Eating out tips

I'm not doing so hot at posting lately so it makes sense that I'm not doing so hot at meeting my fitness and nutrition goals either. I've had a few distractions. I've made the decision to try and make some changes in another area of my life...dating. Dates often involve food, so the topic fits here.

Dates often involve eating out at restaurants...risky territory when trying to lose and maintain weight! Restaurant portions have so many unknowns!! You never really know what you're getting in terms of calories, ingredients, types of fat, sodium...you get the point. Sure, restaurant food is delish!! Super delish, in fact! But what can you do to keep your restaurant eating 'in check'?

Well, here's what I do when I know I'm going to eat out...

1. Pay even closer attention to my eating the rest of the day and stick to my food plan! This generally means a mainly vegetarian and extremely low carb day before going out. This isn't necessarily the best decision, but won't hurt once in awhile.
2. View the restaurant's menu online and choose the meal in advance--basically, I make a decision in advance so that I'm not overwhelmed in the moment. Do they have nutrition information online? Even better! Use the nutrition information to really make an informed decision!
3. When making an advance decision, I consider substitutions and alternatives. For example, a steakhouse will often coat the steak in butter, I ask them not to. Or, if the vegetable choice is a starchy vegetable, I will request to substitute a salad.
4. Seek out fresh berries for dessert...or decide to not have dessert at all. Honestly, this on only works for me when I eat out with someone who doesn't really care for dessert. 
5. Does the menu have a 'skinny' menu? I consider ordering from the skinny choices.
6. Ask for sauces to be served on the side. I don't know about you, but I think most restaurants use too much when it comes to dressings and sauces anyway. If I get it on the side, I can use only as much as I want, or none at all.
7. Lastly, stick with water or unsweetened tea. No point in adding calories in the form of a beverage! Or sugar, or chemicals...

Maybe you find this helpful, maybe not. But if eating out is a norm and not the exception, sticking to a food plan can be very difficult. I need to leave myself some room to not be perfect, but I can't leave myself wiggle room on a daily basis just because I choose to eat out all the time.

Ok, so be warned, it's been so long since I've posted, I'm not going to catch you all the way up in one post...a few days at a time.

 1/22/12

fruit, granola and yogurt

Turkey and swiss with mustard from Starbucks...eating on the go.

This is not the type of food-day that I recommend. Honestly, I did not eat enough and found that I had no energy for my work-out.

 1/23/12

fruit, yogurt and a muesli that I did not like...

 fruit snack

 salad with seasoned beef and a little pasta

 shared quesadilla appetizer

 First, I only ate 1/2 of the cheesesteak and left a bunch of the fries. Second, this would be a bad example of following the above tips when eating out.

Again, I ate about half...brownie sundae

 1/24/12

I'm sure breakfast was pretty normal...corn and peas, mac and cheese and some roast beef

Salad for dinner in class

 1/25/12

Breakfast on the go at Wellesley College

Wellesley had a pretty impressive cafeteria...salad and chili

I did actually skip dinner this night...not a good thing, but I did it.

 1/26/12

Uncle Sam cereal, skim milk, fruit and eggs with a little potato

 Salad with soup

 apple and cheddar snack

pulled pork with BBQ Sauce, collard greens and mac and chees

New goals = New questions

What a great weekend so far!!! A much needed girls night out and a visitor from DC. I am one lucky girl.

On the less fun side of things, it's time to get back to the books and back to class. That means re-thinking some exercise goals...I'm not certain how this is going to work really. I'd like to get a minimum of 3 work-outs each week. I don't know yet if I'm setting a realistic goal for myself or not though. The start of a new term and setting new goals is always a bit scary for me. There's always some trepidation...are my goals too difficult? Are they too easy?? Am I allowing myself too much or too little flexibility?

Well, this time it's even more difficult...I'll probably be giving up exercising at WOW, but I want to incorporate the abs work that I'm doing. OK, that's not difficult. But will I actually do it?? I don't want to give up my membership at BSC, it's my 'safety gym'. OK. I want to buy a membership at Redline Fight Sports, but will I use it? I'm so in love with this new gym!! Mostly, I just don't like the doubts that I have. But that's just me, I need to know, need to have control.

Here's another question to think about...am I willing to sacrifice an A to be able to go to kickboxing classes?? Or, do I even have to? Can I do both? Other students do, so why not me???

I guess I'll keep my goal of 3 work-outs, but for now, I won't specify what they'll be.

 11/20/12

a chocolate tower at the Four Seasons

See the people at the table in the background? Tom Brady's parents!

 cappuccino at the Four Seasons

 Duck breast with curried cauliflower at the Beehive

The duck was to die for!!! It was supposed to come with rice, I substituted the cauliflower.

 hummus platter

 salad for lunch

healthy and colorful breakfast. And lemon yogurt is surprisingly good!

 11/22/12

I saw my friend's california rolls and I had to have my own!!!

yummy sushi!!! Salmon and Tuna

Greek salad from Paradise Bakery


I skipped breakfast...I don't recommend doing this. I didn't quite feel right all day. Not bad, just not in top form. My work-out was sloppy and difficult because I had no energy (and I'm still sick...)

I'm sick...

Being sick sucks! However, this is the first time that I've ever been sick when I have both cold medicine and homemade chicken soup on hand. So, score one for me!

I left work early today and managed to not do anything that I meant to do at home. It's early, I'll get to some of it later.

 1/17/12

Don't you just love how colorful sushi is??

 After gym snack on the T...I swear, if I keep photographing my food on the T, people will think that I'm crazy AND smelly!

 Homemade chicken soup and salad

 Ok, the large think of fruit was mainly for a late morning snack. 1/2 cup of Macrina granola with yogurt and berries

 1/18/12

I wonder if I'll be tired of the chicken soup before it's gone?

 Snack on the T!

 Pasta and bean soup with salad

Egg, sausage and cheese on an english muffin, granola from Macrina and berries with mango

 1/19/12

What's this, like the 4th time I've eaten the chicken soup?? Well this is my 'I'm sick' meal...

Oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins, mango and berries, a little egg with sausage

Lazy day

Today ended up being a bit of a lazy day...breakfast with friends and little shopping. I skipped the exercise and chose to be a little social instead. I also made homemade chicken soup...guess what I'll be eating a lot of for the next few days....
 
I meant to do some school reading, but that didn't happen, there was a Being Human marathon on SyFy...the American version. Not as good as the British version, but good nonetheless. Tomorrow, it's back to the gym!!

 Mmm, mmm, homemade chicken soup!

Panera! Power sandwich, fruit and cappuccino



To be fair, I also at popcorn and a cheese stick today...and some tortilla chips with salsa.

Keep plugging along

Still plugging along...I gotta say, I'm getting a little discouraged. I still haven't lost any weight. HOWEVER, I'm loving the work-outs!!!! Today was rock climbing and kickboxing. I can't give this stuff up!! Tonight, while demonstrating a kick on me, the instructor missed the pads and kicked me in the lower abdomen. After that, we were learning take-downs...as I was falling, I accidentally brought the other woman down on top of me. She kneed me in the groin. Men, I'm starting to understand how you feel.

In other news, I started some of my reading for school this weekend. Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day, I plan to spend some time on schoolwork...it begins. I'm going to keep up this crazy work-out schedule until classes begin. I have another week and a half. But it's also time to start thinking about work-out schedules during class time. I love this kickboxing gym! I can't give it up. It's time to start thinking about how to work it in to my schedule. These are the most challenging work-outs I've ever experienced and I'm starting to learn moves that I want to keep practicing and improving. If this euphoria is what it feels like to hear your calling, then I'm in!

 1/11/12

Sushi for dinner!

 Apple and 1/4 cup walnuts for a snack

 Salad, chicken soup and a little pasta

 Orange and cheese for a snack

 Eggs, fruit and 3/4 cup Uncle Sam cereal

Fruit cup

 1/12/12

Ok, I cheated and went with a frozen dinner. I was so hungry and so tired.

 Apple and 1/4 cup walnuts as a snack after the gym

 Salad with a little pasta

Eggs, potatoes, berries and 1/4 cup Uncle Sam cereal

 1/13/12

OK, cheated again...I ate 2/3 of it for dinner and the other 1/3 for breakfast the next day

 Lunch at the meeting I attended for my boss

Breakfast at the meeting I attended for my boss...I had a Kashi granola bar on my way to the meeting.

 1/14/12

This was not my best eating day...half a wrap for dinner

Lunch at the GW Alumni Reception before the GW-Harvard Basketball game...clam chowder, roast beef and 2 dessert bars


And remember, I had pizza for breakfast

 1/15/12

Homemade Chile (not mine though) with cornbread and some cheese...I had 2 bowls!

 Salad with chicken and avocado at Margaritas

 Chips and salsa before lunch

 Panera's new Mediterranean breakfast sandwich, fruit and cappuccino

toast with butter and jam