In this blog I hope to track my adventures in fitness, food justice, gardening and body acceptance. I will do so with a critical eye--examining how anti-fat bias, economics, class, sexism, urban (suburban and rural) development deprives us of satisfying movement, and how health is collective and personal.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Taco Bell's "Drive Thru-Diet": I call bull#@!%
So, with the New Year comes the marketing blitz regarding weight-loss. An individual thinks, "I'm going to shed some weight"...30 seconds later, cue the company that wants you to use their products/foods/systems/etc. to do it.
After the success of Jared and the Subway diet (which involved him WALKING TO SUBWAY, key point) more fast food chains would try to get on the band-wagon. Enter, Taco Bell and the "Drive Thru Diet"--the name itself, where you drive thru to conveniently get your Fresco menu choices, is an indicator that this is a ploy to lure the new dieter to buy into their brand with little actual lifestyle changes. Now I don't know if Christine was approached by Taco Bell or more probably she used Taco Bell's Fresco menu in part (along with exercise and home-cooked nutritious foods) to lose weight and then market herself to Taco Bell to get a promotion deal, if so, well played Christine--it worked for Jared. BUT, this is not a "diet" that will work for most, nor should it.
#1 diets are bad, lifestyle changes are what it fundamentally takes to achieve a weight and other measures of health that you deem best for you.
#2 fast-food culture has been a primary cause of the break-down of a healthy food culture in America (and by fast-food, I also include overly processed food found in grocery stores). So, the solution to our horrible American diet isn't more fast food.
#3 the drive-thru name erases the need for increased movement in our lives, exercise is key to many health measure improvements or sustainability. Drive-thru culture kills.
Now, that all said, being an anti-fast food fundamentalist isn't very realistic in our current world. The fresco menu is a good thing when you are on the road. I haven't tried any Fresco items, any recommendations? My current go-to fast-food when you have to is Wendy's Chili and diet coke. What do you do, dear readers, when there is no alternative to fast food?
In "Lisa's 7 Week Jump Start: Week 1 Results" I did participate in the Taco Bell drive -thru diet. The steak fresco tacos were delicious. It is reduced in calories because there is no cheese and sour cream on the taco. As I pointed out in comparison to there Big box meal. The drive-thru diet is pratically calorie free.
ReplyDeleteYet, I agree with Thealogian going to Taco Bell to lose weight is crazy. Yet, if you are not going to give up Taco Bell to lose weight. This is a perfect option to have Taco Bell in your life without deal railing your life style changes.