Feb 22, 2010
McDonalds No More?
I sort of lagged on the blogging again so sorry for those who were frequent visitors of my site. At the same time though, I don’t necessarily regret it because I can comfortably say that i’m not forcing myself to shoot entries that are meaningless just for the sake of blogging as a chore. Blogging is a hobby, and I intend to keep it that way. Chores just have too much of a negative connotation associated with it. Although the sense of accomplishment that comes up with finishing a chore can be quite nice…
What does the title of this blog entry mean? Here’s some background.
Ever since I was a kid, I loved McDonalds. Having it for lunch on Wedns was a highlight of a child’s day. Having it for lunch while at school was even better. As years progressed, I began to eat it less and less but frequently enough that the golden taste of their fries kept tempting me all the time. I still remember the first time I dipped fries into the ice cream. It tasted so good.
Twice in my life have I had birthdays at McDonalds. Once was when I was younger. We were all sitting at the mock bar and my dad was ordering food for all of us. We had a great time; I wish I could find some pictures to show everyone of it. Even till today that McDonalds is still standing and i’ve seen it go through many renovations. Does anyone still remember the playplaces in McDonalds?
The second time was when I had a mock post birthday one month later event with some close friends from elementary and high school. I worded it as a get together but it was not as “epic”, if you will, as I had planned.. It was very different; we had all driven there and not everyone even ate much. It still amazes me how much time has passed since our childhood.
Now we fast forward to now. Last week I went to see a doctor and she recommended that I stop having junk food altogether. This was a huge lifestyle decision I had to make. I have been exercising fairly frequently the past few years; this really started to be a regular habit probably closer to grade 8. She also recommended that I cut out a bunch of other things but I doubt i’ll be able to keep up with that (beef included). My heart has been very healthy the past few years and i’m proud of it.
Today, my mom decided not to cook and wanted me to buy McDonalds. I have been sick the past few days and didn’t really want it, but I couldn’t think of much else. So I drove off to pick up lunch for both of us.
The quality of the meal wasn’t much different. 10 piece chicken mcnugget meal with large fries, medium Coke, and McDouble (basically a double cheeseburger with no double cheese but two patties) without mustard or pickles. All with Barbeque and McChicken Sauce.
The feeling wasn’t the same though. These past two years, I have started to feel really uncomfortable after having some food from McDonalds. The feeling is great when you are really craving it and you want it really badly. But today, not feeling up to McDonalds plus the after feeling was the deal breaker for me.
I will not have food from McDonalds anymore unless there are no other good alternatives given the circumstances.
As a company, I think McDonalds is excellent at what it does no doubt about it. My loyalty towards it as a customer for the past 14+ years must mean something. If I had the money, I might invest in the company and buy some shares. Even after watching Supersize Me, I continued to have Mc Donalds. But it’s time to make a lifestyle choice if i’m going to hit my health goal.
I think this is a good decision for me, for now, isn’t it?
Edit: McDonalds is giving out free Coffee March 1 – March 14. Just a heads up for you guys 
I would ‘like’ this post if I could
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I suggest watching Food Inc. too if you have time.
I personally have never liked McDonalds — I only really eat it when I go shopping in the States and the other options are scarier (random fast food places smothered in fat of some sort and other chemicals). I had to stop by a Burger King recently since my friend was hungry and wanted onion rings and I do have to give McDonalds credit on efficiency, cleanliness and the fact that their food is at least edible.
I may avoid fast food but it’s not very likely that I will choose a salad (unless it’s as a side in place of fries) at a restaurant. Perhaps it’s because it doesn’t sound quite as enticing or the fact that you’re paying the same amount for vegetables as you would be for a protein. When’s the last time you’ve chosen a salad or a vegetarian option?
Anytime you crave McDonald’s just go to their website and look at their nutritional facts… it’s a big turn off. Good luck
Yo Andrew! McDonald’s is good for you man what are you talking about?!
You know how I avoid junk food? Buy lots of healthy foods when going to the grocery so the next time you’re hungry at home and are too lazy (being lazy is KEY!) to go out to buy food, just grab some healthy snacks at home! Since these are “snacks”, you’re not eating a large amount at once. I did this at McGill to avoid falling asleep while studying.
Foods I usually buy: carrots, granola bars, cheerios, various fruits (especially apples), tofu desserts, crackers are good too with cheese I guess. Just small things that don’t need preparation.
And that my friend, is the secret to having a power level of OVER 9000!!!