Can Fast Food Really Be That Bad?

2 Real

Banned
I've been lifting weights for about a year now...gettin pretty swoll. I know that everyone says stay away from fast food while bodybuilding or just to stay healthy. I've been reading a bunch of nutrition facts on fastfood products, and it doesnt seem that bad. Im a busy guy and dont always have time to cook a meal, i dont eat out much either. The Angus burgers from mcdonalds, is made from real meat, has 700 calories...plenty of carbs, and 50 grams of protein...which sounds like a perfect bulking burger imo. Im a full time college student, and money isnt my best friend at the moment...so eating a 5 dollar meal at tacobell, is sometimes my best option..rather than spending 50 bucks at the grocery store. Anyway..lookin at sum of these nutrition facts, sum of this food doesnt seem all that bad. Any opinions/facts?

Ps. I've ran 2 anabolic cycles..both with fastfood included on some days, and i have made great gains from both.
 
I lived off of Tilapia, Tuna, Rice, Steamed Veggies, and Chicken Breasts while I was poor and broke in college. These are all healthy and very affordable choices (although canned mackerel is cheaper than tuna now lbs/lbs).

Fast foods tend to be high in sodium, fats, and preservatives.
 
Fast food is bad because sodium and trans fats.. Which will raise your fat storage and bad cholesterol levels.. The protein is protein and carbs are carbs however.
 
I will even disagree to an extent about the carbs just being carbs. There's likely going to be a lot of processed foods when eating via the drive through.
 
stxnas said:
I will even disagree to an extent about the carbs just being carbs. There's likely going to be a lot of processed foods when eating via the drive through.
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Ehhh, to my body, carbs are carbs.. Especially when you are on gear and a nutrient partitioner LMAO..
 
To some people it just won't matter as much. We're all genetically different. I've got a buddy who was a track star and could rock McDonalds as much as he wanted and still had the 6 pack. I always hated him for it, but it is what it is. We're all different and if it doesn't set you back, then more power to you.

But just remember that just because it's good on the surface doesn't mean it's the same underneath. As has already been pointed out, a lot of the problem is in the preparation - trans fats, more sodium and preservatives than necessary, etc. I'd recommend at the very least doing it in moderation.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Why not just eat Subway and Quizno's? That way you avoid most of the bad stuff that has already been mentioned.

You might want to think about taking Greens Plus or something like that if you are going to continue eating Burgers and such. It may seem like all the fast food is not bringing your body down now but most damage is done to the body well before symptoms appear.
 
Most people eat fast food because it is much cheaper than eating bulk amounts of healthy whole foods.. Bulking real clean and healthy is real expensive..
 
I make sure that i eat foods without trans fat. I eat regular chicken n steak...greens and fruits...but alot of times im at the drive thru (im at tacobell right now lol) It seems to be goin to the right places...thats with lifting heavy at the gym too ofcourse.
 
I dont for the life of me understand why if you are concerned about your body you would ever put that into it... Eating fast book and being healthy is loke putting soda in your car and expecting it to run correctly..
 
as far as macronutrients go, no, there are many fast food options that would be adequate and pretty good on paper. But how do you feel after you eat a few mcdoubles? They use tons of artificial sweeteners, flavors, and preservatives (like MSG) which have known excitotoxicity effects among many other adversive situations they can promote in your body. Also, what you eat when you are our age really does affect your health in the future. Plus, the way the foods are prepared and stored depletes many of the necessary phyto-and micronutrients in the products. Having said htat, when I was younger I ate fast food once in a while and it definitely helped me put on weight because at the time I was a hard gainer. I also notice when I stop eating fast food for a week or so, I really dont' crave it and I'm not as hungry as I usually am. This could be good or bad obviously depending on your goals.

I would say McDonald's/other burger joints would be the worst option, but you can get a **** ton of relatively healthy food at taco bell for cheap like chicken burritos, that new chicken flatbread sandwich, fresco tacos, etc.
 
