The retrospective: 'I can't believe I used to eat that'

firstsip

This is really interesting for three reasons.

One- I think a lot of you might be american as I've never heard of half the things you're eating (I *really* don't want to know what a sausage biscuit is- sounds awful!)

Can you describe what baked camenbert, fish pie/cheese mash, and cheese board are? Never heard of them.

A "biscuit" in the U.S. is not the same as a "biscuit" in other parts of the world (particularly England). A biscuit here is a type of bread similar to a roll. What you think of as a biscuit is what we would call a cookie, which is a sweet treat (wouldn't consider it a pastry, but it is considered a dessert) and would be absolutely dreadful with sausage.

Sounds like biscuit is what Australia / NZ call 'english muffins'

Baked Camembert - a miniature Camembert round cheese, usually covered in breadcrumbs, and either baked or deep-fried. The cheese goes all gooey and melty.

Fish pie with cheese mash - delicately flavoured white-flesh fish, often smoked (brings a different flavour to the experience), white cheesy sauce, mixed vegetables, all baked in a ceramic oven dish with a crispy top usually made from breadcrumbs and cheese OR mashed potato in cheese. It sounds awful, but it's pretty tasty.

Cheese board - usually in place of a dessert, a cheese board is a selection of cheeses, usually presented on a cutting board (just like a chopping board, really). Commonly you'd have a blue cheese, a couple of softs (ie camembert or brie), a couple of hards (leicester, cheddar), and a specialty cheese (like goat's milk feta). Usually also has very sweet, tart pastes (like quince paste / quince jelly), raisins and other dried fruits, dried nuts, light crackers, served with a dessert wine. It's...intense, and very conducive to overconsumption.

This all sounds amazing to me. I'm in the wrong country.

RaygunG

On my way to work, with thoughts of "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" in my head, I would stop at McDonalds and get:

Fruit & Maple Oatmeal
Fruit 'N Yogurt Parfait
Sweet Tea
Bacon, Egg & Cheese Bagel

Calories 1150
Cholesterol 275mg (91%)
Protein 34g
Calories from Fat 300
Sodium 1540mg (64%)

A nice calorie bomb to start the day! I rationalized it as "Fruit, Yogurt, oatmeal and eggs are healthy, right!" For some reason, I thought the positives would vastly outweigh the negatives.

Aries03

Bump

stockholmhasago

I wouldn't drink water, at all. Unless some got in my mouth in the shower, I didn't have a single drop for ages.
I'd go through a 12 pack of coke in a day. I'm surprised I didn't balloon the hell up, but I guess I was young and lucky.

tishajo

OMG! I remember a few years back I ate soooo much one day. I ate the two cheeseburger MEAL from Mcdonalds which has to be at least 950 calories, probably a ridiculous amount of fat. Then for dinner my fat *kitten* stopped at Burger King for a Whopper MEAL. I'm guessing another 900+ calories. That's not even counting breakfast. :huh: The sodium content of my day was off the charts!!!! The thought of eating like that now makes me want to vomit! Disgusting.

nikkiw283

I used to eat a Chick-fil-a Spicy Chicken combo like 2 times a week. Yikes.

1700 Calories
99g Fat
17g Saturated Fat
0g Trans Fat
105mg Cholesterol
2465mg Sodium
172g Carbohydrates
5g Fiber
80g Sugar
33g Protein

kazj17

I used to eat McDonalds once a week, I have been on MFP 5 months now & have had 2 small childrens meals since I started & have to admit they tasted like cardboard!
I knew McDonalds was bad obviously but had no idea just how bad. That web site is real eye opener. Here is my weekly meal:


Big Mac
Meduim fries
Medium coke

Calories 1140
Cholesterol 75mg (25%)
Protein 30g
Calories from Fat 430
Sodium 1280mg (53%)
Vitamin A 260IU (6%)
Total Fat 48g (74%)
Total Carbs 152g (51%)
Vitamin C 9mg (15%)
Saturated Fat 13g (64%)
Dietary Fiber 8g (33%)
Calcium 280mg (30%)
Trans Fat 1.5g
Sugars 67g
Iron 5.5mg (30%)

cowgirlashlee

Before deciding I had to change my ways or be obese by 21, I'd eat like a pig, and I know that now. I NEVER are breakfast, out of laziness...didn't want to get up in the morning with time to eat. I got up, got dressed, and left for work or class. A common day was...

Breakfast...NONE

Lunch...Panda Express 2 entree plate of double orange chicken and fried rice. I'd eat the whole thing plus a medium Pepsi. Just the food alone was an astounding 1370 calories! Then add in the pop...ugh don't even want to think about it. Plus, I'd be hungry again in a couple hours (once the initial "ugh so stuffed" feeling wore off).

Dinner...2 Cheeseburger meal large sized a McDonald's with a pop (changed between Coke or Dr. Pepper). 1160 calories for just the food. I'd order my fries "no salt" because, in my warped mind, that was somehow better. Plus, they were fresh that way.

