Some Call It Slippage - I Call It Spillage
How do I fill-up my fuel tank? I select a station, shut my motor off, opened the fuel cap, removed the nozzle, fill the tank, stop the fuel flow, and pay. I may top off to ensure I have a full tank, but when it is amply filled, I am done.
Do you ever stop to fill the tank, put the nozzle in without an auto-stop, and walk away? Of course not; why? Probably because if you did, you would return to the vehicle full of fuel and petroleum spilling out, pooling on the ground, and the pump racking up $$$..
Absurd, right!?! Who would do that? According to the CDC, me and about 50% of the population is over fueling and it is pooling on our bodies and in our overall health.
Don’t believe me? I didn’t either until I started looking at my grocery cart and began seeing a startling correlation. Here is the fuel I actually need to sufficiently fill this body: One and a half dozen eggs, ½ pound of turkey bacon, 5 pounds of lean meat, a pint of Greek yogurt, a quart of berries, seven pieces of fruit, one pound of rice, two and a half pounds of potatoes, a bag of baby carrots, celery bunch, seven small no sauce added bags of frozen vegetables and two dark chocolate bars. That is it. It’s roughly 2,300 calories per day or 16,100 for the week.
Butt (yes, I think I am punny) when I don't apply auto-stop and walk down grocery isles throwing in a few extra treats it is creating an opportunity for me to over-fill my tank.
Relatable treats you might find in my weekly basket: One bag of chips, half-gallon ice cream, a six-pack of energy drinks, and a package of cookies. So what’s the big deal? That’s only a scoop of ice cream per day, a few chips and cookies with lunch, and less than a soft drink per day.
Here are the calories ie. No auto-stop fuel additions:
A standard 8-ounce bag of chips has~ 1,224 calories
One half-gallon ice cream is ~2,100 +
An average package of cookies is ~1,800
A six-pack of sports drink is ~840
Total = 6,000 calories, about 40% more calories in a week than I need.
Wait - I didn’t even count the “top-off” of one sweet coffee drink (300 calories) or burger and fries lunch (1,180 calories) I quickly grabbed while out and about. Or the evening cocktail, beer, or wine (200 calories x 7 days = 1,400). Together that adds another mindless 2,880 calories to my week.
It was like someone struck a match,💥 boom 🤯, when I realized the my lack of awareness and consumption of seemingly reasonable amounts of “treats” were like puddles of fuel spillage. It is nearly twice the fuel/calories I need in a week. I didn’t even include sugar cereals, fatty meats, candy, etc. Is it any wonder the CDC's findings are what they are? No, with the allure of grocery isle end-caps, convenient fast foods, and advertising we are unconsciously over-fueled and over-nourished.
Every time my nutrition relaxes and I'm not getting the health results I want, I am forced back to reviewing my fuel filling practices ie. grocery cart and consumption to correct my overfilling nature! Meal planning, prepping, and recording help me keep an eye on my fueling gauge and apply an auto-shutoff; trust me, it's a pain and inconvenience but less so than problems directly caused by being over-nourished and unhealthy.
Want to find tips for keeping food fuel spills to a minimum? Find more real world experiences and the path that helped this writer recover her health in, "Idled Too Long: A Never Too Late to Re-Engage Health and RVing Adventure." 📖🚐 It's not a cookbook; it's a guide to a leaner, healthier, and stronger life.
Please share and comment with your Ah Ha moments that help keep you healthy.
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