the fast food menu to complement your salad and not a whole meal.

Original Post by borabora25:

Anyone tried The Fast Food Diet? I'm having a very hard time switching to a healthier diet from an always-on-the-run, never stopping to cook, drive-thru diet. It sounds like a good idea for me. 400 cal breakfast, 400 cal lunch, 400 cal dinner, 300 cals in snacks/dessert. That's doable and most of the meals will come off the dollar menu. What are other people's experiences? 

Horrible, horrible idea.

Unless you want a diet filled with saturated fats, trans fats, empty carbs, and processed foods.

if you have to eat fast food, there are some decent breakfast options, fruit bowls, yogurt and granola, etc, but if you make a habit of it, your nutrition will go to ****

I used to eat a lot of fast food.  I was a regular at most drive thrus in town.  I found it impossible to go cold turkey because to go from instant food to making my own meals was a huge life style change.

I did it in steps.  I began to limit the number of times I would allow myself to eat fast food in a week.  At the same time I began to learn how to incorporate healthy food into my diet. The biggest lesson I learned was to be prepared.  After I began to plan my meals for the week and stock my kitchen accordingly, it became much easier to eat healthy.

Now I'm down to one McDouble (just the burger, not the whole meal) once a month and I'm considering doing away with that too.

It IS possible to eat healthy while living a busy life.

And here lies the problem with weight loss.

There are many ways of successfully losing a bit of weight, not all are healthy.

A fast food diet definitely comes under the unhealthy category. 

Original Post by ebethr:

I used to eat a lot of fast food.  I was a regular at most drive thrus in town.  I found it impossible to go cold turkey because to go from instant food to making my own meals was a huge life style change.

I did it in steps.  I began to limit the number of times I would allow myself to eat fast food in a week.  At the same time I began to learn how to incorporate healthy food into my diet. The biggest lesson I learned was to be prepared.  After I began to plan my meals for the week and stock my kitchen accordingly, it became much easier to eat healthy.

Now I'm down to one McDouble (just the burger, not the whole meal) once a month and I'm considering doing away with that too.

It IS possible to eat healthy while living a busy life.

Here's a helpful post. Thank you! To the rest of you, thank you so much for telling me that I should eat healthier. Duh. As I said, I've tried all those things and I'm not able to just switch like that. As with smoking, some people can quit cold turkey, and other people need the nicotine patch. This plan looks like a nicotine patch for me. It worked well yesterday. I had my overnight oats for breakfast, like always. A baked sweet potato from Wendy's for lunch. V8 for a snack. And a jr. burger with a salad from Whataburger for dinner. A cookie from home for dessert. I got more nutrients than when I was on Nutrisystem or Weight Watchers. I like this plan, so far. It's a good first step. 

Original Post by borabora25:

Anyone tried The Fast Food Diet? I'm having a very hard time switching to a healthier diet from an always-on-the-run, never stopping to cook, drive-thru diet. It sounds like a good idea for me. 400 cal breakfast, 400 cal lunch, 400 cal dinner, 300 cals in snacks/dessert. That's doable and most of the meals will come off the dollar menu. What are other people's experiences? 

You ask if the fast food diet is a good idea, then get mad when people say it's not. Furthermore, you said it sounds like a good idea to you, yet you don't understand why people explained why it wasn't.  It sounds like you don't have too much common sense.

I don't eat fast food frequently, but when I do, I order:

A small hamburger (here it's a Whataburger, Jr., but they're a regional chain.  This is similar to the Wendy's $1 cheeseburger, but without cheese), with all the vegetables (lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and I add jalapenos.  Omit what you don't like, especially pickles and jalapenos if sodium is a concern) but no mayonnaise or ketchup (Whataburgers come standard with vegetables and mustard; most other places, you'll have to request "no sauce").  I don't know how many ounces of meat that is; it's definitely not more than 1/4 pound and might be more like 1/6, pre-cooking.  Whataburger offers whole-grain buns, but you could also skip the bun/part of the bun.

Side salad.  I get vinaigrette dressing but I never use the entire packet as it's way, way, too much.  Sometimes I ask for lemon juice packets instead of dressing; a lot of places have these if they serve iced tea.

Unsweetened iced tea, to which I add one packet of sugar.  Yes, it's sugar, but it's a lot less sugar than soda.

Another alternative would be to order the burger and a full garden salad and skip the bun entirely, eating the meat with the salad.

I still absolutely favor the suggestions to plan and cook ahead but it's possible to at least make less-bad, though not ideal, meal choices when you do eat out.

