Friday Confessional: The shameful fast food one

Friday confessionals are tough to write.  They’re embarrassing and sometimes agonizing and I’ve been avoiding them for a few weeks.  If you’re wondering why I do it at all, here’s a link to my first Friday confessional. 

Today I will recall my painful fast food past.  I visited drive thru windows way, way too often.  No, really.  Way too often.  This is the confessional I’ve been avoiding most of all.  Even my husband doesn’t know how often I would do it.  During the work week I would eat some sort of fast food nearly every day.  On particularly busy days I’d drive thru for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Sometimes (no, let’s be brutally honest, it was more than sometimes, it was many times) I would order more than one meal.   And even though I wouldn’t want two drinks, I’d order two drinks (usually white milk and diet coke...I know, right?  Diet coke) so the drive thru people wouldn’t know the whole order was just for me.   Am I really telling you this stuff?  Crap.  I am.  This is one hell of a shameful admission.

 I know there are other obese people out there who are doing the same thing.  The drive through is so easy.  So anonymous.  You drive up; speak to the friendly, faceless voice; order your meal (or meals); drive to the window; smile as if you’re not up to something; take the food; find and hiding place and secretly pig-out.   The garbage would go into a public trash can wherever I was eating.  Hide the evidence.  Nobody...NObody...knows (until now) that I did this. 

When I think about it now I feel sick.   It was so much food.  So much bad, greasy, fattening, mega-calorie food.  I can never, ever, ever go back to that.  Never!!

Fast food has changed a great deal since McDonalds first opened in my town in the 70s.  Portion sizes are way out of control.  What they now serve as medium fries and medium soda is the same (or larger?) than large fries and sodas of my childhood.  And the large sodas?  Have you seen the size of them? Who needs that much sugary soda in one sitting?  It’s crazy.  (For the record, I don’t enjoy regular soda.  It’s too syrupy-tasting for me.) 

But, on the other hand, and to their benefit, fast food chains have also recognized the wants and needs of waistline watchers and added healthier choices to their menus.  

For example, at McDonalds:  

One chicken fajita (which I order now and love) is only 200 calories and 5g of fat.  One grilled (not crispy) spicy buffalo chicken snack wrap (also a personal favourite) is 220 calories and 7g of fat.  Not bad, right?  Especially when you compare it to the big mac with 540 calories and 29g of fat or the angus burger with cheese and bacon which has a whopping 770 calories and 45g of fat!

At Wendys:

The two items I ordered most often at Wendy’s were the spicy chicken sandwich (450 calories, 16g of fat)  or the double baconator (hang on for this one) with 990 calories and 63g of fat!   Far better choices include the ultimate chicken grill sandwich (which is delicious!) with 360 calories and 7g of fat, a sour cream and chives baked potato with 350 calories and 6g of fat or a small chilli with 220 calories and 7g of fat. 

So fast food can be done.  The restaurants’ websites have nutritional information so you can plan your meal before you go.  

Do I still go to fast food restaurants?  I have a nine year old son, so yes.  However I know what I’m ordering before we walk in (or drive thru) and I order without even looking at or being tempted by the mouth-watering photos on the menu.  Actually, it’s interesting how, now, the photos are so much less appealing now that I understand what I’m eating.