Fast Food and Weight Loss: Is It Possible to Lose Weight and Eat Fast Food at the Same Time?

<h1>Fast Food and Weight Loss: Is It Possible to Lose Weight and Eat Fast Food at the Same Time?</h1>Author: <a title="Dan Green" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/dan-green/213536.htm">Dan Green</a> If your family is anything like mine, you may find it difficult to find time to eat a lot of meals at home during your busy week.  The solution, when running from one thing to another, is often the fast food drive thru.  But a steady diet of burgers and fries is not very friendly to the waistline.  Here are some tips on how you can eat food from fast food restaurants and still lose weight. 1. Get a side salad instead of fries. French fries are one of the least healthy items at fast food restaurants.  They are very high in fat and calories and have little nutritional value. A side salad, on the other hand, is very low in calories, high in fiber, and keeps you full longer.  Just be sure to use a low fat or fat free dressing.  And you may want to skip the croutons. 2. Grilled chicken is better than burgers. Most fast food restaurants offer grilled chicken sandwiches, salads, or other low fat items.  In almost all cases this is a much better choice than the typical burger. If the sandwich normally comes with mayo or another high fat sauce, ask to have it prepared without mayo.  If you do have an occassional burger, get the regular hamburger or cheeseburger and stay away from 1/4 pound, 1/3  pound or other large sandwiches.  If you can get lettuce, tomatoes, onions, or other vegetable toppings, so much the better. 3. Some fast food restaurants have nutritious side items such as baked potatoes, soup, chili, apple slices, mandarin oranges, yogurt, etc.  At one restuarant I'll often order a plain baked potato, a small chili, and a side salad.  I pour the chili on the potato for a nice filling meal. If you get soup, try to stay away from creamy soups which are high in fat.  Otherwise soups are filling and nutritious and are a good choice compared to burgers and fries. 4. Drink water or low calorie drinks. A milk shake is not a good choice for weight loss.  Soda is not much better.  Water, coffee, tea, light lemonade, or an occassional diet soda will help you stay on track. 5. Subway has a wide selection of healthy alteranatives. My favorite "fast food" restaurant is Subway.  They have several sandwiches that are low in fat.  You can get them on whole grain wheat bread, you can load them up with veggies and add a low fat sauce.  They don't serve fries, and they offer healthier choices for side items such as apples, yogurt, raisins, or even baked chips (which are a good alternative to regular potato chips). Is it possible to eat often from fast food restaurants and still lose weight? Definitely!  It is just a matter of making wiser food choices and avoiding items that are high in fat and calories.About the Author: For more <a href="http://dansweightlossplan.com">free weight loss tips</a> and to follow my progress toward my goal of losing 50 pounds in 6 months visit my blog at <a target="_blank" href="http://DansWeightLossPlan.com.">http://DansWeightLossPlan.com.</a>
Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/fast-food-and-weight-loss-is-it-possible-to-lose-weight-and-eat-fast-food-at-the-same-time-1460540.html" title="Fast Food and Weight Loss: Is It Possible to Lose Weight and Eat Fast Food at the Same Time?">Fast Food and Weight Loss: Is It Possible to Lose Weight and Eat Fast Food at the Same Time?</a>

If your family is anything like mine, you may find it difficult to find time to eat a lot of meals at home during your busy week. The solution, when running from one thing to another, is often the fast food drive thru. But a steady diet of burgers and fries is not very friendly to the waistline. Here are some tips on how you can eat food from fast food restaurants and still lose weight.

1. Get a side salad instead of fries. French fries are one of the least healthy items at fast food restaurants. They are very high in fat and calories and have little nutritional value. A side salad, on the other hand, is very low in calories, high in fiber, and keeps you full longer. Just be sure to use a low fat or fat free dressing. And you may want to skip the croutons.

2. Grilled chicken is better than burgers. Most fast food restaurants offer grilled chicken sandwiches, salads, or other low fat items. In almost all cases this is a much better choice than the typical burger. If the sandwich normally comes with mayo or another high fat sauce, ask to have it prepared without mayo. If you do have an occassional burger, get the regular hamburger or cheeseburger and stay away from 1/4 pound, 1/3 pound or other large sandwiches. If you can get lettuce, tomatoes, onions, or other vegetable toppings, so much the better.

3. Some fast food restaurants have nutritious side items such as baked potatoes, soup, chili, apple slices, mandarin oranges, yogurt, etc. At one restuarant I'll often order a plain baked potato, a small chili, and a side salad. I pour the chili on the potato for a nice filling meal. If you get soup, try to stay away from creamy soups which are high in fat. Otherwise soups are filling and nutritious and are a good choice compared to burgers and fries.

