Year 2, Day 206: I Need a Vacation From My Weekend

It is hard to come back from a weekend of non-stop moving. I'm sorry for folks who were with me who are just now reading this blog; between being away and my ever-changing arm-wrist-shoulder-back injury, it's been tough to keep up with the blogging. However, all the blog posts have a date, so if you're confused, please use that as a guide.

Breakfast
2 Soft Boiled Eggs
1 Slice Balthazar Bread
Green Tea

Snack
3 Sticks Beef Jerky
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

Lunch: Russo's ($6.01)
Red leaf, red onion, red peppers
mushrooms, broccoli, chicken, feta
balsamic vinegar

Dinner:
Rotisserie Chicken (Poul-T-ry Mart)
Pickles
Peppadews
Cabbage Salad

Taco Bell (which was my favorite pre-diet fast food restaurant) has introduced a new line of "Value Meals" called the "1/2 Pound" Burritos. They come in three varieties: Bean and Cheese, Beef, and Beef and Potatoes. Given, a half pound is only 8 oz. so calling it a "half pound" is great marketing because it makes it sound to the kids like it will fill you up and much more impressive than it really is. When you think it about it, how impressive is a quarter pounder? That's only 4 oz. of beef (prior to cooking). Anyway, Taco Bell should be chided for its (corporate and restaurant-specific) attempt to lure new and repeat customers with the old 'super-sizing' method. They do get points for putting nutritional information on their Web site, even if, unlike every other part of their state-of-the-art Flash-enabled site, the report is a PDF in 4 point type. The report, at http://www.yum.com/nutrition/documents/tb_nutrition.pdf reveals that the new 1/2 pound Beef & Potato burrito has 540 grams of fat, 1660 mg of sodium, and 66 grams of carbs. Again, in all fairness, it should be pointed out that the new offering is not the worst culprit on the menu. No, that distinction goes to-wait for it—the "Fiesta Taco Salad." Weighing in at 860 calories with 1800g of sodium and 75 grams of carbs, it beat out such notable contenders at the Nachos Bellgrande (790 calories) and Grilled Stuft Burrito- Beef (720). It's sad that the most expensive caloric item at any fast food restaurant should be something with 'salad' in the title. It just goes to show how America got fat— poor, unsuspecting folk buying 'salads' hoping to lose weight, and doing just the opposite.