Friday food & exercise:
Treadmill, 30 minutes, 2.3 mph. I just wasn’t much in the mood to exercise. For one thing, the gym was hot. Whenever the skinny little redhead is at the front desk, the thermostat seems to be set much warmer. Maybe because she doesn’t have an ounce of body fat to keep her warm. Sounds mean, I know, but seriously – she’s Nicole Richie skinny.
Breakfast – Bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch w/ Silk Vanilla Soy Milk.
Lunch: At Doc Greens with a friend. I had the Dr. Detroit salad, slightly modified It’s a big spinach salad with croutons, bacon, roasted button mushrooms (I got extra of these since I had them hold the hard-boiled eggs), bleu cheese dressing, and grilled sirloin steak on top. Plus ice water to drink. Since the goal is to add more veggies, I’m OK with the fact that this is one of those might-as-well-have-eaten-a-Big-Mac salads. It’s not like I have it very often.
Dinner: Salmon, collard greens, and broccoli-carrot-cheese rice mix. Canned “southern seasoned” collard greens are one of my standby veggies. Most of my favorite veggies are really only good when fresh, so they require a lot more prep & cooking. Or they’re seasonal and too damn expensive the rest of the year. The rice mix was a new thing for me – a Knorr Sides Plus. (I had a free coupon.) The claim on the package is that each serving of the rice also contains a full serving of veggies. I’m a bit skeptical, but it still seems like a pretty painless way to get more vegetables in. It was reasonably tasty – not any sort of great cuisine, but nothing I’d have to choke down, either. Dessert was a reduced-fat ice cream sandwich.
Snacks: Fiber One peanut butter granola bar and a glass of Silk Vanilla Soy Milk. ‘nother bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch w/vanilla soy milk. 2 slices White Wheat toast w/ ICBINB light olive oil spread. And Crystal Light, all day.
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I love to eat out and do it often. This week, however, I’ve been eating out every day and that’s not normal even for me. I always eat out more for lunch during the summer – my daughter is home from school, we’re hungry, there’s nothing all that great in the house, etc. Then we have our “normal” weekly eating-out schedule, mainly based on the kids-eat-free or kids-eat-cheap specials. On Sundays, for example, we usually go to Barbaritos after church because kids eat free on Sundays. And Tuesday night is Moe’s Southwest Grill because kid’s meals are 99 cents – plus they have a table-side magician we’ve gotten to be friendly with. Yesterday I had a rescheduled lunch with a friend. And this weekend, friends are coming into town and we have plans to eat out with them both Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch. Oh, and Saturday lunch is a standard weekly get-together for my mother and sister. Sometimes my daughter and I join them, sometimes we don’t. Today, we will.
Eating healthy while eating out can be difficult. For me, it’s always been about finding something healthy that tastes good enough to make me forego all the unhealthy (but oh-so-tasty) crap on the menu. I’m sick of condescending and totally unrealistic magazine articles on “healthy eating in restaurants” tips. Order salad without dressing. Blech – I’d just as soon go graze in the backyard. Order fruit instead of dessert. Just when was the last time you were in a restaurant that offered an apple on the menu next to the chocolate cake? My all-time eye-rolling favorite was one I read recently. A nutritionist said, “If you can’t stop yourself at one or two slices of pizza, do what I do. Just order a big plate of steamed veggies instead!” Seriously. I wanted to magically reach through the magazine pages to bitch slap her. Let’s take this one apart, shall we? First, I don’t know anyone – except children and possibly my size 2 petite mother – who fills up on 1 or 2 average sized pizza slices. Next, telling someone that a “big plate of steamed veggies” is an acceptable substitute for pizza is just cracked. Might as well tell them that a big glass of ice water is every bit as satisfying as a chocolate milkshake. And lastly, when was the last time you were in a pizza joint that offered “a big plate of steamed veggies”?? What I really want to know is, who in hell are these idiots writing these articles, and on what planet are these restaurants located?
Strong feelings there…staying away from restaurants is a better idea…or drinking a glass of water before your pizza(a tip from one of those same unrealistic magazines):)
Comment by Neel — July 29, 2007 @ 4:52 am
Staying away from restaurants is a “better idea” only if you want to be a self-depriving, food-obsessed person for whom restricting calories is more important than enjoying restaurant meals with family and friends. Been there, done that, won’t be fooled again.
As for drinking water before pizza, that’s just another disordered eating behavior – “trick” your body into thinking it’s full when it isn’t. If I’m drinking enough water (and I am, 70 – 80 oz. per day), I’m already well-hydrated and not mistaking thirst for hunger. I have no intention of using water so my body won’t recognize hunger for hunger.
Comment by happymedium — July 29, 2007 @ 10:24 am
Is it okay if I link to this post of yours on my blog? I’d like to put up voices like yours as everyone is totally brainwashed by ideas that can be difficult to swallow….tell me what you think…..
Comment by Neel — July 30, 2007 @ 12:44 am
I’m not sure I understand your motivation, but yes, you can link to my post on your blog.
Comment by happymedium — July 30, 2007 @ 9:54 am
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