Goodbye pepperoni & sausage pizza...

Goodbye boxes of Little Debbie cakes...

Goodbye McDonald's fish sandwiches with chocolate shakes.

Unlike most of my relationships, I get to end my relationship with bad food on my terms and how I want. There is sorrow but also excitement for what new foods I'll discover (there are a few analogies I could make, but my wife will probably read this some day so I wont</smile>). I'll cover new foods I'm enjoying in another post.

As much as I say I didn't realize how bad I had become, there are some habits centering around food that should have made it obvious to me at the time. I can't say when some of these started, but looking back, it's clear I was an addict.

The biggest example I can think of is buying boxes of Little Debbie snack cakes (or my newest discovery before the New Year - Oreo Cakettes, YUM!) and hiding them. I'd buy a box at lunch, eat half of the cakes right there, and then stuff them under my seat for the ride home after work. Or I'd pick up a box while running errands and hide the ones I didn't manage to eat in the car. There are weeks when I would go through 3 or 4 boxes.

Diet soda was another one. I'd go through 2 liters in a day, no problem. I rarely had any plain water. The only exception would be when I'd have a PB&J for lunch, you have to have milk with that. I honestly think the amount of soda I drank has something to do with all the dental problems I've had over the past few years. It finally caught up to me in more ways then just my weight.

So what will I miss most? Well, here's a list of some of my favorite foods that I have said goodbye to:

• Pepperoni & Sausage Pizza, extra grease.
• Any Little Debbie snack cakes.
• Oreo Cakettes, I hardly got to know you.
• McDonald's Fish Filet sandwich with a chocolate shake & fries (OK, any McD's menu item).
• Beer, I'm a beer snob and brew my own sometimes.
• Ice cream, particularly Mitchell's Ice Cream here in NE Ohio (every Sunday for years).

But here is the "sweet sorrow" part. While I'm working hard to reshape my body, these are off limits to me. But, when I've reached my ultimate goal, I know I can indulge in these every so often. I just can't go back to my gluttonus ways or I'm doomed to the never ending cycle of getting fit-getting fat, getting fit-getting fat and I'm through with those days!

So what are some favorite foods that you've had to remove from your diet? Share with me in your comments.