Friendly fast food

Fast food doesn't have to be a fast end to your diet!

It's the Monday after Superbowl Sunday and I've just realized the number of calories ingested the day before. I hit the gym and knock out 5 miles on the elliptical, lift some weights and down a few bottles of water. I run home to take a shower and get ready for my hectic day which includes karate, doctor appointments and dinner with a friend. As much as I'd love to throw together a healthy lunch for me and the kids, the clock just won't allow. Soon, I find myself under golden arches speaking into a box. A crispy chicken meal later, I've more than undone all of my work at the gym.

It's inevitable that, at some point, a busy Mom is going to end up driving through a fast food joint now and then. If you're a mom and can't relate, you get Mother of the Year award and we'd be better off not meeting. It's easy to feel defeated after a trip through a drive through. So often, that defeat results in a day of poor choices rather than correcting the error by compensating with healthier choices. If you do mess up, don't let it ruin your whole day.

I once heard a great analogy for this situation. Imagine you're walking across the kitchen with a bowl of eggs. You slip and drop one egg and it breaks apart all over your floor. Nobody in his or her right mind would say, "oh no, dropped an egg. I guess I'll drop the rest of them," and throw the rest of the bowl on the floor. No, you clean up your mess and take extra measures to insure you don't lose another egg.

If you do find yourself at a fast food restaurant, here are some of the lower calorie, not necessarily lower fat, options. I am not saying that these are "healthy" choices because we all know that whole foods are the best options for optimal health. However, these menu items appear to be better choices for those watching their caloric intake. There are several app's on smart phones that can assist you with this quest as well. I find that keeping a mental list, or a physical list with me in the car, is best just in case my phone doesn't load quickly enough. Check out http://dwlz.com for more restaurant nutritional information. ***Some of the calories vary from different regions in the country, specifically with Starbucks restaurants.

Click on this link for a list of lower calorie fast food options: table.