1360 Calories under 5 Bucks

How’s this for a goof up? I go for a long walk and I’m famished hungry, delirious from heat exhaustion, about to pass out from dehydration (aren‘t I great with excuses!) … I stop in to McD’s and get a double cheese burger, mcchicken, small fry, and a sundae… Under 5 bucks and over 1300 calories!!! Add a couple of ketchups and any fudge factor in their numbers and it’s easily over 1400.

Before I continue with the story : I haven’t posted in a while due to here being in a massive heat wave mostly. As I work a lot outside, my main focus after work is to just go to bed next to my air conditioner. I haven’t rode my bicycle in over a week due to this heavy heat and humidity, that looks like it will carry pretty much through this upcoming weekend at least. On a positive note though, I’ve tried to substitute some swimming at the lake in to just cool off and also get in a little movement. I’ve also had a art job doing a family crest coloring job to put on tote bags, and when I’m on the computer lately it’s been all art.

But back to my story of walking through the vast wastelands of heat and humidity. Luckily it was a long walk, and considering me not eating anything else for the afternoon and night, after I add in breakfast and a snack before I’m tipping easily over a normal dietary requirement of calories for a total day! Can you believe 1360 calories in a couple of sandwiches, tiny fry, and small sundae! I tried to adjust the best I could with what I had done but the “power of the plate” and what I choose to put on it or remove from it… Well, Can I blame that evil clown and his dark powers? I could have eaten 3 candy bars and had less calories!

I could have done this waaaaayyyy better with switching to a yogurt parfait without granola and single cheeseburger to bleed off over 300 calories in just that. Ironically the fries were the least of the calories in the meal. Of course I could have tweaked it further with holding the mayo… or one of the items all together. Wait! Can I blame that wonderful menu board lit with such colorful pictures of all that beautiful bounty to behold? They have some subliminal flicker in it that renders everyone helpless, a slave to any whim of hunger… right?

You’ve at least got to cut me a bit of credit of being aware of what I had chosen (at least after) and not just shrugging my shoulders or not paying it any mind at all like the old Alan. I even tried to adjust the day around it the best I was able to. I did NOT order a regular coke and can’t remember exactly the last time I did. Still, I could have gone with a big mac and large fry and still been under that 1360!

I shudder just watching someone dumping sugar and cream into their ice coffee now, but I’ve still got to learn to eat out well. I can now boast seeing 300.5 on the scales (soooo close to that 299 mark!) yet I’ve still got to see how well I can learn to navigate real world conditions eating out rather than at home making my own meal.

A recently friends invited me to a local ice cream shop. While I chose small, perhaps I should next time substitute frozen yogurt for the ice cream. Again, that small awareness can make a small tweak a huge difference in calories.

Maybe I should still carry around a granola bar to stave off rabid hunger in the future. I’ve got out of that habit but in the past it seems to have served me well. Also, of course, to remember this and learn from it to keep my goals in parallel not perpendicular to my choices in the future.

At Foolsfitness we have progressed toward goals with buying 34 bags of M+M’s yesterday… insane? Actually is it? One normal sized serving bag of the new pretzel kind of M+M’s falls in at 150 calories, which I actually think of as a good snack choice. I’m also looking into some frozen yogurts that literally could be the difference of nearly a thousand calories off a Ben + Jerry’s Ice Cream container of similar size!

In the end I actually think of it as a victory. I hugely failed caloric wise, but I’m aware of it and learning (Hopefully) Actually I have a bunch more of wonderful news to share… but alas this is getting to be a long post so I guess it should wait till next time…

I hate that overused phrase “lifestyle changes” but it really seems to me like I’m having to totally deconstruct the old ways and having to learn everything all over again. I don’t think things like the Chinese Buffet really have the same pull at all now, as it‘s not just me pulling back (I think that tug of war would be just a “diet“) but trying to set out pushing in a whole new direction. Although I do still like their ice cream! But still, walking away after one plate and some ice cream… I’d find that difficult to envision a couple of years ago.

At Foolsfitness we are babies taking their first steps.- Alan