Day 9

I want to call something out today, but first, a run down of how the day went.

With a swollen nose, I struggled to eat in general; as in, being unable to breath while chewing made life difficult. But I got through my usual amount, and although I struggled at lunch, I ate it all.

I did, however, run out of protein shake, so I had ~1/3 of a protein shake and a can of "Dunn's River Nourishment". It's basically canned milk, and something like 400 calories, so I took that to work for after my protein shake.

Now, onto calling shit out.

Calling it out

Until recently, I thought to myself "I'm eating loads, I don't understand why I'm not gaining weight."

As it turns out, I was eating lots, in terms of weight, but vegetables actually deliver very little in the way of calories. Bulking up on vegetables (broccoli, beans, carrots, etc. potatoes don't count for this particular circumstance) is exceptionally difficult, as is becoming overweight. For me to bulk up on my normal diet without additional milk, nuts, etc. would be an insane task.

Now, a friend of mine explained that the general populace does not eat like me (who would've thought it, I'm weird in more than one way!)

Tonight, I ate an entire cheese pizza. I am not in the slightest bit full. I am, however, some 1,200 calories over my target. The entire pizza was 1,210 calories, but the front of the box advertises 605 calories. What's going on here? The pizza advises a serving size of half a pizza (in small print). No where does it tell you the calorific content of the whole thing.

There's a few points I'm basically trying to make here:

1. The foods that many people eat are not very filling, but are extremely calorie dense, meaning that you can consume a hell of a lot of calories without realising it.
2. The calorie display on the box is, in my opinion, actively mis-leading. There are several large boxes for quick reading, but I didn't know the small print existed until I went to go note my calories for the day, and the small print is vital for making an informed decision. I find that practice to rather under-handed.
3. The idea of a "serving" is used to give "unhealthy" foods a better looking information box by limiting how much of the food is to be eaten. The company's concept of a serving is very different to the concept of a serving on your dining table. 

If you're not like me, whose main meals consist of mostly vegetables, and you're trying to control how many calories you eat, and you're not practically studying the little boxes that come with pre-packaged foods, you're going to have a really bad time.