Progress Check

I meant to post this around the 15th or so... but Mae had a doozy of a week last week and so I was a bit preoccupied - so with a little over a week left in the Fast Food B-Gone Challenge where do we/I stand?

First a reminder of what the challenge was... Let me also state that this was exclusively a challenge for myself - Loving Husband was not restricted by these 'rules' in his day to day eating habits.

Week One:

It worked out nicely that the month of May started on a Tuesday, gave me a nice 'ease in' to the challenge (since after all I did in fact have some McDs that Monday.)   I was very happy that I did not 'use' my Starbucks or Panera Bread options in these 5 days and we went to dinner once and the kids and I had Jamba Juice once.   Ironically, the husband had McDonald's that Friday with his coworkers.   He never eats there unless it's my choice typically. 

Week Two:

This week has already become foggy to me, but I think if I recall correctly I used all my options with the exception of one dining out meal.   We used my Panera Bread option to enjoy lunch with the grandparents on a sunny Saturday afternoon out on our deck. 

Week Three:

This is the week that I feel I should get a gold medal - or certainly my lens at the end of all of this.  I was in and out of doctor's appointments all week with Mae - several hours at a time and either needed to eat quickly before or certainly afterwards - McDonald's would have been so convenient!  In fact after our trip to the ER at 1am upon leaving at 5am we did drive thru Mcds for LH and Ace.  Yes the two of them consumed greasy delicious smelling breakfast sandwiches and I had nothing.

I'd also like to pat myself on the back (yes it's a tad absurd, I recognize this!) that I 'used up' all my options all but Panera Bread by Wednesday.   On Mother's Day we went out to lunch and dinner (Loving Husband claimed that the dinner could be a 'bonus' meal and I could still have 2 more dining out options if I so chose, but I declined the charity.) ;-) Starbucks was a necessity after another 3+ hour visit to the doctor on Tuesday and then we enjoyed take out on Wednesday night.    I held onto Panera Bread the rest of the week and eventually used it for dinner on Saturday night after a long day away from the house. 

This coconut mocha frap was sooo needed!

Week Four:

That's now!  It's Tuesday now and I've thus far used none of my options - although the boy is itching for some pumpkin bread so that might be on our agenda today! 

There are ten days remaining on this challenge.   Is it hard? At times.  Is it impossible?  No.   Could I remove eating out entirely?  At this point, no.  Our lives get chaotic with unexpected deployments, illnesses, and changes that the concept of totally eradicating 'dining out' just isn't feasibly for my sanity.   It's physically possible - if it was do or die I certainly COULD do it - but I appreciate the option from time to time. What this challenge has shown me is that fast food doesn't have to be my default option - that the amount of time it takes to make a sandwich is about the same as it takes to drive to and thru somewhere, that taking the extra 10 minutes upon getting home to make said sandwich doesn't alter life so dramatically prior to nap time or bedtime.  

Healthy wise, I really feel no different.   I didn't feel bad before beginning this challenge and I don't feel an better than before - is that noteworthy?  I don't know.  

So that is where I stand on the month long challenge.  I think next month I'll set a more photographic based challenge with my new lens ;)

Fast Food B-Gone Challenge

Anyone that knows me knows that I love McDonald's.   Obsessed about it?  Possibly.    Willing to eat it more than once in a day?  Occassionally.   Eat it more than twice in a week?  Often.   You healthier folk are certainly cringing right now, I know I know.  It's TERRIBLE for me.    Ironically, it was McDonald's that in the Summer of 2000 gave me food poisoning so severe that required a shot in the rear to cease vomiting - it was so not awesome.    I have not ingested McDonald's chicken products since.    I easily could give up everything at McDonald's except their fries and their coke.   OH SO DELICIOUS!

Now, my fast food menu is not exclusive to McDonald's.  No I also happily am willing to entertain food from other drive thru establishments like Taco Time for example.   Sometimes we've even been known to do a medley meal.  The general point being - I eat a LOT of fast food.  Anything with a drive thru while the food isn't a culinary treat always (ok rarely) it is a convience.  Not having to get out of the car with two kids and even getting food that the boy can eat locked in his carseat (he eats so much faster when in the car with little distractions!)   Convinence often as of late has won out over healthy.   Bad news! 

Now an additional factor to this plight of convienence eating is the cost factor.   Drive thru ain't cheap!  The ironic part to this is that aside from the drive thru eating (and dining out) when we do buy food and make it at home we're almost nearly 100% organic, no high fructose corn syrup, and no perservatives.   Although we still enjoy our Kraft Mac & Cheese on occassion and occassionally certain juices that are just too yummy to not enjoy.   We're not hard-core but aware of labels certainly.     That being said the food that we purchase isn't the cheapest, so it remains to be seen if drive thru vs increased grocery bill actually is a cost saving element but we shall see because the month of May is the month we've chosen for our Fast Food B-Gone Challenge. 

So for the next thirty one  thirty days and counting we will be eating out a maximum five times a week.   It seems like a lot until you look at past behavior and expenditures.  In the week leading up to this challenge I went out to coffee, drive thru, or sit down dining 15 times. This seems average and thus why we've decided to engage in this challenge for the month of May.  While I don't plan to fully eradicate McDonald's from my life entirely,   I certainly hope to decrease my extreme codependence on drive thru dining and as a result we should be healthier and maybe a tad richer for it.  

Now in full disclosure this challenge (or scientific experiment as Loving Husband refers to it) comes with an incentive for me;  because I'll be honest "health" and "savings"  just isn't enough motivation for me to go cold turkey from the convinence of the drive thru.  I needed a bit more motivation, does this make me a weak person?  Maybe.   But honest certainly!   If I can successfully execute this challenge then I will earn myself the Canon Macro lens that I have been drooling over.  Oh the things we do for our hobbies health... definately our health.  :)

Wish us luck!  I'm not twitching yet as a result of no McD's but that could be that it's only been 48ish hours since my last fix.   I'll check back in a week or so from now and let you know if cold sweats or anything have developed.  Cheers to health!