Fastfood only. Eat healthy, how?
So, I have a pretty busy lifestyle that has me working at a computer (stressed and sedentary) for 12 hours a day. I'm usually too tired to cook when I get home. I infrequently hit the gym and run for 30min on the treadmill.
I get out for lunch when I'm at work. Man, I love my Double-Westerns, but this has gotta stop. And here's the question:
Without shopping for groceries and cooking my own food, how can I eat a healthy diet?
From all the research and reading I've done, it sounds like I'm pretty much screwed. Unless I only eat salads from Carl's, McDees, BK, etc... Hit up the charbroiled chicken every once-in-a-while.
There's a subway nearby, maybe if I ate there more often?
Does anyone have any helpful suggestions for people that can never cook their own food?
ideas
I know you said you didn't want to deal with grocery stores but maybe change what you shop for to suit your fast food style. There are also a lot of fast food choices at the grocery store -- sushi, fruit salads, sandwiches, trays, precooked chicken (really inexpensive), veggie and pasta salads... etc. This stuff can all be found in the same area of the store - the deli/bakery/meat section.
An independent local deli or baker is also a good place to check out. Ethnic ones typically appeal to many people but offer variety. Not to mention, the freshness and flavor factor goes up. Many of them also make food to go.
Also there are some junk foods that appear healthy. You never know unless you check the ingredients and nutrition label. That's why shopping at a grocery store is a good idea -- info is generally printed on the label when it is weighed.
I hope this helps!
if you do go shopping there
if you do go shopping there are microwave meals that arent that bad. I really love the amys meals, especilly the enchaladia.....
is there a chipolte near you? thats better then a greesy burger and fries. especilly if you only eat half.
there are also places that you can go and cook, or most of them will let you order it allready done (pick up service or soemthing). then you just heat it up when you want it. technically its a 'home' cooked meal.
here are a few:
http://www.easymealprep.com/main/direct02.php
http://www.dinnermyway.com/
http://coastalcooks.com/
http://www.giftoftimegourmet.com/
http://www.dinnerafare.com/
if none are near you just google "meal assembly" and your location. these are getting really popular.
oh, if you have a whole foods nearby they sell really good stuff you can take home or eat there. I LOVE the pasta.
Well I have to laugh because
Well I have to laugh because I do understand, however once you do it a while you will wonder why you never did it before. I eat 6 times a day, I work in front of a computer all day and I am a very busy guy. However it takes me 10-15 minutes to get 3 meals ready. I actually end up having more time as well as more money. Below might be a sample of something I would do on a day where I have a ton of meetings and a lot going on and a workout too boot.
Meal number one breakfast, is oatmeal, with some berried added and a scoop of protein powder thrown in. Not Instant oatmeal but real old fashioned oatmeal and a small cup of yogurt. Steel Cut oats are better but man do they give me gas. It takes 4 minutes to warm up. While it is warming up I am packing the rest of the stuff for the day.
Meal two when I am really busy, they make tuna in 6 and 8 ounce packets. With a whole bunch of flavors as well. This is awesome for me when on the go. Then Veggies, there are small 8 ounce cans of fresh veggies with pull top lids. Heck you do not even need a can opener, best off the 8 ounces fit in a coffee cup so at work I can just put them in a coffee cup and put them in the microwave. Time to pack in the morning, as long as it takes to go to the cupboard and put it in my lunch pail.
Meal three, 1/half pound of turkey slapped on 2 pieces of whole grain bread. Time to make, 1 minute maybe less. I put nothing on it. However sometimes I put lettuce and onion on it.
Meal Four, still at work, pre workout meal. 12 oz Canned Lean Roast Beef, this stuff is really good, some of the time when I do cook a fresh roast and pack it up and freeze it doesn’t taste this good. Fresh Broccoli, heck they sell it in the grocery already cut and washed, they even have it in sealed bags so you can just pop it in the microwave and steam it in the bag. Time to prep in the morning, I get it same time as I got the Tuna out.
By now my oatmeal is done cooking so I have started eating it but while my mouth is full and I am chewing I am still packing some more.
When I leave work I am going right to the gym, I also packed a small drinking container with a scoop of protein powder in it and I drink it on my way to the gym. Time to prep minute or two as long as the drinking container is cleaned. That’s why I bought several of them sometimes I forget to wash when I come home tired from the gym.
Meal 5 post workout. Well this you are in luck, I do not recommend fast food. But a nice bar and grill and have a specialty salad, like a steak salad or a grilled chicken salad, you can get them to go as well. The better ones will have curbside take away. I have the one by me on speed dial on my cell phone so I call them when I am leaving the gym. I also have a post workout protein shake but I have my own locker at the gym, not all gyms have this, but I keep a shaker and a tub of powder there.
Meal 6 is home. Usually something like cottage cheese.
Here is something else interesting for you. All the above meals cost about $10 total. Almost as much as what you would spend on some fast food meals.
This takes some getting used to but trust me is completely doable. Above is not how I eat every day but when I am really busy, that’s how I do it. Look into things like a George foreman grill. I love mine. Sometimes in the morning I get up and before I get in the shower I plug it in and warm it up. Get out of the shower and slap on 2 chicken breasts. Cooking time 8 minutes. By the time I have brushed teeth deodorant and so on they are done perfectly. I pack them up again while oatmeal is cooking.
Anyway continuing to eat fast food will not help you loose weight. Another study appeared in Muscle and Fitness recently where Fast Food in general the Corn Syrups and stuff used even in the buns decrease testosterone and inhibit fat burning. Getting thin is not a simple diet. It is a lifestyle change. Explore the options. I spend maybe 1 hour a week at the grocery. Now I do spend more prep time as I like to cook I make my own stir fry and so on out of fresh veggies and my own cuts of meats but this would take you some time to get used to.
Oh Yeah and like Tash said
Oh Yeah and like Tash said above. Amy's meals are freaking awsome. They are healthy frozen dinners. Brown Rice and so on. I love them
cooking doesn't have to be time consuming.
Lots of great ideas above. All SO much better than eating fast food everyday! And you mention the "healthy slads" at the fast food joints. Do be cautious! There is so much breading and salt on the chicken they add and the dressing is often excessive. These salads can be just as bad, if not worse, than a quarter pounder. In fact, I checked out the new Wendy's deli sandwiches. Offered as a healthy alternative. They DO have more fat and calories than the burgers. How is that even possible?
As mentioned.. sushi and small delis in your area are a much better alternative.
My idea, while you might not be able to cook daily. What about cooking once a week, a large amount? Actual prep time can be made minimal if you choose the right recipies, and if you pop something in the oven, you can fulfill other duties with it cooks. Example, grab a pack of 6 chicken breasts and a bottle of marinade or other flavouring. Set oven to 400, put chicken in baking dish, pour marinade in, put in oven. prep= 5 min + 10 min at grocery store (where you could have grabbed lunch that day anyways). Depending on your oven, bone in or out, amount of chicken, your cook times vary.. but I'll say check it after 20. Remember, pink chicken is bad. And voila, you have 6 meals. pre-prepared veggies or salad, or make a large batch of rice at the same time, and you've got sides too.