Hey,
Not going to lie, I love chicken and Zaxby’s serves some good chicken. However, when it comes to Zaxby’s you have to ignore the calories and pay attention to the carb count. When you look at the calories attached to the food at Zaxby’s there is almost nothing to eat. The menu ranges from 540 -1500 calories per serving. This is when you have to peel back the layers and find what you can eat and still make progress with fat loss.
The first thing you have to think about is protein versus carbs. What does this mean? The body uses protein to repair and build things in the body. If the body takes in excess protein it isn’t stored as fat like excess carbohydrates, instead it’s excreted through the digestive tract and kidneys. This does not give the green light for overdosing on steak and chicken. Too much protein can cause serious kidney problems to include kidney stones and even kidney failure in extreme cases. However, occasionally eating more protein will not be detrimental to your health.
So, when you look at the Zaxby menu you must look at it from that perspective. First, don’t eat the fries or the Texas Toast. Eating either of these automatically add (Texas Toast 290 calories for 1 slice and 40 grams of carbs, Crinkle Fries 360 calories and 48 grams of carbs) bad carbs that increase blood sugar and insulin levels reducing your ability to burn fat.
The 5-piece Buffalo Fingerz & Chicken Fingerz have 630 and 610 calories however, the carb count is considerably low at 15 and 19 grams and a marked higher protein count of 46 grams. The 5 piece Buffalo Wings has 540 calories, only 3 grams of carbs and 42 grams of protein. Even though the calorie count is higher than I like it’s still acceptable due to the carb to protein ratio, because excess carbs make you fat.
The Zalads are great as long as you don’t eat the toast. Without the toast the total calories range from 300-470 with a carb count in the single digits. Even with dressing the carb count is considerably low.
While the menu is limited, you can find something to eat at Zaxby’s in a pinch. However, I don’t recommend eating there every day or even every week.
Helping You Make Better Choices,
Jeff