How do you eat right in... O'Briens?

ucd_guy

In college one of the only lunch options is the campus O' Briens. It's where all my mates go, so I won't be going anywhere else, and I've got too much outside of college to preprepare meals and bring them in (even though that's the ideal situation).

So in terms of someone on a weight loss, muscle building program a la Crossfit, (users of which often use The Zone or Paleo diets) what's the best thing to get in O'Briens? Concoct your own mixes here!

I'm sick of toasted triple deckers with cheese...

podge57

ucd_guy wrote: »

In college one of the only lunch options is the campus O' Briens. It's where all my mates go, so I won't be going anywhere else, and I've got too much outside of college to preprepare meals and bring them in (even though that's the ideal situation). So in terms of someone on a weight loss, muscle building program a la Crossfit, (users of which often use The Zone or Paleo diets) what's the best thing to get in O'Briens? Concoct your own mixes here!

I'm sick of toasted triple deckers with cheese...

thats a poor excuse - a healthy sandwich can be made in 2 minutes

cook up some meat at the start of the week, i never believe people who say they have no time to eat healthy

ucd_guy

Ok, :rolleyes: let's assume I'm talking about days when I simply forget to make some food firsthand. What's the best or healthiest thing I can go for in O'Briens?

cavanmaniac

I'm not a regular but I assume you can get some sort of brown bread/wholegrain bap and shove a bit of salmon on it along with some salads and a small amount of the healthiest dressing they might have.

iPoker

they do good mayo

puntosporting

A bit of ham or turkey on brown aint gonna put you in a grave is it?
Could get tuna too!
Have some onion or peppers your sorted if you can eat it dry even better!
Been reading here a while now and people are a little ott when it comes to diet i feel!
Eat healthy an all but dont punish yourself by not eathing food you like!
It will bite you in the ass in the long run when you get pissed off with watching what you eat and rebound on grease:p

Roper

Stop running with the crowd. If you really want to go Paleo, while your mates are in O'Brien's, you should run down the N11 a bit and run down a deer. Or, if time is short, forage for some berries in Belfield.

fatal

I always get the same triple decker in obriens:

Brown bread
Plain chicken (not the crap coated in mayo)
Extra chicken instead of bacon
little or no mayo and cheese
loads of tomatoes and lettuce

YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

eddiehead

ucd_guy wrote: »

I'm sick of toasted triple deckers with cheese...

Didnt think that was possible to be honest..

But yeah, im sure there are lots of relatively healthy options in O'Briens, how bad could some chicken on brown with salad and light dressing be? Could be worse, you could be having chips or something

Lola87

According to a friend of mine whos a nurse the bread in o'briens is very unhealthy- the most calorie laden bread in any sandwich bar (she heard this from a nutritionist who lectured them in college):eek:

Don't they have a healthy options menu there now? I suppose you could try a wrap although i've read on here that there not all that healthy either....you can't win!

Make your own lunch i guess...instead of forking out for unhealthy grub everyday just cos thats what your mates are doing!:)

hunter164

Just get a sandwich with loads of salad and meat and then ditch the bread.
Simple

siochain

hunter164 wrote: »

Just get a sandwich with loads of salad and meat and then ditch the bread.
Simple

cant you just order a salad !!!

hunter164

Can you?

Lola87

hunter164 wrote: »

Can you?

Yeah they do salads there now AFAIK. But would the OP go for a salad?:p

ucd_guy

topnutz wrote: »

Didnt think that was possible to be honest..

It's not only possible, it's yum. Switch the chicken mayo for chicken tikka, the tomate for mixed pepper and stick that baby in the toaster!

Lola87 wrote: »

Yeah they do salads there now AFAIK. But would the OP go for a salad?:p

Yeah I'd eat a salad alright.

hunter164

Then eat a salad!

Hanley

Yeah guys.... did anyone actually read the original post?

He wants to build MUSCLE. Not lose FAT.

Ya know.... a calorific surplus versus a deficit?

Gavin "shels"

Lola87 wrote: »

Yeah they do salads there now AFAIK. But would the OP go for a salad?:p

So do McDonalds, and the salads are supposely worse than a McDonalds burger.:eek:

Hanley

Gavin shels wrote: »

So do McDonalds, and the salads are supposely worse than a McDonalds burger.:eek:

Urban myth afaik, just skip the dressing.

hunter164

Ye it's the dressing that has all the cals.

estebancambias

Actually anyone know how many cals in a Big Mac. Haven't had one in years.

The last thing I had from Micky D's was a milk shake about a year ago.

MagicMarker

if you can afford O'Briens everyday for lunch then surely you can get your mother to pack one up for ya instead?

Hanley

Why's everyone trying to change what this guy does??

If he wants O'Bs, let him have it. Don't forget how "social" college is. If all your friends are going somewhere for food then it's only natural to want to eat there with them too.

