Appetizer
Eat LESS burgers. While everyone is entitled to a burger every now and then, especially if you use lean ground turkey instead of hamburger, it’s usually better to stick with a deli sandwich. If you head to McDonalds for a cheeseburger you will consume between 260 calories (plain hamburger) to 560 calories (Big Mac). At Burger King, you’ll be in for something from 290 calories for a hamburger to a whopping 760 calories for a Whopper with cheese.
Now, let’s switch gears. At Subway, you can get a 6″ turkey sub for a mere 280 calories, or go ahead and splurge on a 6″ cheese steak for just 360 calories. You’ll find similar options at other sub shops like Quiznos which offers a small Turkey Lite or Honey Bourbon Chicken sub for 334 and 359 calories, respectively.
As you can see, unless you’re planning to get a plain hamburger (no cheese, no fries, no pop) at a burger joint, you’ll be much better off stopping at a deli for some fresh ingredients.
Main Course
While deli sandwiches are usually the smarter choice, they are not all created equal. You have to be careful not to make a Super Sandwich full of junk because you’ll quickly get to the point where you might as well have had a Whopper. Here are some tips:
* Ask for a whole grain bread, pita, or wrap for extra fiber.
* Choose a lean protein source such as chicken, turkey, or lean roast beef. If tuna salad is an option, ask whether it is prepared with low-fat or fat-free mayo; if not, skip it.
* Cheese adds calcium and protein, but also saturated fat. Have just one slice. As a rule of thumb, a white cheese (like mozzarella) will be lower in calories than a yellow cheese (like cheddar).
* Load up on veggies—lettuce, tomato, onions, peppers, cucumbers, etc. You’ll get a more filling sandwich without adding a lot of extra calories.
* Hold the mayo and choose mustard or vinegar instead.
* If possible, choose fruit or salad as a side instead of chips. Otherwise, choose pretzels, which are lower in fat and calories than chips.
Source: DietWatch Newsletter
Dessert
I like burgers – a lot. They taste good with lots of cheese and hot french fries, and I look forward to the smell of grilled burgers on a hot summer day (Hello 4th of July!). I try to act like I’m above eating at fast food restaurants because I’m known by all as a health nut, but the truth of the matter is that I really like all of those places. And when I think of fast food, I’m not thinking about a plain hamburger and small fry. Nope, not at all. I like Whoppers with cheese (hold the onion), Big Classics w/Biggie Fries, and even the soggy little fake fish squares from McDonalds. I wish I didn’t like that junk, but I do.
The thing is that LIKING this stuff is not the problem. You can’t really help what you like. It’s eating all of it that creates the problem. So I do all that I can to avoid eating at these places at all costs because if I pull up in the drive thru, it will be very difficult…not impossible, mind you…but very hard to order a little ol’ salad with 3 pieces of cold chicken instead of a burger. When I’m forced to eat at one of these places because of the company I keep or pure highway availability, I always keep in mind that my goal in life is to be fit & healthy, and the temporary satisfaction that I get from that greasy burger is going to do more harm than it’s worth.
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