(Day 158 / -92 lbs.) Are You a Good Wich or a Bad Wich?

I once considered sandwiches the perfect meal; an insignificant envelope of bread transporting piles of filling material (what I thought the “meal” part was) past the lips and over the gums, look out stomach, 'cause here it comes mash-up of mouth-watering, appetite-staving, worry-free, nutritional-horn-of-plenty, Dagwood of goodness. Perception is a sun-shiny pixie chock-full of misconception, hallucination, and ignorance. Reality can ultimately become a consequence-ridden bee-atch.

That Jared guy didn't get thin pounding foot-long subs. He did it by cutting 8,000 calories from his daily diet and basically eating just a foot-long and a half. A guy could get fat on submarine sandwiches if you ate enough of them (a foot-long club is about 1,280 calories). Their sandwiches are pretty darn good- definitely a threat. Jared's self control is what I applaud and aim to emulate. Not necessarily with sandwiches but definitely with calorie control.

Personally, I've all but given up on sandwiches. It's the bread that scares me. I used to think nothing of it, using thick slabs of bread to keep my hands clean of condiments. Sometimes content juiciness required a lot of bread (think meatball sub) and all that bread, as it turns out, is made of calories. Don't get me started on pasta. I mean, who hasn't made a spaghetti sandwich? Because noodles are basically bread (ingredient-wise), that's like making a bread sandwich. I don't do that anymore.

In my imagination, Jared lived a Subway diet because of convenience. The company supplies nutritional information for all their sandwiches, so tracking calorie intake would be pretty easy. Convenience isn't necessarily a bad thing (for me) until it becomes the focus of a lifestyle and in my personal experience doing things a certain way just because it was easier or convenient never lasted. There is always something easier and more convenient being created and pushed by advertisers and the old me can get a little fickle.

Please don't interpret anything a say as critical of Jared, Subway, or anything but my own habits and weaknesses. I think they're all awesome, just not me. My renaissance thus far has been focused on personal change without gimmick or shortcuts. It's been simple, sure, but simple doesn't necessarily mean easy or convenient. It's been all about conditioning myself to do what I need and want without relying on things external. I believe lasting change develops in spite of, rather than because of, what advertisers try to sell you.

Good wich? Bad wich? I'm the guy with the gut.*

*(my apologies for the bastardized Army of Darkness misquote)