I hear it over and over again through my job as a Tustin Personal Trainer: people just don’t have the time to eat right, so they eat fast food on the fly. Some even tell me that they gained a lot of weight over time because they schedule was so hectic, all they really had time to eat was drive through greasy burgers and onion rings.
It’s a real shame that these people think that greasy, fat laden food is all that there is available to eat at fast food restaurants. The truth of the matter is that if you are smart enough about your selections, you can easily grab food on the run and still stick to your diet. Here are is the advice I usually give through my Tustin Personal Trainer business to my clients who want go to burger joints guilt free.
Research Beforehand – If there is a particular fast food place you usually visit, make sure you visit their website and look at the nutritional information on all their food before you order. You may be really surprised at just how many calories and how much saturated fat go into your typical fast food meal. If you are stepping into a fast food place for the first time, you can usually request a nutritional information pamphlet that you can quickly peruse before making your order.
Choose Grilled Over Deep Fried – If you see a “grilled” chicken sandwich over a “crispy” chicken sandwich, go for the grilled one every time. “Crispy” means that the sandwich is deep fried, which means that it is swimming in tons of saturated fat.
Order Double Veggies – Ordering extra tomatoes, onions, and lettuce on a burger or sandwich is usually free, plus might give you some extra fiber and some essential nutrients in your meal.
Consider Ordering Kid’s Portions – If you think all the items on the regular menu are too bad to consider eating, try taking a look at the options on the kid’s menu. A kid’s size burger is smaller than a regular burger, which means fewer calories.
Never Order French Fries – In any given fast food menu, the worst thing on it is usually French fries. Unless it is for your weekly “cheat meal,” you should never eat French fries. It is like the double whammy of foods that are bad for you. It is deep fried, which means it contains a lot of bad fats (and usually extra-bad trans fats, depending upon where you order.) And it also contains a lot of starchy carbs, which
Ask to Hold the Sauce – A lot of burgers and sandwiches at fast food places are slathered with “special sauce” and mayonnaise. This usually adds a lot more calories, sugar, and fat, so asking the cashier to take it off might help your diet significantly,
For example, if you ask to hold the sauce for the tender roast chicken sandwich at KFC, you take 80 calories and 8.5 grams of fat off of the meal. Asking to hold the mayo for the Chicken McGrill at McDonald’s makes also makes the sandwich a lot healthier.
Don’t Think All Salads Are Healthy – As a Tustin Personal Trainer, I notice many people make the mistake of thinking that salads at fast food places are always healthy. Sometimes, ordering a salad at a fast food place can just as bad for you as ordering a burger or sandwich. They often contain strips of fried chicken, fried tortilla strips, fatty croutons, and creamy salad dressings, which by themselves can have as many calories and as much saturated fat as a chocolate chip cookie. Make sure you take a look a the nutritional information of salads before you order.
Christopher William McCombs is a well know personal trainer in Tustin. At one time Chris was extremely overweight, but today Chis owns his own fitness business Positively Fit Inc. which services personal training in Tustin and the rest of Orange County. Visit http://www.socalworkout.com/