Yes, and its a cheaper way to help keep up with my calories. If i ate 3-4 thousand calories from clean healthy food every day...i'd be broke all the time for sure...prolly wouldn't be possible at this moment.
 
Just sounds like excuses to me. Its almost always cheaper to prepare your own foods, even compared to fast food. I can get 1lb worth of burger for 2-3 bucks a pound. Add in a dollar pack of buns and you have the making of 3 of your angus burgers. Just because you're too lazy to go to the store and buy food and then prepare it, doesn't mean you need to seek out others' verification that fast food is ok for you. It is not. McDonald's food will not mold for an extended period of time. Anything that doesn't go bad in a reasonable amount of time isn't something you want in your body. Man up and make your own food.
 
It reminds me of a guy who took gear because he was "too busy to get in shape naturally".

Yes fast food is quick and easy, yes you can look at the macronutrient content and tell yourself it is ok. Look at the ingredients list from these places, some of the stuff they put in there is disgusting.

Getting in good shape is hard work, be prepared to put it in. Fast food isn't even a shortcut.
 
JCunningham said:
Most people eat fast food because it is much cheaper than eating bulk amounts of healthy whole foods.. Bulking real clean and healthy is real expensive..
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Well I want to live a long and healthy life so eating clean and healthy is worth the money.

I like the 90/10 rule. Eat 90% healthy 10% junk.

The soda in the car comparison is spot on!
 
I've been doing a mostly clean bulk to build some muscle, after years of dieting to maintain a 100 lb weight loss 5 years ago. Yesterday, for the first time in those 5 years, I had a whopper from BK. After I lost all that weight I avoided fast food like the plague. I've trained myself so well to avoid fast food and have so successfully connected fast food with negativity in my mind that my heart was racing as I ordered. It felt like I was doing something wrong, like buying drugs or shoplifting. It was trippy.

As was said, it's not necessarily about the macros or calories. It really has more to do with all the other crap. It's really like they go out of their way to add everything they can to create an exception to the calories in/calories out rule.

Even though my heart didn't explode, I'll still be avoiding it most of the time.
 
If your getting enough cardio in their its all just putting wood into the furnace. I stay relatively healthy and i eat fast food on average 2-3 times a week. Yes it is the sodium that is a problem though... as long as you flush out with plenty of water and aerobic activity(backed up with multi) i think your fine.
 
It is all very well looking at sodium and macronutrients but how long does it take to detoxify trans fats? :)
 
P.S., there is no safe level of trans fat.
 
wearedbleedblue said:
Just sounds like excuses to me. Its almost always cheaper to prepare your own foods, even compared to fast food. I can get 1lb worth of burger for 2-3 bucks a pound. Add in a dollar pack of buns and you have the making of 3 of your angus burgers. Just because you're too lazy to go to the store and buy food and then prepare it, doesn't mean you need to seek out others' verification that fast food is ok for you. It is not. McDonald's food will not mold for an extended period of time. Anything that doesn't go bad in a reasonable amount of time isn't something you want in your body. Man up and make your own food.
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x 2... lol.. you guys are funny. i make 95% of my food and it costs me LESS to buy whole foods and prepare it. Yeah its more work, yeah you gotta COOK, or at least throw some sh1t together and pack it up take it with you, but do you really think you're getting something worthwhile to your body if you're only spending a dollar to get full??

Why do people feel so full after just a couple double cheeseburgers from mickey ds? All that fat slowing down the breakdown of the protein and carbs.

and what kind of carbs are in most of these fast food items? Not complex carbs that's for sure.



bdcc said:
It reminds me of a guy who took gear because he was "too busy to get in shape naturally".

Yes fast food is quick and easy, yes you can look at the macronutrient content and tell yourself it is ok. Look at the ingredients list from these places, some of the stuff they put in there is disgusting.

Getting in good shape is hard work, be prepared to put it in. Fast food isn't even a shortcut.
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yeah... hmmm i want a whole bunch of preservatives like msg in my system lol... no that wont cause any health issues down the road lol...

ntornado said:
Well I want to live a long and healthy life so eating clean and healthy is worth the money.

