The Weight Watcher's Guide To Enjoying Fast Food

Let’s face it; sometimes, you just gotta have fast food! Whether everyone is going to Wendy’s or you are stuck at a business meeting where the only option for lunch is the vending machine or fast food, or even if you are just dying for your favorite foods, fast food happens.

We all know that eating fresh food at home is the best choice. Whenever possible, you should pack a lunch so that you know you are sticking to not only your points goal, but that you are eating healthy, whole foods.

However, if fast food is going to be in the future, that doesn’t mean you have to blow your diet.

You can access the Weight Watchers app to search for great choices at most fast food joints, but if you are in that meeting and you can’t look at your phone, we have a great list for you here to help you out in a pinch.

We also tell you the absolute worst choices, so you can avoid them at all costs.

Check out all the great options you have, whether you are visiting the golden arches or the king.

Fast Food Restaurants

• Sonic
• Taco Bell
• Panera Bread
• Dairy Queen
• Arby’s
• McDonald’s
• Chick-Fil-A
• Wendy's
• Starbucks
• Burger King
• Subway
• Dunkin’ Donuts

Best Burger Choices

• Junior Burger- 11 SmartPoints
• Junior Deluxe Burger – 12 SmartPoints
• Junior Chili Cheeseburger – 13 SmartPoints

Worst Burger Choices

• Super Sonic Bacon Double Cheeseburger (with mayo) – 43 SmartPoints
• Super Sonic Jalapeno Double Cheeseburger – 37 SmartPoints

Best Breakfast Choices

• Cinnasnacks 3 Pieces (no frosting) – 13 SmartPoints

Worst Breakfast Choices

• Cinnasnacks with frosting – 29 SmartPoints
• Breakfast Toaster (Sausage, egg, & cheese) – 21 SmartPoints

Best Chicken Choices

• Ultimate Chicken Club – 5 Smartpoints
• 3 Piece Crispy Chicken Tender Dinner – 7 SmartPoints
• 3 Piece Super Crunch Chicken Strips – 9 SmartPoints

Worst Chicken Choices

• Garlic Parmesan Dunked Ultimate Chicken Sandwich – 45 SmartPoints
• 5 Piece Super Crunch Chicken Strip Dinner – 36 SmartPoints

Absolute Worst Choices

• Large Pineapple Upside Down Blast – 103 SmartPoints
• Large Peanut Butter Caramel Pie Malt – 100 SmartPoints

Best Burrito Choices

• Regular bean burrito – 11 SmartPoints
• Burrito Supreme (chicken or steak) – 12 SmartPoints
• Shredded Chicken Burrito – 12 SmartPoints

Worst Burrito Choices

• XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito (Beef) – 28 SmartPoints
• Cantina Power Burrito (Steak) – 23 SmartPoints

Best Taco Choices

• Chicken Soft Taco – 5 SmartPoints
• Doritos Locos Taco (cool ranch or fiery hot) – 5 SmartPoints

Worst Taco Choices

• Nacho Crunch Double Stacked Taco – 12 SmartPoints
• Spice Sweet Double Stacked Taco – 12 SmartPoints

Best Breakfast Choices

• Breakfast Egg & Cheese Soft Taco – 4 SmartPoints
• AM Grilled Egg & Cheese Taco- 5 SmartPoints
• Hash Browns – 5 SmartPoints

Worst Breakfast Choices

• 12 Pack Cinnabon Delights – 38 SmartPoints
• Am Crunchwrap with Sausage – 24 SmartPoints

Turkey Chili (cup) – 5pts, 7pts (bowl)

Best Bagel Choices

• Roasted Vegetable Medley Cream Cheese – 5 SmartPoints
• Reduced Fat Plain Cream Cheese – 5 SmartPoints
• Chive & Onions Cream Cheese – 6 SmartPoints

Worst Bagel Choice

• Cinnamon Crunch Bagel – 17 SmartPoints

Best Breakfast Choices

• Fresh Fruit Cup – 3 SmartPoints
• Watermelon Cup – 4 SmartPoints
• Ham, Egg, & Cheese Power Sandwich – 8 SmartPoints

