fast food as fuel

After Autopilot came out I was able to focus on myself again, and get back on food as fuel™. It feels good, but it does take constant mental focus. I've got gum at my desk and I'm drinking a lot of water. Since I declared my love for Propel, they've come out with other low-calorie powder packets. I've enjoyed Snapple and Ocean Spray at only 5 calories per serving.

But this weekend we'll be on the road a lot for Mrs. Hoagie Central's Masters graduation in Champaign. So I thought it would be a good time to review the healthy options at fast food places.

Subway
Club (ham, roast beef, turkey) on white, no mayo, provolone or pepperjack, with fat free honey mustard or sweet onion sauce = 400 calories.

McDonald's
McChicken (360 cals) and McDouble (390 cals) are both on the $1 menu. The Southern Chicken sandwich is also only 400 calories. Avoid the fries, cookies, and shakes at all cost.

KFC
Their grilled chicken is great (breast = 180 cals, drumstick = 70) but the sides are dangerous. The biscuit has as many calories as a chicken breast so skip those. For sides, choose two from green beans (25), corn (70) or potatoes w/o gravy (100).

Wendy's
They now have three sandwiches for a dollar and all three aren't bad: Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger (310) and Double Stack or Crispy Chicken (360).

Burger King
This is a little tougher. But hold the mayo and you can get a Jr. Whopper or Spicy Chicken for 290 calories.

Jimmy John's
I thought this might be off limits. But you can still go there, you just need to hold all the good stuff. A #5 with no mayo, cheese and vinaigrette is 420 calories. A #6 for the wife with no mayo is 413 cals.

Potbelly
Same scenario as Jimmy John's. A Roast beef with no cheese, mustard instead of mayo, seasoning instead of hot peppers is 375. For the wife, a veggie with only american cheese and no mayo is 355.

General rules: mayo and cheese has about 100 calories each, so either substitute or hold them. Never get the fries. Never get real soda. But you can still get a sandwich for about 400 calories.