Today I finally hit my 20 lbs milestone. I'm at an even 250. Original weight was 270. I'm going to share some truths that I've found along the way. The first one has to do with breakfast. I used to be of the opinion that skipping it was a good thing. That's one less meal in your belly and therefore fewer calories, right?
Apparently not. Kelli and I have been watching Extreme Makeover. If you haven't seen it, I'd recommend it. It's inspiring. The host and trainer on the show made the statement that skipping breakfast is actually counterproductive for weight loss. If you don't eat something in the morning, your body goes into a survival mode of sorts. It stores calories. That's the last thing you need if you're trying to lose weight. Now don't get me wrong here. Breakfast still has to be sensible. You still have to trade that breakfast burrito in for fruit.
Here's another thing I've come to realize. Fast food can't be avoided. In my opinion, any weight loss plan that involves avoiding fast food will fail. It's just that simple. Think about it. You put in 60 hours a week at work - at least. In the evenings your either at a game or at practice. There's no time to cook. What's the only option you have left at 8:30 when the game's over and the kids are whining about being hungry? Fast food.
So here's what I say. Don't run from fast food. Embrace it! Be smart about it. Instead of ordering a double with extra fries, order a kids meal. The portions in a kids meal at most fast food restaurants are actually the correct portion for adults. That tells you something about the size of those adult combo meals.
Will you enjoy this? Nope. Not at first. It'll be really crappy. That's the honest truth. You'll be hungry - alot. The trick is to stick it out. In two or three weeks, the hunger becomes manageable. Your body gets used to the portion, and you get the benefit of a smaller gut. Here's one other advantage. You can buy a kids meal for three or four bucks. Most regular combo meals are double that. Hence there is money saved.
Here's another thing that a lot of people don't realize. Most fast food joints offer relatively healthy options. For example, there's the Wendy's Jr. Hamburger. You know how many calories that thing has? 270. That's awesome. That's nothing. It's almost a burger for free. Here's the trick, though. Stay away from the cheese. Trade in the mayo for mustard. If you can't stomach mustard, then trade in for ketchup. Almost anything's better than mayo. Especially the version of mayo that most fast food joints use.
Here's one other fast food choice that hit my radar. Jack in the Box offers grilled chicken strips. They come in at less than 400 calories. That's just the strips though. It doesn't include fries. The quicker you give up fries, the better. The list goes on as far as healthy food options go. Most places offer a grilled chicken sandwich. As long as you trade in the mayo for mustard and hold the fries, you're good. Almost every major fast food brand has a website. On that website you can find the full menu. More importantly, you can find the nutrition facts on each menu item. Most of these are in a drop down format. Just highlight the item of interest and hit "enter". You'll see how many calories it has.
One other tip for the fast food jungle. Trade the regular soda for unsweet tea or a diet drink. It's crappy. What can I say? There's no way to sugarcoat it. There are some folks who can order a double meat, extra fries, and a coke all day long. They can inhale it and not gain a pound. I'm not one of those people. You may not be either. You've gotta come to terms with what God gave you.
One last observation on the last twenty pounds. At some point, you need to allow yourself a cheat. It's just that simple. Notice I didn't use the plural. One cheat. Not multiple cheats. If you don't, here's what'll happen. You'll wake up in the night to pee. The next thing you know you'll be in the fetal position on the floor of your pantry. There'll be a bowl of ranch dip balanced on your knees and a bag of chips in your lap. You'll start out by shoving the chips in the ranch and then into your face. At some point after that you'll just tip the whole bowl of ranch up to your face and drink it like milk. The whole time, your eye will be twitching and your leg will be jerking.
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