Why I don't feel the least bit bad about my $5 footlong fix.

You know you've hummed, sung, or whistled it before: Five....Five Dollar....Five Dollar Foot-Loonnnggg.

Most of us have all been exposed to this little phrase in commercials so much that I doubt I need tell you the name of the Fast Food chain that uses it. But for the three people who don't know it, AND happen to miraculously be reading this incredibly entertaining post instead of playing Farmville or watching YouTube, it's from Subway Restaurants.

Subway touts itself as being a healthier, fresh alternative to the other Fast Food options out there (pick your poison, McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc). But this is a game of calories consumed, not just fresh ingredients.

So why would I feel bad about sinking my chompers into a 12 inch "Veggie Delight" on wheat with no cheese, no mayo, and the bread "hollowed out" to remove excess carbs and calories? Well, I suppose it could be the nearly 500 calories of mostly carbs and little protein I was horking down. I started to feel a bit guilty when I remembered something important that helped put things into perspective.

Before I started trying to make a change to a healthier lifestyle (note: that does NOT mean "go on a diet"), I would routinely go into Subway for a "Healthy" choice in eating. Only my deluded self though that "healthy" would take the form of a 12 inch long FEAST sandwich, with extra cheese and DOUBLE MEAT., plus lots of oil and vinegar. This comes out to well over 2,000 calories. More than I eat in an entire day now. But it was "eating fresh" so it had to be healthy, right?...

Now, thinking back to that, I can contrast the difference in my behavior. The only similarity I can see now is that my sandwiches of choice were both "footlongs". But here are the plain and simple "Then and Now" differences:

1.

Then: I drove to Subway which was a 1/2 mile away.

Now: I walked...nearly 2 miles, one way.

2.

Then: I ordered a day's worth of calories on a bun. A real feast of destruction

Now: 460 calories, not great, but satisfying nonetheless, and burned half of it walking home.

3.

Then: Large "diet" coke please. (yeah, because this really helps...)

Now: No drink, thanks.

4.

Then: Get home after gorging myself, and have a nice lazy nap.

Now: Walk home, snag a shot of espresso, and back out to run errands for the day (right after typing up this note...)

These are just the differences that help me decide that while yes, perhaps a 6" veggie delight may have been more metabolism friendly, but it is certainly nothing to feel the slightest bit of guilt from. I'm a 5'9" 227 lbs man who is rocking out 47 pushups in a workout now instead of dying slowly on the couch. So I'm going to embrace my footlong fix for what it is: A healthy treat that was a much better selection than diabetes on a bun. I feel good about my choice because in the end, it is this habit changing behavior that is helping to turn me from a 270 lbs body of chewed bubble gum into a better, leaner, and healthier me. And that is something I can really "feast" on.