Fast Food / Junk Food

Monday Charles and I watched the documentary "Super Size Me." (I love Netflix!) It was a good documentary and I would highly recommend it to everyone and anyone.

Here is the DVD blurb:

On the heels of recent lawsuits against McDonald's, director Morgan Spurlock takes a hilarious and often terrifying look at the effects of fast food on the human body. For one month, Spurlock eats nothing but McDonald's food, ordering everything on the menu at least once and "super-sizing" his order if asked. With obesity on the rise, Spurlock's film begs the question: Where does personal responsibility end and corporate responsibility begin?

We try to avoid fast food, as much for monetary reasons as for health reasons, but still we tend to eat out way too often. Last week as I helped Kat freshen up her old place for resale, I had fast food for lunch four days in a row. And I also bought some junk food (store bought granola bars and blueberry muffins that contain way too much refined sugars and flours) for snacks. I did have some healthy options. I drank only water and brought along cheese sticks and bananas. But still I ate way more fast food and junk food than I normally do. The result? Four pounds of weight gain in those four days.

I have been working hard to lose some extra pounds over the past several months, managing to lose ten pounds in seven months. That is just a little under 1.5 pounds per month. They say slow weight loss is healthier and you are likely to keep the weight off longer than if you lose it quickly, so I have been happy with that rate. Luckily, those four pounds gained last week are temporary ones; by yesterday I had only one left to see disappear. But it was eye opening how little time it takes to sabotage oneself. I could have just as easily packed salads or sandwiches to eat last week. Instead I took the quick and easy way out.

So, last night when we went out to dinner to celebrate Charles's 17th birthday, I remembered and ate sensibly. Broiled blackened salmon, steamed broccoli, brown rice and water. For dessert a slice of cheesecake with cherries (not cherry pie filling!). So this morning when I weighed myself, I was the same as yesterday. That's a good thing! By the end of this week that last pound should be gone and then I can begin April with a ten pound loss and begin working on the next ten! And maybe I will watch "Super Size Me" one more time before I send it back to Netflix. Fix it firmly in my mind how very bad fast food really is for my health!