6 Drive-Thru Diet Killers and One That Just Slaps You Around a Little

Bacon. America loves bacon so much they’ll put it on anything from burgers to donuts. But what about whipped up in a vanilla shake? Yep. Jack in the Box has one-upped the bacon craze with its Bacon Shake, a creamy concoction of vanilla ice cream with bacon flavored syrup.

Pundits say the Bacon Shake is a diet disaster, though Jack in the Box’s nutrition website lists a 16-ounce shake at only 773 calories. That’s just 93 calories more than a plain vanilla McDonald’s shake of the same size. But if you’re following a 2000 calorie diet recommend by the USDA, 773 calories is a whopping third of your daily allotment.

Patch ran right out and tried a bacon shake, all in the name of journalism of course. The verdict? Jack's handiwork is definitely an acquired taste even for the true bacon lover.

What other diet killers are lurking in drive-thrus around Fenton and High Ridge? Patch investigated.

White Castle’s Double Fish Slider with Cheese is by far the meanest sandwich on their menu, weighing in at 610 calories. Considering that no one eats just one belly bomber, even plain burgers (140 calories) can add up. Add bacon and cheese, and one little slider is a wicked 220 calories.

McDonald’s classic Big Mac (540 calories) is a wimp compared to their Angus Chipotle BBQ Bacon sandwich. Tipping the scales with a one-third pound burger, the Angus with cheese and bacon has 800 calories. Add large fries (500 calories), a large Coke (310 calories) and an apple pie (250 calories) and you almost have a day’s worth of calories.

Culver’s makes the Angus look like a tasty snack with its Butterburger Triple with bacon and cheese, which comes in at 981 calories. Round out your meal with a large Pepsi (406 calories), an order of Wisconsin Cheese Curds (670 calories) and a cherry cheesecake concrete (1017 calories) for dessert, and you’ve racked up a day and half’s calories.

Sonic can deal some surprising damage. Their Sonic Cheeseburger is a frightening 800 calories, but watch out for the massive 1280 calories dealt by the SuperSonic Bacon Double Cheeseburger. Add a large tater tot with chili and cheese for an additional 680 calories. Thirsty? How about a healthy sounding real fruit slush? A large one will run you 440 more calories.

Hardee’s delights in manly burgers, so it’s no wonder its biggest burger is the deadliest of the bunch. The 2/3-pound Monster Thickburger is 1290 calories. It has four pieces of bacon and three pieces of cheese and is the equivalent of eating three and half of its regular cheeseburgers. Add a large fry (470 calories), a 20-ounce Coke (160 calories) and an apple turnover (270 calories) and you’ve got well over a day’s worth of food.

Taco Bell may have a light side with its “Drive-Thru Diet” menu, but it can stand toe-to-toe with the burger boys when it comes to calorie counts. Its Volcano Nachos is the nastiest item on the menu, at a fiery 980 calories. That’s like eating almost six crunchy tacos—a paltry 170 calories each. By comparison, the beef Burrito Supreme is only 420 calories.

Lion’s Choice touts its food as healthier for you than its burger competitors. And its right. The biggest sandwich on the menu is a large roast beef with Swiss on a steak sandwich bun, for a total of 544 calories. A run of the mill roast beef sandwich (no cheese and no butter) is a measly 284 calories. After you’ve saved all those calories, you won’t feel so guilty ordering the 500-calorie order of large fries with cheddar sauce.