Eating Out: Fast Food

Yes, you know – you should avoid it as much as you can. Not only does fast food amount to Diet Armageddon; the food itself is made with poorest-quality ingredients – because they’re cheap. It’s rough, both for a girl who loves food AND for all of us in today’s economy. So slap on that Pink Patch and take a look at the basics of fast food diet-survival. Remember, the Pink Patch will make these rules even easier to follow.

You don’t have to follow all the rules, but try to follow at least 4 of them, and you’ll have saved yourself a lot of fat and calories without sacrificing your enjoyment. Also, make sure you read the original Eating Out Guide; it's got great tips for any dining establishment.

Read carefully and pick out the rules that apply to the establishment you’re going to, whether it’s a burger joint (McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Sonic, Jack in the Box, Dairy Queen), wings and other fried things (KFC, Popeye’s, Long John Silver’s), sandwich-craft (Subway, Arby’s, Dairy Queen, Jack in the Box), or Tex-Mex (Taco Bell, Del Taco).

1. Only drink water. There’s no excuse for sugary sodas or fattie shakes.

2. Get salad dressings on the side, and only use half the container. Dip your salad, this helps you control the amount of dressing you consume.

3. No cheese, please. Ditch the cheese and you ditch a whole lot of fat.

4. Discard the bun, taco shell, or bread, or only eat half. You’ve just cut about 200 calories (or 100, for half the bread)

5. Split potato sides and/or avoid carb sides. Load up on the veggies options (if you can). Remember, splitting ANYTHING is the way to go (plus it makes you look generous).

6. Choose condiments carefully. Swap mustard for mayo where you can, avoid meals with heavy sauces, slathered with mayo, or swimming in grease.

7. Avoid anything that’s been breaded. Ha ha ha, that’s a tall order in some of those places. But check out the menu carefully, there actually are a number of options that aren’t battered.

8. Go online and find their nutritional stats. You’ll be surprised at how safe some of the foods can be.