Channel: Good Mythical Morning
YouTube Video ID: 2qyPk9M0E2w
Episode Post Date: May 21, 2026
Episode Number: 3049
Transcript
Are these lower calorie fast food swaps worth your time? Let's talk about that. Good Mythical Morning. We're about to try some healthy fast food hacks. But first, this portion of today's episode is sponsored by Bombas, a comfort focused premium basics brand with a mission to help those in need. You really should care about what you put on your feet because you're walking on them all day long. Y- you wanna be comfortable, and you know what? You are a philosopher. I made a mistake for most of my life. Literally for my entire adult life up until last fall, I thought I was a size 12, and then I realized I was a size 13, and that was why I was uncomfortable. How does that even happen? I was ... Because some size 12s work, but that many more size 13s work. And I was like, "Oh, all these uncomfortable shoes, it's because I'm a size 13." You gotta get that right at least. Or you can just wear Slides. Okay, yeah. Well, these come in size 13 as well. They do, they do come in size 13. So I recommend getting your size. Yep. And, you know, your, your toes are out, but you're perfectly I, I'm just gonna s- I'm gonna stick to the promo. Yeah, yeah, do that. These Friday Slides, they are so cushy. They stay on your feet. They even got the little ridges so that the balls of your feet stay perfectly in place. And they come in Rhett's size, which is 13. Yes. And they have a hexagonal is the word that I wanna say, pattern on the bottom for traction. Yeah. So you won't slide out of your Slides. Mm-hmm. Bombas has spent over two years in research and development to rigorously test for comfort and durability. And they care about so much more than just a good shoe. For every item you buy, Bombas donates one to someone in need, so you can feel good while doing some good. Mm-hmm. I am a huge fan of everything they sell. I've got a lot of their T-shirts. Mm-hmm. And their socks are amazing. And now add Slides to the list. Plus they have a 100% happiness guarantee, so you can return or refund your item for any reason at all. Upgrade your shoe game with Bombas. New customers get 20% off their first purchase. Just click the link in the description and use code GMM20 at checkout. Thanks again to Bombas for sponsoring this portion of today's episode. Okay, there is a whole world of fitness and dietician influencers out there showing us allegedly healthier swaps we can make at fast food restaurants in an attempt to save some calories. But are any of those swaps actually good, thoughtful or worth our time? Hmm. The jury is still out, but we're gonna try some more and let you know. Let's get started. Mm-hmm. That's right, fellas. Uh, so we've gathered some of those suggested fast food swaps from various fitness influencers for you here, so you can try them up against the normal version. Okay. And decide if the swap is worth it. Your first matchup comes from @THEMEALPREPSTOP. On Rhett's side - Alright - you have the default meal from Popeyes, a five-piece regular tenders, regular fries, a biscuit, and a small Coke for 1,390 calories. And on Link's side is the swap suggestion, a five-piece blackened tenders, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a small Coke Zero for 670 calories. That's a calorie difference of 720. Hey - And they both come with a biscuit. I think the biscuit just comes with on that one, but we the biscuit's not supposed to be in that one. The biscuit is not part of the g- Biscuit not- Yeah, you can't have the biscuit. Biscuit not supposed to be there. I saw that biscuit and I was like, "No, no." So you gotta- You can't have a biscuit if you're doing that ... you gotta toss the biscuit. Toss the biscuit. Tell them you don't want the biscuit. And we're gonna start by eating these, 'cause we know this is gonna be good. I didn't even know this was a thing, blackened tenders. It kinda looks like a piece of fish. Well, it tastes like a piece of chicken. It's got a good taste. Great flavor. It's very peppery. Hmm. I mean, mac and cheese, that's not low-cal. It's not bad at all. And you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna... It's kinda sturdy. I'm just gonna use it as a spoon. Well, you know I'm gonna eat those potatoes, too. Mm. Eat from a different part. Don't do what I did. I actually- Yeah ... that's bad. I, I didn't like that. And that's a Diet Coke or a Coke Zero? It tastes weird. Small Coke Zero. I know what that tastes like, and I love it. Okay. The fried chicken. This, doing this ruined the potatoes. I'm gonna own the fact that was a dumb idea for a couple of reasons. But see? I'm passing along these learnings. Mm. Thank you. It doesn't really come together like a fast food meal - like just what you're accust- accustomed to. You know what I'm saying? To me, it's all, the chicken is really the big question mark, because - I don't think you're missing too much with these fries. If you're going to Popeyes, you're thinking about fried chicken. Popeyes has, Popeyes has good sides. Now, I would never get, I don't get a regular Coke to begin with, right? Like, Coke Zero- But if you are, that's an easy switch ... like, Coke Zero tastes just like regular Coke. We've proven it. I love it. But it's like a, just