I like the 90/10 rule. Eat 90% healthy 10% junk.

The soda in the car comparison is spot on!
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i see nothing wrong with indulging in something that TASTES good to you but isn't great for you. As long as it's in moderation. This thread reminds me of bodybuilding.com a whole bunch of ectomorphs telling eachother how many mcdoubles they can eat in a sitting and how they dirty bulk. dirty bulking for the most part is for IDIOTS who have no understanding of macronutrients and the benefits of eating whole food. that or just lazy lol

lightemup said:
If your getting enough cardio in their its all just putting wood into the furnace. I stay relatively healthy and i eat fast food on average 2-3 times a week. Yes it is the sodium that is a problem though... as long as you flush out with plenty of water and aerobic activity(backed up with multi) i think your fine.
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the bad cholesterol from the transfat is not really diminished by a couple hours of cardio per week. I mean maybe if you stay away from REALLY REALLY bad places i can see cardio keeping your cardiovascular system healthier, but not for someone eating deep fried food all the time. (not saying thats you but the way your posts comes off is that as long as you do cardio keep eating fast food)

I agree that the sodium plays a big part. What happens when your blood pressure skyrockets for a long period of time? Can anyone answer that one? lol
 
After waking up beside my computer in a bloody mess, the result of repeatedly bashing my face up against the wall beside me, I decided to post in this thread.

Some of the comments in this thread are, at best, entirely misinformed and misleading, and at worst, idiotic and dangerous. Some of the worst are below:

Carbs are carbs are carbs. This is completely untrue, both categorically and metabolically. Carbohydrates can generally be considered in two categories, depending upon the level of complexity and organization of sugars in them. These are the oft-mentioned "simple" and "complex" carbohydrates, comprised by mono- and disaccharides, on the one hand, and oligo- and polysaccharides, on the other.

The type of carbohydrate being consumed ultimately dictates the rate of metabolism, and therefore the rate of insulin receptor activation, GLUT4 translocation, triglyceride formation, glycogen storage, and so and so forth. Though each gram of sugar is equal in the amount of kilojoules it disperses, the metabolic effects of carbohydrates which are independent of their caloric value will be different. This leads into the next point.

It's all wood in the furnace. No, wrong again. While this point seems lost in this discussion, I will generalize and then repeat what I said above: foods can and do have metabolic and physiologic effects independent of their caloric value.

While each and every gram of protein contains 16.8 kilojoules per gram, not every amino acid which comprises that gram of protein can be used for fuel in the body. Similarly with carbohydrates. Each gram contains 15.8 kilojoules of energy, though not all carbohydrates are metabolized and used in the same way - with some being metabolized quickly and used immediately for ATP production in skeletal muscle, others being used for storage, while others still are used for the production of triglycerides.

Finally, a gram of trans fat and a gram of polyunsaturated fat both contain 37.8 kilojoules of energy, but again: the body is almost completely unable to utilize those 37.8 kJ in the case of trans fat - which necessarily means it's not, "all wood in the furnace."

Also, what frightens me about the original poster's position is that he is increasing his LDL and reducing his HDL through the use of anabolics and the consumption of excessive amounts of saturated and trans fatty acids. This shows a complete lack of appreciation for basic and fundamental tenets of proper nutrition and training.

Now, I must excuse myself for another round of bashing.
 
I eat fast food many times per week...but i also make trips to the grocery store. I go to the doctor once every 6 months for blood work, etc just to make sure everything is going well....he said im above average when it comes to health :). When i go to Mcdonalds...i dont eat fries...i just eat the grilled chicken plain with the wheat bread. Tonite, im eating steaks, and some greens fresh from walmart. 2morrow ill prolly order dominoes lol.
 
