What I Learned from a McDonald's McGriddle

I've eaten a lot of McDonald's breakfast sandwiches in the last fifteen years. I'd hate to know the amount of calories and fat that my body had to process.

I even continued to indulge for many months into my year long quest to save myself from myself. I had a coffee habit from Tim Horton's and, more recently, McDonald's. I often included a breakfast sandwich with my morning coffee.

By coming up with a cup of coffee that works for me at home (a Keurig) at Christmas this year, I stopped going to those places and eating their high fat, high calorie breakfasts. Finally.

So I've been on the wagon in that regard for over three months. But I had my first breakfast sandwich a couple of days ago due to an unusual time management issue. I'm happy to say that I learned a lot from the experience.

Consistently, I have three slices of toast for breakfast made from Smart Bread. It includes fibre but hides it. It seems like white bread when you're eating it but it is more filling. I put lots of fat and sugar on my toast, but at least it has fibre.

I know how long I can last on that toast before getting hungry. The breakfast sandwich has about the same number of calories as my all-toast breakfast but I got hungry sooner. Much sooner. I could feel my blood sugar rise and fall quite rapidly. I also craved more fat, it seemed, after I got hungry again.

This confirms my belief that bad eating breeds more bad eating. That's also why I go in cycles with my diet. If I'm consistent and keep crap out, I crave it much, much less. If I eat something bad, I seem to hunger for more bad things in a physical--not emotional--way.

Thank you, greasy breakfast sandwich. You've taught me well.