a needless 240 calories. So that's a super easy thing. I think I actually like the mac and cheese better than the fries. Agreed. I think I would toss the mashed potatoes. I'd get rid of the, another 100 calories. I know that's not what we're doing. I don't love this chicken, but I don't hate this chicken. That's where I'm getting to. It kinda gets down to the chicken. And that, this, the fried chicken is not, like, the signature thing at Popeyes, so I'm kinda okay g- giving it up. Maybe to help with the decision - If I'm out of a sandwich zone - To burn an extra 720 calories - Okay - You'd have to play about an hour of competitive soccer. You know about that. My knees couldn't take it. Okay. What about three and a half hours of Frisbee? That's a lot of Frisbee. Your thumbs start hurting after a while. Oh gosh, yeah. My thumbs couldn't take it. How about 10 hours of standing quietly? You could do that. I, I don't think I could be quiet. You - That's true. It's standing. That's tough. It's - I mean, I'm not gonna stand quiet. That's, that's like punishment. I think what we're saying is we're not willing to do any of those things to get this extra chicken, 'cause we actually kind of like this. Exactly. So we think this is a worthy swap. Yeah, I do. Ha. I, I think the meal prep stop has - you're doing some good work, man. Yep. I like that, and I'm gonna think about you when I don't choose this and feel guilty next time. Right. So we're saying it's a worthy swap. Worthy swap. Your next match-up is from @CCRISTINA_FIT. Chocolate frosted donut, Caramel Craze signature latte. One glazed donut, shot of espresso on ice, and I brought my own Vanilla Core Power to pour over it. So is she twins? She is twins, yes. Uh, yeah. Can - can neither confirm or deny, but I think that it feels like she's twins apparently. I don't know how else she would - I mean, how does she do that? I mean, how does she do this video? How does there be two of her? It's wild, man. I mean, I don't understand internet. So as she said, on Rhett's side we have the default order of - How does she do it? ... Chocolate gla- glazed donut and a Caramel Craze signature latte for a total of 670 calories. Mm-hmm. Um, we found her totals to be a little off, so 670- She didn't do the math right? Um. Okay. Well, that matters. Blame it on the twin. I looked at the website and went from there. And then on Link's side is her swap suggestion of a glazed donut, espresso over ice, and bringing your own Vanilla Core Power to pour over the espresso for a total of approximately 415 calories. A couple - Again, we found her math to be a little off here too. Yeah, okay. All right. Well, first of all - That's 255 calories - Where, where were you getting off on the math? Blame it on your twin. It's the easy way out. Okay? All right. But second of all, @CCRISTINA_FIT sounds like a book - for kids. See Cristina Fit. It's like - you know. Uh-huh. Like See Spot Run. Oh, yes. Oh. Well, it's broken English- Yeah So it's kind of a weird thing to teach kids. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, anyway - Anyway. Y- y- this doesn't count, CCRISTINA. It does not count. When you take - another product into the Dunkin' Donuts. Is that tacky or what? Oh, yeah. You can't... I mean, listen. I mean, can you be tacky in a Dunkin' Donuts though? Listen, when I eat at a - I don't know if you can a, a half Taco Bell, a half KFC, I won't take it to the other side. I don't even do that, and they're inviting you to do that. I eat Taco Bell on the Taco Bell side. I don't cross the line in the middle, and yes, there is a line in the middle. I think it's - I don't know - I think it's a little tacky, but it's still just Dunkin' Donuts. I think it's okay to take - something in. Well - And then you're pouring that in here. Yeah, but, - Okay, but here, well, here's what you did see, Cristina. You only got rid of 20 calories by going to, to this donut, by taking the chocolate off of the donut. At 20 calories, we don't think - That's too small of a number for there to be a distinction. That doesn't count. And now you're just taking this - Negligible - and a - and bringing in, and you're getting this espresso from Dunkin'. We're not happy with you. That's good, though. That is good. Link - Link loves it. Taste it. Taste this, man. It's good. Cristina onto something. The one, the one on the, uh, left. No, the one on the right. No, the one on the left. That's pretty good. Yeah. Core Power, huh? It's real good. Fair Life. Yeah. She's all about that feral life. She get wild. But yeah. Not having the chocolate just for 20 - Not worth it - less calories. I'm not even gonna eat that, Cristina. I'm not even gonna eat it either. I'm just gonna - No, no - pinch off a piece. I'm gonna eat this. Oh, yeah, me too. I'm not gonna eat that. I'm not gonna drink that. I hate to say it, but I think that - This, this is better than that? I think that this is better than this. I know. I, well, here, I didn't even try this. Like, I don't know. There's too many things going on. I just like - Too sweet ... I just like coffee and Core Power. That's all I need, me and Cristina. I mean, she's really on to - I'm sorry ev- I'm sorry about everything I said about you. I'm sorry. I mean, everybody needs to be taking their Core Power into Dunkin'. Dang. Why