4. Drink water or low calorie drinks. A milk shake is not a good choice for weight loss. Soda is not much better. Water, coffee, tea, light lemonade, or an occassional diet soda will help you stay on track.

5. Subway has a wide selection of healthy alteranatives. My favorite "fast food" restaurant is Subway. They have several sandwiches that are low in fat. You can get them on whole grain wheat bread, you can load them up with veggies and add a low fat sauce. They don't serve fries, and they offer healthier choices for side items such as apples, yogurt, raisins, or even baked chips (which are a good alternative to regular potato chips).

Is it possible to eat often from fast food restaurants and still lose weight? Definitely! It is just a matter of making wiser food choices and avoiding items that are high in fat and calories.

For more free weight loss tips and to follow my progress toward my goal of losing 50 pounds in 6 months visit my blog at http://DansWeightLossPlan.com.

Rate this Article:

0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s)

Re-Publish

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/fast-food-and-weight-loss-is-it-possible-to-lose-weight-and-eat-fast-food-at-the-same-time-1460540.html

Article Tags: Fast Food Weight Loss

Related Videos
Related Articles
Ask / Related Q&A

Play

Losing Weight - Balancing Meals

Play

How to Count Calories in Fast Food Restaurants

Play

The 4 Year Old McDonald's Cheeseburger Part 1

Play

How to Have a Brown Rice Breakfast

Play

How to Make Fast Chinese Food Easy?

Latest Nutrition Articles
More from Dan Green

Resveratrol and Acai Berry

By: Joseph Long | 25/11/2009
Despite some impressive results in laboratory testing, studies have suggested that resveratrol supplements probably aren’t worth investing money in. The latest research indicates that the plant-based nutrient needs to reach the bloodstream in sufficient quantities to have any significant effects, and testing has unfortunately proved that this simply doesn’t happen.

Benefits of Green Tea

By: Kasan Groupe | 25/11/2009
Many people have been calling green tea the new miracle drug, possible of curing cancer and keeping your body immune from diseases. While there is still lots of research to be done on the effects of green tea on human health there have been many small-scale studies done that show a correlation between drinking green tea and lower cholesterol and even cancer rehabilitation

Easy Diabetes Recipes

By: George Sandler | 25/11/2009
Diabetes should not be a problem if you are unfortunate to be diagnosed the condition as much has been learned and new dietary information means that you can still enjoy a varied diet. By using a little self-control over what type of food you eat and when, many problems associated with diabetes can be reduced. By taking control of your diet, you will be responsible for their good health, and through the use of formulated diabetic recipes is now much easier than before.

Learn How to Obtain a Flatter Tummy - Weight Loss Methods

By: Bryan Burbank | 25/11/2009
It is no secret that America is obsessed with having great bodies. Having a great body is more than being the correct weight and looking slim. A very important element for the having the great body is having s flat stomach. Having a flat stomach is more than just exercising it is the proper combination of eating properly and doing the right exercise. In this article I will give you some tips on how to achieve the flatter tummy you always wanted.

Learn How to Avoid Eating Emotionally - Lose Weight Naturally

By: Bryan Burbank | 25/11/2009
Emotional Eating is at the crux of bad eating habits for too many of us. Our eating habits should not be based on feelings and emotions. Poor food decisions are being made all of the time because of our emotional state. In this article I will give you some tips for keeping your feelings and emotions in check when dealing with what you out in your mouth.

Learn How to Lose Weight Without Fasting Away Your Extra Pounds - Weight Loss Plan

By: Bryan Burbank | 25/11/2009
Losing weight is not always easy to do. You want to avoid fasting as a means of shedding extra pounds because it can only cause you to gain the weight back at some point. You also need to get the proper amount of nutrients in your body so that you can properly burn away the fat.

Acai Fruit Juice : Frequently Asked Questions

By: Mark Walters | 25/11/2009
Useful information and advice on acai fruit juice. Learn about why this superfood is so healthy and what benefits you can expect to see from regularly consuming it.

The Healthy Diet Recipes

By: Richelle Rily | 25/11/2009
Having a healthy body even beyond the objective of body building is a serious undertaking that demands significant investment in form of financial resources, time as well as passion. Just like in any other task, you will not make it in your body building endeavor if you overlook the importance of getting every step and aspect of it right.