How to Eat Fast Food and Continue to Build Muscle
Evidently, as Bodybuilders we are always looking to supply our bodies with a consistent portions of supply of healthy, low Fat and Protein rich foods.
Sometimes though: This is not always possible. Whether we are on the road, stuck at work or unable to prepare food ourselves there are times when we are forced to eat Fast Food.
Because SOMETHING is always better than eating NOTHING.
In this article we will be discussing the ways in which we can choose the ‘healthiest’ Fast Food options and minimize disruptions to our usual clean eating patterns.
With a little careful planning and following this advice Fast Food doesn’t have to mean Junk Food.
Fast Food Options For Marooned Bodybuilders
Decrease Your Portion Size Fast Food is packed full of Calories. Unfortunately, most times the majority of these Calories comes from Fat, so the first thing we need to do is decrease our usual portion size. This way the body is still burning the Calories ingested from the Fast Food, rather eating into your muscle stores. Tiding you over until you get home and are able to prepare something healthier.
Juggle Your Fat Intake Leading on from the above point, if you do have to eat Fast Food be sure to adjust the other meals that you eat that day to be as low in Fat as possible. By doing this you can counteract the amount of Fat that was in your Fast Food, bringing your total daily Fat intake to an acceptable level.
Lose The Fizzy Drinks Water should always be your first choice to accompany your meal if you are eating Fast Food. If this isn’t an option then make sure you opt for the ‘Diet’ version of any Carbonated Drink. They certainly aren’t great for you, but will have a lower sugar level and overall fewer Calories than their full fat counterparts. A mistake that many people make is to choose Fruit Juice. These are also high in sugar and by no means a healthier option. The worst choice is a Milkshake. These often contain the same amount of Calories as many main meals!
Where and What to Eat
1. Chicken Kebab The best option for the stranded Bodybuilder is a flame grilled Chicken Shish Kebab. (Never to be confused with the big spinning version) Shish Kebabs are actually pretty good for you. They contain an average of 25-30grams Protein and are reasonably low in fat too when flame grilled. Say a big ‘yes-please’ to all the Salad and ‘no-thankyou’ to the Pitta bread. Or at most eat half of it. Lose the Mayo and substitute for Lemon Juice instead. Mayo is one of the unhealthiest options all round with a massive 25-30g Fat per 30g serving!
2. Burgers Just the same as the above. Tell them no sauces and definitely no Mayo. Yes, this includes Ketchup. The trick is to choose a Burger that comes in a Wholemeal Bun if at all possible. If not, then remove the top Bap and just eat the Burger that way. The biggest thing to avoid in a Burger Bar is Bacon and Cheese. Single Patties are always best. Although tempting to double up for the Protein, you are best advised not to purely because of the high levels of saturated fats they are cooked in. Instead go for a clean protein source as soon as your are home instead. Pickles, Onions and Lettuce are fine.
3. Deep Fried Chicken We’ve saved the worst for last because this really should be your final option. Though like we said at the top of the page ‘Something is always better than nothing’ and there are steps you can take to minimize Fat content and empty calories even here. First of all go for a Chicken Burger and follow the above advice. No Bacon, no sauces, no Cheese and a Wholemeal Bun if at all possible. If you can get your hands on grilled chicken, you’re lucky. Chances are you are going to have to order Fried and then manually take the skin and batter off. It’s worth getting your hands dirty to do this because half of the empty Calories are contained within the coatings.
To Conclude As you can see, with a little careful planning and some easy to follow advice, Fast Food doesn’t necessarily mean ruining all your hard work and nutritional efforts. At least by following the above you will be supplying your body with enough muscle fuel to keep you going until you manage to get home and get something decent inside of you.
Read our other specialist articles on all aspects of Bodybuilding, Including Glycemic Foods and Bodybuilding For Over 40’s
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