Don't start acting like it's going to have a negative impact on his physique goals. Because it's not.

Helpmemaths

estebancambias wrote: »

Actually anyone know how many cals in a Big Mac. Haven't had one in years.

495

ucd_guy

MagicMarker wrote: »

if you can afford O'Briens everyday for lunch then surely you can get your mother to pack one up for ya instead?

Yeah but can't afford the postage on a sandwich from Galway to Dublin each day!

lindak

When I go to Obriens I ask for thin bread, they automatically use the caterine bread which is thick cut. You can ask for thin sliced bread !

olaola

Thin bread, no butter, ham/turkey/tuna, tomatoes (for moistness) plus whatever salad. Either a scrape of mayo or ballymaloe relish.

Canis Lupus

Helpmemaths wrote: »

495

Twas on TV on.... panorama or some such thing a while back explaining that they tested loads of food stuff and whilst I can't remember the specifics food nutritional labelling can be anywhere (legally) within a margin of 25% or possibly more and in general any food they tested on the day exceeded by a fair margin what was labelled on the pack.

I would be surprised if MD posted highly accurate info on their burgers when everyone else is telling you lies.

I suppose that's obvious though....

/thread derailing.

Pen1987

Hanley wrote: »

Why's everyone trying to change what this guy does??

If he wants O'Bs, let him have it. Don't forget how "social" college is. If all your friends are going somewhere for food then it's only natural to want to eat there with them too.

Don't start acting like it's going to have a negative impact on his physique goals. Because it's not.

EXACTLY.


I'm a regular O'B customer for similar reasons, same thing everytime, chicken+bacon triple decker, brown bread, all the salad, no dressings/mayo etc... take out the middle slice of bread and a bit of the salad and chomp away. You end up with loads of chicken, just two slices of bread so less carbs and a good few veggies... 'Delish man!'...

ucd_guy

Thanks Hanley, Pen for the helpful replies. This thread is actually kinda interesting. I seem to remember Men's Health or some other US fitness mag doing a similar series a few months ago.

Ok, on a similar note:

How do you eat right in... MacDonalds?

That's right, the dreaded Mickey D's. You just know you're going to get caught there some day during the summer when the rest of the lads insist on going, you're abroad and broke. What's the best meal you can eat for yourself in MacDonalds? (If you had to, yadda yadda...)

Hanley

ucd_guy wrote: »

Thanks Hanley, Pen for the helpful replies. This thread is actually kinda interesting. I seem to remember Men's Health or some other US fitness mag doing a similar series a few months ago.

Ok, on a similar note:

How do you eat right in... MacDonalds?

That's right, the dreaded Mickey D's. You just know you're going to get caught there some day during the summer when the rest of the lads insist on going, you're abroad and broke. What's the best meal you can eat for yourself in MacDonalds? (If you had to, yadda yadda...)

3 or 4 plain hamburgers, throw them all into the one bun (dispose of the rest) and chomp on down.

I remember when I was in Paris after my LC they were selling burgers for 75c in MaccyD's!! That was just TOO good to pass up.

Pen1987

ucd_guy wrote: »

How do you eat right in... MacDonalds?

You buy O'briens and take it over to the lads in Maccers.


Or the only other kinda sorta option that isnt great and over no nuitritional benefit is you eat the salad without the dressing, but theres no protein or anything to benefit you, other than knocking you your cal-content for the day a few notches.

Pen1987

Hanley wrote: »

3 or 4 plain hamburgers, throw them all into the one bun (dispose of the rest) and chomp on down.

I remember when I was in Paris after my LC they were selling burgers for 75c in MaccyD's!! That was just TOO good to pass up.

Ah... how much actual meat is in a maccers hamburger? Its all ground up fats etc isn't it?

Hanley

Pen1987 wrote: »

Ah... how much actual meat is in a maccers hamburger? Its all ground up fats etc isn't it?

250kcal, 14g protein, 30g carbs, 8g fat. I would imagine a high proportion of the carbs are contained in the bun.

Throw away the bun, throw in another burger or two and you've a decent enoguh meal there.

BrianD3

The nutritional info for McDonalds food is also on the back of the sheet on the tray you get when you eat in. I had a Big Tasty last night and I think it was 890 calories but it wasn't very "tasty" at all. A Double Quarter Pounder has less calories but more protein and is nicer.

ncmc

How do you eat right in... MacDonalds?

The grilled chicken caesar salad in McD's is actually really tasty. Can't remember the exact calories, but it was less than 300 AFAIK. The caesar dressing is Paul Newman's light caesar and is yum. I know it's not as healthy as a salad you'd make yourself, but tastes pretty fresh for a 'bought salad' and is a pretty good alternative to a burger.

RacoonQueen

I always have chicken, lettuce and tomato on brown bread in O'Briens. Don't like mayo anyway so it's not an issue for me.