having a hard time staying away from fast food

[Algenon]

I just saw three  fast food advertisments(tis the season....) I just kept thinking there is enough calories for two days in the one meal they are advertising.....Did people just burn more 50 years ago before we started counting calories?

[SunsetRunner]

having worked in a fast food takeaway, the oil used for frying is not changed daily, it is changed weekly

cooked in vegetable oil? that same oil is also used to cook meat

like those fries/chips, fried in the same oil used to fry meat

most of the ingredients are prepared in batches, and last at least a week, kept in a freezer

[loveabull]

Actually I believe fifty years ago or more packaged foods and recipes in general were far more calorie laden. But our lifestyle has changed rather drastically as well. Cars, computers, the one-eyed monster TV have all had a hand at making people more prone to sitting on their butts.

I had family that back in the day used lard as shortning and morning breakfast usually included meat, a starch and something sugary, plus cream for coffee and table sugar. But those people had working farms and probably burned off that meal by noon. Lunch and dinner were usually lighter fare though.

I feel fast food has it's place. A few times a month isn't going to blimp you out. If you enjoy the taste and it makes a quick meal once in awhile...bon appetit

[SunsetRunner]

yep, back in the day, big blocks of lard, cutting it like it was butter, thinking about it now makes me cringe lol

my parents had a takeaway, using lard to fry and cook food

but back then it was more home cooking than fast food and more exercise, now with busy lives, it is more fast food and less exercise, not to mention the beer

in a weird way, my bad health is actually better for me, more home cooking, only thing missing is the exercise, which I am starting to do, hopefully come summer next year, I should be near my ideal/recommended weight

[SunsetRunner]

Since I am in my mid-sixties, I can speak from experience about fast food in times gone by. I can remember very well that a full "meal" at McDonalds was a hamburger (patty = 1/10 lb), small french fries and a small coke. It was a big deal when they came out with the quarter pounder and Big Mac. Our boyfriends ordered those but they were taller and built much bigger than we were.

Fast food now is HUGE. Everything seems to be super sized. And a standard size hamburger in any bar seems to be 1/2 pound. Really, who would even want to eat that much meat?!

So, to answer your question @Algenon - it's not that we burned more calories 50 years ago. We just ate much smaller portions. And the fast food folks were not pushing 2,000 calorie meals.

The important thing is that you are aware of the calories in a super sized meal. And hopefully have the will power to turn it down.

[HuzzarTx]

I have had great luck with the Wendy Side Salad .99 - $1.29 - To that I add 1 pouch of Tuna (or Spam) for Protein - if I know I am going to be picking up a side salad before I leave home... I pack some sweet jalapeño slices to add with my tune / Fat Free French dressing...   All in all under 300 calories.  Jack in the box also has a nice side salad for about the same price... Key is to bring your own Protein - those pouchs seems to work well in all weather conditions.  Good Luck

[HelenaFitbit]

Great idea @HuzzarTx ! If you fancy beef or turkey jerky, that may be another option for you 

Adding to the subject, I think it´s a mix between highly caloric super sized meals and sedentary lifestyle. 

For example, I remember running, biking, playing and being a kid and I was thin! I still had fast food but my mum always made home cooked meals. We only grew up and got lazy  Now, I have a couple neighbors who their kids have diabetes at age 8 and 9 since their mothers usually kept them quiet in front of the tv with a videogame and a bunch of sweets. 

[PaleoCrossfit]

Gorwing up on a ranch raised by my grandparents, I ate the way they did 50 years ago. Breakfast consisited of a meat (steak is usually a big one), eggs, and some sort of bread (biscuits usually). This was every single day. Lunch usually consisted of some sort of sandwich, and dinner always had two veggies, some sort of starch (potatoes usually) and a meat....and of course bread and butter.

Literally, we ate this way every day. At 14-15 I probably consumed 3500-4500 calories a day.

I also burned 5k-6k calories a day working on the ranch.

So, though they ate terribly 50 years ago, they worked much harder than we do now.

[crazygoatlady]

Fast food should not even be labeled as food.  It is all so over processed.  I try to eat everything as much as possible in its natural state.  Butter, eggs, I know this will get a comment, whole milk, but I refuse to drink store bought crap that is not even good for us.  I have my own dairy goat and what milk I do drink, which isn't a lot, is fresh and raw and soooo yummy.  I confess that after working 40 hours a week with two hours of commuting each day and all the chores, sometimes I don't take time to eat the best, which is why I am here!  After I read that when the top eight fast food chains hamburgers were analyzed they found that on average they contained 12% meat.  I think on that, I shall pass.

[SunsetRunner]

May I recommend you watch Supersize Me? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/

I watched back in 2005 and never had another bite of fast food since. Watching his body fall apart was like watching a horror movie but in real time.

It took a while to get past the urges and the convenience. I kept almonds and raisins in my car for a quick bite to keep me on track to being able to pass up fast food.

Hope that helps!

Jill