Life is fast and we all experience situations where ‘fast food’ is the only choice when you are in a hurry or in certain locations, here are some tips when fast food is unavoidable.

Although fast food places are starting to offer more healthy options these days, keep in mind that in general they don’t have your health in mind.

If you’re in a situation where you MUST eat at a fast food restaurant, here are a few tips to keep in mind so you don’t undo all the progress you are making at bootcamp!

Keep the calories down

• If you’re ordering a burger which is roughly 800 calories, then there is no need to go the full monty and order fries and a sugary soda … even if they’re tempting you to upgrade to a meal deal for minimal additional cost!
• If you order a burger, you could only eat one side of the bun. This will reduce your carb intake and keep the calories down. These types of carbs are not very nutritional anyway.
• Go for small rather than extra large. Keep your meal small which will fill you up until you can have a proper meal. 

Avoid the liquid calories

Again, even if you are ordering a ‘meal’, try and avoid all the liquid calories and order a bottle of water instead. Sugary drinks don’t fill you up and these empty calories will just promote your fat storage.

Protein overboard

• We all know that protein is great and a good source of energy but don’t eat the whole cow! Keep the portions small but just enough to give you enough energy until you can have a healthier meal.
• Also remember that the protein sources from fast food restaurants tend to be deep fried and so are laden with saturated fat.
• Try and avoid burgers and opt for grilled chicken if this is available.

Be aware of toppings

Be aware of topping burgers with cheese, bacon, sauces etc. This will only add more saturated fat to your meal and bump up the calories.

Last but not least, always aim to have some healthy snacks with you. Carry some apples, nuts or even a low carb protein bar when you’re on the go.  Some fast food restaurants sell fruit and healthier snacks.

Life is about balance and it isn’t easy to keep a clean diet all the time. If you get trapped and have an unhealthy fast food meal, make up for it with a fat burning activity or come and join one of our Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs bootcamp sessions.