Adjusted Reality

“Reality can be beaten with enough imagination.” – Mark Twain

Fast Food, Snickerdoodles, and Hungries, Oh My!

Three major noteworthy things happened to me in the realm of my eating habits.

1.  For the first time in 4.5 years, I intentionally ate fast food.  I know, right?  Here’s my story…

At work every Thursday, there is this enigma called luncheon roulette.  One of my coworkers created and maintains a list of 100 restaurants within a few miles of our office.  It has everything from gas station hot dogs to the nearest strip club, but also a lot of really good restaurants as well.  I didn’t participate at first because I normally brought my lunch to work and also… the idea of possibly having to ingest fast food frightened me.  However, after a while the whimsy got me, and I’ve been going the last two weeks.

Since it was my first week last week, I got to roll the 100 sided die and ended up with Terra Burger – an organic ec0-friendly burger place, which everyone was pretty happy with.  This week, however, disaster struck.  The roll was jack in the box.  I mean, seriously, very few fast food rolls could have been worse.  I was not happy.

However, I went and checked out the nutrition info and found what I thought was the best option – a chicken fajita pita and side salad w/lite vinaigrette.  I used to love those pita things, so I figured it would be interesting to try it again.  I got my food and dug in and… y’know, it wasn’t that bad.  The chicken wasn’t great quality, but it was paletable and the side salad veggies were actually fairly crisp.

I certainly wouldn’t CHOOSE to return to Jack in the Box for food, or any fast food for that matter… but in a pinch?  I was able to get a decent 400 cal lunch, and it didn’t make me sick.  I also think that I would never bother with any of the unhealthy options because I know they wouldn’t be worth it.  I did NOT have burger envy.  I *may* have yoinked a few fries from Zliten but I certainly didn’t want a whole order.

2.  On Friday, I had an interview, and the candidate brought in cookies.  For 99% of the people in the world, that would be a huge plus but for me, not so much.  I did not want to create an uncomfortable situation or have to explain my personal life to this dude, so I took the cookie, had a bite, and then hid it underneath my paperwork.  It talked to me the whole time, but I was able to realize that it was calling to me simply because it was THERE, not because it was actually good and worth it.  Now, if it was a hot, freshly baked cookie, I may have decided it was worth it.  It was a prepackaged store brand type, so it was not.

The cookie ended up in the garbage.  I’ve actually trashed a few sweets this week.  Sometimes it’s just easier.

Also, we reflected on all the interviews we’ve done in the last 6 months since we started aggressively staffing up – I think I’ve done at least 100 if not more.  I wish I could share some of the awesome horror stories with you but I like my job and wish to keep it.  One of these days I definitely should write a “how to” interview post from the interviewer side.

3.  The biggie – beyond about 5 starlight mints, 2 fortune cookies, and a few bite of cookie (I did end up splitting a bacon chocolate chip cookie with Zliten this weekend.  THAT was worth it, and something I had to try… I feel ok about that…), I’m 19 days desert free.  A funny thing happened this week… it actually had some real, tangible effect on me.  I figured I’d go a month, prove to myself I could do it, and that would be that.  Subconsciously though, I must have known it would be more.  I guess calories in, calories out was a good start, but not 100% of the equation.

Oh right, the actual effect… y’know that crazy ginormous appetite I kept complaining about?  The hungries?  The “I just ate a full meal but now I feel like I could eat another one”?  Gone.  It’s awesome.  When I tracked at the end of each day or two, I instinctively came to about 1500 calories, both on workout days and non-workout days.  Y’all, it is SO much easier to make good food choices when I’m not feeling like a calorie compactor, and it’s much more freeing to not have to avoid so many things because I can’t trust myself to limit portions.

I still haven’t weighed, but I feel like I look slimmer.  Things are fitting better.  Is this the one change that helps me get back under 155?  Even if not, I feel better, so I’ll stick with it and only consume sweets that are a) worth it and b) no more than once a week.  I think I’ve settled on a small frozen yogurt (or maybe an ice cream) as my first occasional treat I will allow.  That oreo cookie shake is just too many calories (over 800 for a small).  I just can’t see that as worth it at all.

Anyhoo, the numbers.

Monday: ate 1519, did 10k run (747) = 772
Tuesday: ate 1490, off = 1490
Wednesday: ate 1702, did 12 mile run, 5k run (844) = 858
Thursday: ate 1395, off = 1395
Friday: ate 1589, did 40 mins arc trainer (500) = 1089
Saturday: ate 2162, 25 mile bike, walk (1100) = 1062
Sunday: ate 1501, off = 1501

Avg calories in = 1622

Avg calories burnt = 455

Avg deficit per day = 1812 – 1167 = 645, or a little over 1 lb this week if the numbers match up.

Actual weight?  Well, we’ll see in about 2 weeks.

Next week, it’s time to get down to business.  The sprint tri is a month away and I don’t have regular access to a pool, so I plan to do a fake tri (subbing running for the swim leg) on Monday.  I want to rest up and then on Saturday, see if I have it in me to do the biking/running portion of the olympic distance back to back.  Eek.  What am I getting myself into here?  At least I’m giving myself 3 days off and not even pretending like I’m going to do weights.  I’ll pick them back up after the tri.  Honest engine.  The days might change due to plans, but that’s the norms.

Monday: 5k run, 12 mile bike, 5k run (1200)
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: off
Thursday: 45 mins running speedwork (625)
Friday: 40 mins arc trainer (500)
Saturday: 25 mile bike, 10k run (1900)
Sunday: off

So, my question this week – is there anything you gave up to accomplish a goal (be it food/weightloss related or anything else) that you’ve decided to let back in?  Is there anything that used to be super important to you that you’re learning you can do without?

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3 Comments

  1. MizFit

    hmmmm.
    (love your line of “sometimes its just easier that way”)
    I cant say I know the answer to your question immediately.
    given up? on a very superficial level I stopped drinking when I wanted to lose weight (COLLEGE beer LOTS OF IT gave me my fluff) and Ive never added it back in.
    no reason.
    and I frequently think “Oh I forgot about you winebeeretc should I bring you back in my life?” and I just havent ever bothered.
    no reason
    just seems, for ME, pointless.

  2. Zliten

    Zune SONGS! Hey trying to remind you in a place you will read.

  3. Your one tough “cookie” (ha ha, get it). Great job turning down the cookie…that would have sucked.

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