Taco Bell's Drive-Thru Diet: We're supposed to buy this?

i agree with a majority of the people here. for some of us it is nearly impossible to cut out fast food completely. if we're going to eat it, i think its great that fast food chains are offering healthier choices. in the commercial she said that she limited her overall calorie intake and ate from the fresco menu. she didn't say that she ate there everyday, 3 times a week or once a month.

some people truly have a disdain to fast food. so be it. i work 12 hour days some days. if someone wants to turn up their nose to the fact that i grab fastfood on monday nights b/c i'm exhausted, well pooh on you...

I've tried something on their fresco menu, and I have to admit i felt healthy eating it. You can tell that there aren't a bunch of extra sauces that add more calories to the meal. The only reason I think it's bs is that there isn't that much items on that menu. So it's hard to believe that someone has been eating only taco bell for God knows how long. She obviously ate from there a couple times a week and was also eating healthy in general. So saying that she lost 54 pounds from eating Taco Smell is a stretched out truth.

I think I might go get a Fresco taco for lunch!

Still, if you look at the fineprint at the bottom of the commercial, it says that she ate 1250 calories a day. Well, of course she lost weight! It had nothing to do with Taco Bell in particular.

As long as you burn more calories than you consume you will lose weight. No matter what you eat.

Wow, unbelievable how harsh you are. Frankly, I'm glad when any restaurant (be it fast food or not) makes steps to provide healthier food. I have eaten their Fresco menu items and they ARE a great meal when you are left with little choice but fast food on a crazy busy day. I lost over 50 lbs in 9 months by counting calories. I didn't cut out fast food because I was able to eat items from menus like the Fresco. All you did was provide additional advertising for Taco Bell and come of as critical to anyone trying to lose weight who can't do it by eliminating EVERYTHING slightly unhealthy from their diet. What do YOU eat?

now really who would eat at Taco Bell that much to say they lost weight with that menu? a lazy person who doesnt know how to cook!

Didn't you see the disclaimer at the bottom of the TV screen? It's not a diet-- it's just a new spin on silly marketing ploys.
By the way, the Jack in the Box man really doesn't have a giant ball for a head, either.

There's a boatload of factual inaccuracies in this piece. Do your homework before popping off. Blergh indeed.

If you're going to eat fast food, you might as well make the healthier options reguardless of wether your choice of fast food is Subway or Taco Bell. Sounds like a lot of this article is coloured simply by the authors dislike of fast food (and Taco Bell in particular).

Some people DO eat fast food every single day. Kudos to them if they can afford it but if they're going to eat it they might as well eat the healthier version of it. Some people like all organic meat and veggies, some people like fast food. To each their own.

i like their new menu !! and i dont find toco bells new menu gross at all so sorry you dont like it but no-ones forcing you to eat there either your in put come across very badly so re-think how you post your idea's and maybe people will listen to you more

I think it's great that more fast food places are offering healthier options, but there are a lot of people who might show up at one with the intent of eating the healthier options and then cave when they see the nice big pile of fries or beef burritos for $.99. It's just my opinion that people who are really concerned about their weight and/or truly want to lose weight would not and should not turn to a fast food place as a starting point.

The Fresco menu is definitely better, but it still has a lot of sodium. Common sense tells all of us that we should avoid fast food most of the time, but as many people pointed out, if you're going to eat at Taco Bell, why not try something with fewer calories and less fat? The author of this article is a douche.

Also, if you go to the website for this "diet," you will be told plainly that this isn't actually a "diet."

the article is making sure we have a reality check, its not being critical of weight loss or how someone lost weight. Its being critical of advertising. Which I agree with!
When Subway came out with their Subway Fresh diet, people thought you could have a huge meatball sub chips and a soda everyday and drop 20 pounds. If you look closer, the diet has a limited amount of types of subs you can choose from that are low in calories and fat, it says to get a half a sandwich, no cheese, tons of veggies and zero condiments with maybe the exception of a vinegarette, it tells you to pair it with sliced apples and milk or water....AND to ensure you're also working out and eating healthy for all other meals, too.

Its nice to know that fast food joints are trying to offer healthier versions of their menu items, and still appeal to the person who often doesn't have time to make a healthy lunch choice.

But just like everything in advertising, we have to look at the big picture and not take everything we hear and see at face value.

We not that stupid anymore....we know it takes more than lower calorie soft taco to truly be at a healthy weight for our body types.

Wow... for someone who is attempting to promote a healthy lifestyle, you're awful judgemental about how other people lose weight-- and downright critical of someone who actually has had weight loss success!

I've seen the commercial a couple of times (I might be a little shady on the details), I agree is BS... but to ASSUME that this woman ate Taco Bell everyday-- or even went through th Drive Thru everyday for 2 years is a stretch on your part.

But then again, stretching the truth is really what Shine is about, isn't it?

I think its great that taco bell has some healthier options, but they are not nutritionally sound enough to be the basis of a diet. The sodium content is ridiculous. I think its good to have it there if you are pressed for time or cash, but in general you are better off making your own food at home or spending more money to get non processed food.

Oh I don't know, I like that new menu with some of the lighter fare. I'm a bonafide lazy mother at times. I work long hours and have gone through the drive thru before. My kids like the Mexican pizza, but I think I'd try the lighter taco for myself, and if it is lower in fat and calories. Well that is what I would choose... Now I may not loose 50 pounds using the taco bell diet. I don't care for the food that much too eat it on a regular basis. But it seems okay.

I think it's great that a lot of restaurants are coming up with some healthier options. I would believe that it helps their business to offer that although it certainly isn't any restaurants responsibility to get people to eat better. If you want to eat healthy and lose weight, you cannot rely on restaurants coming up with better options for you; YOU have to be responsible about it. I feel the same way about the Taco Bell "diet" as I do about the Subway "diet" and Lean Cuisines, I'm sure they're okay every now and again, but I don't believe that's what your whole diet should be. I think you really need to be aware of what's IN your food in addition to the calorie count.

I also tend to think there's a bigger issue if you're eating fast food ALL the time.

I went on the fast food diet(no kidding) 10 years ago...and got thin. I put my sister on it, and she lost 14 pounds. Meat, cheese and lettuce is the same whether you eat it at home or in a drive thru. Big Mac's have 29 grams of fat...you DON'T eat those on the fast food diet. Maybe once a month when you have cravings!!

Jessica, this article needed to be published to point out some of the absurdities of the commercial. Thank you for writing it. I especially like how you question how this Taco Bell 'dieter' must feel before and after going to the gym. As your article implies, losing weight--if necessary--is only one aspect of gaining or maintaining a healthy body. Exercise and nutrition are crucial to physical health, regardless of weight management. Given the lack of proper nutrition that would come with a diet of Taco Bell, it's easy to assume that the dieter cannot exercise as effectively.