Guide to eating out, without it affecting your waist line.

 

 

How to eat fast food without feeling guilty.

When I first began my journey to a healthy lifestyle, eating out gave me total anxiety. I would get so worked up anytime I made plans to eat out, and worry that the choices I made would undo all the progress that I had worked so hard for. Living like this is not a realistic way to live, I know that now. Well I have good news, eating out doesn’t have to be an overwhelming event, I’m going to give you a guide to eating out without it affecting the hard work you have been putting in. Eating out is inevitable, especially if you’re like me a mom, and I’m constantly on the go. Sometimes it’s hard to plan to be at home for lunch, or you planned to have a protein bar, but forgot it, between trying to get your kid in the car without forgetting your wallet or sanity, this is life. With this guide hopefully you will feel more comfortable deciding what to have when you are eating out.

Calorie Counting

In the beginning, calorie counting was super important to me because losing weight is mathematical, (calories in – calories burned = weight loss or weight gain). I got in the habit of planning what I would eat beforehand,  just to make sure that the choices I made would not put me over my calorie intake for the day. I still use the Livestrong app for tracking  to see if I need to make adjustments to my diet from time to time, though I’m not as much of a stickler on tracking as I used to be. Sometimes I may go a couple of days without tracking or I will track everything I ate the day before in bed at night, or the next morning at the gym while on the treadmill. Counting calories really helps to understand correct portion sizes. Most of the time I can tell you how many calories are in what you’re eating, because I have tracked for so long. Which is ultimately what you want to be able to do, determine what is a healthy portion size without having to write down everything you do.

I don’t want salad everyday, do you?

I have taught myself how to eat out, because honestly I don’t want to eat salad every day, to me this is not a realistic way to live. I love salads, don’t get me wrong but everyone needs to feel comfortable to indulge in what they really want to eat without going too far. Some days I really want that burger or I have been dreaming of Chick-fil-a all week, so I have it, and I don’t feel bad about it, because I have learned the perfect balance for me to have what I want without going so far that it will have a negative effect on my diet. If you are in one of those moods and have to have fries and nothing else is going to satisfy that craving, that’s fine have those fries, but always go for the kid’s meal. I order kid’s meals all the time, the portion size is perfect, it fills me up, and I can stay within my calorie range for the day. The trick with eating out is don’t drink the soda, I always stick to water or flavored water, because I don’t want to drink my calories.

 

Whataburger

So I’m from Texas, and I feel like it would not be doing Texas justice if I didn’t start this out with, you guessed it… Whataburger. I literally could drink Whataburger ketchup, that may be disgusting to some, but seriously it’s so good! Why does it taste so different from store-bought? I’m thinking I should email them and ask what they add to it to make it so dang awesome! Whataburger is known for their big juicy burgers, so I assume that’s what most people would go for when eating there. What if I told you with my trick you can eat a burger with bacon and cheese for under 500 calories. That’s right the Whataburger Jr. with Bacon & Cheese comes in at a grand total of 400 calories, though I take it a step further, and I don’t eat the bottom bun. My other go to option is the Justaburger kid’s meal, when I must have those beloved Whataburger fries. I have the burger (how it comes without cheese) and fries, of course if you add cheese that’s going to make your calorie count go up. Also be mindful when dipping or adding that beloved ketchup to your food because 1 Whataburger ketchup comes in at 20 calories per packet.  I have figured out how to stretch that one packet though. 😉 

Whataburger Jr with Bacon & Cheese with the top bun is only 350 calories, yes with bacon!

Justaburger Kid’s Meal for 330 calories.

    

Chick-fil-a

Chick-fil-a is without a doubt Blake, Brody, and I’s favorite fast food place, the chicken is seriously the best and I always do exactly as I’m told, “Eat Mor Chikin”. 😉 Okay so, is it only me, or is the line wrapped around the building and down the street every time you go too? That being said, the line may be long, but it always moves fast, and Chick-fil-a has the best customer service out of any place I’ve ever eaten. Kudos Chick-fil-a, you’re teaching them right! Though Chick-fil-a has many combinations to stay under 500 calories, I have two go to options: the 3 count strips when I just want protein, and the 4 count nugget with a small fry, when I’m craving fries!

The 3 count strips are 350 calories of deliciousness!

The 4 count nuggets and small waffle fries total 410 calories.

In-n-Out

I remember when the first In-N-Out Burger opened in North Texas, there was a craze around it, and everyone flocked to try the burger the West Coast is so famous for. There is a lot of controversy surrounding In-N-Out Burger, especially for our die-hard Whataburger lovers (cough, my mom, cough), about who has the better burger. I personally like In-N-Out, but don’t think the two are really comparable, because to me they are completely different to me. I even have my own homemade version of their famous spread, but I’ll save that recipe for another day. Alright back on track, when I eat at In-N-Out, I get a Cheeseburger (how it comes spread, onion, lettuce, and tomato), but just like at Whataburger I remove the bottom bun. In-N-Out also has the option to have your burger Protein style (no bun), it’s wrapped in lettuce, I have tried it that way, but I think their burger is too messy to eat it like this, especially if you’re in the car and in a hurry.