Worst Breakfast Choices

• Spinach& Bacon or Spinach & Artichoke Baked Egg Souffle – 20 SmartPoints

Best Pastry Choices

• Petite Chocolate Chipper Cookie – 5 SmartPoints
• Wild Blueberry Mini-Scone – 7 SmartPoints
• Coconut Macaroon – 7 SmartPoints

Worst Pastry Choices

• Cherry Pastry – 138 SmartPoints
• Kitchen Sink Cookie – 38 SmartPoints
• Pecan Roll – 28 SmartPoints

Best Salad Choices

• Half Caesar Salad – 5 SmartPoints
• Half Asian Sesame Chicken Salad – 6 SmartPoints
• Half Chicken Caesar Salad – 6 SmartPoints

Worst Salad Choices

• Full Fuji Apple Chicken Salad – 18 SmartPoints
• Full Chopped Chicken Cobb with Avocado Salad – 17 SmartPoints

Best Sandwich Choices

• Half Smoked Turkey Breast on Country Bread – 5 SmartPoints
• Half Roasted Turkey & Avocado BLT on Sourdough Bread – 7 SmartPoints
• Half Tuna Salad on Honey Wheat Bread – 7 SmartPoints

Worst Sandwich Choices

• Full Italian Combo on Ciabatta Bread – 29 SmartPoints
• While Steak & White Cheddar Panini – 29 SmartPoints

Soup/Broth

Best Soup Choices

• Cup of Black Bean Soup – 3 SmartPoints
• Cup of Vegetable Soup with Pesto – 3 SmartPoints
• Cup of Chicken Noodle Soup – 3 SmartPoints

Worst Soup Choices

• New England Clam Chowder in Bread Bowl – 33 SmartPoints
• Vegetarian Summer Corn Chowder in Bread Bowl – 27 SmartPoints
• Broccoli Cheddar Soup in Bread Bowl – 27 SmartPoints

Absolute Worst Choice

• Cherry Pastry – 138 SmartPoints

Best Breakfast Choices

• Hash Browns – 6 SmartPoints
• Regular Pancake Platter – 9 SmartPoints

Worst Breakfast Choices

• Bacon Country Platter – 38 SmartPoints
• Bacon Ultimate Hash Brown Platter – 34 SmartPoints

Smoothies

Best Choices

• Small Orange – 8 SmartPoints
• Small Strawberry or Strawberry Banana – 9 SmartPoints
• Small Pina Colada – 9 SmartPoints

Worst Choices

• Large Tripleberry – 16 SmartPoints
• Large OrangeBerry – 16 SmartPoints
• Large Mango Pineapple – 16 SmartPoints

Absolute Worst Choice

• Large Brownie Cookie Dough Blizzard – 73 SmartPoints

Unsweetened Ice Tea (0 points)

Best Sandwich Choices

• 2 Piece Prime-Cut Chicken Tenders – 6 SmartPoints
• 3 Piece Prime-Cut Chicken Tenders – 9 SmartPoints
• Ham & Swiss Melt- 9 SmartPoints
• Roast Beef Classic – 11 SmartPoints OR with the top half of the bun discarded (9 points)

Worst Sandwich Choices

• Triple Decker Sandwich – 32 SmartPoints
• Ultimate BLT – 32 SmartPoints

Absolute Worst

• Large Cookie Butter Shake – 49 SmartPoints

Burgers/Sandwiches/Nuggets

Best Choices

• 4 Piece Chicken Nuggest – 4 SmartPoints
• 3 Piece Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Tenders – 7 SmartPoints
• Lobster Roll – 7 SmartPoints
• Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich – 8 Smartpoints

Worst Choices

• Bacon Smokehouse Single Burger – 28 SmartPoints
• Bacon Smokehouse Double Burger – 37 SmartPoints

Best Breakfast Choices

• Fruit and Yogurt Parfait – 6 SmartPoints
• Egg McMuffin (Egg White Delight) – 8 SmartPoints

Worst Breakfast Choices

• Big Breakfast with Hotcakes – 50 SmartPoints
• Hotcakes and Sausage – 31 SmartPoints

Best Salads

Although many people believe that McDonald’s salads aren’t healthy, but they are if you make the right choices!

