Super Size Me! Get big the Right Way at America's favorite fast-food restaurants

Flex, Oct, 2005 by Chris Aceto, Steve Stiefel

Bodybuilders have a Super Size Me mentality, but it's considerably different from that unmasked in Morgan Spurlock's documentary. The film revealed the unhealthy horrors of the fast-food industry and how they can affect the health and weight of customers who frequent these establishments for the cheap deals and large portions. These customers may not want to get bigger, but they can't help it considering the number of fast-food calories they consume. Bodybuilders do want to get bigger, but by adding quality muscle mass rather than mounds of doughy flesh. Fast-food fare has been blamed for many of the woes of an increasingly obese American public, but savvy bodybuilders can eat at these restaurants and still achieve their goals if they know what to order and how much to eat.

Almost every fast-food restaurant has menu options that bodybuilders can choose without sabotaging their diets. Often, these places post the nutrition information of their menus in plain view--bodybuilders should learn to make use of these charts when ordering. FLEX has analyzed six categories covering the range of the most basic foods these restaurants serve. In this article, we show the bodybuilding nutritional values of popular dishes, expose some of the nutrition pitfalls and suggest better selections from a dietary standpoint.

CATEGORY ONE BASIC BURGERS

These are among the best-known burgers in the world. Here, we provide nutrition information for one of the basics offered at each of the three largest burger chains. Wendy's Classic Single and McDonald's Quarter Pounder are comparable in calories, but Burger King's Whopper is significantly higher in calories, and a greater percentage of those calories come from fat. The BK option is the best weight gainer, but even at 35 grams (g) of protein, most of its calories come from the less desirable components of fats and carbohydrates.

BK's Bacon Double Cheeseburger also contains 35 g of protein, but with fewer calories than a Whopper (570 compared to a Whopper's 700), it offers a ratio of protein to calories more comparable to a Wendy's Classic Single and a McDonald's Quarter Pounder. A BK Angus Steak Burger (570 calories) is also a better option than a Whopper.

CONCLUSION | If you're ordering at Wendy's or McDonald's, stick with a basic burger--a Classic Single or a Quarter Pounder. If you're ordering at Burger King, an Angus Steak Burger or Bacon Double Cheeseburger are better calorie-management strategies than a Whopper, from the standpoint of fat and protein.

BASIC BURGERS

          TOTAL  % OF CALORIES                    % OF CALORIES
CALORIES  FAT*   FROM FAT       CARBS*  PROTEIN*  FROM PROTEIN

McDonald's Quarter Pounder
420       18     39             40      24        23

Wendy's Classic Single with everything
430       20     42             37      25        23

Burger King Whopper
700       42     54             52      35        20

* Measured in grams

CATEGORY TWO BIG BURGERS

Each of the three big burger chains also has high-end high-calorie burgers or specialty burgers. These are the big boys when it comes to calories. Bodybuilders who are interested in controlling bodyfat--whether in the offseason or in precontest mode--should choose other foods. These burgers are best suited to hardgainers who have trouble getting in sufficient calories. Of these choices, a Big Mac has far fewer calories than the others do. It also has less protein in grams and by percentage; if you're trying to follow a higher protein diet, Wendy's Classic Double with cheese or a Burger King Double Whopper with cheese are better options.

CONCLUSION | Big burgers are cheat foods. If you're trying to stay on a bodybuilding diet, choose foods from another category.

BIG BURGERS

          TOTAL  % OF CALORIES                    % OF CALORIES
CALORIES  FAT*   FROM FAT       CARBS*  PROTEIN*  FROM PROTEIN

McDonald's Big Mac
  560     30     48             47      25        28

Wendy's Classic Double with cheese
  700     39     50             38      48        27

Burger King Double Whopper with cheese
1,060     69     59             53      56        21

* Measured in grams

CATEGORY THREE SALAD MEALS

Choosing a salad at a fast-food restaurant is often the best way to go. Keep in mind that the numbers listed in the chart don't include salad dressing--a package of ranch adds about 230 calories. Also, fat-free salad dressings are still high in calories, often containing 100 or more calories, mostly from carbs. Don't be fooled into thinking they are a "diet food" just because they're fat free.

Here are some other things to keep in mind as you order salads: grilled chicken is generally the best option for keeping protein and percent of calories from protein high. Salads with fried chicken or shells (such as Taco Bell's) add far more calories from fat. Subway's grilled chicken salad is among the best for percent of calories from protein, but you may need two just to fill you up.

Many of the salads in this category derive 50% or more of their calories from protein, making them ideal foods for dieting bodybuilders, but adding dressing will bring that percentage down.