Frequently Asked Questions
By Althea Zanecosky, MS, RD, LDN
Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association
August 2008
Q: I recently heard of a man who lost a lot of weight by eating nearly every meal at McDonald's. Is it really possible to lose weight and make healthy choices from fast-food menus?
A: Yes, Chris Coleson, a 42-year-old man from Virginia, shed about 80 pounds eating nothing but McDonald's! Chris says he chose the chain because it was convenient, and over the course of about six months, he reduced his waist size from 50 inches to 36 inches.
Reportedly, Chris tipped the scales at 278 pounds in December 2007 but now weighs 199.
In theory, “fast-food” has been around for ages. In early Roman times, vendors sold ready-to-eat food from street stalls. Two thousand years later, food eaten away from home accounts for almost half of Americans' calories. In general, studies show that eating out leads to weight gain. Researchers at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill recently followed more than 3,000 adults for 10 years and found that body mass index (BMI) increased with each additional fast-food meal per week (those who ate four fast-food meals per week weighed more than those who ate three, etc.).
It is possible to lose weight and make relatively healthful choices from most fast-food menus. Here are some guidelines to make smart choices and maintain your healthy diet goals when eating out:
Look before you leap. Most restaurants post nutritional information about their food offerings on their Web sites, so check them out. Decide what you can and should order before you arrive – it will make it easier to avoid the less nutritious, higher-calorie options.
Salads tend to be among the healthiest options, but be careful with dressings. Look at the nutrition information on the dressing packet before you squirt it on your salad. To control the amount of dressing you consume, try squeezing the dressing on the side and dipping just your fork into the dressing before each bite.
Healthy isn’t just about calories, it’s also about nutrition. Order lowfat milk to add extra protein and calcium to your meal. Enjoy lowfat yogurt, lowfat granola, strawberries and blueberries in McDonald’s Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait. With 280 calories and only four grams of fat (just two of them saturated), you get eight grams of protein, 25 percent of a day's calcium, 40 percent of a day's vitamin C, and 6 percent of a day's iron.
Try to avoid anything that has been deep-fried in oil. If you must have French fries and chicken nuggets, choose the smallest size available.
Undress your food. Sometimes making your choice healthier is as simple as removing the condiments. When choosing, be aware of highly caloric additions like extra sauces and loads of toppings. Skip the oil and mayonnaise and use ketchup and mustard – they add a lot of flavor without a lot of calories. Ask for extra vegetables like tomatoes and lettuce for more flavor.
Eat reasonable portions. Do not supersize or upsize anything. If you do, you'll eat far more than one serving.
Make a conscious effort to slow down when you eat. Fast-food restaurants tend to be loud places where everyone is in a hurry, factors that can lead to eating too fast.
For those who will have all their fast-food at McDonald’s (like Chris Coleson), check out these suggestions from McDonald’s with corresponding levels of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.
M Nelson, P Gordon-Larsen, K North et al. Body Mass Index Gain, Fast Food, and Physical Activity: Effects of Shared Environments over Time. Obes Res; 14:701-709 (April 2006).Do you have a dairy-related question for “Ask the Dietitian?”
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