9 Fast Food Meals That Only Have (About) 500 Calories
Of cooooourse you want to eat healthy! But we also want four-minute miles and a college degree in hot air ballooning. The point is that a pretty high percentage of us lack the discipline that's necessary to achieve our hopes, dreams, and furiously announced resolutions.
So what if I let spill that you could still eat at your favorite (greasy) places, as long as you order the right things? Good, because I already put together a list. Here now are nine meals you can order from your most beloved fast food joints that don't kick past 500 calories.
McDonald's
470 CALORIES – Chipotle BBQ Grilled Chicken Snack Wrap (250) / Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait (150) / Cuties (40) / Side Salad (15) / Apple Slices (15)
It's no surprise that you get much bang for your buck beneath the golden arches, the glowing rounded symbol of cheap food in just about any part of the world. Here at McDonald's, you can feed yourself like a king in the land of forgotten health with a few wise decisions.
Taco Bell
500 CALORIES – 2 Crunchy Tacos (300) / Mexican Rice (200)
A palace beautifully dedicated to the age-old question, "Are you seriously going to eat all this?", Taco Bell is one of the more surprising monuments you can make it out of with anything less than a new dream weight plan of attack. But here you'll eat well and proper (or as much as you can stomach righteously), and you'll be back, better, faster, stronger.
Chipotle
500 CALORIES – Salad (10): Add sofritas (145), pinto beans (115), fajita vegetables (45), roasted chili-corn salsa (80), cheese (100)
Of all the drop-in-and-pop-out joints you can throw down some cash on, Chipotle (typically, looking at you E. coli) won't wreck your stomach with heating-lamp grub, since you see the goods made grand in front of you like some kid watching a toy being assembled. Abandon your burrito dreams, which will probably make your morning guts sing instead of stumble anyhow.
Burger King
500 CALORIES – Whopper Jr. Sandwich, without mayo (240) / Quaker Oatmeal (170) / Garden Side Salad (60) / Apple Slices (30)
There's a good chance you never even noticed half the things you could order in this meal at your local Burger King, but they're there and they'll keep your stomach from trying to climb out your mouth. Educate your body with truth instead of a dozen deep-fried mistakes for once.
Wendy's
500 CALORIES – Grilled Chicken Wrap (270) / 4-Piece Chicken Nuggets (230)
It may not seem like a health nut's meal, and that's because it absolutely isn't. But you don't have time to stroll your local artisanal shop on the prowl for a rare radish you've never so much as laid eyes on. You've got places to be! Just get these Wendy's items and get on with your life.
Carl's Jr.
500 CALORIES – Chicken Stars, 9 piece (390) / Garden Side Salad (110)
The fact that you're making it out of a Carl's Jr. with a meal that doesn't cost you an artery is nothing short of a miracle. This easy, mellow spread of food is a grand way to show your friends you're no sellout while showing your body that you're no chump.
Del Taco
500 CALORIES – Classic Taco (200) / Soft Taco (150) / Taco al Carbon with chicken (150)
Del Taco is practically a church for late-hour dining that'll need a confession come morning — whether a prayer or promise. But be wiser on the menu game, and it'll make all the difference in the world. Also, thank your lucky stars that three tacos can count as healthy eating because that's the way of the future.
Subway
500 CALORIES – 6" Veggie Delite (160) / Poblano Corn Chowder (150) / Gingerbread Cookie (190)
You're covering all the bases here, and they are delicious. Dine well enough at the sandwich chain by mixing things up and enjoying a breezy meal that delivers. Honestly, at Subway, you just have to stop them from putting mayo on your stuff and you're pretty golden across the board.
Jack In The Box
485 CALORIES – Chicken Nuggets, five pieces (240) / Side Salad with croutons and vinaigrette (115) / Apple Bites with Caramel (70) Spicy Corn Sticks (60)
You do pretty dang well here for not even hitting the 500-calorie mark. It's a solid variety of reason for a place that's most notably a haven for late-night snackers and the weirder beyond. Take up better habits at Jack In the Box and you may live to make bad decisions next year.