This is a post about moderation. When I set out to adjust my diet a month ago (which, holy hell it’s nearly been a full month), the one promise I made to myself—both for my own sanity and for the highest likelihood of success—was that I wouldn’t completely cut out the foods I most enjoyed.
Four full weeks in, I can say with absolute certainty this is the best way to start on any weight loss journey, especially for people who have struggled to stay on that horse.
Here’s how this has manifested itself so far. In April, a routine trip to Safeway would often include a few staples: frozen pizza. Orange juice. A pint of Haagen Dasz coffee or vanilla bean if on sale (it’s the only ice cream I will buy in a grocery store, because apparently I’m an ice cream snob). My week would likely include at least one chinese takeout order. Lunches would rotate between trips to &pizza, Chopt, Roti, Subway, and food trucks. My Starbucks intake was somewhere in the neighborhood of a million trips per month. And then there was fast food.
I grew up in a house where fast food was all but forbidden, a parenting tactic that, more often than not, results in an addict later in life. Having a car and living in a city means fast food is accessible at a moment’s notice. Awake at 11pm and realize you haven’t had dinner yet? Fret not, a medium number 4, no pickles, with a Dr. Pepper is five minutes away.
That was my baseline entering June. The new routine looks considerably different. GrubHub tells me I ordered chinese takeout just once this month. My one trip to a fast food joint was limited to an order of fries. My Safeway shopping cart now includes eggs (the 18-count cartons last roughly 2 weeks, with frequent breakfasts consisting of two eggs scrambled), cold cut turkey or chicken (for ease!), skinless chicken breasts and potatoes, an assortment of fruits (Gala apples, bananas) hummus and bagel chips for snacks.
But it also will still include a few familiar items. I keep a box of Ellio’s on hand. I indulge in a frozen fruit ice pop on particularly hot afternoons. Yes, there is currently a pint of coffee Haagen Dasz sitting in my freezer.
Here’s the difference: instead of gorging out on those goodies, I’ve managed to enjoy them slowly, over time. Two slices of frozen cheese pizza used to be dinner. Now, half a slice next to a salad once a week is my little reward after a long day. A few small spoonfuls of coffee ice cream here and there means a pint lasts for weeks, not days.
The flexibility of keeping some of my favorites in the rotation also means that I am not a complete curmudgeon when eating out with friends. Sure, I’d probably stick to salads or fish if given a choice. But when The Homestead, a new bar I’ve been looking forward to since Christmas, finally opened a few blocks from my house last week, sure as shit I ordered the Homestead Burger (admittedly after some coaxing by a friend.)
Moderation, as it turns out, is way easier than quitting cold turkey. And in the event you give in to temptation (as I have at least a couple times this month. Looking at you, General Tsao), don’t get discouraged: you did what made you happy in the moment, and there are plenty of days ahead to pick up right where you left off.
Which brings me back to the task at hand:
- McDonald’s
- Shake Shack
- Wendy’s
- Five Guys
- Burger King
If your ranking is different, don’t be discouraged, everyone’s wrong sometimes.
