Saturday, August 20, 2011

Do You Want 'Butter' On That?


Movie theatre popcorn is one of the worst snacks you can enjoy.  A “small” at the Regal theatre I attend is 11 cups, 34 grams of saturated fat, 550 mgs. of sodium and 670 calories! (And that’s without that fake butter stuff, too!)  Add a “small” soda—which isn’t small at all—and a matinee becomes an expensive proposition!

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Well, if you only do it once in a while…”, and *if* you only do it once in a while, then you’re right.  But I go to the movies nearly *every* weekend!  To my credit, I have almost always purchased a “kiddie combo” which is probably a third of the popcorn/calories, but I have done it every weekend!  And then Yahoo! Movies started a promotion for the summer where you can get a free small popcorn just by checking in at the theatre on your smartphone. Boy, did that free popcorn cost me in the long run!  Financially, it seemed prudent—I could get free popcorn but had to buy the soda.  My “kiddie combo” costs $5.25.  A small soda costs $4.75, so I was “saving money” by getting the free popcorn, right?  

Saving money, maybe—but calories?! It stuns me to think that a small popcorn has HALF the normal adult’s caloric intake for the DAY.  Again in my defense, I never ate the *entire* bag, but still! 670 calories!

I went to the movies yesterday afternoon with my friend, Dorothy.  I almost always go alone, but I was afraid that the popcorn smell would get to me.  I didn’t need to be afraid.  It didn’t bother me at all! I enjoyed the movie—we saw “The Help”—but I truly didn’t miss the popcorn.  

This was a great lesson for me—I needn’t fear that which hasn’t yet happened, and I am stronger than I realize.  I know that I keep saying things about how strong I am, but the truth is, I *am* stronger than I thought—and every day I surprise myself with small victories.  And large or small, aren’t victories what it’s all about?

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