Oh my!!

I have gone online and researched the calories that are in foods that I USED to eat quite often. I must have been in quite a state of denial. I can't believe the calories in these foods! Plus the carbs and sugar. I know that as post WLS we don't focus on calories as much as +protein

and -carbs/sugar, however I can see from this quick research that what I was consuming regularly pushed me WAY over what I needed in calories and carbs.

I now track just about everything I eat. Someday I will relax and not track so much but it is helping me a lot right now. Here is a list of stuff I used to eat pre-surgery and when I was in complete denial.

Starbucks Iced Lemon Pound Cake: 470 calories, 68 carbs (yikes).

Starbucks chicken Artichoke on Ancient Grain Flatbreat (sounds healthy, right?) 510 calories, 37 carbs.

McDonald's Big Mac: 563 calories, 44 carbs. (Hello, I'm Kel. I'm a recovering Big Mac Addict.)

Jack-in-the-Box Portobello Mushroom Buttery Jack: 810 calories, 51 carbs. (!!!)

Jack-in-the-Box Breakfast Platter: 640calories, 47 carbs.

Jimmy Johns Club Tuna Sandwich: 1000 calories, 73 carbs.

Snyders' of Hanover Honey Mustard Pretzel Pieces, 3 oz bag: 420 calories, 60 carbs.

Einstein's Everything Bagel with Regular Cream Cheese: 430 calories, 60 carbs.

Loaded Baked Potato w/sour cream, cheese and bacon bits: 535 calories, 62 carbs.

And to think on any given day pre-surgery life I might have had 2 or 3 of these items. Sleeve life is truly a learning journey!

Wow!!! What an eye opener. Thank you for sharing this information.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hello Kel, My name is Sara and I am also a recovering BigMac addict.

It is amazing to me that I used to eat individual items that are an entire day's worth of calories!

It adds up, doesn't it?

I would say there were days I was eating 3,000+ calories when I would eat junk like that. Sometimes it was fast food for breakfast, lunch and dinner! UGH. Can you imagine that now?? I sure can't.

I've had this realization, too. I didn't usually eat fast food, but I justified everything because it was "healthy" (yeah, right) food.

My previous life's breakfast of multiple cups of coffee with cream and sugar, the 3-egg cheese omelette with sides of sausage or bacon and buttered toast -- and a cup of milk. I probably had at least 1000 calories just for breakfast! Let alone the carbs and fat.

I'd graze on carbs all day in a denial haze since I wasn't journaling what I ate -- but drink tons of Water, so I felt good about that.

Then gorge on a massive portion of dinner -- probably 2 cups of Pasta with whatever topping went with it; meatballs, garlic bread, shredded cheese on top -- and maybe a beer or wine with hubby to "relax" at the end of the day.

Damn!

No fast food, but at least 3000 calories a day without trying or thinking I was "that bad."

I am becoming enlightened!

I did the same thing with what I would consume on a typical "travel day" on one of my work trips. Between drinks (usually a screwdriver or red wine depending on the time of day) at the Delta Sky Club at the New Orleans airport, the connecting airport, and the arrival airport; drinks in two first class flights; fast food breakfast and lunch en route; Snacks on both flights and a small meal on at least one of the flights; and a fancy dinner on the work AmEx (steak, potato, salad, wine, dessert) or room service fatty goodness, it was easily 4000-5000 calories. It was insane and I wasn't thinking at all about what I was doing to myself.

And I did this for YEARS!

Hello Kel, My name is Sara and I am also a recovering BigMac addict.

It is amazing to me that I used to eat individual items that are an entire day's worth of calories!

@@saramarie, fellow recovering Big M addict!

I had the same thoughts. One of those menu items equals all the calories I am getting in these days.

On the subject of Big Macs. Allow me to bore you with a story of how I became addicted..

At age 14 I got my first job babysitting 1-3 year olds at the YMCA. It was stressful, the screaming babies! The manager paid me in cash. After my first week, I took my $ and went down the street to McDonalds. Growing up, my parent really limited junk food, and we never ate at fast food. So, I bought the Big Mac, probably due to a new surge of independence, because I could, and also I was stressed from the job.

I can even remember the day. It was mid summer, 1984, and the Olympics were being held in Los Angeles. McDonalds was putting Olympic game pieces on food. It was my first Big Mac, and I thought "what is the main wizardry that made this?" I was hooked on first bite, not online a drug addict's first hit. Needless to say I became a regular of that McDonalds.