Cheeseburger without the bottom bun comes in at 405 calories.

Cheeseburger Protein Style is 330 calories.

       

McDonald’s

Since I’m a mom and they have kids sold that they have the best food in town, Brody always asks for McDonald’s or Chick-fil-a, 9 times out of 10 it’s Chick-fil-a, but occasionally I give in, if there’s not a Chick-fil-a within a reasonable distance, I do what all moms do give in and eat McDonald’s, this does happen to y’all too, right? So now we are at McDonald’s and we are trying to decide between the 5 million things on the menu. I have a few go to staples depending on what I’m in the mood for, the first one may surprise you, but it’s the grand daddy of burgers, the Big Mac, yes, this is still an article about guilt free eating at fast food places! Let me explain, I order the Big Mac with no middle bun, and then I remove the bottom bun after I get it, so I’m only consuming a third of the calories from the bun. My second option is a McDouble*, and like always, I use my same rule as I do with all burgers, I only eat half of the bun. My final option is a Nugget Kid’s Meal (I eat the 4 count nuggets and fries only).

The Big Mac with one bun is 400 calories.

The McDouble with one bun is 310 calories.

  

4 count nuggets and kid’s fries are 290 calories.

Note*
By the way, Brody is watching me as I write this, now he’s insisting I have lunch with him at school and McDonald’s tomorrow, ugh! I’m down for the lunch date with my little man, McDonald’s, not so much! Oh the things we do for our littles! 😊

 

Taco Casa

Again this is a Texas staple, as far as I know Taco Casa is only available to us Texans which is a shame because of all the fast food taco joints, this is the hands down best one! I love Taco Casa’s Super Burrito, but it has a whopping 550 calories if you eat the whole thing: 1. Holy smokes 550 calories 2. if I eat the whole thing I feel sick anyway, so I usually will only eat ¾ of it and this cuts the calories to keep me under 500 calories. When I’m craving tacos, 1 taco usually doesn’t keep me full until dinner so I have two tacos, because I try to keep snacking to a must have basis on days I eat out. The best option at Taco Casa is the Tostada it comes in under 300 calories and for some reason it keeps me full even though it has the least amount of calories, maybe it’s a mind trick because it looks so big, haha!

¾ of a Super Burrito comes in at 412 calories.

Two tacos come in at 420 calories.

The Tostada is only 250 calories.

I truly hope this guide helps you feel more comfortable when eating out.

These are just a few options when you are on the go, in a hurry, or just aren’t sure on what to eat. I hope this guide helps you feel a little more confident about making better decisions when you are eating out. On days when I plan to eat out or life happens and I have to divert from my original plan, I try to makeup for it by eating lighter on my other two meals to counter balance eating out. At the end of the day I believe everything in moderation, I do have that cupcake occasionally, but when I do I run my butt off for it.

If you have a place that you love that I didn’t cover and you would like some options for, drop a comment below, use my contact form to message me privately, reach out to me on Facebook, or Instagram and I will try to come up with some ideas for you.

The Math

This is how I came up with the calculations that you see above.

Whataburger:
Whatburger Jr with Bacon & Cheese: I deduct 50 calories for the bun, because a standard bun is 150 calories for both halves or 75 calories each and I would rather track my calories on the hight side rather than on the low side.
Justaburger Kid’s Meal: The kid’s meal calories total 520 calories for burgers, fries, and a 16oz coke. (Calories in a 16oz Coca Cola would be 187), I round-up to 190 and subtract that from 520 to get 330 calories.

Chick-fil-a
Nugget Kid’s Meal: 4 count nuggets are 130 calories and small waffle fries are 280 that comes to a total of 410 calories.

In-N-Out
Cheeseburger: I deducted the regular Cheeseburger 480 calories from the Cheeseburger Protein Style (no bun) 330 calories which is 150 calories for the bun, since I eat half of the bun I add 330 (the calories of the Cheeseburger Protein Style) plus 75 calories for half of the bun to come up with 405 calories.

McDonald’s
Big Mac: The burger is 540 calories, the bun comes in at 210 calories, or 70 calories each since the burger comes with a 3 tiered bun. 540 Big Mac – 210 buns = 330 calories + 70 calories for a third of the bun equals 400 calories.
McDouble: The burger is 380 calories the bun is 140 calories, so 380 burger – 140 bun equals 240 calories without bun, since we are eating one bun we add 70 calories half the bun + 240 calories  burger a total of 310 calories. *The difference between a McDouble and a Double Cheeseburger is the McDouble only has one piece of cheese, in case you didn’t know.
Nugget Kid’s Meal: The 4 piece nuggets are 180 calories + the kid’s fries 110 calories for a total of 290 calories.

Taco Casa
Super Burrito: The Super Burrito has 550 calories to find out the calories on ¾ you multiply 550 * .75 for a total of 412 calories.
Tacos: 1 taco is 210 calories 210 multiplied by 2 is 420 calories.

Disclaimer:

These are not exact measurements, I guesstimated amounts based on the nutrition facts provided.

 

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until next time…