Is This To Unhealthy?

[len1234]

Do you think eating out (un healthy food) once a week is to much?

For me it would be too much but everyone is different!
Why do you ask?

Depends really.
I do lots of excercise, eat well for most meals, and enjoy a takeaway or eating out once a week.
But I'm not trying to lose weight or get fitter, if I was then I wouldn't indulge weekly.

I agree with Puddlejuice that it depends but it would definitely not be too much for me. My husband and I would eat out and/or have takeaway at least 2 nights a week, more like 3. We do, however, an awful lot of exercise (6 days a week, and including some long distance running), eat very healthily during the week and are fit and healthy people. I'd cut it down if I felt I needed to drop some weight.

My family eat at a burger restaurant almost every week. I never meant for it to turn into a weekly thing and I worry I'm getting my kids into unhealthy habits but we all love and look forward to it. The owners are also lovely. I'm just not sure if this is something okay to continue doing.

I think once a week is fine, as long as you're eating healthily the rest of the week.

too much for me but everyone is different.

Some people will tell you that they never let a chip pass their mouths and others will say it's fine they eat takeaways 12 times a week and run marathons it is about balance isn't it ? so you all having a burger once a week isn't going to do you much harm food is to be enjoyed.

Once a week is absolutely fine.

No, if your diet the rest of the time is healthy. Food consumption is a good example of the 80/20 rule - it's what you do 80% of the time that has the most impact, this is usually good enough, no need to be perfect.

1 meal out of 21 is not even 5%, if it's something you enjoy carry on doing it. Maybe if you're worried about the impact, try not to overeat while you're there.

If portions are large, consider sharing sides instead of getting a whole one each, for example, if the burger comes with salad, make sure you eat it all and leave some of the bun if you're getting full,, that sort of thing.

It's one meal out of 21, it's fine. I'm on a diet at the moment and still have a weekly Chinese - I've dropped half a stone in three weeks.

If you eat under your calorie intake for the rest of the week with minimal processed food then it’s fine. But need to remember that a restaurant burger meal often has 2-3,000 calories per meal. No amount of exercise can burn that all off in one go - the best you can do is reduce calories the rest of the time.

It's fine once a week if you eat healthily the rest of the time

It’s fine

No it's fine. Every night would be different. A weekly treat sounds nice

@GrumpyHoonMain

If you eat under your calorie intake for the rest of the week with minimal processed food then it’s fine. But need to remember that a restaurant burger meal often has 2-3,000 calories per meal. No amount of exercise can burn that all off in one go - the best you can do is reduce calories the rest of the time.

Really? 3,000 calories?

A quick google shows me that a medium Big Mac meal has 1,100 calories - so while still a lot, it's a lot less than what you're suggesting, and that includes fries and a drink.

I have an issue with the term 'unhealthy food' (and 'healthy food' for that matter).

Burgers have their bad points, sure, but also contain protein, iron, minerals etc.

Eating 'healthy' food like vegetables is also not so healthy if you neglect other nutrients.

A burger a week is nothing to worry about IMO in the context of a varied overall diet.

I think it depends on how you are eating at home during the week. I don’t think there’s any particularly harm in it, but it does need to be balanced out with your weekday meals.

This is the wrong place to ask. People here are stuffed full and can’t eat for a week after one bite of pizza.

There aren’t 3000 calories in a regular burger meal

3000 calories in a burger and chips

A quick google shows me that a medium Big Mac meal has 1,100 calories

Yes, but many of the GBK burgers have around 900 calories, and one has over 1300, 600-900 for the fries (they do something called 'skinny fries' which sound anything but, at over 900 calories) and another 6-900 for a milkshake.

Yes, you could get a small plain burger, small fries and water or diet drink and come in well under 1000 calories, but many people don't and have a whole day's worth of calories or more in one sitting.

Which is fine as a one off, or part of an otherwise healthy diet with the right amount of calories for your activity level. The problem is when that sort of eating is more representative of your day to day diet.

3000 calories in a burger and chips

Perhaps in one of those eating competition meals - I doubt OP and their kids are tucking into those every Saturday.

Once a week is utterly fine and normal. However, there is a subset of MNetters who delight in putting others' food choices down, with their competitive undereating ("gosh, I could never eat all that, 3 mouthfuls of quinoa and I'm full!") and vitriol over other people's diets ("you're the reason the NHS is on its knees! That packet of crisps will make your children obese and a burden on the state!").

It's funny and sad in equal measure.

@vanillandhoney - OP hasn’t said she goes to MacDonalds. In a restaurant a burger alone will have up to 1-1.5k calories and that doesn’t include the chips and drink. Everything together would be 2-3k per meal.

[quote GrumpyHoonMain]@vanillandhoney - OP hasn’t said she goes to MacDonalds. In a restaurant a burger alone will have up to 1-1.5k calories and that doesn’t include the chips and drink. Everything together would be 2-3k per meal.[/quote]
Maybe so, but as a one-off that's still not harmful.

Like I said, I'm currently on the 16:8 diet and I have a weekly Chinese (and not low-calorie options either) and I've managed to shed half as stone in the last three weeks. There's nothing wrong with fast food and takeaway, so long as you don't eat it daily, and include plenty of healthy meals too.