The Fit Man’s Guide to Surviving Fast Food
Here are 21 ways to dine out without blowing up your waistline
You can be fit, healthy, and enjoy meals out—as long you follow these guidelines. They’ll help you understand how restaurants trick you into choosing high-calorie, high-profit junk—and then help you order smarter.
Keep reading to find out how to navigate the drive-thru, sit-down restaurant, and buffet, and beat burger bloat forever.
(Slay your spare tire for good with THE 21-DAY METASHRED. One guy lost 25 pounds in 6 weeks!)
Outsmart the Drive-Thru
You spend just four minutes or so in the drive-thru queue, on average—and most of that time you’re waiting for your order, according to a 2015 report in QSR magazine.
This isn’t because fast-food chains are concerned about your time: They do this intentionally to fatten their bottom line (and as a result, your waistline).
“When people are rushed, they tend to focus on taste first and health considerations later,” says Ian Krajbich, Ph.D., a professor of psychology and economics at Ohio State University.
You guessed it: Some of the best-tasting fast food is cheap to make, quick to prepare and serve, and nutritionally empty.
Bypass the Presell
You may see ads appearing before the order box to promote special offers, Allen says. Few drive-thru visitors buy these items, but the ads kickstart the stress of ordering. This makes you focus on the tastiest—not the healthiest—choices.
Related: Why Crash Diets Don’t Work
Tune Out the Noise
Some joints have drive-over sensors that trigger automated messages. The audio can make you feel rushed, says Allen.
Just keep your car window rolled up until you reach the intercom.
Take a Timeout
The intercom usually appears before the menu to put you on the spot, says Allen. When the employee asks for your order, reply, “Just a minute, please.” Then decode the menu.
Related: How to Make the Best Wings You Won’t Find at Any Sports Bar
Ignore the Photos
Consult the Count
Places that list calories tend to have lower calorie counts overall, a 2015 study in Health Affairs found. If you see calorie stats posted, healthy items are probably on the menu.
Related: 13 Exercises That Are Better Than Burpees For Fat Loss
Corner the Market
Sidestep the Side
Survive the Sit-Down Restaurant
Sit-down restaurants aren’t always healthier than fast-food joints.
In fact, when Toronto researchers calculated the total calories for meal options at sit-down spots, they found that the average breakfast contained 1,126 calories, lunch came to 1,025 calories, and dinner had 1,153 calories.
Keep in mind that a moderately active man should consume 2,600 calories a day, according to the USDA. So just one breakfast could account for 43 percent of your daily calorie count.
But there is some good news: “Restaurants have been introducing many healthier options over the past few years,” says Men’s Health Nutrition expert Mike Roussell, Ph.D. “You just have to wise up and speak up.”
Snub the Screen
The closer your table is to a television, the more likely you are to order fried foods, say researchers at Cornell. The boob tube may distract you from more-sensible menu options.
Pass the Bar
Sit by the Entrance
Outwit Groupthink
Men save themselves about 255 calories when they dine with a woman instead of a group, an Australian study found. Why? They may consume more in a group to assert their masculinity.
Related: The 20 Best Snacks For Men
Seek the Light
Assert Yourself
Doubt the Salmon
A study found that 67 percent of salmon on menus is mislabeled. The most common offender: “wild” salmon that’s really the farmed kind, which may contain antibiotics. Ask the chef.
(Or just make The Most Delicious Salmon Recipe Ever.)
Bag It!
Prevent a Pig-Out at the Buffet
No restaurant scenario serves up more potential pitfalls than the modern mess hall, a.k.a. the buffet.
Refined-carbohydrate booby traps abound. Fruits and vegetables, your usual allies, are outnumbered by your worst nutritional enemies.
Research shows a direct correlation: The more often men dine out, the fatter they grow. And it’s not just the gut that takes the punches. Frequent diners have lower levels of HDL (good) cholesterol and fewer key nutrients (notably vitamins C and E) coursing through their bloodstream, according to a 2015 study in International Journal of Obesity.
So you need to take precautions: If you find yourself at a buffet, follow these orders.
Rework the Line
More than 75 percent of buffet patrons select the first food they see, according to a PLOS One study. And the first three foods they pick make up two-thirds of their total meal.
So flip your order. Start with the fruit portion of the breakfast buffet, or sneak around to the salad bar if you’re grabbing lunch or dinner.
Michelle Malia is an ultrarunner and health writer in NYC. When not writing or running, she spends her time tending to her plants, sipping hoppy IPAs, and trying to make her 200-square-foot apartment as functional as possible.
Readers Also Read
This Is the Only Way You Should Hard-Boil Eggs
32 Dietitian-Recommended Foods Packed With Fiber
What Experts Say About Creatine and Muscle Growth
15 Best Foods to Eat to Lower Cholesterol
