Healthy Choices

So as I mentioned, I've been trying to make healthy choices. It's much easier said than done.

The impetus? After getting up at the crack to work out 3-5 times a week for the last year, not to mention standing up at my desk for about 4 months, I haven't lost a single pound. Now, had I actually taken my measurements I am sure that they would reflect a definite redistribution of my weight, but the scale is getting on my nerves. Apparently working out can only do so much. (Like 5lbs over the course of a year.)

I know that dieting will not work for me. I don't do the cooking at home, and frankly, I really like eating out. Dining with Monkeys is a big part of my life, as is writing about food. One cannot write about food without eating it!

So enter healthy choices. I figure I have several opportunities to make better choices than I have been.

I consider myself to be intelligent, but I have to admit that figuring out what the healthiest choice is, isn't always easy.

Exhibit A:

I was at a luncheon at the U of M Holiday Inn. They have a buffet. I chose to get a salad. I only put the tiniest bit of cheese on it. Now, when it came time to get the dressing, I was screwed. They were not labeled, and even if they were, I am 100% sure there was not a reduced calorie option. So I just got a very, very small amount of Bleu Cheese.

Next up was the entree selections. 1) Chicken and penne pasta with alfredo sauce, 2) salmon with butter sauce, and 3) beef stew. Clearly none of these was low calorie either. I went with a very small portion of beef stew.

The vegetables were last. Brussell sprouts clearly cooked in butter, corn and lima beans probably doused in butter, and some very dry looking roasted potatoes. I went with the potatoes.

I felt pretty good about my choices, but was overall unhappy about the general fattiness of them all. Then I caved in to peer pressure and followed by colleagues to the dessert table.

Exhibit B:


On Tuesday I went to lunch at my favorite lunch spot--Flying Fish. I had planned to get the shrimp kabobs with veggies on the side, but the special was fish tacos. The special is 2 fish tacos instead of the usual 3, so I rationalized that getting 2 would be a healthier choice than my usual order. However, I usually get the tilapia grilled and the special comes with fried catfish. I did order veggies instead of rice & beans, but after tasting them I feared they were brushed (or soaked!) with butter.

Sigh.

When I got back from lunch, I checked the nutritional info on the Flying Fish website. I tried focusing on the good serving of protein I got instead of the fat.



Exhibit C:

Now that the kids are totally obsessed with Taekwondo, we've found ourselves at the neighboring Taco Bell way more often than I care to admit. Normally I resist getting anything for myself, but this week I was hungry. I ordered a bean burrito instead of my usual nachos. After looking at the nutritional info on the Taco Bell site, I felt like I made a fairly decent choice. (Next time I'll get a fiesta bean burrito.) But can anything at Taco Bell really be considered healthy?

And there have been other landmines to contend with. On Tuesday the boss bought donuts for everyone. (I declined.) Tuesday night I bought a birthday cake for Warren. (I had one small piece.) On Thursday, the co-workers brought in Chik-fil-A minis for breakfast. (I could not resist.) Today I got donuts for the kids. (I ate 2 holes.) Oh and I also got invited to one of my other favorite restaurants, Elliott's, to try the new firecracker sandwich and the two new varieties of hot wings.

Double sigh.

Despite this, I do feel slightly better and my pants are actually a little looser. I'm squeezing in more veggies, eating more salads, and continuing to work out. But clearly, something's gotta give. I fear it's restaurants.