Band-Aid on a Broken Leg

Part of the problem with making changes is that we as humans are sort of resistant to change.  Change is hard.  The easy thing to do is stick with what you know.  I know that cheeseburgers and fries taste delicious.  Why would I start eating salads?  I know that Pepsi tastes better than Diet Pepsi.  Why would I switch? 

What I didn't anticipate is that other people make change difficult as well.  I went to lunch with my brothers last weekend, and as I ordered a cheesesteak with a side salad and water instead of fries and a Pepsi, Grant looks at me funny and says "Salad?  Aren't you kind of putting a band-aid on a broken leg?"  It seems like everytime I order a salad, or get a diet soda or water instead of the traditional Pepsi, it raises other people's eyebrows.  It's kind of difficult to explain, but it is easier for me to just down Pepsi and put away two baskets of all you can eat fries than it is to say "no thanks, I'd rather have a salad."  There's no questions to answer, no good natured ribbing from the people I'm eating with.  I can eat the meal without what I'm eating being the topic of conversation. 

While making the switch to salad and diet soda or water is a minor step, I think it's a bigger step than most people think.  I drink Pepsi like most people drink water.  In fact, I drink all beverages at a rate most people find amazing.  This is part of the reason that I don't drink alcohol.  I would guess that I usually drink about 32 oz. of liquid with lunch or dinner.  32 oz of Pepsi is roughly 350 calories.  Really, if I stop pounding Pepsi and milk at dinner, I would probably lose a pretty significant amount of weight. 

So maybe this isn't like putting a band-aid on a broken leg.  It's more like tying my belt around a severed femoral artery.  Sure, I'm still slowly bleeding, but I'm not going to die. 

Weight Per Wii:  Unknown.  Jonah comandeered the Wii this morning because he wanted to skateboard.  I figure taking a weight later in the day wouldn't be accurate, especially on a day I went out for lunch.
The Good:  Salad and Diet Pepsi at lunch was good, but I also hit the elliptical for 45 minutes after work.  That's better.
The Bad:  Planned on getting some sort of main course salad at lunch today, but the special was a buffalo burger with wing sauce and carmelized onions on it.  How do you say no to that?
The Ugly:  Spent all afternoon stuffing pledge reminders into envelopes.  This has nothing to do with my physical health, but it's torture on my mental health.  Thank goodness for internet radio.