That Time I Ate Fast Food: Regret

Possibly not so surprisingly, during my just-over-a-month stint working at an artisan bakery, I did not eat so well. "Man cannot live on bread alone," wise words. I think when it hit the two week mark without having gone to the grocery store, I had a realization I was undoing all the healthy eating and self-control I'd employed for that long year to lose about 25lbs. Now, that kind of loss makes you feel awesome, but the awesomeness can turn into comfort, can turn back into carefree recklessness, and next thing you know you're on the way to gaining it back. All this to say, I'm consciously moving back to continuing with healthy choices...but it was a nice month of never cooking, or thinking, just eating.

I will preface this all, with one more statement and that is this: although I've moved into healthier eating, one of the biggest things I learned is not to put yourself into either "on the wagon"or "off" it. What I mean here, is that life is short, so occasionally enjoy something with some stinking saturated fat for goodness sake! The one time you ate something that wasn't Atkins, or Paleo, or Weight Watchers approved isn't going to be the death of you or RESULT IN GAINING ANY WEIGHT. (Those caps are the beginnings of an entirely different blog post to come when I can settle down about it.)

I have been eating better, since leaving Rustica. And though currently I don't yet notice an obvious difference in how I feel physically, I feel better about these choices daily. Even not being a self-guilt-tripper, just in knowing it's better, I feel better. 

Today, I caved a little. I didn't save enough time between coming home from the coffee shop where I'd been job searching, and leaving to go to my volleyball game. I had to grab a bite, and I'd been having a strange chicken strip craving for two or so weeks. I thought that to avoid McDonald's or Burger Kang (for some reason I say it this way and cannot stop), I'd be okay. Dairy Queen's relatively safe, right? They're just chicken strips. And mmmm, were they good.

Flash forward to knowing that was a bad idea, and out of curiosity looking up the nutrition information online. This is probably the best way you could decide to never eat fast food (Taco Bell will probably always and forever be the exception; the one for which I turn a blind eye). Then, after the shock settled, I looked up an organic version you'd keep in your freezer; cut the overall calories in half, cut the fat grams by 60%. The regular old Tyson version was also 100 less calories, and nearly half the fat grams. Even Applebee's, though their nutrition info for just the chicken or how much isn't posted, seems to not be that bad. Based on the average recommended caloric intake and the amount that should be fat calories, say goodbye to half your day's fat intake in one snack of a meal.That's insane. 

I will forever think twice (except for Taco Bell) when it comes to thinking that three chicken strips from a fast food joint can't be that bad for me.