Eat Fast & Stay Slim

The yummiest of all fast food breakfast places is Einstein Bros Bagels, by far. My good friend Lauren Steinberg (shout out!) and I, go at least once a week for a girls-only brunch.

Most everything at Einstein Bros Bagels can be customized to be healthier. I like to start the morning with a bacon, egg white and cheese Panini bagel thin.

This bagel thin has a country pepper shmear on top, which adds a lot of flavor without adding a lot of calories. You can order this on a plain, honey whole wheat, or everything bagel thin for 400 calories.

For those of you asking what a bagel thin is, it is made the same way as a regular bagel but it looks as if it’s been cut in half.

The reason that this bagel thin in particular is so great is because the egg white, bacon and cheese will add protein to your breakfast versus a regular bagel and spread, which are basically empty carbs.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Protein is the key to successful weight loss.

You aren’t going to believe what I’m about to tell you! Another great bagel thin, the turkey-sausage egg white bagel thin with salsa, has only 24 calories total! This bagel thin does protein in an even leaner way by using turkey-sausage.

I understand that some people reading my blog may only want to maintain their weight instead of lose more. If that’s the case, then the options you have for eating at Einstein Bros Bagels are huge.

The best bagel, in my opinion, is the honey whole wheat bagel with honey butter. Honey whole wheat bagels paired with light cream cheese (which they carry here), honey butter or regular butter are an awesome alternative for someone trying to maintain their weight.

As I said before, bagels with only a spread on top will not provide much protein, but they’ll kick start your system first thing in the morning.

Einstein Bros Bagels also sells an Activia yogurt parfait that contains strawberries, blueberries and granola, and they sell fruit cups. Either one is a great low-calorie option for a snack on the go.

The calorie counts for the Activia yogurt parfait and fruit cup were unavailable on the Einstein Bros Bagels’ website. From what I could tell they were having some issues loading their nutritional information. When I figure out those amounts I’ll update this post. 

Calorie Breakdown:

• Honey butter- 90 calories 1 tbsp.
• Veggie light cream cheese- 60 calories 2 tbsp.
• Plain light cream cheese- 60 calories 2 tbsp.
• Honey whole wheat bagels- 320 calories
• Bacon, egg white and cheese Panini bagel thin- 400 calories
• Turkey-sausage egg white bagel thin with salsa- 24 calories

I wanted to do a post recapping the most important fast food tips we’ve covered throughout the blogs.

Calorie saving tips:

•       When eating a salad, choose a vinaigrette dressing.
•       Drink diet soda, tea or water.
•       Pack on the protein. Every meal should include a protein if the goal is weight loss.
•       Baked chips, apple slices or fruit cups are always the best side options.
•       Always choose wheat bread.
•       Be careful of dipping sauces, they have calories in them too.
•       Order your drinks at Starbucks “skinny.”  This means the drink will contain nonfat (skim) milk.
•       Order your Starbucks beverages without whipped cream. It reduces the drink’s calorie count by 1/3.
•       Steak is the leanest meat when it comes to Mexican fast food.
•       Cheese is a great source of protein, but can be high in fat. Choose a Swiss or provolone cheese to save calories. 

Before I begin this week’s blog, I’d like to address a concern that was raised to me by several followers. I WILL CONTINUE THIS BLOG. 

Even after the assignment is due for my class, I will continue posting blogs periodically. It may be every two weeks instead of every week, but it will continue nonetheless.

Now, on to the exciting part… FOOD!

Panera Bread wins my freshest fast food award by far, sorry Subway.  This is a biased opinion, but I’m sure most of my followers would agree, as they were the ones who prompted me to blog about Panera Bread.

Panera offers reasonably priced, fresh food in addition to a sit-down environment. But as nice as the ambiance is inside Panera, we’re here to talk about the food.

The hardest challenge to overcome when trying to eat healthy at Panera is the baked items sitting next to the registers staring at you.  It’s important to remember that these are not on your diet. NO EXCUSES.

Pastries with fruit filling do not count as a full serving of fruit. At the end of the day, you’re only cheating yourself.

Let’s talk about what you CAN eat.  The “You Pick Two” option is an awesome way to combine healthy foods and keep you from getting bored. “You Pick Two” means that you choose half a salad, a cup of soup or half a sandwich and combine two of them to create your own meal.