As an adult, I continued to enjoy them, probably about 3 a week. It was my greatest weakness, until the day I began my pre-op diet. I literally had dreams about them, and also Carls Jr Super Star burger. And now, close to a month post op I can say that finally, the craving is almost completely vanished.

I think those da** fast food joints put something in the food to make us addicted

It adds up, doesn't it?

I would say there were days I was eating 3,000+ calories when I would eat junk like that. Sometimes it was fast food for breakfast, lunch and dinner! UGH. Can you imagine that now?? I sure can't.

@@Babbs,

It would literally take me all day to eat a fast food burger now, even if I wanted one!

I did the same thing with what I would consume on a typical "travel day" on one of my work trips. Between drinks (usually a screwdriver or red wine depending on the time of day) at the Delta Sky Club at the New Orleans airport, the connecting airport, and the arrival airport; drinks in two first class flights; fast food breakfast and lunch en route; Snacks on both flights and a small meal on at least one of the flights; and a fancy dinner on the work AmEx (steak, potato, salad, wine, dessert) or room service fatty goodness, it was easily 4000-5000 calories. It was insane and I wasn't thinking at all about what I was doing to myself.

And I did this for YEARS!

It is amazing what we used to do, isn't it? Eating without any consideration of calories, carbs, etc. I think I just stopped caring, and was only conserved about the pleasure of it.

If this is new information to you, then clearly you weren't a serial WWs member like I was. (Please read my "tone" as good natured fun, here.)

I'd dare say most of us knew of those outrageous numbers and...

.

.

.

.

.

.

ATE IT ANYWAY!

Like WTF?!?

It was McDonald's double cheeseburgers for me. And, they were only $1 most of the time! I was recently on a road trip and stopped at McDonald's to use the bathroom. When I opened the door, the smell of grease was overwhelming and I couldn't get out of their fast enough.

If this is new information to you, then clearly you weren't a serial WWs member like I was. (Please read my "tone" as good natured fun, here.)

I'd dare say most of us knew of those outrageous numbers and...

.

.

.

.

.

.

ATE IT ANYWAY!

Like WTF?!?

I think I had an idea but shoved the thought away as eating that crap was more important than numbers. Thats how I tricked myself into eating that stuff for decades.

If this is new information to you, then clearly you weren't a serial WWs member like I was. (Please read my "tone" as good natured fun, here.)

I'd dare say most of us knew of those outrageous numbers and...

.

.

.

.

.

.

ATE IT ANYWAY!

Like WTF?!?

I think I had an idea but shoved the thought away as eating that crap was more important than numbers. Thats how I tricked myself into eating that stuff for decades.

I'll start eating right on Monday.

I rationalized that I was busy. I would take my kids to McDonald's because I didn't want to cook after work. What an eye opener to learn to care about how I fuel my body now. I love that my family also is eating healthier.

Sent from my SM-G920T using the BariatricPal App

If this is new information to you, then clearly you weren't a serial WWs member like I was. (Please read my "tone" as good natured fun, here.)

I'd dare say most of us knew of those outrageous numbers and...

.

.

.

.

.

.

ATE IT ANYWAY!

Like WTF?!?

Or justify it by using up all the WW points in that Big Mac, am I right?!?!

It was McDonald's double cheeseburgers for me. And, they were only $1 most of the time! I was recently on a road trip and stopped at McDonald's to use the bathroom. When I opened the door, the smell of grease was overwhelming and I couldn't get out of their fast enough.

I was a double cheeseburger addict too. My typical order was two doubles (add grilled onions) or a double and mcchicken and a large fry. Thats over 1300 cals and that woukd just be lunch or dinner. I would usually have another similar meal.

HW 385 SW 359 CW 340 Sleeved 10/5/16

It was McDonald's double cheeseburgers for me. And, they were only $1 most of the time! I was recently on a road trip and stopped at McDonald's to use the bathroom. When I opened the door, the smell of grease was overwhelming and I couldn't get out of their fast enough.

I was a double cheeseburger addict too. My typical order was two doubles (add grilled onions) or a double and mcchicken and a large fry. Thats over 1300 cals and that woukd just be lunch or dinner. I would usually have another similar meal.

HW 385 SW 359 CW 340 Sleeved 10/5/16

I did that (McDouble, McChicken, Large Fry) as a "snack" on top of 3 or 4 high calorie meals. My partner and I were notorious for late night McDonalds runs. No wonder I weighed 400 pounds before I finally decided to take control of the situation...