Eating Well, the Fast Food Dilemma
Last week, I lost two pounds.
We began a wellness challenge at work, I was put on a team, and well, since I really like my teammates, I made an effort to change my diet. Other than a soda the first day (that I bought the day before-I have a knack for spending 2 to 3 days drinking a bottle of coke), all soda is gone. So is the sweet tea, my fall back beverage. Even though I drink a lot of water, I went to only water at work, and unsweetened tea when we're out.
It's simple, but effective, considering that I put on 50 to 60 pounds when I found out my 5 to 6 migraines a week were caused by a severe allergy to nutrasweet. Rather than cut the soda out all together, I just stopped drinking diet sodas.
In addition, I upped my veggie and fruit intake, and while I didn't completely cut out carbs, I've opted to eat a lot less than I used to. Apparently, this was a good thing to do-because that two pound loss was done while adhering to the 'no exercise' rule that my neurosurgeon still has in place. I may start walking, as long as it is on flat ground that is free of pebbles and such. Watch out mall, here I come-even though you don't have any stores I like, save for the Barnie's coffee shop.
So, with my school and work schedule, there are nights were I don't have time to make a meal, or I'm ravenous while on campus. The other day, I forgot to bring fruit with me to class and the vending machine had nothing but junk. In the past, I would have said 'screw it' and eaten something anyway, but it seemed better to wait and get something afterwards. I could survive three hours. The beverage situation was equally bleak, because the water was Dasani, which is saltier than the ocean. Yuck.
That meant fast food. I looked up the calorie counts on a Whopper Junior and a double cheeseburger, ultimately choosing to visit Burger King. It wasn't ideal, but it's far better than their other options. A Whopper is too big, IMO.
However, planning ahead is the key to success-even when it means planning to eat fast food on those days I forget to bring something. Getting a Wendy's chili is a good option, McDonald's serves their oatmeal all day long, and if there's a Zaxby's nearby, I can get a salad I really like.
Today, I picked up a water bottle with an ice stick, since I prefer cold water. Then I later got another one in an item I purchased at Sam's Club. I'll probably prep those each night with filtered water. As for the snacks, I need to just remember to grab the fruit out of the fridge, and have a back up plan if I forget.
Now that the ball is rolling, I don't want to stop.
We began a wellness challenge at work, I was put on a team, and well, since I really like my teammates, I made an effort to change my diet. Other than a soda the first day (that I bought the day before-I have a knack for spending 2 to 3 days drinking a bottle of coke), all soda is gone. So is the sweet tea, my fall back beverage. Even though I drink a lot of water, I went to only water at work, and unsweetened tea when we're out.
It's simple, but effective, considering that I put on 50 to 60 pounds when I found out my 5 to 6 migraines a week were caused by a severe allergy to nutrasweet. Rather than cut the soda out all together, I just stopped drinking diet sodas.
In addition, I upped my veggie and fruit intake, and while I didn't completely cut out carbs, I've opted to eat a lot less than I used to. Apparently, this was a good thing to do-because that two pound loss was done while adhering to the 'no exercise' rule that my neurosurgeon still has in place. I may start walking, as long as it is on flat ground that is free of pebbles and such. Watch out mall, here I come-even though you don't have any stores I like, save for the Barnie's coffee shop.
So, with my school and work schedule, there are nights were I don't have time to make a meal, or I'm ravenous while on campus. The other day, I forgot to bring fruit with me to class and the vending machine had nothing but junk. In the past, I would have said 'screw it' and eaten something anyway, but it seemed better to wait and get something afterwards. I could survive three hours. The beverage situation was equally bleak, because the water was Dasani, which is saltier than the ocean. Yuck.
That meant fast food. I looked up the calorie counts on a Whopper Junior and a double cheeseburger, ultimately choosing to visit Burger King. It wasn't ideal, but it's far better than their other options. A Whopper is too big, IMO.
However, planning ahead is the key to success-even when it means planning to eat fast food on those days I forget to bring something. Getting a Wendy's chili is a good option, McDonald's serves their oatmeal all day long, and if there's a Zaxby's nearby, I can get a salad I really like.
Now that the ball is rolling, I don't want to stop.
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