Killing Me Softly...

I love Taco Bell.  I love Taco Bell so much that I actually almost purchased a franchise with a good friend and business partner (no joke...met with they Yum brands management team and they extended us a franchise agreement...but that whole story is worthy of another blog post).  I try to limit my Taco Bell intake to once a week...but I am not always so successful in that effort.  I celebrate a thing called "Taco Bell Thursdays"...that is, I eat Taco Bell every Thursday evening for dinner.  It's a way to welcome the weekend and I've been doing it since college...yes, every Thursday for the last 11 years, except Thanksgiving of course, cause no T-Bell's are open...otherwise, I would.  My wife has been so kind as to allow this OCD routine throughout our marriage.  I will typically pick her up a healthy sub from Subway, and then proceed over to Taco Bell for my gluttonous urges, which normally add up to about $13 in cheesy, beefy goodness (a don't get me started on their hot sauce, for which I have a stash that could make it through an apocalypse).  It is a literal addiction that I crave the Bell; I swear they put something in the food that gives me a chemical reliance. 

As I currently assess my life, which is a fabulous one, I realized that I'm not getting any younger and my health is as important to me as ever.  I have a fantastic family and I feel as though it's imperative that I preserve my life and start to make healthier decisions to impact it.  As I ramble, I have a point...Taco Bell is killing me softly.  I did a little research and was blown away by what I discovered related to my Taco Bell relationship.  Let me break-it down for you:

Recommended daily nutrition intake for a 25-50 year old Male:
Calories:  2,700
Fat:  88g
Sodium:  2,300mg

A Big Mac and medium fries:
Calories:  920 (34% of daily intake)
Fat:  48g (55% of daily intake)
Sodium:  1,390mg (60% of daily intake)

2 Beef Meximelts, 1 Chicken Quesedilla, 1 Cheesy Gordita Crunch, 1 Beefy Crunch Burrito, and 1 Nachos and Cheese:
Calories:  2,430 (90% of daily intake)
Fat:  127g (144% of daily intake)
Sodium:  5,190mg (226% of daily intake)

That is ridiculous.  It has to stop.  I have vowed to only allow myself this indulgence once a month.  It will be hard...it's been a long, tumultuous relationship...but I think I can do it.  I put a post-it note in my wallet with these statistics as a friendly reminder.  Perhaps I should have a picture of the "grim reaper" on it as well...