Thursday, August 16, 2012

3 Month check-up and Fast Food


I went to my three month check-up with the surgeon today and all was well. He was very happy with my weight loss and my lab reports. The only thing out of the ordinary was that my B-12 was a little high and he wants me to take my B-12 supplements every other day not each day. My protein is a little low as well and he wants me to have a protein shake each day to bring those numbers up. I am a little hesitant as it will mean more calories but he seemed to think that would be OK for now but to watch it. 
He still did not release me from taking insulin. Even though it is only 5 units he said I am to continue to take it and watch if for now and report it after a couple of more weeks to my new PCP. My previous PCP Rosemary Beck who I really liked has gotten out of the field and is doing something else. I do not know what that is, but wish her luck. 


Now on to a new topic for this post, and I know I am going to sound kind of sanctimonious, but I have been reading posts on various weight loss web sites and places for help like ObesityHelp.com. There seems to be a recurring theme on most, that I guess, is human nature, but I believe is an issue that we all must face. And that is the desire, if not down right longing to have fast food.  

There are folks who seem to try to find replacements for some of their favorite fast foods, some who go to fast food places to eat what they can have, still on program, and those who just plain fold up and have something they know they shouldn’t. There are always reasons, for doing so, like well I was with friends or family and did not want to be the odd man/woman out. I could not find any place other than that to go in this town I was in and could not spend the time looking. Or my kid and family like to go to fast food places and I don’t want to deprive them of something they like just because of my problem. All and other reasons may be valid but lets be honest, really? Or is it the easiest thing to justify what you are doing. How many times do you say Oh well just this once. Or I will make it up doing more exercise. Or I am under my calories for the day so I can have just a little.  

Here is my problem with this thinking. Fast food is usually not as good as food as you can have at home. It is over salted, over fat, not cooked as well as it should be, may have not been kept in the most sanitary way, may just be old or mixed.  I managed a restaurant when I was in college and I can tell you for sure that some things that are used, like condiments are replenished when low by ones out of a jar or can, mixing with the old stock that was still in the serving container. Some of the stuff in the serving container may be weeks old. Not necessarily rotten, or bad, but not what you would keep in your home.  

Many meals that you get at fast food places are not actually made at the restaurant you eat at but are made miles away and trucked to the local place of business. The moving of foods makes it harder to track for quality and it makes it harder to keep it fresh. We all have heard about fast food places that have been hit with things like e Coli and salmonella. Most stuff comes pre-made out of a can even at the food factory. It is way over processed and full of chemicals used to keep it from spoiling and killing you. Problem is that the long term effect of these things is going to kill you in the long run.  

The profit per plate or meal is very small sometimes only a few pennies so believe me when I say any shortcut they can make is taken if they can get away with it. The people who work in some of these places, are not sometimes the top quality people and they sometimes do not follow company guidelines for food preparation or personal cleanliness.  

This is just my opinion so don’t kill me over it, but the best place to eat is in your home or in the home of a family member. You probably have the same germs anyway. If your friends and family don’t already know you have had WLS tell them about it and tell them you are serious about keeping it off and that you have rules as to where and how you eat. Maybe because they like you they will let you go to someplace where you can get a better meal or at least more things that you can eat on your plan. Many kids it seems are fat these days and getting fatter. People are getting heart attacks and stokes at an even greater rate, so why does anyone have to sit down to a double cheese burger and a large carton of fries?  

Really you can live very nicely NEVER going to a fast food restaurant. I do and intend to never set one foot in one of my own will.   


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