Fast Food Can Be Macro Friendly

Two of the biggest challenges for most people who decide to start their weight loss journey are giving up their favorite foods and changing their routines. Those who struggle to find time to cook and frequently eat fast food often find adding meal prep time to their schedule difficult. 

The good news is you don’t have to give up your favorite foods or change your routine beyond recognition. In fact, you’ll actually do a whole lot better if you keep some fun foods in your diet and create a lifestyle that is balanced, as compared to being super regimented. Going from zero to sixty will only leave you feeling frustrated, hungry, and burnt out.

Inside this article, I’m sharing some of my favorite fast food options that are totally macro friendly. You don’t have to eat boiled chicken, rice, and steamed veggies for three meals a day. You can find tons of macro friendly choices at many well-known fast food places. 

Let’s explore!

What does Macro Friendly mean?

Macro Friendly meals are meals that fit your macros. They’re typically high in protein, moderate in carbohydrates, lower (but not too low or zero) in fat, and also include healthy fiber. Macro friendly meals help you reach your goals while leaving you feeling satisfied.

Macro friendly meals and snacks don’t have to be ‘diet food’. In fact, they’re typically just regular foods, eaten in mindful portions and prepared in ways that allow them to suit your needs and fit your macro goals.

For me, eating macro friendly has become easier and easier over the years. I can now glance at pretty much any menu and tell you how many grams of protein, carbs, and fat each meal has and determine which ones are the best choices for me, depending on my current macro goals.

I love knowing this…it makes everything so much easier. And even fun!

How to make a Macro Friendly fast food meal

Most fast-food restaurants offer options that are macro friendly. You just need to know what to choose and what to omit or limit.

 For example, a chicken sandwich could be a very macro friendly option if it’s grilled (not fried) and you limit the dressing/mayonnaise and choose extra veggies like lettuce and tomato. Paired with a salad, fruit cup, or baked potato instead of fries and you’ve got yourself a very macro friendly meal.

Here are great macro friendly options at some of my favorite fast-food restaurants…

Macro Friendly Chick-fil-A 

Who doesn’t love Chick-fil-A? I know, I do and I think it’s one of the most macro friendly fast food options out there. And they’re super eager to get your order just right so you know you’re getting what you want.

You can choose the Grilled Chicken Sandwich (320 calories: 28g protein, 6g fat, 41g carbs), the 6-piece Chick-fil-A Nuggets (190 calories: 20g protein, 9g fat, 8g carbs), or even the Egg White Grilled (290 calories: 27g protein, 7g fat, 31g carbs).

My personal favorite? The Grilled Market Salad with Grilled Nuggets (340 calories 340: 32g protein, 13g fat, 25g carbs). I love this one because it’s high in protein, has tons of nutrients and fiber, and keeps me full for hours! 

Macro Friendly Chipotle

I love Chipotle because you can choose your own adventure! 

I typically choose a salad (which means more lettuce for fiber), top it with a protein (I love chicken), add black beans, corn salsa, tomato salsa, a pinch of cheese (optional), and a serving of guacamole (avocado is a great healthy fat). 

Here’s how to make a basic chicken salad bowl: salad greens, chicken, fajita veggies, corn salsa, fresh tomato salsa, and guacamole. This bowl is a little tougher to give specific macros on because each server scoops slightly different-sized scoops, but the basic macros are approximately 36g protein, 29g fat, and 20g carbs.

You can add the white or brown rice, too, if it fits your macros, but it’s pretty hearty without if you want to save those carbs for another meal. Oh, and I also like the steak salad or even the steak or chicken tacos.

Macro Friendly Starbucks

Starbucks is another place where you get to choose your treat!

I love the egg white bites (170 calories: 13g protein, 7g fat, 13g carbs) if I’m hungry and paired with a grande non-fat latte (130 calories: 13g protein, 0g fat, 20g carbs), add sugar-free syrup to spice it up!, or even a grande unsweetened iced coffee (10 calories: 1g protein, 0g fat, 2 g carbs); it’s the perfect breakfast on-the-go.

There are so many options at Starbucks, and I love it.