2 Real said:
I've been lifting weights for about a year now...gettin pretty swoll. I know that everyone says stay away from fast food while bodybuilding or just to stay healthy. I've been reading a bunch of nutrition facts on fastfood products, and it doesnt seem that bad. Im a busy guy and dont always have time to cook a meal, i dont eat out much either. The Angus burgers from mcdonalds, is made from real meat, has 700 calories...plenty of carbs, and 50 grams of protein...which sounds like a perfect bulking burger imo. Im a full time college student, and money isnt my best friend at the moment...so eating a 5 dollar meal at tacobell, is sometimes my best option..rather than spending 50 bucks at the grocery store. Anyway..lookin at sum of these nutrition facts, sum of this food doesnt seem all that bad. Any opinions/facts?

Ps. I've ran 2 anabolic cycles..both with fastfood included on some days, and i have made great gains from both.
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Despite what anyone may tell you, pros eat quite a bit of burgers from ff. The majority of the people that you see croaking are couch bunnies. Once you reach a certain age, that type of food should be avoided.

If you are a natural bber then I would say steer clear because it is going to be very hard to cut.

All in all, if you need a speedy meal with calories, a beef burger won't hurt, 3 a day is foolish.
 
team180 said:
I dont for the life of me understand why if you are concerned about your body you would ever put that into it... Eating fast book and being healthy is loke putting soda in your car and expecting it to run correctly..
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The same reason why people snort drugs, drink alcohol and have sex without condoms or pull out of the drive way without looking ... just because you try it a few times doesn't promise death and sickness.
 
hardknock said:
The same reason why people snort drugs, drink alcohol and have sex without condoms or pull out of the drive way without looking ... just because you try it a few times doesn't promise death and sickness.
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Never said it did but wake up, if you TRUELY care about yourself it should be avoided... But many dont know until its too late..
 
Bodybuilding as well as health dont mix with fast food.. If its a hbby its one thing but if its something that your passionate about it shouldnt be a question...
 
I passed thru mcdonalds for a powerade earlier, and there was a guy that odered 5 mcdoubles, n he looked like Ronnie Coleman!
 
Fast food once in a great while if short on time isn't going to kill you. But yes it really is that bad. Loaded with sodium, preservatives and trans fats. And yes the beef may be real but how sanitary of condition were the cows raised in? Were they given antibiotics or any other kinds of drugs?
 
broons said:
Fast food once in a great while if short on time isn't going to kill you. But yes it really is that bad. Loaded with sodium, preservatives and trans fats. And yes the beef may be real but how sanitary of condition were the cows raised in? Were they given antibiotics or any other kinds of drugs?
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I doubt mcdonalds cows are worse than the cows sold in krogers.
 
If you can handle the calories, then a little on the weekends wont hurt you. But like everyone else said, it just contains to much crap to be considered healthy. Whatch out for anything that makes you feel tired afterwards.
 
JCunningham said:
Most people eat fast food because it is much cheaper than eating bulk amounts of healthy whole foods.. Bulking real clean and healthy is real expensive..
Click to expand...

2 Real said:
Yes, and its a cheaper way to help keep up with my calories. If i ate 3-4 thousand calories from clean healthy food every day...i'd be broke all the time for sure...prolly wouldn't be possible at this moment.
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This is so terribly untrue. 2lb bags of brown rice are around $4 and chicken breast around $2/lb at walmart. Add walnuts or olive oil and you are talking about meals under $2 a piece that are healthy and have good macros. Maybe boring after a while but cheaper than fast food and healthier both.
 
the breads and buns at fast food joints are full of High-fructose corn syrup which is just baaadd
 
EasyEJL said:
This is so terribly untrue. 2lb bags of brown rice are around $4 and chicken breast around $2/lb at walmart. Add walnuts or olive oil and you are talking about meals under $2 a piece that are healthy and have good macros. Maybe boring after a while but cheaper than fast food and healthier both.
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Boring if you dont know how to spice food and different cooking methods. I actually taste more variety from cooking clean then I do from eating fast food.

