Fast Food at the Office

Okay, it is no secret that Americans are overweight - and a lot of those overweight are obese, or just plain FAT (let's not sugarcoat the truth). Sure, we are all busy, and sure, we all might feel the need to "eat on the go" - but there are better ways than stopping at that fast food joint out of "convenience" because let's face it, the after effects are anything but convenient for your body!

First, let me look at the inconvenience many feel when sitting in an office all day. I was there, it was much more convenient for me to hop in my car (I have to get away from the office anyway, right?) and head to the local fast food joint for some grease on a bun! And it was GOOD ... a quick, easy, hot meal for lunch ... mmmm!!! But what I was doing, was killing myself! And if you find yourself in this cycle, chances are, you are killing yourself too.

Here are some basic facts (assuming you order as presented on the menu - i.e. if the item typically comes with mayo or cheese, I reflect those ingredients here):

McDonald's:
Big Mac - 540 calories - 29 g fat - and 10 g saturated fat
Quarter Pounder with Cheese - 510 Calories - 26 g fat - and 12 g saturated fat
Large French Fries - 500 calories - 25 g fat - and 3.5 g saturated fat
Want to be healthy at McDonald's? Sure, get the salad:
Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken (remember, you read "grilled," and it should be an indicator of "the better choice" - at least when it comes to fried vs. grilled chicken) with Newman's Own Ranch Dressing - 490 calories - 24 g fat - and 5.5 g saturated fat

The only consolation is if you eat the salad, you may not order a French Fry as well. But don't fool yourself, add a large coke to your meal and you instantly add 310 "empty" calories to your lunch.
Have the Big Mac combo? That's 1,350 calories only for lunch - now be honest, did you sneak that donut at the office for breakfast? That's easily another 200-400 calories - or already 1,500-1,700 calories for the day before you have even had dinner!

Burger King:
Whopper (this is the single patty version without cheese - since it does not come on the menu as a "with cheese" item without paying extra) - 680 calories - 40 g fat - 11 g saturated fat
Original Chicken Sandwich - 630 calories - 39 g fat - 7 g saturated fat
Large French Fries - 580 calories - 28 g fat - 6 g saturated fat
Want to be healthy at Burger King? How about the salad:
Tendergrill Chicken Garden Salad with Ken's Ranch Dressing - 410 calories - 27 g fat - and 6.5 g saturated fat

410 calories wouldn't be the worst lunch, but the fat content will destroy you - let alone, again, if you purchase a drink with your meal ... "empty" calories will kill any weight loss program.

The worst Burger King offender? The Triple Whopper Sandwich with Cheese ... and talk about a WHOOPER - 1250 calories - 84 g fat - and 32 g saturated fat ... OUCH!!!!

Wendy's:
I have long thought Wendy's to be the "best" of the burger fast food joints ... so let's look at the numbers and see if that is a myth of my own mind, or if it truly exists as such:
Double Stack - 360 Calories - 18 g fat - and 8 g saturated fat
Jr. Bacon Cheese Burger - 310 calories - 16 g fat - 6 g saturated fat
Medium French Fries - 430 calories - 20 g fat - 3 g saturated fat
For a healthier side - try the Sour Cream and Chives Baked Potato - 320 calories - 4 g fat - and 2 g saturated fat
Want even healthier side option - opt for their small chili - 190 calories - 6 g fat - and 2.5 g saturated fat

I would calculate the Wendy's salad, but from their website they do not include nutrition information on the salad dressing - and we all know that is likely where you will hit the calorie and fat content of any salad.
And again, when eating at Wendy's, don't forget, you will want that "medium" soda (for Wendy's their medium sizes are the same as "large" for other fast food places, hence the "medium fries" as a basis for comparison).

But for a healthy fast food option - try the Jr. Bacon Cheese Burger combo with chili and water - that's only 500 calories - 22 g fat - and 8.5 g saturated fat. Not the best you can do, but you can certainly do much, much worse for lunch.

Okay, so what does this all mean, and what are your choices? First and foremost, this means you should be limiting your fast food intake most of the time (every once in a great while won't kill you, but did you really want all that fat clogging your arteries anyway?). So what do you do? How do you get away from your desk during the day? And most importantly, how do you EAT while at work?

Let me start with the food first. It's really easy - buy some Tupperware (it doesn't have to be at a cheesy "Tupperware party" - unless you like that kind of thing - just go to Target or Wal-Mart) and make yourself some more healthy choices the night before work. Might I suggest tuna? Skip the mayo, or go very light on it, buy some whole wheat bread and you have a sandwich for under 200 calories (I personally skip the mayo altogether, but add sugar free relish for flavoring) with less than 3 g of fat while packing 15 g of protein. Need a side? Might I suggest some fresh spinach and low fat zesty Italian dressing? Sure, you might get a punch of sodium in the dressing, but keep your dressing to one serving, and you'll be fine. My side salads come in at 30 calories and ZERO fat - compare that to the fast food joints!!! Are you still hungry? How about some celery or carrots to complete your meal? A full serving of carrots are less than 40 calories, and celery is less than 10 ... don't like them plain? Add small amounts of peanut butter to your celery, and a very small amount of ranch dressing for your carrots. If that still isn't for you, then switch to nuts, they might be "high in fat" but it's natural fat, and much healthier for your body and easier for it to break down.

Now, what about escaping the stress of the office? Well, this is plainly obvious, take as stroll. Instead of a car ride to a fast food joint where you are going to pack on more than a half a days worth of calories (and for some people a full days worth) - simply go for a walk. It's healthy, it gets your blood flowing and you'll feel better and more revived when you return to your desk in the afternoon - unlike fast food - where I'm sure you feel sluggish afterwards - the walk and extra blood flow will keep you ticking through that 4 o'clock meeting! Still hungry? Reach for some raisins or a banana for a kick start at 3 or 4 to make sure you are ready for the drive home.

Remember, it's all about what you put into your body what your final output is going to be. If you feed your body junk, you are going to get junk in return - and in this case, the junk you'll be storing is that extra fat - and fat leads to numerous health problems that you should want to avoid at all costs.

So start eating better and getting more activity worked into your day, and I guarantee you, you will start looking and feeling better.