Eating Out and Eating Well Are Not Synonymous!!

Eating out has to be one of the hardest things to do when you are trying to lose weight.  Portion size, fat content, salt content, quality of ingredients, none of these things are really in your control.  Some people suggest to do these things when it comes to eating out at a restaurant.

1).  JUST DON'T GO OUT TO EAT
      - While this may be an option to some, and Amy and I have seriously cut back on our meals out, it's just not really fun.  That's part of how Amy and I came to be Blamy.  When we were dating we always hung out at a coffee shop or restaurant, so we want to keep that part of our dating life, but in a healthier form.

2).  USE A DOGGY BAG FOR PORTION CONTROL
     - While this may work for some, this will NOT work for me... simply for the reason that I will eat that sucker as soon as I get home.  My issue is with self-control when it comes to food, taking something home that was probably not the healthiest choice in the first place means that I will make 2 unhealthy choices in a row.  BAD IDEA.

3).  TELL YOUR SERVER YOUR SPECIAL NEEDS.
    - So I got a story for this one.  Amy's family and I went out for a meal on Sunday after church before my gig at Jo-Jo's Cafe (which is a great little coffee shop off of Whyte Ave. here in Edmonton).  We went to a well-known Vietnamese restaurant called Doan's.  I looked at the menu, and I looked at Amy and asked 'What can I have?'  (Here's an aside to my blog called 'Blake's Bits' These are tidbits of info that will help you in life:  When you are trying to lose weight and your partner is supportive like mine get them to help you make the proper choice.  When they say 'You probably shouldn't have the extra-large pizza with Sausage and Pepperoni' DO NOT REPLY WITH 'But it's full of protein').  I decided on a  brothy Pho soup (broth with bits of meat and noodles) with egg noodles (egg noodles are better than rice noodles as they have less starch more protein).  I was in the middle of describing how I wanted more vegetables in my soup and less noodles when I noticed the blank look on the face of my server and I said 'You know what, forget it just bring me the soup'.  Obviously telling your server what you need works SOMETIMES, but in my case it's the exception to the rule.  I am really blessed and happy about that. (That was supposed to be sarcastic)

I think that's my top 3.  At least those are the 3 I kept hearing from Weight Watchers and other fat loss specialists.  Here are a couple that I know work for me... and they might or might not work for you just like the above might work for you but usually not for me.

1).  RESEARCH
     - Amy and I hadn't seen much of each other this past week since I have been busy with church work, and meetings, and studio time (I am working on my new album due out in June 2010!) so I met her for lunch at a BP's close to her work.  The night before we looked up BP's menu and nutritional information online.  We discovered something very funny and I think very sly.  Their 'Health Conscious Alternative Menu' is a pack of crap.  Some of their salads had as many calories, fat and carbs as their pasta dishes with almost 1/2 the protein.  Which means that your insulin level would sky-rocket causing your body to store almost all that food in fat cells.  Amy and I finally found a dish or two that would work for us!  I was delighted the next day to have a salad with my cannelloni.  However,  because I haven't ate any white pasta I just about died going home because my stomach didn't know what I had ate.  Lesson learned, next time I will stick with the other choice I could have had which was a Steak Sandwich with Salad or a Citrus Chicken Salad.

2).  REDUCE

     - Amy and I used to go out every Friday night for date night, and almost every Sunday for either lunch or dinner plus usually on average 1 more night every 2 weeks.  That means we would have ate out at least 10 times in a month.  That might be a lot for some, and maybe a drop in the bucket for others, as I said before I used to eat out all the time before I was married.  Since we started this journey we have drastically reduced the amount of times we eat out at restaurants.  The 2 times that I just finished mentioning (Doan's, and BP'S) are the first time we have ate out since Mar. 28 which means that in 3 weeks we have decreased our going out by almost 75%.   It is simply easier to eat healthy at home.  Some would say that it is more cost effective, but we haven't seen that since we eat a lot of vegetables and fruit, dairy and lean protein none of which are cheap.  Another way to look at it is when you eat healthy at a restaurant it's not much fun ordering a plain chicken breast and salad, and paying twice as much than you would if you prepared it at home.  I would rather treat myself (within proper reason) on a special occasion- B'Day, Anniversary, etc... rather than make going out a habit again.    

3).  PREPARE
    - I Tried my hardest to find another 'R' word but it just wouldn't happen.  It's a rare moment these days that I leave the house without at least an apple, a slice or two of cheese, some almonds and my bottle of water. I have to eat every 2 hours and those things keep my blood sugar levels on an even keel.  Amy is constantly asking 'What are you going to do for lunch tomorrow?' (she truly is amazing) because she knows that I get so bogged down with other things that I forget to prepare myself.  Most of us grab food at fast food joints or restaurants because we have failed to prepare properly for our day.  I need to think through before I leave the house, 'How may hours will I be gone?' 'Will I have enough time to get back home, eat dinner and leave again?' 'How many snacks should I prepare'.  Tuesdays are the worst for me as I sometimes have a meeting before my church staff meeting at 1:30 which means that I have eat on the run or at staff.  Then I teach till 7 which means I don't get supper till 8 which means I have to pack 1 lunch and at least 2-3 snacks depending on what time I leave the house.  It takes preparation, and yeah it can be exhausting, but I can say for sure that's why I am and going to be on the winning side of this battle.

I had a great week all in all.  Some great workouts even though I think I strained my entire abdomen with too many crunches, and my eating was pretty on par despite going out 2 times this week!  I am down to 405lbs which is very encouraging.  I am really excited about my first goal which is to break the 400 mark which I haven't seen since last year and that only lasted for a week!   Overall my total weight loss is 20lbs which means I only have another 30 to go for my second goal, and 180lbs for my ultimate goal!

Talk to you all soon!

Blake

Ps. thanks for all the comments and tips!