Unconscious Calories? Really!
As I settled into the New Year, I realize just how many unconscious calories I consume. Do you do that, too?
The entire first three years of my journey were based around tracking calories, trends, habits and so on. I kept a spread sheet the entire three years because I did not trust ME! 53 years of bad lifestyle choices and habits will do that to you. I had to really work to break bad habits and work to develop/build good lifestyle habits. Hard but very worthwhile.
So, back to unconscious calories. After logging and tracking for three years I realized how many ‘unconscious calories’ I was consuming when I was 360 pounds. No thought, no effort to track, no conscious healthy choices. Some things I did that can still creep back in at times are :
- Well first, I am sitting at Starbucks right now AND I use to drink 2 to 3 Venti Caffe Mochas a day! WOW, almost 500 calories a pop. 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day with NO nutritional value and loaded with sugar—45 grams per drink. Does have 5 grams of fiber !
- SO that leads us to ‘unconscious calories’ that we drink! I use to drink sodas and since I use to go to fastfood joints, I would ‘supersize’ them. These sodas and more that I dank during a day could lead to another 800-1,000 calories, See a trend.
- Fastfood- talk about ‘unconscious calories’! I supersized everything. Lets just look at one place, BK> small fry and coke to supersizing equals 280 to 880 calories. It’s simple, “Sir, would you like to supersize that meal?” Sure, what’s another 600 calories to a guy that weighs 360 pounds.
- Sugar (processed, the white stuff), the emptiest calories I know. Candy, ice cream, gum, and just about anything sweet! Bag of candy, yes please. Large ice cream, yes please. ……….
- There are all sorts of empty calories we consume every day— gum, chips, that last item at check out, half & half, and the list goes on.
I have these bad habits, these ‘unconscious calories’, calling my name to this day. They find their way into my life when I’m stressed, tired, in a rut, almost any way they can. 6 plus years of working on healthy habits still does not ‘outweigh’ 53 years of bad lifestyle habits.
So what to do? What do I do? What do you do?
- DON’T kick yourself. If you recognize it, you can fix it.
- Create a log for at least a week of everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, you consume. Then, LOOK AT IT.
- Make this commitment, do NOT drink your calories. WATER, WATER, WATER.
- Try giving up the processed sugar. I had to do this for a year and still struggle with it.
- Ditch Fast Food or at least try to search out the healthy choices. Ummm, NEVER SUPERSIZE.
- We are all online. Google it if you are not sure.
- STOP! If it goes in your mouth, STOP for a moment and ask, “What am I consuming? ‘Unconscious calories’?!
Small changes and a focus on new healthy habits can make a world of difference.
Note to ME and YOU: Just think! Think about what you are putting in your body and then make the smart choice. (Not always easy, but soooooo worthwhile)
Mike, TheFatGuy
