Fat Gram Reality Check

In previous posts I talked about my food journals. In those journals I would keep track of actual serving size, calories, and fat grams. That got me into a great routine of thinking about what I was actually eating. In the past few days I have actually backed off from keeping the journal, although if I feel that I've made some bad choices for a particular day then I will write it down and see what I actually consumed. A couple of examples would be: 1) did I eat any fast food, or 2) did I skip any meals or snacks.

What I have come up with now is a list of foods that have been a main part of my life, but that shouldn't be. Having that list posted in a visible place is always a reminder when I start getting a "craving" for a particular food. I keep mine on the refrigerator. This list will contain what I used to normally eat, the calories, and the fat grams. Looking at that list can be quite a shocker!

Some examples are:

• Wendys Spicy Chicken Combo Meal: 970 calories, 32 fat grams
• Sausage & Biscuits: qty 2, 56 fat grams
• Captain D's 2 piece fish dinner: 1204 calories, 76 fat grams
• KFC Extra Crispy Breast: 510 calories, 33 fat grams (doesn't even include the rest of the meal!)

This list doesn't yet include some things that we usually had for snacks (ie., potato chips), or things that we prepare at home (fried foods, breaded meats), but you should get the idea. And that idea is to scare you straight! :o)

This is not to say that you can never have those foods again. It's just keeping the consumption to a minimal frequency.