• Premium Asian Salad (without chicken) – 3 SmartPoints
• Premium Bacon Ranch Salad (without chicken) – 4 SmartPoints
• Premium Asian Salad with Chicken – 5 SmartPoints

Worst Salads

• Premium Southwest Salad w/ Crispy Chicken – 16 SmartPoints

Absolute Worst

• 20 piece Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Tenders – 63 SmartPoints

Chicken

Best Classic Chicken Choices

• 4 or 6 Piece Grilled Chicken Nuggest – 0 SmartPoints
• 1 Piece Chick-N-Strips – 4 SmartPoints
• Cobb Salad with Grilled Nuggets – 6 SmartPoints
• Grilled Chicken Sandwich - 9 SmartPoints

Worst Chicken Choices

• Spicy Deluxe Chicken – 16 SmartPoints

Best Breakfast Choices

• Multigrain Oatmeal – 5 SmartPoints
• Egg White Grill – 6 SmartPoints
• Bacon, Egg, & Cheese English Muffin – 7 SmartPoints

Worst Breakfast Choices

• Sausage Platter – 28 SmartPoints
• Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit – 22 SmartPoints

Best Salad Choices

• Market Salad with Spicy Grilled Chicken – 8 SmartPoints
• Market Salad with Grilled Chicken – 9 SmartPoints

Absolute Worst Choice

• Large Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshake – 46 SmartPoints

Sandwiches and Burgers

Best Choices

• Chicken Go Wrap with Grilled Chicken – 5 SmartPoints
• Kids Grilled Chicken Wrap – 5 SmartPoints
• Grilled Chicken Sandwich – 7 SmartPoints

Worst Choices

• Dave’s Triple Cheeseburger – 35 SmartPoints
• Dave’s Double Cheeseburger – 26 SmartPoints
• Smoky Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger – 24 SmartPoints

Best Breakfast Choices

• Steel Cut Oatmeal (Plain) – 5 SmartPoints
• Artisan Sandwich with Egg & Cheese – 7 SmartPoints
• Sausage & Egg Burrito – 7 SmartPoints

Worst Breakfast Choices

• Morning’ Melt Panini with All-Natural Sausage – 23 SmartPoints
• Fresh Baked Biscuit with All-Natural Sausage – 21 SmartPoints
• Mornin’ Melt Panini with Applewood Smoked Bacon – 18 SmartPoints

Best Salad Choices

• Half Asian Cashew Chicken Salad – 1 SmartPoint
• Whole Asian Cashew Chicken Salad – 2 SmartPoints
• Half Apple Pecan Chicken Salad – 5 SmartPoints

Worst Salad Choices

• Full Size Taco Salad – 23 SmartPoints
• Half Size Taco Salad – 16 SmartPoints
• Full Southwest Avocado Chicken Salad – 16 SmartPoints

Absolute Worst Choice

• Dave's Triple Cheeseburger – 35 SmartPoints

Coffee Drinks

Best Coffee Drink Choices

• Espresso Solo/Doppio/Triple/Quad – 0 SmartPoints
• Espresso Solo or Doppio with 2% Milk – 0 SmartPoints
• Espresso Macchiato Solo or Doppio with Coconut Milk – 0 SmartPoints
• Espresso Macchiato Solo or Doppio with Soy Milk – 0 SmartPoints

Worst Coffee Drink Choices

• Venti Eggnog Latte with Whole Milk – 28 SmartPoints
• Venti White Chocolate Mocha with Coconut Milk – 25 SmartPoints

Best Bakery Choices

• Frappuccino Cookie Straw – 4 SmartPoints
• Petite Vanilla Bean Scone – 4 SmartPoints
• The Classic Bantam Bagel – 7 SmartPoints

Worst Bakery Choices

• Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake – 23 SmartPoints
• Iced Lemon Pound Cake – 21 SmartPoints

Best Breakfast Choices

• Reduced Fat Turkey Bacon & Egg White Breakfast Sandwich – 5 Smartpoints
• Spinach, Feta, & Cage Free Egg White Breakfast Wrap – 8 SmartPoints