Personal “You Pick Two” favorites:

Salads: Descriptions of ingredients come from the menu found on Panera Bread’s website

•       Half BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad-All-natural, antibiotic-free chicken, romaine lettuce, roasted corn, black beans, tortilla strips & BBQ ranch dressing, drizzled with BBQ sauce. 250 calories
•      Half Chopped Chicken Cobb Salad- All-natural, antibiotic free chicken, romaine, wonton strips, a blend of fire-roasted edamame, red bell pepper and carrot tossed in a Thai Chili Vinaigrette. Topped with strips of seasoned grilled chicken, Thai cashews, fresh cilantro and a peanut drizzle. 250 calories
•     Half Fuji Apple Chicken Salad- All-natural, antibiotic-free chicken, mixed field greens, romaine lettuce, vine-ripened tomatoes, red onions, pecans, Gorgonzola, apple chips & white balsamic apple vinaigrette. 260 calories

Soups:

•      Cup of All Natural Low Fat Chicken Noodle Soup- Fresh vegetables and tender all-white chicken breast simmered in a delicately seasoned chicken broth with traditional egg noodles. 100 calories
•     Cup of Low Fat Garden Vegetable Soup with Pesto- A low-fat vegetarian soup with diced tomatoes, sliced zucchini, yellow beans, fresh Swiss chard, cauliflower, bell peppers and pearled barley in a tomato broth. Garnished with a dollop of nut-free basil pesto. Served Monday, Wednesday, Friday.110 calories
•     Cup of Cream of Chicken & Wild Rice- Long grain and wild rice, celery, onion, carrot and diced chicken simmered in chicken broth embellished with cream and select herbs. Served Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday. 220 calories

Sandwiches:

•     Half Smoked Ham & Swiss sandwich- 96% fat-free smoked ham, swiss, leaf lettuce, tomatoes and red onions with salt and pepper, all served on your favorite sandwich bread. 290 calories
•     Half Smoked Turkey Breast sandwich- 99% fat-free smoked turkey breast, leaf lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and salt and pepper, all served on your favorite sandwich bread. 210 calories
•    Half Tuna Salad sandwich- Our special recipe tuna salad, leaf lettuce, tomatoes and red onions with salt and pepper, all served on your favorite sandwich bread. 240 calories

If Jared from Subway can do it, so can you!

Subway has been a pioneer in healthy fast food eating from early on. Their slogan of “eat fresh” is a true testament to what their food is all about.

They offer a variety of options from subs to salads, and now soups.

For the purpose of losing or maintaining weight, I recommend you order off of the Subway Fresh Fit menu.

The menu offers nine choices, one of which is vegetarian. The Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki and the Turkey Breast & Black Forest Ham are my personal favorites.

To accompany the meal, you have a number of side choices. Choose one of the following: Baked! LAY’S chips, Sun Chips, a Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, apple slices or a soup. Get something with a broth base for the soup, not a cream base.

Always choose wheat bread, and if you enjoy salads, make your sandwich into one.

You can do this by simply stating which sub you’d like and say that you would like it on a salad. Choose a vinaigrette dressing and add fat free sweet onion sauce if you want some extra flavor.

Calorie Breakdown:

All of the following are off of the Subway Fresh Fit menu.

• Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki- 380
• Turkey Breast & Black Forest Ham- 290
• Veggie Delite- 230
• Black Forest Ham- 290
• Turkey Breast- 280
• Roast Beef- 310
• Subway Club- 320
• Oven Roasted Chicken- 320
• Turkey Melt- 320

Celebrities swear by it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGQqntQC-KU

Today I’ll be doing something a little different. I want to share with all of you a few links and informational videos that you can also consult.

I would like to point out that one of the videos mentions Taco Bell’s Chicken Ranchero Soft Tacos. Taco Bell no longer offers these tacos, so disregard the information on that.

• 1.     “Meals Under 400 Calories”

http://www.thatsfit.com/2009/12/03/low-calorie-orders/

• 2.     “Low Calorie Fast Food Choices”

http://www.womenandweight.com/weight-management/weight-loss/low-calorie-fast-food-choices/

• 3.     “The Fast Food Diet” - CBS 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMi4HInkSNA

• 4.     “Fast Food Diet Tips”- CBS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxbmY6nfUq8&feature=fvwrel

I’m hoping you will find these links and videos useful in your quest to stay slim!

“Yo quiero Taco Bell”

It may not be a 100% beef, it may not even look fresh, but it always tastes delicious.

We associate Taco Bell as being greasy and high in fat. But that’s certainly not the case anymore. Taco Bell’s line of Fresco items offers healthy alternatives for any fast food eater.

You’ll notice that the lowest calorie meat option you can select will consistently be steak. It’s more expensive, but it’s actually REAL meat!

