I hate to admit it but I’m the absolute worst when it comes to making healthy food choices. In almost every conceivable scenario, when given a choice about what to consume my default selection is always the least healthy option.
For example … Often when I find myself on the road for work, I will order two double cheeseburgers from the McDonald’s dollar menu for lunch. I know it’s awful, but one usually isn’t enough to satisfy my hunger. Besides, they’re easy to eat while driving and dirt cheap. Cost of a full belly – $2.
Today I found myself falling into old habits during my lunch break. I was hungry and wanted a cheap sollution. I was just about to pull up and place my usual order when I called an audible. Instead of the two fist-fulls of greasy death I normally order, I decided to try to eat the healthiest thing I could find on the dollar menu .
After a quick scan I settled on a McChicken sandwich and side salad. It wasn’t ideal because the McChicken is fried, but it was a step in the right direction. When I got back to my office, I decided to see how the two choices stacked up nutritionally.
Option A: Two double cheeseburgers
Calories – 880
Total Fat – 46g
Sodium – 2,300 mg
Carbohydrates – 68 gOption B: McChicken and side salad (w/ 1/2 packet Newman’s Own Italian Dressing)
Calories – 410
Total Fat – 17g
Sodium – 1,205 mg
Carbohydrates – 52g
Filed under: Friends & Family | Tagged: double cheeseburger, food, health, healthy choices, McChicken, McDonald's, Newman's Own, salad
Last week, when Pedro was taking the mound, I ordered some hot wings from a local joint. I wanted a little side to go with it but couldn’t bring myself to pay $4 for some breadsticks. So I made a detour over to McDonalds for one of those 99 cent double cheeseburgers.
I felt dirty too.
Celery and bleu cheese is the perfect side for wings!
Working out regularly has helped heighten my sense of what food choices I make “cost” me.
What I mean is … I know exactly how hard I have to bust my rear to burn 400 calories. That’s a half an hour on the CrossTrainer machine I use at the YMCA, plus fifteen minutes on the treadmill.
To completely negate that by making a bad food choice – solely because I was too mentally lazy to choose otherwise – frankly doesn’t make any sense.
I’m still in that “free pass” period in my life where my personal over-active metabolism is still working overtime. I keep hearing that it’s going to slow down one day. We’ll see. I can’t gain weight to save my life, regardless of what I eat.
On the other hand, my cholesterol is far from ideal (200+).
But I do exercise more now than I ever have in my life.
We just found out a good friend of ours had a pretty significant heart attack a couple weeks ago. He was one of those types who works out constantly, eats well, etc.
Can never be too careful I suppose …
so did you feel better after eating the better option?
In some ways? I mean, it’s not like it was a magic chicken sandwich or anything. I was less logy than I would have normally been.