Absolute Worst Choice

• Venti S'mores Frappuccino with Whole Milk – 32 SmartPoints

Burgers and Sandwiches

Best Burger Choices

• Regular Hamburger – 8 SmartPoints
• Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe – 10 SmartPoints

Worst Burger Choices

• Farmhouse King – 46 SmartPoints
• Rodeo King – 42 Smartpoints
• BBQ Bacon King – 37 Smartpoints

Best Breakfast Choices

• Original Quaker Oatmeal – 4 SmartPoints
• BK Breakfast Muffin Sandwich Egg & Cheese or Ham, Egg, & Cheese – 5 SmartPoints

Worst Breakfast Choices

• BK Ultimate Breakfast Platter – 53 SmartPoints
• Egg-Normous Breakfast Burrito – 28 SmartPoints

Absolute Worst Choice

• Bk Ultimate Breakfast Platter – 53 SmartPoints

Best Sandwich Choices

• Kids Mini Sub with Black Forest Ham – 5 SmartPoints
• 6 Inch Veggie Delite – 5 SmartPoints
• Egg White and Cheese Flatbread – 8 SmartPoints

Worst Sandwich Choices

• Footlong Big Hot Pastrami – 37 SmartPoints
• Footlong Italian Hero – 36 SmartPoints
• Footlong Carved Turkey, Bacon, & Cheese – 34 SmartPoints

Best Salad Choices

• Veggie Delite Salad – 0 SmartPoints
• Double Chicken Salad – 2 SmartPoints
• Oven Roasted Chicken Salad – 2 SmartPoints

Absolute Worst Choice

• Footlong Big Hot Pastrami – 37 SmartPoints

The donuts are certainly tempting but on top of being really unhealthy for you, every single choice is 10 points or more.

Best Breakfast Choices

• Hash Browns – 4 SmartPoints
• Egg White Turkey Sausage – 4 SmartPoints
• Egg & Cheese Wake Up Wrap – 6 SmartPoints

Worst Breakfast Choices

• Coffee Cake Muffin – 26 SmartPoints
• Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Croissant Sandwich – 25 SmartPoints

Absolute Worst Choices

• Coffee Cake Muffin – 26 SmartPoints
• Sausage Egg and Cheese Sandwich on Croissant – 25 SmartPoints

Cheat Sheet For Sticking To Your Eating Plan At Fast Food Or Any Restaurant

Eating out is probably one of the toughest parts of any eating program. Everything looks so good and you have no idea how many calories/fat/carbs are in some of your favorite foods.

There are a few tips you can use, however, that will help you to cut back and remove extra, unwanted calories/fat/carbs/sugar.

• Order submarine sandwiches in a bowl, sometimes called “sub in a tub”. Most sandwich shops and even restaurants should let you order a sandwich but put the ingredients in a bowl (maybe with extra lettuce to make a salad) instead of on bread.
• Always choose grilled, roasted, or broiled over fried or breaded anything
• Ask for dressings on the side (so you can add just a little)
• Ask for burgers “protein style”. These come with lettuce as the “bun”. If the restaurant doesn’t offer this (such as McDonald’s) toss the bun and use a fork to eat just the burger, cheese, and condiments
• If vegetables are offered (many Chinese restaurants do) fill up on those first, but avoid breaded and fried vegetables
• Never drink your calories! Ask for water and add a slice of lemon or lime
• At restaurants, get the lunch portion (which is smaller) or ask the waiter to immediately put half in a to-go bag
• Don’t Supersize anything except water!
• Children’s portions (think McDonald’s Happy Meal) usually have small portions, and therefore, fewer calories
• Avoid fried anything, especially French fries
• Most fast food chains offer nutritional information. Order meals that are 500 calories or less
• Don’t assume salads are always a good choice
• Watch the sides at restaurants! Avoid foods like mac n cheese, onion rings, coleslaw, or biscuits and look for fruit cups, corn on the cob, baked potatoes (watch your toppings!) and side salads
• Skip the bacon. Try extra pickles, onions, tomatoes or mustard to add flavor with far fewer calories and fat