 My personal Favorites off of the Fresco menu are the Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco and the Steak Fresco Burrito Supreme.

But if the Fresco menu isn’t your thing, don’t worry about it. I’ve discovered several menu items that are low in calories and high in deliciousness.

My favorite thing to order at Taco Bell, while on a diet, would have to be the Gordita Nacho Cheese with Steak. At 260 calories this could easily be paired with a Fresco soft taco and be a filling meal.

At 310 calories, the Grilled Steak Taquitos are a delicious treat. They are offered at most locations and are a perfect portion size for a quick lunch. Even though this is the lesser of the evils as far as the non-diet menu is concerned, I would recommend you trying one of the other options I’ve selected above before ordering these. Use these as a treat or an incentive.

Do not, I repeat, do not order a salad from Taco Bell! They come in a delicious taco shell bowl which you will end up eating. Plus, one salad has about 900 to 1000 calories in it; roughly half of your recommended daily intake of calories!

Calorie breakdown:

Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco-150

Steak Fresco Burrito Supreme-340

Gordita Nacho Cheese with Steak-260

Grilled Steak Taquitos-310

Gordita Nacho Cheese with Steak- 260 Calories

It’s time for a FIESTA! Healthy Mexican food is now a reality… well, relatively healthy.

Moe’s Southwest Grill, is one of the yummiest things you can treat yourself to.

Typically, I order a “Homewrecker” burrito in a bowl, also called a “rice bowl.” To cut back on calories you have many options.

First, choose steak. It is the healthiest option for meat at almost any Mexican fast food restaurant. You will probably pay about ten cents more (this is true for Taco Bell), but your food will taste much more fresh.

Skip the rice to save room for the delicious toppings. I get black beans, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo (fresh salsa), lettuce, queso (hot cheese dip) and grilled mushrooms.

*Try to steer away from guacamole and sour cream. I only order guacamole on mine because the weight I’m trying to lose is minimal. My diet is for maintenance.

Another great entrée option is the “Close Talker” salad, which you will order “streaker.” No I did not spell that wrong, and no, it is not a joke. This simply means without the taco shell bowl. Instead it will come in a plastic bowl.

The salad comes on a bed of romaine lettuce with your choice of meat and toppings. Choose the “Southwest Vinaigrette” dressing instead of the “Chipotle Ranch” to cut more calories.

The combinations are virtually endless. Use Moe’s nutrition calculator on their website to design your own rice bowl. http://www.moes.com/Food.php?ii=1

I understand this may not seem like the healthiest food, and that’s because it isn’t. If given the option of Moe’s and another fast food restaurant, which offers any form of grilled chicken, take the second option.

However, for what it is, Moe’s isn’t that terrible for you. You don’t have to feel like you have to rush to the gym the second you decide you want to meet your friends at Moe’s to eat.

As long as you don’t eat it everyday, you will continue to lose weight.

Steak “Homewrecker” burrito in a bowl with queso sauce on top.

Starbucks

When you think coffee, you think Starbucks.

As a college student, I know that caffeine is a necessity and Starbucks provides healthy caffeinated options for those long study sessions, in between classes, or meeting a friend for coffee.

You no longer have to avoid grabbing coffee with that cute guy from class because of the calories. I’m going to show you how to do Starbucks the SKINNY way.

Repeat after me: “Skinny” and “no whip”. This is our mantra for ordering. Everything you will order will follow those two rules.

Fun fact: I bet you didn’t know that by ordering something without whipped cream that you are reducing the calorie count by 1/3.

The trick is to always order a drink “skinny” or “nonfat.” These mean the same thing. By ordering a drink either of the two ways you are asking for nonfat milk. Switching the milk and taking off the whipped cream is where you cut your calories.

If you’re like me, the coffee won’t be enough. You’re going to have to order a snack once you’ve spent five minutes in line waiting next to the counter in which all of the irresistible treats have been conveniently displayed.

This can be a bit tricky and raise your calorie count, but there are still some healthy options to choose from.

Remember that if you choose to have both a drink and a pastry that you’ll need to eat more lean for the remainder of the day. However, you can now get coffee with friends, or whenever needed, and not feel guilty about it.

Personal Favorite Drink Options:

• Skinny Caramel Macchiato- 140 calories in a Grande (this beverage can be iced or served hot)
• Skinny Cappuccino- 80 calories in a Grande (add Splenda for sweetening)
•  Light Caramel Frappuccino No Whip- 140 calories in a Grande
• Skinny Vanilla Latte- 130 calories in a Grande

Personal Favorite Food Options: