remember to always think twice

I don’t know if you all get emails from Hungry Girl every day, but I do. And I love them. If you don’t, subscribe. And tell her I sent you. I might just win something!

Anyway, today’s email included a link to this site. (Beware – if fast food pics are a trigger for you, only visit here when full.) The link is pictures of fast food, comparing what it looks like in the ads versus what it really looks like when you get it home. It was eye-opening for me. The only thing that looks similar is the Subway sandwich. I am particurarly saddened by the picture of the Taco Bell Nachos Bell Grande. That is the item that would tempt me the most of those mentioned, and Taco Bell is the hardest place for me to avoid in general. Anyway, the real-life pics looks NOTHING like the advertisement. The reality in comparision to the dream might be enough to keep me out of Taco Bell.

The Wendy’s Southwest Taco Salad looks pretty accurate, but I HATE when the chili liquid settles though the lettuce. I’ll just take a small chili and a side salad, thank you very much. And I especially liked the ad picture of McD’s Sausage McMuffin. It’s like it’s descended from heaven with the glorious light behind it. I laughed out loud. But I never liked their eggs anyway.

While reading Annie’s intitial blog, she made me see that I am one of those people who refuse to hide behind my fat, or the fact that I am a woman. We saw that last week with the mechanic. But I refuse to take crap. And I turn into a very sweet, condescending woman when someone is trying to short-stick me.

Example that is realted to the Hungry Girl pics. It’s been like 3 years ago. Subway introduced a new line of salads. I am usually satisfied with lettuce, but I LOVE spinach. So they run all these ads, and the new Garden Veggie salad looks wonderful…spinach, vegetables, honey mustard. I am pumped. I was new to my town and I make my maiden voyage to the local Subway. I order the salad. My salad artist fills the bowl with lettuce.

Me:Ma’am, the picture up there (I point to menu board) shows the salad with a bed of spinach. That’s what I want.

Subway Artist: (puts about six pieces of spinach on top of the lettuce)What else would you like?

Me: I would like my vegetables to be put on a bed of spinach, please. No lettuce. Like the picture.

Subway Artist: The Garden Veggie Salad is lettuce. The Grilled Chicken Salad is on a bed of spinach. I can make you the Grilled Chicken Salad without the chicken.

Me: (internal dialogue: I will not pay two extra dollars for chicken salad without chicken!) Ma’am, the picture shows the salad on a bed of spinach and that is what I would like.

Subway Artist: That is not the way the salad is made.

Me: Then I would like cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, honey mustard. On my bed of lettuce.

I move down the line and proceed to start another (calm but condescending) arguement with the cashier that results in me refusing to pay for or take my salad. It took me over 2 years to return to any Subway. It was false advertising! There’s a new one in our Super Wal-Mart, and that’s the one I go to now.

I won’t even tell the video store story. I’m boycotting Title Wave also. (Isn’t that a stupid name for a video store?)

Me? Stubborn? Never!

I just got an email that my interview questions from FatBridesmaid are ready! Look forward to getting to know me even better!!

but it was just a paper bag

So my food plan for today? Didn’t happen.

We got a grill today! We had burgers and corn and grilled onions. Very yummy. Nate’s dad brought a big thing of fruit, and that was perfectly sweet. I know that one of my major roadblocks in my weight loss story is feeling like things are unfair. I feel that if everyone else can eat a certain way, then why can’t I? I used to feel that way. I’m trying, today, to not feel that way, only make an observation.

At lunch, everyone but me ate 2 burgers. (Granted, I only wanted one.) We go to the Fudgery, since Nate’s dad and brother are from out of town. I get a single scoop in a cup. Nathan gets a big milkshake. His dad gets a really big rootbeer float. His brother gets a double scoop on a cone. And which of us has weight issues? Yep. It’s me!! Again, not bitter. Not angry. I ate to my satisfaction. Just making observations.

But what does make me angry? These. Morning Star Spinach and Artichoke Veggie Bites. Not the bites themselves, but the math behind them.

They look really good. And they taste REALLY good. Like they should be on a list of things I should not eat. That good. When we were in the store, I figured out the points. One point each. That sounded great. So I baked them, had them with some of our favorite spaghetti sauce, and I ate 4. I felt good about that.

Then I get out the calculator. Just to make sure.

1 little nugget thing is 1 point. 3 (suggested serving) is 4 points. But 4 nuggets, the number I ingested, is a whopping 6 points. SIX!!! Oh well. I’d seriously gone into flexies this weekend anyway. And they were really very very good. They were almost worth it. Had I had known, I would have stopped at 3.

Oh yeah, I seriously went into my weekly flex reserve. As in, 2 days into my week, I have used 18 of my 35 flex points. It has been really hard for me to get back on board this weekend. I think a big part of that was being so “bad” last week and losing my highest amount yet. I’m going to try really hard to get to the gym tomorrow. Just time on the treadmill and the bike. Nothing too extravagant.

Do I have a meal plan for tomorrow, you ask? Yes, yes, I do. And I’m right back on.

Breakfast (6):
Starbucks drink
banana

Lunch (6):
Asian Salad (lettuce, turkey, mandarin oranges, chow mein noodles, asian viniagrette)

Snack (2):
Single serving popcorn

Dinner (10):
Cajun Shrimp (6)
Grilled red potatoes and onions (4)

I haven’t gone grocery shopping for work this week, so I may have snack with the kids. I have 4 points left that I can use for that, if I want.
Everyone have a great Monday!!