Is it possible to eat healthy fast food? The busier we get the more it seems there just isn’t enough time in the day.  How many times have you gotten to the end of the day and thought, “what’s for dinner?”  It’s in that moment we choose between grabbing something fast, or making something at home. More and more grabbing something fast is winning out.

If you have to choose fast food you can still make some choices to make healthy fast food choices.  Here are some tips to help you make healthy choices when eating at fast food restaurants.

Watch Your Portion Sizes

In this super sized world you can still find healthy portions. Remember a healthy hamburger portion is that of a regular child size hamburger. You know there’s nothing wrong with grown ups eating a happy meal. If you choose apples and milk you have a perfect portion sized and somewhat healthy meal.

Watch the Salt

Fast food is always made heavy with salt.  Don’t make it worse by adding more at the table.

Choose Carefully

Choose grilled foods over fried, mustard over mayo. Leave off extra fattening sauces. Even when ordering salads you need to be careful, and aware of the dressing and toppings on your salad. You can end up with a higher calorie meal with a salad than with a burger if you’re not careful.

Do Your Homework

If you know you are going to be eating at a fast food restaurant do some homework. Check out their websites. You can find all the nutritional information available for all the choices online. Look up your favorites and see if they are within the calories and fat levels you should be eating. If they aren’t look through and find something that is.  Armed with a healthy decision you can order a good choice when you get there, instead of ordering on impulse because you are hungry.

Don’t Be Afraid to Special Order

You can always ask for sauces to be left off or substituted for something else. You can also at certain places ask for grilled meat instead of fried. Don’t be afraid to ask for healthier options.

Avoid the Buffet

Even the salad bar.  The buffet is an invitation to overeat, even if it is salad, you can end up eating more calories than you expected or wanted. There is something about “all you can eat” that makes you feel like you should eat ALL you can eat. It’s something about “getting your money’s worth”. If you must eat at the buffet, take small portions, and stick to grilled or steamed items.  Once you have finished your first plate resist the temptation to go back for more. If you feel like you want more food, wait at least 15 minutes and see if you are still hungry.

Eat Mindfully

This means simply enjoy your food. Think about eating as you eat. Be aware of what you are eating, and how you feel while you are eating it. Stop eating when you are satisfied, instead of mindlessly finishing all of your food and feeling stuffed.

If you must eat on the run there are ways to eat healthy fast food. Armed with these tips you can make better choices and choose healthier options for fast food.

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There are seven reasons why many people—maybe even you—fail to lose weight no matter how hard they try. Fortunately there are seven fixes that can help. Try them today.

Reason 1: You’re thinking short term.
Secret Fix 1: Think long term.

Many people see weight loss as being “for the wedding,” “for summer in my bikini” or “for my high school reunion.”

But weight loss is for keeps, so train yourself in habits that last a lifetime.

When you figure the changes you’re making are for the long term, you’ll make better, more realistic, decisions. Like not banishing everything sweet from your tastebuds.

Perhaps you’ll decide to emphasize fruits, have an occasional fat free fro yo, or choose a single indulgent chocolate once a month as a manageable, hedonistic treat.

Reason 2: You aren’t educated about food choices or have forgotten over time.
Secret Fix 2: Educate yourself on what you’re eating—especially if you think you know.

Most of us don’t have the facts on foods. Calories, fat content, portion sizes. And those who have been on many diets begin to merge them together. That could actually cause weight gain.

Example: If you ignore calories and use the Atkins diet strictly, that may work, at least in the induction phase. But if you eat the high calorie proteins and fats Atkins allows and also snack on carbs, you’ll gain weight.

Get clear on the path you’re following and keep a log until you’re absolutely sure you don’t need one.

Then every few months, spend a week weighing and measuring your food again and writing it down to remind yourself of proper portion size. It’s a rare person who doesn’t stray once he or she gets too comfortable.

Reason 3: You’re fibbing to yourself about the exercise you’re getting.
Secret Fix 3: Be honest about how much you’re moving your body—and to what result.

The flip side of eating (energy intake) is using the energy by moving your body (energy output).

Most of us don’t know the facts on physical activity and exercise. For instance: how many minutes of moderate walking does it take to burn off the calories of a small, simple burger?

We overestimate physical exertion and underestimate portion size.

The fix is to get the info, write it down, and commit it to memory. Make simple calculations between the energy you’re taking in as food and what you’re using up by moving.

Reason 4: You get discouraged and quit because someone else is losing faster.
Secret Fix 4: Avoid comparisons with friends and celebs—and yourself at age eleven!

Make decisions based on the Here and Now. “Slow and steady wins the race” when it comes to changing your body. What works with Hollywood salaries and on staff trainers and dieticians may not work for you.

Frankly, it may not work for them, either, on a permanent basis. Think of the actors who you see losing and gaining back weight constantly. That isn’t what you want, is it?

Reason 5: You reward successes with food—and it’s not celery sticks.
Secret Fix 5: Reward yourself with something appealing other than food.

A new novel, scarf, or game are better rewards. They last longer and are constant reminders of your ongoing success and new way of thinking.

Reason 6: You tempt yourself relentlessly, and then punish yourself for giving in.
Secret Fix 6: Tempt yourself with lower calorie foods made attractive and delicious.

The added bonus in this method is that you gradually change your tastes. My food choices are now more savory (so they don’t lead me into a pattern of snacking on sweets), more dense and, therefore, more filling.

My weight stays down, I have extra energy for exercise, and remaining at goal weight is easy. Ask yourself what specific foods cause you to overeat, and stay away from them except in limited, controlled portions.

Example: If you only buy one chocolate, that’s all you have and all you can eat.

Reason 7: Jealous friends disrupt your progress.
Secret Fix 7: Don’t boast of successes or insult those who aren’t weight watching.

Avoid sabotage by not inviting jealousy and betrayal. (And if they’re just meanies, why would you want them around?) Enjoy the changes in your body and discuss them only with dedicated co dieters and your true cheerleaders.

Don’t tell people they need to lose weight. They know it and will resent your confirmation. Instead, pay attention to your own progress or that of others who have asked you to join them in the mutual goal of fitness and health.

Groups like Weight Watchers are a great place to find support. Still, make certain those you choose to bond with are succeeding and want you to succeed too.

Above all, enjoy the process, the new learnings, and your ongoing success! ©2008 by Wendy Lapidus Saltz. All rights reserved.

Author Resource:-> Wendy Lapidus-Saltz is a Chicago consulting hypnotist who helps people lose weight that stays lost. She works in person and by phone, and only with those dedicated to their own success. See her websites http://www.nonsmoker4life.com and http://www.hypno-attraction.com . Or reach her at ILAPSAL@aol.com or 312-640-1584.

Article From www.ItWasSoEasy.com/

Source: Programs