That One Time I...

...Rewarded Myself With Empty Calories

I've done a great job with my weight loss since I received my hidden disability diagnosis, so yesterday I decided to reward myself with something I abstained from since September. Like most people, I fell for the marketing gimmick that I'd get nine cents off if I bought two one ounce bags of Cheetos when I went grocery shopping at Vons the other day. And like most people, those two bags were lucky to survive five hours in my household.

These little fuckers are so addicting I had a reckoning. I realized once both of them were gone I was left wanting for more. It's then that I remembered what my problem was with my prior dietary habits. 

So what do you get in a one ounce serving of Cheetos? That little bag has 160 calories, and you get 15 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of fat, and not much else. In comparison, let's look at a Ready-Pac salad I'll have with my lunch this afternoon...

The salad gives you 270 calories, 18 grams of fat but only 14 grams of carbs. But you also get fiber, protein and other nutrients. Compare that with two ounces of Cheetos or chips and it's no wonder none of us can feel satisfied even after gorging on half of a full sized bag of them.

I'm not posting this to scold anyone for their eating habits. I just want this to serve as a reminder why we really shouldn't put Frito-Lay or other similar snacks in our shopping carts on a regular basis.