PROBLEM
I don't consider myself a bad cook but being young I just don't have a lot of recipes under my belt yet so mostly I end up making chicken, chicken, burgers, chicken, stir-fry, chicken, steaks, chicken, chicken, pizza, chicken, and repeat... I think my husband is about to ban chicken from the house! So since we get tired of eating the 5 things I know how to make, and we are decently busy people we end up eating out a lot. While eating out, I rarely make good eating choices and have found there to be 3 main reasons behind my poor choices:
• Lack of food knowledge - Some foods are sneaky about being bad for you. Like there are several salads that I get at different places and I thought I was doing good only to find out that they have crazy amounts of calories! For example the Buffalo Blue Zalad at Zaxby's... I would even leave off the bleu cheese dressing and I was still eating close to 1000 calories in 1 meal!!
• Lack of time/panic - Some places I know there are healthy things on the menu but as I'm standing in front of the register or have a waiter/waitress hovering over me I feel the clock ticking and panic and just go with what I know only later to find out that again it was a horrible, horrible choice.
• Lack of choices - There are some places that I just can't find 1 healthy thing on the menu! Basically almost all fast food places.
I find myself falling weak to these 3 issues mostly at fast food places, hence me making this resolution. Now that we have pin pointed the problem, we are on to the game plan (or at least a rough outline of one)
GAME PLAN
• Pack my lunch - I'd say 90% of the time that I eat fast food it is for lunch. Rather is be during my lunch break or just while out running errand on my day off. The fact of the matter is that I usually just don't have the time nor the money to always go to a sit down restaurant.
• Plan ahead - For the most part, James and I frequent the same restaurants so I need to just sit down one day and make a list of the best items at every place. I can download this list to my iPhone or Google Docs and it will always be within reach! That takes care of the knowledge and the panic issue! Also it works for fast food or sit down places!
• Avoid some places all together - The places that I can't find anything healthy I just need to buck up and stop going there. If I just think I am going to die if I don't have X item from X place then I will just have to eat a smaller portion. For example I LOVE McDonald's fries so if I am craving them with no will power in sight then I could either not get a cheese burger or get a kids meal so it still has fries but a much smaller portion.
PREDICTION
• The good - I think this resolution will actually be pretty easy to stick to. Eating at fast food places has been kind of bothering me in general lately. A lot of the time I leave there just feeling gross. Mostly it is all the grease. After I have inhaled my food I have time to reflect and think to myself "I can't believe I just ate that when I SAW grease drip from it!" Or I will go somewhere for lunch and then get back to my desk only to feel sluggish and unproductive for the rest of the day. So this fast food avoidance has kind of been in the works even before the New Year.
• The Bad - The biggest concern I have here is actually taking the time to make a list for "pre-approved" items. Some places make their nutritional info pages annoying, like when you have to click on each individual item and then it opens a separate window or when you have to "create a meal" to even get any info. I can get a little lazy if research requires too many clicks. However, on a good note, while I think this list would be a huge help I do not think it is imperative to my success so if it takes a little longer then it should I wont automatically fail.
Fast Food, You're a Goner!!
2 comments:
Having been a chef/cook/manager for the 15 years prior to coming to target... I feel your pain. Most of the time I ate what was available even though I knew it wasn't healthy. Time was a factor as well... always eating on the run. Then there is also financial consideration. It costs more to eat healthy. On the bright side, I did learn through experience and by having families, a few tricks. Try to avoid more than 6 ounces of meat in a serving. Steam veggies. Plain steamed white rice is your friend, though potatoes are ok occasionally. Indulge in your favorite unhealthy stuff, but put a limit on yourself. For example, I now only make biscuits and gravy once a month, but is satisfies my craving for that southern delicacy. I have more tips/recipies I could share with you... good luck! Remember, the goal is to live healthier! The weight loss would be an added benefit to that. Miss ya Roxy!
Alright, I've read it, I've seen it. I expect updates and you are officially accountable. I've got a similar gig running over on my blog.
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