You know how I talk often about grace and balance?  Here’s the other side to my salad post: 

If you will, envision this with me: I’ve been eating a salad most days for a few months now.  Of course my entire day doesn’t look that healthy, but I’m confident I meet the recommended servings of vegetables each day.  Then I discovered the meatless salad and couldn’t get enough of it.  I devoured it at the restaurant on Friday night, then replicated it at home for Saturday’s lunch.  And dinner.  And Sunday’s lunch.  Then I was sick of it — I mean satiated.

Monday found me in my rhythm of errands for the week.  I check off getting the kids to school, exercise, breakfast, and showering.  I prepare my lists and head out the door.  And as I’m pulling into Costco, I see that fast food sign with the red-headed girl in pigtails.  Her fries are calling me.  The smell of salty grease whafts into my car, even with the windows pulled up.  All of a sudden, I must have Wendy’s for lunch.

I also relish the prospect of not pooping my body weight the next day from all the roughage.

I can’t stop thinking about how great a cheeseburger and fries sound.  Leaving The Land of Wretched Excess, I swing by the drive-thru and order a junior cheeseburger and small fries.  $2.16 later I’m on my way, intentionally taking the back route home.

Why the back route?  Because I didn’t want to drive past someone I know and be busted shoving four fries at a time into my mouth. Damn, they were glorious.  It was all too easy and they disappeared quickly.  I wish I took a picture of my empty, crumpled up bag but I was too anxious to hide the evidence.  

What is it about the drive-thru that makes it so easy to falter on our choices?  For me, it’s the anonymity.  I can order anything without fear of judgement.  By whom, I don’t know.  I mean, if I’m ordering an original Chick-fil-A sandwich, waffle fries, and a lemonade and run into a friend, chances are she will be having something similar.  (Unless she gets the Grilled Market Salad, in which case I’m doubly shamed.)

When I pay for and receive my meal through a sliding glass window, I don’t have to justify my actions to anyone.  It’s as if the transaction never existed.  Unfortunately, my body doesn’t get that memo.  Whether we eat our value meal in the restaurant, in the car, or at home, it still has the same effect.  We all know how heavy these are with saturated fats, salt and refined white stuff.  When I indulge I am almost certain to feel sluggish and bloated an hour later.  Long-term effects of diets high in fast food are well documented.  Whether it’s your cardiovascular system, your skin and hair, or even your brain, the data is overwhelmingly negative. 

Will I still cave and hit the drive-thru every now and then?  Of course.  But maybe next time I should just own up to it.  Walk in, order the meal, sit down and enjoy it.  My stomach doesn’t have taste buds, so slowly eating those fries will help me to enjoy the treat I’m allowing myself.  

Then I’ll jump back on the salad-a-day train, and make sure my Costco trips come after the nutritious lunch so I can wave as I drive by Miss Wendy.

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Update:  After writing this last week, my family went on a quick road trip to Dallas.  Somehow I’ve conditioned myself to crave Braum’s on the way back, as we have none in my area.  To the amusement of my family, I took a picture of my meal.  Talk about OWNING it – I savored every. last. bite.  And I loved the virtuous tray protector under it, marketing the Apple Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad.  No thanks, I’ll stick with my burger, fries and cherry limeade today!