For the record: I have a bunch of those square Tupperware-type containers and I pack salads days ahead of time.  Just pack the dressing and any toppings--nuts, cheese, etc.--separately (mini Tupperwares or film canisters are great for this) and keep the salads sealed and refrigerated and they'll last well enough.  Also, if you take a little time when you get home from shopping to wash and prep your vegetables, etc., it will take you less time to make your own sandwiches in the morning than it would to go through the drive-through, anyway. 

Remember, also, that weight loss is mostly about changing habits.  You won't be able to do that unless you make it a priority and insist that it happen.  Continuing to rely on restaurant food instead of learning to fit in shopping and cooking will make the process and weight maintenance harder in the long run.

That sounds so unhealthy.

Why not just stock up on fruit? Fruit is quick and easy for on-the-go, it's low-calorie, super healthy. You can get fresh, tasty in-season fruit from your local farmer's market for cheap.

Tons of veggies are good for on-the-go, too. Chop up some carrots into sticks, cucumbers, peppers, etc. and put them in containers you can just grab when you need to.

Freeze things ahead of time. Stock up on fresh lettuces and spinach, and make some dressings on the weekends to last for the week. Just grab a handful of greens, and add on the dressing. Quick, easy, healthy.

Don't let time be an excuse for not eating a diet that will support you! Health should always be a top priority. 

Best of luck :)

Don't worry borabora25, I posted the other day and got similar feedback. Apparently even the suggestion of eating fast food is offensive to the majority of people on this website. I thought the point of this "community" was to find support from people in similar circumstances, but apparently it's just a place to look down from your throne of perfection on anyone who doesn't live the perfect lifestyle. Advice that's not rife with condescension and judgment would be great. Pretty sure I'm done with the social aspect of this site.

It is impossible to know what the nutritional content of the food your eating is, regardless of where it came from, unless you say specifically what you were eating.

Also, a lot of fast food restaurants have become savvy to the prejudice calorie counters have against them. Many are starting to offer better, healthier options. I'm NOT saying it's the best option, but it's better than munching on a bag of chips from the vending machine or starving yourself.

Not everyone can diet the same way. A step in the right direction (seeking out advice and opinions) deserves applause. The fact that you're even taking the time to scrutinize your diet gets you a big ol' high five from me.

I know you guys probably didn't mean it, but reading this as a 3rd party who stumbled upon it, it certainly seems like you're not only attacking her, but basically calling her stupid. Meanies. Tsk tsk.

If you ask if something is a good idea, shouldn't you be able to stomach a no?

Not having "time" is relative. That's like spending 15 minutes on the toilet every morning and claiming you don't have time for breakfast. Nobody is even saying WW or Nutrisystem is the way to go, so why mention that. That's like eating a chocolate chip pie for your WW points and wonder why you don't lose weight.

If you are serious about losing weight, you should be serious about what you put in your mouth. Consider someone else who would ask this question. Would you a) agree with them that fast food is the way to go or b) offer healthy alternatives?

Enjoy the fast food, but in moderation. Don't make it a "diet". Have your fast food once in a while, and combine it with healthy options.

Original Post by borabora25:

Original Post by ebethr:

I used to eat a lot of fast food.  I was a regular at most drive thrus in town.  I found it impossible to go cold turkey because to go from instant food to making my own meals was a huge life style change.

I did it in steps.  I began to limit the number of times I would allow myself to eat fast food in a week.  At the same time I began to learn how to incorporate healthy food into my diet. The biggest lesson I learned was to be prepared.  After I began to plan my meals for the week and stock my kitchen accordingly, it became much easier to eat healthy.

Now I'm down to one McDouble (just the burger, not the whole meal) once a month and I'm considering doing away with that too.

It IS possible to eat healthy while living a busy life.

Here's a helpful post. Thank you! To the rest of you, thank you so much for telling me that I should eat healthier. Duh. As I said, I've tried all those things and I'm not able to just switch like that. As with smoking, some people can quit cold turkey, and other people need the nicotine patch. This plan looks like a nicotine patch for me. It worked well yesterday. I had my overnight oats for breakfast, like always. A baked sweet potato from Wendy's for lunch. V8 for a snack. And a jr. burger with a salad from Whataburger for dinner. A cookie from home for dessert. I got more nutrients than when I was on Nutrisystem or Weight Watchers. I like this plan, so far. It's a good first step. 

I'm sorry, I should've been more helpful

Ok go ahead, do the fast food diet, just make sure you wash down that Big Mac Meal with a Diet Soda though...

