adam|riggins

I just finished the last bite of my first ever Whataburger hamburger.  “Big deal, Adam”, you might be saying.  Well shut it, it is a big deal.  I am currently en route to meet up with some friends at Disney World in Florida, and I decided to stop here for lunch based on the strong recommendations of several friends.  So how was it?

First of all, the staff is really friendly here.  I asked the lady that took my order what she would recommend for a first-timer like myself.  She said to keep it simple.  I got a Whataburger meal, which is a burger, fries, and a drink.  I added cheese, bacon, and jalapenos to spice it up some.

What a great hamburger considering that it’s fast-food!  Look at this lovely meal:

Looks good, eh?  How about this shot:

That was one good burger.  Now I need to get back on the road, but I wanted to make sure you all know about this Whataburger thing and how good it is!

(Sorry, Paul (the one on the left), but I didn’t have room for a shake.  Too full!)

…or Cokes, for all of us Suth’nas.

There is a good article I found a few days ago that goes into 5 different reasons to not drink soft drinks.  s a Diet Coke addict, it was a little tough reading these.  I agree with most of them, but I think this is geared mostly towards people that drink the full-fledged Coca Cola all day long.  I will have a Diet Coke with lunch and sometime dinner, but some of this still applies.

Here are the reasons, along with my thoughts on #5:

1. Counteractive to Weight Loss Efforts.
2. Stains and corrodes your teeth.
3. Limited hydration.
4. Artificial stimulant which alters your mind.
5. Causes insomnia and sleeping disorders.

About that last one… I have been really trying to cut down on my caffeine intake, especially in the evenings, and I have discovered #5 to be true.  Since cutting back, I have slept a LOT better at night.  Look at this:

The most important long-term problem (of caffeine) is the effect (it) has on sleep. Adenosine reception (sleep inducers) is important to sleep, and especially to deep sleep. The half-life of caffeine in your body is about six hours. That means that if you consume a big cup of coffee with 200 mg of caffeine in it at 3:00 p.m., by 9:00 p.m. about 100 mg of that caffeine is still in your system. You may be able to fall asleep, but your body will probably miss out on the benefits of deep sleep.

I can confirm that this is really true.  Lately, I have been having water or some kind of caffeine-free drink with dinner, and it makes a big difference!  If you are trying to do cut back, I would really recommend finding the caffeine-free version of your favorite soft drink if it’s available. Once you become less dependent on it, it will be a lot easier to switch to water as your beverage of choice

Read the article (with descriptions of each reason) here

I know people that cringe at the thought of drinking water out of a faucet.  When given the choice between that and paying $1.50 for a bottle, they will choose to buy it every time.  I read an article a few minutes ago that points out the fact that almost 10 years into the 21st century, almost 3 BILLION people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water.

When I hear things like that, it makes me wonder at how as a society, we can become so ungrateful at times for what we have in front of us.  I am just as guilty as the next person, so I’m calling myself out here as well.  But who are we to think that we are “too good” for drinking water out of the faucet in our kitchen, while at the same time, there are countless people that would give everything just to be able to do that?

I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with buying bottled water.  In fact, I buy it quite frequently.  I also refill the bottles with tap water and re-refrigerate them.   Just remember to respect what most of us have such easy access to:

Respect your water. If the water that comes out of your tap is clean and affordable, be thankful. Be thankful when you drink it. Be thankful when you wash with it. Be thankful when you cook with it. Every time you open a faucet, remember that you’re doing something beyond the reach of almost 3 billion people.

Here’s the article

/soapbox

I know I have posted a few of these before and after pictures recently (hey, I’m happy, what can I say?), but here is one more.  I saw this picture and was a little disgusted:

That was many pants sizes ago!

Ok, no more “I used to be fat” posts for a while…