We all know what a Big Mac tastes like, but when youre doing the cooking the flavor is all up to you.

Great post by the way Easy. Couldnt agree more.
 
SouthernCharm said:
Boring if you dont know how to spice food and different cooking methods. I actually taste more variety from cooking clean then I do from eating fast food.
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for laughs, this is my one spice drawer in the kitchen, of all the smaller containers. The bigger containers are in the cabinets on shelves

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thats what im talking about....

and females loooove a dude that can cook! one less thing they have to do and that pays off trust me fellas. Tell me if you get more lovin takin her to subway or makin a dish at home.. :)
 
all fast food makes me sick anymore..my body is used to eating clean for so long that even a bite and ill get sick..havent had fast food since 2006 or any alcohol...even subway makes me sick
 
Burker king's whopper juniors aren't that bad.

flame broiled, no trans fat, 270 cals.

i always order no mayo so it comes out to 9g Fat, 14g protein each.
 
Evaluating food based on calorie content and macronutrients alone is not looking at the bigger picture.

Here is a list of the ingredients reported in 2006 to be the flavouring in a strawberry milkshake.

Amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate, ethyl methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethylpropionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphrenyl-2-butanone (10% solution in alcohol), ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylace-tophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphtyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol, undecalactone, rum ether, rose, vanillin and solvent.

Not so worried about trans fats now lol :)
 
fast food is bad, if you care about your body, which i am sure 99.9% of people here do, than stay away from it........... its ok as a cheat meal once in awhile, but seriously its going to kill you! Trans fat has a half life of 31 days or something, im not sure exactly but its around that. The sodium, preservatives, and HFCS in these foods man, this **** is... ****in rediculous, ****in rediculous ;)

And i know some other people said this before but fast food costs more than making clean food at home... just cuz you have a 6 pack doesn't mean you are "healthy".
 
There are a few "fast food" places that aren't too bad. this is a local Tampa chain

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Yeah I agree with what everyone is basically saying, stay away from fast food even though it may be the easier route. The cons are going to outweigh the pros with it most of the time..
 
around me they started opening these "muscle maker grill" places. havent been yet but they got steaks, chicken, steamed veggies. lots of pasta dishes too as expected.
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What about fast food as a convenience when you're out? If I'm out with my friend and I only have like $12 in my pocket and he doesn't have much food at the house(which usually is the case), we'll go and get wendys.I don't drive or my friend but his gf does. I usually don't eat fast food and the only fast food chain I can stand is wendys. I do however eat pizza or a cheese steak from a local pizza and sub shop about once a week though. I'll usually have to bring food over with me when I go to my friends because I'm sensitive to mgs but can eat up to a certain amount of preservatives or msg without getting sick. I do fine with Wendys and that's where I usually have to go because my friend will usually just have oodles and noodles and I know I can't eat that. The worst place I have been that has made me sick is red lobster.
 
What I've learned as a dietetics major

If you ask any RD they will tell you that there is no appropriate time to eat fast food. Not once a week, not once a year, not ever. They are high in trans and saturated fats, sodium and preservatives. They do have 'real meat' and decent protein content, but they tell us that to distract us from what they don't tell you. Fast food is not nutrient dense. McDonald's may give you a Nutrition Facts panel, but they won't tell you what grade meat they use, or what the RDA's are for the stuff that goes into what they make. I would recommend staying away from it all together, but if you must, I recommend purchasing an 'Eat This! Not That!' on fast food. I have one, and it can at least tell you if you want a cheeseburger whether its better to get it from Burger King or McDonald's.
 
High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Chub said:
the breads and buns at fast food joints are full of High-fructose corn syrup which is just baaadd
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HFCS is not bad for you. It is sugar derived from corn. It is made by treating cornstarch with an enzyme, converting it into a syrup that is approx. 40% fructose and 50% glucose. It is used so frequently because it is naturally sweeter than sugar, therefore you have to produce less. Saves money in mass production. Ask any RD and they will tell you the same thing.
 
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