Sunday, May 8, 2011

Planning Ahead

Tomorrow I am not going to eat healthily. Ok, that isn't the right motto to have, but considering it's Mike's birthday and I'm taking him out to dinner, I just know it's going to be hard to stick to my calorie plan.

Eating out isn't an impossible task if you can use iPhone apps to track calories or plan on what to eat in advance, but it's hard to pass up on some of the best-tasting goodies for the better-for-you options.

Since I'm not a big barbecue fan, and Mike is, I'm taking him to Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ at the District in Henderson for dinner. I know he'll enjoy chowing down on BBQ ribs and cornbread muffins, but it's a bit trickier for me because I don't like BBQ sauce. So instead of problem being that I don't know what the better option is for me, I also have to deal with the majority of the menu being slathered in tangy sauce ... not my ideal situation!

I decided to really think about this in advance and use the online resources available to figure out an option that's tasty and acceptable for my waistline. I know it'll be higher in calories than my standard dinner, but this way I can actually work backwards and save a few calories on breakfast and lunch. Unfortunately I can't find nutrition information anywhere for menu items for Lucille's so I have to use information from other sources to at very least, ballpark the calorie amount. It's situations like this that I wish I was a seafood fan because the smoked salmon actually sounds yummy. The dish is served with creole rice and steamed veggies - maybe I'll have to break out of my shell and give that a try.

Well, I think I might go with what I know, a salad (doctored a bit to reduce the fat and calories) or the steak with steamed veggies and an unloaded baked potato. No matter what I do, I know it's going to be higher in calories and fat than I would really want, but for my hubby's birthday it's definitely worth it. Maybe I'll just workout a little harder before work or balance out my calories the next day. After all, sometimes it's okay to splurge a little!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Hungry at the Table

My schedule, in general, is always out of whack. I don't work a typical 9-5 with Saturdays and Sundays to spend as I please, and most often I try to fill my hours off the clock out of the house. My most consistent schedule lately has me off work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so I spend the mornings playing poker at the Mirage.

Since I'm usually sitting for the long-haul (up to 8 hours) the biggest problem I run into is what to eat and how to avoid running to the nearby eateries (BLT Burger, Carnagie Deli & California Pizza Kitchen). Even though all of those restaurants are delicious, they are AWFUL for not only dieters but everyone. A sandwich from Carnagie Deli could feed the entire state of Rhode Island for a day and the $20 BLT burger has more calories than my entire day's allotment. I could run across the street to McDonalds, Chipotle or Panda Express, but let's face it, those options aren't the best either!

So this is what I've started doing -- don't worry I don't bring a lunch box. I've been running to the gym in the morning and eating breakfast. I try to eat a big enough breakfast to tide me over for a few hours, but I know a big bowl of Special K and fruit could never keep me satisfied until late afternoon! So, just like when I go to work, I pack a couple of granola bars or crackers and I eat every couple of hours. On weeks when the oranges are tasty I even pack one or two if those. It's been working out pretty well except I'm starving by 5 pm and force M
ike & I to eat dinner really early.

It may sound crazy, but one of the hardest aspects of playing poker and losing weight isn't the food options or even the immobility, but it's the beverages. Whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic, the drinks are free when you play so I tend to consume more soda or anything than necessary. I dont drink alcohol very often when I play but I'm pretty sure two strawberry juliuses are unnecessary.

But, for now it's Friday, my Tuesday which means I'm back in work mode and back to a normal routine. Work, a healthy choice meal for lunch, cereal & fruit for breakfast, a workout and dinner with the hubs tonight.

Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekends while I'm slaving away at work, lol!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Eat That Bin Laden

So I was writing a blog to post this evening about my shitty lunch experience at Panera Bread when the news about Osama Bin Laden being killed sent shockwaves around the world. Suddenly, my petty lunch incident seemed so ridiculous as reflections of the tragic events of 9-11 and the deaths of thousands of men and women of the U.S Armed Forces flooded my mind. I deleted my entire post (after all I'll still eat at Panera in the future), and changed it to this...

It's been 11 long years of cat & mouse. Thousands of innocent men, women & children and thousands of military men & women have died because of him and plans he put into action. God bless our troops, and thank goodness that bastard is dead.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad