This year was my first holiday party. I have the great honor of sitting right next to the company party planner, so I knew all the details of the event, including what was on the menu for the night. The day of the party I decided it would be a good idea to save my appetite for the evening’s feast. After not eating for seven hours straight, I was starving. In a moment of weakness I decided to pull into McDonald's to grab something to tide me over until dinner time.

The Spicy Chicken sandwich was featured on the menu.

Me: “I’ll take 1 Spicy Chicken sandwich.”

McDonald’s: “It’s actually cheaper if you get 2 Spicy Chicken Sandwiches, because they’re 2 for $3 right now.”

Me: “So how much is just 1 sandwich?”

McDonald’s: “$3.29”

Me: “Okay, I guess I’ll take 2 then.”

America’s financial crisis has everyone looking for ways to save and the fast food industry has responded by boosting up their value menus. Everyone has a “dollar menu” these days and they all seem to be trying to outdo each other. In fact, last I heard McDonald’s Value Menu was on the pricy side.

I could have done anything with that second sandwich – I could have refused it, given it to the person behind me, thrown it away.

Nope, I ate the sucker.  I couldn’t help it: the first one was good, I was still hungry, I didn’t want to be wasteful.

So here’s the thing:

I have a good job working at Free & Clear (the healthy behaviors company).

I live in Seattle (the 4th healthiest city in the nation).

I bike, play soccer, run on occasion and generally consider myself an active person.

I should know better.

I’m going to give myself a break. I eat healthfully 90% of the time. This situation did, however, really get me thinking about how America’s economic crisis is going to effect America’s obesity crisis. If McDonald’s can get me to eat more than I really want to, what about all the folks out there who are feeling the effects of the economy, working two jobs and trying to save any way they can?

I doubt they’re going to refuse that second sandwich.