Original Post by paradoxinperil:

Don't worry borabora25, I posted the other day and got similar feedback. Apparently even the suggestion of eating fast food is offensive to the majority of people on this website. I thought the point of this "community" was to find support from people in similar circumstances, but apparently it's just a place to look down from your throne of perfection on anyone who doesn't live the perfect lifestyle. Advice that's not rife with condescension and judgment would be great. Pretty sure I'm done with the social aspect of this site.

It is impossible to know what the nutritional content of the food your eating is, regardless of where it came from, unless you say specifically what you were eating.

Also, a lot of fast food restaurants have become savvy to the prejudice calorie counters have against them. Many are starting to offer better, healthier options. I'm NOT saying it's the best option, but it's better than munching on a bag of chips from the vending machine or starving yourself.

Not everyone can diet the same way. A step in the right direction (seeking out advice and opinions) deserves applause. The fact that you're even taking the time to scrutinize your diet gets you a big ol' high five from me.

I know you guys probably didn't mean it, but reading this as a 3rd party who stumbled upon it, it certainly seems like you're not only attacking her, but basically calling her stupid. Meanies. Tsk tsk.

I think you're mistaken.

There's a big difference between occasionally treating yourself to some fast food and living off it.

It's pretty damn obvious that living off fast food isn't the healthiest option.

Could she lose weight off it? Sure she can, just like many other forms of dieting.

Is it the healthiest option out there? Doesn't take an expert to answer that now does it?

Original Post by littlesimongeorge:

I think you're mistaken.

 

There's a big difference between occasionally treating yourself to some fast food and living off it.

 

It's pretty damn obvious that living off fast food isn't the healthiest option.

 

Could she lose weight off it? Sure she can, just like many other forms of dieting.

 

Is it the healthiest option out there? Doesn't take an expert to answer that now does it?

Your sarcasm is completely unnecessary. You offered no helpful advice, nor any encouragement. If you read what she posted earlier up, she isn't eating EVERY SINGLE MEAL from a fast food restaurant. She's supplementing her meals with the healthier options from fast food restaurants. It IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. She's obviously talking about slowly cutting out fast food from her diet, not living on nothing but it for the rest of her life. She didn't say she was going to scarf a Big Mac for lunch every day.

"This plan looks like a nicotine patch for me. It worked well yesterday. I had my overnight oats for breakfast, like always. A baked sweet potato from Wendy's for lunch. V8 for a snack. And a jr. burger with a salad from Whataburger for dinner. A cookie from home for dessert. I got more nutrients than when I was on Nutrisystem or Weight Watchers. I like this plan, so far.It's a good first step. "

I agree. It is a good first step.

Original Post by paradoxinperil:

Original Post by littlesimongeorge:

I think you're mistaken.

 

There's a big difference between occasionally treating yourself to some fast food and living off it.

 

It's pretty damn obvious that living off fast food isn't the healthiest option.

 

Could she lose weight off it? Sure she can, just like many other forms of dieting.

 

Is it the healthiest option out there? Doesn't take an expert to answer that now does it?

 

Your sarcasm is completely unnecessary. You offered no helpful advice, nor any encouragement. If you read what she posted earlier up, she isn't eating EVERY SINGLE MEAL from a fast food restaurant. She's supplementing her meals with the healthier options from fast food restaurants. It IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. She's obviously talking about slowly cutting out fast food from her diet, not living on nothing but it for the rest of her life. She didn't say she was going to scarf a Big Mac for lunch every day.

"This plan looks like a nicotine patch for me. It worked well yesterday. I had my overnight oats for breakfast, like always. A baked sweet potato from Wendy's for lunch. V8 for a snack. And a jr. burger with a salad from Whataburger for dinner. A cookie from home for dessert. I got more nutrients than when I was on Nutrisystem or Weight Watchers. I like this plan, so far.It's a good first step. "

 

I agree. It is a good first step.

 

She only posted the last part after she insulted everyone who tried to answer her original question.  Trying to help her is like the dumb leading the blind, just doesn't work.

I also agree that it can be a good first step.

I mean, people have all different backgrounds and experiences.

I have personally been pretty much scared away from eating fast food meat. And I want to avoid high fructose corn syrup, which most of their offerings contain. So it probably wouldn't be super helpful for me.

But you know, improving your health isn't an all or nothing proposition.

Nobody here is perfect (I know this because I know that there is no such thing as perfect.)

So if it's a matter of making improvements, however gradual, versus the all or nothing approach of EITHER radically changing your entire life and schedule OR keep eating the least healthy fast/junk food options, wouldn't it be better to make improvements if you have failed at the radical change tactic in the past?