The bag of chips that changed my life
Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 5:02 am
Earlier this year I was reading the back of a bag of chips. No, not the nutrition facts! Reading those wouldn't have changed anything.
I know the chips were from Aldi; I'm not sure what kind. I do know that I used to make something called "the trifecta:" A plate full of Aldi nacho chips covered in both a layer of shredded cheese and jarred queso dip and microwaved for 30 seconds. As you may imagine I did not like doing this when other people were around.
On the back of every bag of Aldi chips is some utterly ridiculous copy that starts with: "We all love snacks, but getting a good one isn't easy. You need great ingredients, lots of flavor and some big, satisfying crunches." I always get a kick out of reading this. Of course getting a good snack is easy. You can stop at any store that sells anything--gas station, hardware store, even MC Sports--and find all sorts of wonderful-tasting snacks. Who wrote something so stupid? Is it really that hard to fill in the blank space on the back of a bag of fake Doritos? Anyway, I Googled the copy just for the fun of it.
This was back in April. 260 pound, five-foot-eleven me, sitting at a desk pounding chips and Googling pointless nonsense. I'd gained nearly 100 lbs since graduating college 10 years before and experienced all the joys of obesity--shortness of breath, sleep apnea, a general inability to do things the other guys could do. I'd had some success with dieting; I just never felt like sticking with it after losing a few pounds and so I'd yo-yo back.
If you Google "we all love snacks but getting a good one isn't easy" you will see something like what I saw back in April. The first couple of results come from reviews of Aldi chips where they've helpfully provided the copy from the bag in their review. The next few give suggestions for "good" (healthy) snacks. And then ... you see No S Diet.
I'd never heard of it back in April. I'd never even heard of anything remotely as simple as No S. And by some crazy stroke of luck, Reinhard's detailed discussion of snacks came up as a search hit for my chip bag text. I read the page top to bottom and started No S immediately.
Today, for the first time in years, the scale says "240." I'm thrilled. But what I'm really thrilled about is this: I don't have the slightest desire to stop living No S. It's a part of me now. I actually have more willpower, discipline, and enthusiasm about limiting what I eat than I did that first day (and I was gung ho!). It's even rubbed off on my mom, and now she's hitting milestones because of No S. Next up for me is just the other 80 lbs.
Can you believe it? All because of the back of a bag of chips!
I know the chips were from Aldi; I'm not sure what kind. I do know that I used to make something called "the trifecta:" A plate full of Aldi nacho chips covered in both a layer of shredded cheese and jarred queso dip and microwaved for 30 seconds. As you may imagine I did not like doing this when other people were around.
On the back of every bag of Aldi chips is some utterly ridiculous copy that starts with: "We all love snacks, but getting a good one isn't easy. You need great ingredients, lots of flavor and some big, satisfying crunches." I always get a kick out of reading this. Of course getting a good snack is easy. You can stop at any store that sells anything--gas station, hardware store, even MC Sports--and find all sorts of wonderful-tasting snacks. Who wrote something so stupid? Is it really that hard to fill in the blank space on the back of a bag of fake Doritos? Anyway, I Googled the copy just for the fun of it.
This was back in April. 260 pound, five-foot-eleven me, sitting at a desk pounding chips and Googling pointless nonsense. I'd gained nearly 100 lbs since graduating college 10 years before and experienced all the joys of obesity--shortness of breath, sleep apnea, a general inability to do things the other guys could do. I'd had some success with dieting; I just never felt like sticking with it after losing a few pounds and so I'd yo-yo back.
If you Google "we all love snacks but getting a good one isn't easy" you will see something like what I saw back in April. The first couple of results come from reviews of Aldi chips where they've helpfully provided the copy from the bag in their review. The next few give suggestions for "good" (healthy) snacks. And then ... you see No S Diet.
I'd never heard of it back in April. I'd never even heard of anything remotely as simple as No S. And by some crazy stroke of luck, Reinhard's detailed discussion of snacks came up as a search hit for my chip bag text. I read the page top to bottom and started No S immediately.
Today, for the first time in years, the scale says "240." I'm thrilled. But what I'm really thrilled about is this: I don't have the slightest desire to stop living No S. It's a part of me now. I actually have more willpower, discipline, and enthusiasm about limiting what I eat than I did that first day (and I was gung ho!). It's even rubbed off on my mom, and now she's hitting milestones because of No S. Next up for me is just the other 80 lbs.
Can you believe it? All because of the back of a bag of chips!