Not Worth It In My Calorie Budget

Yesterday I went to see the movie New Moon. Great movie! But I found myself wishing there were some food options other than movie theatre popcorn, nachos and hot dogs. I went to see the 10:10 a.m. showing and I was getting hungry. My Kashi granola bar snack on the way didn't seem to be carrying me until lunch time. The truth is that I really don't like the taste of the foods offered, so they weren't worth my calorie budget. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) did nutrition analyses on movie popcorn and found that, depending on size, it costed people anywhere from 1/4 to a full day's worth of a person's calorie budget! Now, I like to stay away from food scare tactics in general, but when it comes to calorie balance you need to think about it. Since I do not like the extra greasy taste of movie theatre popcorn anyway, this was an easy decision for me. Fortunately for me, I was able to get some lunch afterwards so I wasn't hungry for long. Is movie theatre popcorn worth it to you? Then plan accordingly. The problem is that people don't often think this way throughout the day and at end of the week, they've considerably overspent their calories. When it comes to movie popcorn, it's a tradition for them. They go to the movie, and they get their popcorn and favorite drink and even maybe some movie candy. It's what they've done for years and it is part of the fabric of their movie experience. It's not even that the movie food they get is that tasty to them!Be careful making these "traditional" decisions over and over in your life. They may just be contributing to your caloric excess.

I like to think about eating plans not unlike a financial plans. In your financial plan, you have line items that are necessary for you to live on and there are also items - if allowable in the calorie budget- that you purchase that are considered "splurges." If you live an active life with regular physical activity and movement within your activities of daily living, your budget may be larger with more allowance for those splurges. But all in all, your financial plan should be balanced so that you don't send yourself into financial ruin. Every personal eating plan allows each person a specific amount of calories that the body needs to live off of, and if you choose to spend more calories than your body needs then you get into debt that manifests in weight gain. Maybe this is an interesting concept that will help you along your healthy lifestyle adventure. Think about it and make changes where necessary. Here's to balanced eating budgets!