does it taste so amazing? Why I cam't - We talk about flipping the script. We were ready to hate on her all day long. I love the Fair Life milk. I mean, who, who doesn't get their math wrong occasionally? You know? It's like, we get it, Cristina. And maybe it's regional. You know what I'm saying? How math works? Yeah. Yeah, I bet it is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Math is regional. I bet it is, you know? And, uh, you know, I could probably stand to do a few more squats. Yeah. So w- we're gonna say, uh, thank you, Cristina. This is a worthy swap. Your next matchup is from @HEMPATELFITNESS. Uh, from Del Taco on Rhett's side you have what Hem is claiming to be a common order, a jumbo shrimp burrito, cheddar cheese fry, and a regular Coke for 1,680 calories. That burrito looks big, homie. Shrimp. And then on Link's side is, uh, Hem's swap suggestion, a Del Taco combo beef and bean burrito, two grilled chicken tacos, and a regular Diet Coke for 890 calories. That's a difference of 790 calories. Well, first of all, this is a game for twins. I mean, you gotta get in this if you're a twin. It's obvious. No, no, no. It's just a guy with a different shirt on, dude. I'm, I figured it out. How does he stand beside himself? Well, I can see the line in this one too. I don't even like a shrimp burrito. You do. I do. Th- this is so not appealing to me. I mean, like, I'll eat it, but, like - Why is it - Beef and bean? That's where it's at. A bean burrito? And there's, there's a lot going on here. Let me get rid of this stuff so I can get to the actual - just things. Get rid of the stuff to get to the things. I'll eat some of these fries here. Chili cheese fries. I'm just gonna say right now - A lot of cheese on this - From a pure preference standpoint - Not a lot of other stuff, though my order 9 times out of 10, like, a bean burrito and a couple of grilled chicken tacos and a Diet Coke is, like, my - That's what I'll get at Taco Bell, Del Taco, anyway. Trying not to get fries is a good habit. Switching - They're one of the most unhealthy foods. Close them. Close it, get it out of here. Switching from a fully leaded drink to an unleaded drink, good practice. 'Cause they make them so good now. 'Cause they make them so good. Th - this seems like a more rewarding experience. I mean, bean burrito, I gotta go there. I just love a bean burrito. I'm gonna try it, but I, I kinda wanna look at what they've done in inside of here. That looks pretty good. Again, I gotta take off the thing to get to the stuff. Now, is there cheese on that or just beef and bean? What? This is just chicken. You talking to me or yourself? Mine, there's cheese in this, so that's - That's not making much sacrifice. Yep. Oh - I mean, this is a great burrito. Look at, look at all that beef right there. Hmm. This is just as satisfying. More. This is more satisfying than that. Like I said, I wouldn't order that. I mean - Yeah, I, I would not recommend that either, 'cause I really like a shrimp burrito, and that's just not good. Very anti-climactic. And this is just, this is just - Don't get fries - not good for your, not good for your state of mind or body. And you don't need regular Coke, why are you getting it? I think Hem Patel and other Hem Patel - And Hem Patel and him? What? Hem Patel and him. Hem Patel and him? Him's his twin. Okay. No, his name is Hem - Hem Patel and him. Hem Patel - Patel is his last name. Yeah, but Hem Patel and him, and him, the guy next to him. Oh, him as well? Yeah, him as well. Hem Patel and him as well. Hem Patel and him as well. There it is. I knew we'd find it. We had to break through to the other side. Did you believe in us? Uh. Uh-huh. So again, we're - There it is - we are on one today. We're gonna say that this is a worthy swap. Sometimes in between rounds things happen. For instance, just a moment ago, you didn't see it, but Link said unironically, "I hope Hem sees that." Uh Hem - And I said I hope - Hem Patel and him aswell? I hope Hem does. And we thought that was so funny. And we just thought it was so funny. And we just had a laugh. But you know what? It was captured for the show over on the Mythical Society - Society called, uh, Behind the Mythicality because a lot of the things that are going on behind the scenes are constantly being captured and put together, assembled into another show that lives over there at mythicalsociety.com. You gotta check it out. Go watch it. mythicalsociety.com. Five Guys. Five Guys is, uh, yeah, your final matchup of the day. Mm. Was actually made by our very own in-house fitness team. Oh. Yeah. I've been taking classes with them. They do not take it easy on you. No. Uh, but on Rhett's side you have a cheeseburger with lettuce, grilled onions, ketchup, and mayo, a regular fry, and a vanilla shake with Oreo cream and cookies for a total of 3,200 calories. Mm. Mm. And on Link's side you have a cheeseburger bowl with relish, lettuce, grilled onions, a small fry, uh, which is called a little fry - Okay - In Five Guys, um, parlance. Yeah. And a plain vanilla shake for a total of 1,975 calories. Okay. So that's a 1,225-calorie difference. It's a lot of calories. We're making a big jump in the fries, which you definitely shouldn't eat that many fries. We already said you shouldn't eat fries at all. But the fact that you kept fries, Nicole, I'm - I, I understand because their fries are so good. They're fresh cut. They push it hard, and rightfully so. You feel like you gotta go. We had to push the in-house fitness team to include the, like a little fry and a - They're sticklers - different kind of shake to kind of hit the, the swaps. Right. 