I'd snack throughout the day as well on whatever I could get out of a vending machine on campus. It's no wonder I gained so much weight when I transferred from living on a campus to commuting to a closer school. Believe it or not, my on campus options at Ball State were WAY better than letting myself commute and buy whatever junk I wanted.

blonde71

Wonder Bread with tons of butter - 2 slices.

For years, this was my go-to snack. No wonder I was so fluffy-looking, lol. No nutritional value whatsoever - pure garbage. :grumble:

JLgettinghealthy

In Jersey we have something called Disco Fries sold at pretty much every Diner. GIANT plate of fries with mozzerella cheese and brown or turkey gravy. I had the nerve to eat this with a vanilla milkshake to wash it down. Have no idea what the calorie/fat count was but lets just say probably more that 3 days of calories for me now. Never, ever again!

so... confession. i LOVE disco fries. and i'm not sure... if i were at a diner at this very moment... if i would have the willpower to NOT order them.

jcstanton

This is really interesting for three reasons.

One- I think a lot of you might be american as I've never heard of half the things you're eating (I *really* don't want to know what a sausage biscuit is- sounds awful!)

Can you describe what baked camenbert, fish pie/cheese mash, and cheese board are? Never heard of them.

A "biscuit" in the U.S. is not the same as a "biscuit" in other parts of the world (particularly England). A biscuit here is a type of bread similar to a roll. What you think of as a biscuit is what we would call a cookie, which is a sweet treat (wouldn't consider it a pastry, but it is considered a dessert) and would be absolutely dreadful with sausage.

Sounds like biscuit is what Australia / NZ call 'english muffins'

Baked Camembert - a miniature Camembert round cheese, usually covered in breadcrumbs, and either baked or deep-fried. The cheese goes all gooey and melty.

Fish pie with cheese mash - delicately flavoured white-flesh fish, often smoked (brings a different flavour to the experience), white cheesy sauce, mixed vegetables, all baked in a ceramic oven dish with a crispy top usually made from breadcrumbs and cheese OR mashed potato in cheese. It sounds awful, but it's pretty tasty.

Cheese board - usually in place of a dessert, a cheese board is a selection of cheeses, usually presented on a cutting board (just like a chopping board, really). Commonly you'd have a blue cheese, a couple of softs (ie camembert or brie), a couple of hards (leicester, cheddar), and a specialty cheese (like goat's milk feta). Usually also has very sweet, tart pastes (like quince paste / quince jelly), raisins and other dried fruits, dried nuts, light crackers, served with a dessert wine. It's...intense, and very conducive to overconsumption.

The fish pie sounds a little suspicious to me. Not sure I'd like it, but I'd probably try it. Totally on board with the cheese board, though. One of my favorite snacks is red grapes and sharp cheddar cheese. YUM!

CoxTX

Let's see, a typical day . . .

McDonalds breakfast

2 sausage McMuffins -- 370 each = 740
1 large non-fat (because non-fat is IMPORTANT! <insert eye-roll> latte -- 110

Mid-morning

Whatever vendors bring in, donuts, kolaches, you name it. And usually one of each

Donut -- 192
Kolache, sausage & cheese -- 240

Lunch

Church's Chicken

3 piece dark meat -- 600
Biscuit -- 250
4 piece jalepeno bombers -- 240
small french fries -- 210

Mid-afternoon

Whatever the vendors bring in . . .

My fave, swiss cake rolls -- 270

Dinner

Chicken fried pork chops, mashed potatoes, brown gravy
or King Ranch Chicken or
Spaghetti w/ meat sauce & garlic bread or
1/2 a large meat lovers pizza

The list goes on and on and is laden with fried foods or pasta/bread. I'm a country cook (not as bad as Paula Deen but close) so everything had a gravy or cheese or was fried or lots of butter.

What's the total? Before I even got home . . . 2, 852 calories. Yikes. And miraculously, I only gained 15 lbs in a year.

I try to stay under 1500 now, work out (bootcamp) 3 times a week, starting Insanity soon, no white bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, and I've lost 6 lbs in a month. And feel TONS better! Have TONS more energy! And it only bothers me SOME DAYS to pass the breakroom and see the mounds of donuts and kolaches and snacks.

jclark21

bump. Will reply later though

Mjhnbgff

I've never been a fast food/restaurant food/junk food junkie but one thing I used to love was to roast a chicken or chicken parts, pour the pan drippings (including all the fat) onto my rice and eat that along with the chicken. It was heavenly but I literally get sick now when I think of how much saturated fat I was ingesting.

VintageFit

Surprisingly, that McDonalds meal builder made me realize my usual McD-meal is less calories than I would've thought. Still 1100cals, though

For me, I'm rarely shocked by what I used to eat (I was pretty aware of all the unhealthy things I love) but it took me awhile of filling my diary to realize how much of it I would eat daily. Like, say, I'd get my McD-Meal of 1100cals for lunch, but also snack on crisps all day through, and then finish it off with pigs in a blanket, and puffpasty is basically just a way to eat an entire stick of butter without realizing it.