2 chains to offer 'low-carb burgers' wrapped in lettuce

AZCentral.com ^ | Dec. 16, 2003 | USA TODAY

[11th_VA]

Low-carb mania may reach new highs Monday when the Hardee's and Carl's Jr. hamburger chains announce plans to introduce the fast food world's first "low-carb burgers." The big bunless burgers - 1/3- to 1/2-pound - will come wrapped in large leaves of iceberg lettuce for a handhold on the burger and fixings.

[11th_VA]

"This makes me laugh," says Robyn Flipse, a registered dietitian from Ocean, N.J. "People are deluding themselves into thinking this is weight-loss food. It is a very high-calorie and high-fat item without all the other pieces of the Atkins diet in place."

Works for me - down two inches since Thanksgiving !

[11th_VA]

FYI !

[riri]

I saw a guy in In and Out Burger just Friday doing this...I thought it was a pretty good idea if one is trying to follow the Atkins diet.

[Frank_Discussion]

I just polished off a cinnamon roll as I read this...

[mrs tiggywinkle]

**I saw a guy in In and Out Burger just Friday doing this...I thought it was a pretty good idea if one is trying to follow the Atkins diet. **

Protein Burger. To make it really messy ask for an Animal Style Protein Burger. :o)

[HamiltonJay]

Want to lose weight and eat at Hardees... just have the standard Hot Ham and Cheese and skip the fries and drink a diet...

In fact MOST fast food burgers you can eat and still stay well under daily caloric requirements if you just skip the mayo, fries and drink water or diet soda.

The burgers aren't what make you fat (by and large) in fast food, its the fries and soda. That's where HUGE amounts of EMPTY calories lie.

Chic-Fil-A regular sandwhich is also a GREAT fast food choice if you want to watch your intake.

[EggsAckley]

** "flipse" off Robin Flipse **

I learned how to eat a burger and leave the bun a long time ago. Not pretty to watch, however. I like this idea a lot.

[goodnesswins]

Hmmmm..."registered dieticians" no longer means ANYTHING to me......they are fed the gov't food pyramid all through their education.....had a doctor who would get pissed at them when they ignored his orders for hospitalized patients. And.....many?...some? refuse to acknowledge the fact that today's "flour" and "potatoes" are the same as "sugar"....which many Americans eat waaaayyy too much of.

[11th_VA]

I've been ordering the double cheeseburger (without cheese) from Mac D's. I don't eath the buns though - save 'em for my dog - he's loving my diet lifestyle change.

[beezdotcom]

"This makes me laugh," says Robyn Flipse, a registered dietitian from Ocean, N.J. "People are deluding themselves into thinking this is weight-loss food. It is a very high-calorie and high-fat item without all the other pieces of the Atkins diet in place."

Aha! The first chink in the armor. A tacet admission that maybe there's something to this low-carb stuff if you actually follow ALL the tenets.

She actually does have an inadvertent point. I've seen a number of people attempt a low-carb diet, get upset when it doesn't work - and when you quiz them, you often discover one of the following horrifying misconceptions:

1)"But it said low-fat on the label - why CAN'T I eat it?" (I am NOT making this up...)

2) "I thought I could alternate low-fat in the morning, and low-carb at night."

3) "Sugar is a carbohydrate?" (I am NOT making this up...)

4) "I added these Atkins bars to my diet, and I didn't lose ANY weight." Did you change anything else about your diet? "No! Why should I?"

And there's plenty more where these came from....

[Trampled by Lambs]

"It is a very high-calorie and high-fat item without all the other pieces of the Atkins diet in place."

Its not like anyone with any sense would base their diet on this but its great for those of us doing low carb for those times when caught out and forced to eat fast food. Now we can do so without screwing up the diet too much.

I've lost 30 lbs in 30 days on Atkins and I feel fantastic.

[tuckrdout]

Laugh all you want, I have lost almost 40 pounds and going lower! My cholesterol has dropped 40 points and my triglycerides do not exist!

I will certainly shop at those fast food places! As it is now, I have to peel the bun off a double cheese burger, and it is a mess! It is about time someone did this!

[beezdotcom]

Now, if only we can make THIS come to pass...

[Stallone]

Low-carb dieting invokes a little-used energy pathway that necessitates the breakdown and use of body fat.

Of course, registered dieticians (aka morons) who were indoctrinated and funded by the sugar pushers of the world (such as Kellogg's) will laugh hysterically at savvy low-carbers while their own clients spread to the size of great whales. This confuses them.

Emperical and scientific evidence overwhelmingly confirm what the medical community will not tell you:

They were wrong. Dead wrong.

Atkins works. Flawlessly.

Enjoy your low-carb burgers without the buns. Eat amply, and often. And lose fat.

[11th_VA]

Hey, I'm not laughing - I order the doublecheese burger WITHOUT cheese - the buns come right off.

[bobsatwork]

...horrifying misconceptions Your points are SO valid. I had a co-worked who swore she followed Atkins to a "T", but kept gaining weight. When I asked for details of her actual diet, it turned out she started every day with a bowl of cereal with milk and fruit. Talk about Kiss of Death on Atkins. (BTW, I have been doing Atkins since August - just passed 20pounds fat loss)

[carlo3b]

The big bunless burgers - 1/3- to 1/2-pound - will come wrapped in large leaves of iceberg lettuce for a handhold on the burger and fixings.

HUH? Iceberg? I would have chosen Romaine, or butter (Boston Bib), or even California Green-leaf, either are much more flexible, and sturdy. I'll wait and see how it holds all of that topping stuff without dripping all over your tie...Bwhahahahahah

[tuckrdout]

Why no cheese?

[beezdotcom]

When I asked for details of her actual diet, it turned out she started every day with a bowl of cereal with milk and fruit.

When you confronted her with this error, did she remain steeped in denial, or did she try again? (My usual experience is that someone who makes such a basic mistake is usually unable to marshall the wisdom to give it another go - but I always remain hopeful).

Incidentally, with the right cereal, the right milk, and the right fruit, you CAN start the day this way. It took me a while to find a low-carb soy milk that didn't make me retch, however...

[SamAdams76]

Works for me too. Down 14 inches and 102 pounds since April. Selling the burgers wrapped in lettuce is a great idea. On occasion during this diet, I would feel like ordering a fast food burger without the bun but I always felt like a dweeb doing so. So I'd order a regular burger plain and throw the bun away when I thought nobody was looking. This will bring me into those places at lunch time a little more often. However, I'll never be a regular at one of these places until they offer a real vegetable as a side dish as vegetables are a major part of my diet. Such as steamed broccoli or asparagus. Those processed fried "potato" sticks don't cut it.

Contrary to popular belief, this is not an "all you can eat meat" diet. This way of eating is balanced and healthy. I eat no more meat than I did before the diet and I eat a lot more vegetables, eggs, nuts, yogurt and berries than I ever did before.