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

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.