Fast Food Calculator
Stack your weekly fast food meals and see how they measure up against a T-Rex. Also calculates your total calorie intake.
Size My Fast Food
Big Mac + Medium Fries combo e.g. McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s: 903 kcal, 49g fat
Your Habit Scale
| Assessment | Your Consumption vs. Guideline |
|---|---|
| Your Daily Average (kcal) | 387 |
| Recommended Daily (kcal) | 2,000 |
| % of Daily Guideline | 19% |
How It's Calculated
- 1. Your input: 3 Burger Combo per week. This is equivalent to an average of 387 kcal per day.
- 2. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for a typical adult is 2000 kcal.
- 3. The calculation shows what percentage of this daily RDA your habit constitutes: (Your Daily Kcal / RDA) × 100%.
Why It's Important
This comparison measures your average daily calorie intake from this habit against the general guideline of a 2,000 kcal diet. Based on your input, these meals make up 19% of this daily benchmark.
Why is this important? A 2,000-calorie diet is a standard reference for nutrition labeling. Seeing what percentage of that a single type of habit occupies can be eye-opening. It helps you understand how a few high-calorie meals can dominate your energy budget, providing a clear, data-driven perspective to help you make more mindful dietary choices.
Do you need help with your habit? See our list of international helplines and resources.
The Science Behind It
Fast food is a cornerstone of modern convenience, but it often packs a significant nutritional punch. This calculator helps you understand the impact of your fast food habits by translating weekly meals into calories and fat, based on nutritional data from popular chains and public health guidelines.
1. Calorie Density and Overconsumption
Many fast food meals are highly "calorie-dense," meaning they contain a large number of calories in a small volume of food. This can make it easy to exceed your daily energy needs without feeling proportionally full, a key factor in weight gain over time. Our calculator uses a 2000 kcal diet as a benchmark, a standard reference used on nutrition labels.
2. Saturated Fats, Sodium, and Health
Beyond calories, fast food is often high in saturated fats and sodium. While the body needs these nutrients in small amounts, excessive intake is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and other chronic conditions. The data for our meal options comes directly from the nutrition information provided by major fast-food chains.
3. The Impact of Processing
Ultra-processed foods, which make up a large portion of fast food offerings, are formulated to be "hyper-palatable." This can override the body's natural satiety signals, encouraging you to eat more than you need. Understanding the nutritional content of these meals is a first step toward more mindful consumption.
4. Making Informed Choices
This tool isn't about eliminating fast food but about providing clear, data-driven awareness. By seeing how quickly a few meals can add up, you can make more informed choices, such as opting for smaller portions, choosing grilled over fried options, or balancing a high-calorie meal with lighter choices throughout the day.