I noticed on The Biggest Loser this week (and in the past), that many of the 'before' home videos show the contestants driving through a fast food place and eating in their cars. Big, fatty meals eaten on the run and with no one potentially watching (except for the camera in that instance). I used to do that. What is it about the pull of the convenience food? I really feel that fast food can be an addiction. There's something in the salt/fat balance that pulls me in.
I had an eye opening lesson last summer. About 2 months in to my new life of healthy eating, I felt the pull of McDonalds. Yes, I take my kids to McDonalds for quick dinners during the week on occasion although we're getting better with them about waiting until we get home to make something less processed, but I digress as usual. Back to last summer - I had purposely saved some calories in my daily budget to have a cheeseburger happy meal. So, 530 calories later for my cheeseburger and small fries and a water, I thought I was happy. Here was my lesson... I wasn't satisfied. The meal was such crap, that it didn't nourish my body. I was still hungry.
At the time, I didn't pay much attention to fat content (that meal was 24g). It didn't seem to be an issue as I could stay in my calorie budget and not really be hungry at the end of the day, I figured I was ok in the fat content department. The Happy Meal reinforced that idea. I wasted way too many calories on fat and didn't fuel my body.
That was the last McDonalds Cheeseburger I ate. Yes, we still eat at McDonalds occasionally (nobody is perfect). Now, I will usually get a grilled chicken wrap with no cheese and a side salad. Or, if I think we'll be doing a fast food stop (like on a road trip or something), I pack a bar, like a Luna Bar or something and then get a side salad. Yes, I still enjoy a few of the fries sometimes (my kids usually share a small fry).
What if all fast food restaurants eliminated Drive Thru windows? Well, they'd lose business for one. But, I think that if people had to walk in and order, they'd be less likely to eat the sometimes obscene food that is served. That's the lure of fast food to an overweight person. You can drive thru, barely talk to anyone, and then eat in secret.
Maybe the restaurants should also put all their nutritional data on the menu. I noticed recently that Coffee Bean has started to put nutritional information right on the menu cards in their baked goods case. Brilliant! Wonderful! I know that Red Velvet Cupcake I was eyeing had 250 calories, and I passed on it since it wasn't worth it to me at that time. Although I spent so long analyzing the display that the employee was quite surprised I didn't order anything. Hee hee.
Speaking of the Biggest Loser, I loved the lesson taught in this week's episode about the food that the contestants used to eat. Those sandwiches were frightening. I loved that they spent a little more time talking about the length of the workouts and showed the time spent talking about nutrition. I wish they'd do more of that. Although I guess that's why they push their books and such... more on that another time. Happy Friday!!