I can’t remember the last time I ate at McDonalds, but research led me there.
Besides who can’t resist a tacky plastic toy and eating semi cold, mass produced food from a paper bag on a plastic try.
Me being the hungry hippo that I am ordered a Chicken Leg End meal and a Double Cheeseburger.
I also had a Flat White cuz caffeine is awesome and can make you fly.
Anyways.
The point of all this was to delve into the nutrition and check my calories and macros.
The 3 items of food came in at 1300 calories. 65% of the recommended daily intake (RDI).
The RDI is set for the average adult but since I have above average calorie needs for my below average stature my McDonalds lunch stole around 40% of my calorie requirements for the day.
So what does this mean to you and I?
Since I’m currently eating around 3300 calories per day to maintain my weight (it pays to train for muscle and be so active), it leaves me 2000 calories to consume for the rest of the day. No real hardship for me.
But.
If you’re not as active as me and you’re trying to lose weight, you could be left with a smaller calorie “budget” for the day.
For instance.
If you are a 25 year old female, weighing 10 stone and exercising 1-3 times per week you would need, roughly 1800 calories per day to maintain your weight.
Now let’s say you wanted to lose 1lb per week.
That requires a 500 calorie deficit per day. Putting you at 1300 calories per day.
Basically what I’ve just eaten for lunch!!!
So does that mean you can’t eat McDonalds (other fast food outlets are available) and lose weight?
Absolutely not.
It just means you have to be more selective with the rest of your nutrition for the day.
My “takeaway tips” are:
1. Only eat takeaway on a day that you’ve done an intense workout. Not because you are punishing yourself. But because you’ll be burning calories at a slightly higher rate.
2. Eat high protein, lower fat, lower carbs for your other meals. Basically fit the calories into your daily budget.
3. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. This will help you feel full too.
4. Don’t do it every day. Just because you can fit it into your “calorie budget” doesn’t mean you should make it a staple of your diet. Cuz let’s face it, McDonalds is very high calorie, very low nutrient food.
5. To make weight loss easier to sustain you should be eating highly nutritious, calorie poor foods.
The biggest negative with eating foods like that, and you’ve probably noticed it yourself, is in the time it’s taken me to write this post my stomach is already rumbling, and I’m already hungry because food like that doesn’t satisfy you (nutritionally speaking).
Have an amazing day.
MK
PS. I feel a 10,000 calorie McDonalds food challenge coming your way.