You can even add sweeteners like Splenda or Sweet & Low, sugar-free flavored syrup, or light cream to give it a little punch without too many extra calories!

Macro Friendly Panda Express

Now, I love Chinese food as much as the next gal, but it’s not always the most macro friendly. No worries at Panda; they’ve got you!

Try the Broccoli Beef Bowl (150 calories: 9g protein, 7g fat, 13g carbs). It has lean sliced beef for protein, tons of healthy broccoli for nutrients, fiber for an overall feeling of fullness, and a light ginger soy sauce that adds flavor without many extra calories.

Some other good options include the Kung Pao Bowl with veggies and the Chicken with String Beans.

Macro Friendly McDonald’s

Now, I know McDonald’s doesn’t sound like the most macro friendly place out there, but the beauty of macros is you can literally find anything, anywhere!

Here are a few good complete meal options for you: Grilled Chicken Sandwich (skip the mayonnaise) and small fries (545.5 calories: 38g protein, 14.5g fat, 68g carbs), Bacon Ranch Grilled Chicken Salad (with low-fat balsamic & skip the cheese) and small fries (511 Calories: 37g protein, 23g fat, 39g carbs), or Sausage McMuffin (omit the cheese & butter) with one Hash Brown (443 Calories: 4g protein, 27g fat, 46g carbs), just to mention a few.

All options are tasty, and all options macro friendly!

Other Macro Friendly Fast Food Restaurants

Macro friendly options are everywhere! 

Some more good fast food options include:

• Subway, 
• Burger King, 
• Buffalo Wild Wings, 
• Taco Bell
• McAlister’s Deli
• Firehouse Subs
• Wendy’s

And let’s even throw a few sit-down chains in there, too, like:

• Chili’s 
• Outback Steakhouse
• Applebee’s
• Olive Garden
• Denny’s
• IHOP

You can pretty much make any fast food or restaurant menu item macro friendly if you try. That’s the beauty of macro nutrition!

To Sum it all Up 

You can always find a macro friendly meal or snack option if you’re looking for it. Sure, you may not get to order any and everything from the menu, but losing weight or maintaining your physique isn’t an overnight process nor is it a super easy one either. It takes intentional decision-making, self-control, and sometimes even a little sacrifice.

 I was a drive-thru junkie for years before I decided that living life at 270+  pounds was not for me. I loved me two double cheeseburgers and a value-size fry from McDonald’s, and I drove through probably 5 times in a week…every week…to get myself a meal. It was ridiculously hard to give it up and because I didn’t know about macros, I’d quit cold turkey, feel successful for a little bit, then finally give into what felt like raging temptation, order everything I’d been craving, and undo my hard work. 

I was miserable.

But, by incorporating macros into my day-to-day lifestyle, I was able to still enjoy many of my favorite foods in mindful moderation and keep making progress on my goals simply by making better, more informed choices that fit my macros and my goals. In all, macro nutrition helped me lose more than 154 pounds and keep it off.

If I can make a change, so can you. And these macro friendly fast food options will help. Give one a try, and let me know how it goes for you!

Want more help?

If you’re ready to make lasting change, our highly qualified macro nutrition experts are ready and waiting. Our 1:1 macro nutrition coaching program is designed to help you reach your health and physique goals using macro science.

Are you tired of

• ridiculously restrictive fad diets that don’t even work?
• endlessly spinning on the hamster wheel of diet, binge, repeat?
• having a bad relationship with food?
• not know what or how much to eat?
• struggling incessantly to lose the same 20 pounds over and over and over again?
• feeling like a complete failure when your motivation wanes, and old habits creep back in?
• cookie cutter programs and want a personalized nutrition approach?

Then, our 1:1 macro nutrition coaching is for you!

Inside, you’ll learn our scientifically based Macro Nutrition protocols and systems for effective and sustainable weight loss without giving everything up so you can become more confident and feel good in your own body. Plus, with twice-monthly check-ins, tons of support, and a custom-built macro program, you’ll reach your goals faster than doing it alone. 

Learn more about 1:1 macro nutrition coaching with MACROU today. 

Or, if you have questions, email us at [email protected].

We can’t wait to help you!