'Cause they were very firm on the fact that if you wanna really get that calorie deficit, you gotta skip the fries and the shake. Well, here's the thing. Yeah. The thing I respect about our in-house fitness team - Such a good burger - that I don't always respect about the other influencers - The outhouse ones - Is, uh, this is a true swap. This isn't just I'm gonna just put it together a completely new meal. I'm gonna bring my thing, even though we did love the Core Power as we established. This is a different - We didn't want to - version of each thing. This is less fries. This is a healthier shake because it doesn't have the toppings, and it's still a burger. It's just without the bun. I never ordered a burger in a bowl like this. I just, I just don't know. I just don't know if it's gonna scratch that itch. This is what my wife will do. She'll get a burger and wrap it in lettuce in a heartbeat. And I will say - That's the best part of the burger is the burger. That's true. The bread is important. But there's something about the experience of picking it up, putting it in your mouth. Oh, this is clearly better. Side by side. There's also no sauce on this. I think there's, like, a special - there's mayonnaise on this, which helps so much. This is not bad at all. I'm not gonna leave completely frustrated. Um - Hmm. That's a good shake. But - I'm gonna be so satisfied. That's a really good shake. Am I going to want to, after eating and drinking all this, spend two hours and 20 minutes having sex? Yeah. Probably not right after. Definitely not right after. You know, I, you know, I need a - I need 90 minutes. Give me 90 minutes to let it digest. And then even after that, we're assuming we're capable of it. Right. Which we're not, which we're not discussing. You mean of going for two hours and - Well, what, what is sex? Really, when, when you th - when you think about it. I don't know. I think we need to ask Hem. I mean, there's a lot of things. There's - Hem. Where's Hem at? Hem needs to tell us what sex is. Last time I had sex with five guys, it took longer than two hours. That's right. Yeah, about 20 minutes longer, right? Yeah, yeah, that's right. Oh, goodness, Carney. I don't like just a straight vanilla - milkshake. I love a straight vanilla milkshake. I don't. There's just nothing to it. I'd rather not have a milkshake than have a straight vanilla milkshake. I mean, if you're gonna have sex with five guys - You're definitely not in the market for a straight vanilla milkshake. Right. Yeah, right. That's what I, that's what I was trying to get to. Yeah, there's something there. Right, yeah. We'll, you know, we'll, we'll get to it in between rounds - Behind the Mythicality. Mm-hmm. I don't, I don't - I'm torn - I just don't know, guys. I'm torn. I, I'm all for the vanilla milkshake. I love it. I'm all for the smaller fry. If you have to get fries, and you do - I'm for the smaller fry - It just really comes down to this bowl. I need to have some sort of, like - Handle ... I, not - well, I need to have a - I need to have a little bit of that sauce on it - Well, well - or something - let's just pretend that you could - you could do that. Let's just pretend that you did that. I do - I do love it. You sauced it. I do love it. It's just you didn't get the bread. Mm, a lot of onions under there, too. Yeah, a lot more vegetables. Also, it's the in-house fitness team, and if they're the only ones that we reject, they'll never give us a free session. That's true. That's true. Yeah. Okay. Of course, if we pay for the session - Especially after we've given so, we've been so - We're paying ourselves - lenient with all the worthy swaps today. We can't turn on our own people. And again, I said a lot of positive things about this. It was a one-to-one across all of these. Yeah, yeah. And it was a giant deficit. It seems like we're having a private huddle. And then we had a talk about two hours and 20 minutes of sex. All right, let's get back in. But what about 14 hours of seated reading? In my experience, seated reading always leads to sex. If you get far enough in the book. Oh. All right, so we're saying low calorie version is a worthy swap. A worthy swap. What did we do? We swapped it. We - did we worthy swap everything today? Everything. It was a clean swap. It was a - Yeah, it was a clean swap. I tell ya that was awesome. Yay. Y'all get in touch with Hem. No more fries now. Thanks for commenting and sharing this video. You know what time it is. Hi, I'm Joe. And I'm Allison. And we're here in historic Cape May, New Jersey celebrating the anniversary of our first date. In 1988. And now it's time to- Time to spin the Wheel of Mythicality - Spin the Wheel of Mythicality. That's right. First date in '88. Wow. That's sweet, y'all. Oh, my gosh. We wanna give a hand to a very, very special group of people, and that is horses with sleep apnea. Always the last one standing. 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