{"id":183451,"date":"2024-08-08T11:04:07","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T16:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=183451"},"modified":"2025-09-29T10:12:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:12:00","slug":"fast-food-high-protein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/health-fitness\/health\/fast-food-high-protein\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Fast-Food Meals That Are High in Protein and Less Than 600 Calories"},"content":{"rendered":"

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If you’re trying to lose weight, one of the challenges you’ll face is what to do about those times when you find yourself at a fast-food restaurant.<\/p>\n

The offerings at these establishments are typically incredibly high in calories. A Big Mac meal at McDonald’s can set you back 1,300 calories. Damn! If your calorie goal for the day is 2,400 calories, that’s more than half your daily calories in a single meal.<\/p>\n

The typical advice for people losing weight<\/a> is to just avoid fast-food restaurants altogether. And with some preparing, thinking ahead, and good decision-making, you can accomplish that most of the time.<\/p>\n

But not 100% of the time. Sometimes, life throws a wrench in your plans.<\/p>\n

Maybe you’re on a road trip, and your friends decide to stop at Carl\u2019s Jr. for lunch.<\/p>\n

Maybe your kid\u2019s soccer team decided to go out to dinner to Chick-fil-A after the game.<\/p>\n

Maybe you\u2019re just really pressed for time and need to grab something fast at a drive-thru on the way from work to another engagement.<\/p>\n

What to do?<\/p>\n

Well, what if I told you you don’t have to choose between convenience and your fitness goals? You can have your fast-food burger and eat it too\u2014all while staying on track with your weight loss.<\/p>\n

When you want to lose weight, you want to choose foods that are lower in calories and higher in satiating, muscle-building protein.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, most fast-food restaurants now offer options that meet this criteria. With a bit of creativity, you can easily select meals at pretty much all the major fast-food restaurants that will give you 30+ grams of protein (which is a good minimum goal for a meal) and only clock in at around 600 calories.<\/p>\n

Below, we provide some suggestions for meals that meet these metrics that you can get at five popular fast-food restaurants. One thing to keep in mind is that while you can reduce the calories in your fast-food orders, it’s hard to reduce the amount of sodium. These are going to be sodium bombs. So they\u2019re not great for everyday dining, but they\u2019ll do in a pinch.<\/p>\n

Whether you’re looking to shed a few pounds or maintain your hard-earned gains, this guide will show you how to navigate the pitfalls of fast-food menus and stay on track with your goals.<\/p>\n

General Guidelines to Keep Your Fast-Food Meals Lower in Calories<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before we get into specific meals, here are some general guidelines to follow that will allow you to keep your meals lower in calories, regardless of the fast-food establishment you visit:<\/p>\n