Individuals who eat fast food tend to have higher weights, so you may be wondering whether limiting your intake to once a week can help you lose weight. Losing weight requires reducing your calorie intake, and cutting back on fast food may be a good way to start. The occasional fast food meal can probably fit into your weight loss diet as long as you make informed choices and the rest of your meal plan includes a variety of healthy foods.
Cutting Calories
Eating fast food only once a week instead of multiple times per week can help you lose weight if your regular fast food meals are high in calories. A meal with a large hamburger, French fries, soft drink and cookie can easily be over 1,000 calories. As an example, if you normally have this kind of meal five times per week but you limit it to once a week, with small, 300-calorie meals on the other four days, you will save 2,800 calories per week.
Good Choices
Make your weekly fast food meal low in calories. Choose vegetable or fruit salads without high-calorie dressings or toppings, small burgers, grilled chicken instead of fried and items without mayonnaise or butter. If your meal is high in dietary fiber, such as from fruits and vegetables, and protein, such as from yogurt and lean meats, you may feel less hungry for your next meal than if your fast food meal is low in these nutrients and high in sugar.
Indulgence
Eat fast food as a weekly indulgence to help you stick to your diet. Choose an item or two that you are craving, and savor your meal. You can limit your calories while eating your favorites by ordering small or child-sized portions of most menu items. The knowledge that you can have a fast food treat at the end of the week, but only if you stay on your meal plan during the week, may be enough to motivate you to eat according to plan.
Cautions
Even if you reduce your intake of fast food, you can still get junk food from other sources, such as vending machines and convenience stores. You can even get too many calories when you prepare your own meals and snacks from foods that you purchase at the supermarket. Regardless of what you eat, limiting your portion sizes will limit your calorie intake and help you control your weight.
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