The Weight Chronicles: Eating Out

This week I want to discuss eating out.  Everything is well and good when you’re in your little cocoon of Nutrisystem meals, fruit, veggies and low calorie snacks.  What happens when you want to hang out with your friends on a Friday Night?

I had agreed to go out to dinner with one of my friends, but I was feeling really nervous about it.  Eating out means having less control over what I eat since I’m at the chef’s mercy.  I’ve read all the advice that says to drink a ton of water before you go out, don’t eat the appetizer or bread if it’s put on your table, and eat slowly.

Have they really tried their advice?  It’s incredibly difficult to not eat when your friend is going to town on it.  And hello – chips! – how on earth can I not eat chips and guac?  Ever since moving away from Los Angeles, it’s all I crave.

New York is a foodie town.  There are literally restaurants every few feet on any street.  It would probably take a person decades to eat their way through the city.  People bond over food as we all know.  How do we combat this?

Well, that’s what I’m trying to learn.  My friend and i went to Dos Caminos.   I know, I know.  With all the wonderful restaurants in New York, why did we choose a chain?  We were starving.  Rule one: don’t get to the point where you feel like you’re starving.

My Order

We ordered the guac and chips, of course, because that’s what you do at a Mexican restaurant.  We also ordered Margaritas.  Two things that are a no-no on any diet plan.  Yet, if you tell yourself, you’re not a diet plan, you’re on a new way of living, that helps.

I ordered chicken tacos and she ordered shrimp, beef and chorizo tacos.  Or something like that, I wasn’t too sure.  As we waited for our entrees to be served, we talked.  Talking led to me chomping on chips.

Since I knew eating chips is one of the worst things you can eat, I told myself I could only eat so much of them off the plate.  I also made sure to drink a lot of water between chips.  When the entrees arrived, I was rather proud of myself for only eating about a quarter of the chips on my side.  It’s all in the mind, people.  I am working on that whole mind over matter thing.

My tacos were good, but dang they were spicy!  That turned out to be a good thing because I drank a ton of water and didn’t gulp down my margarita.  However, I was so hungry and so excited to be eating something other than nutrisystem food that I kept shoveling the tacos into my mouth.

I didn’t listen to my body to hear when I was full.  I ate all three tacos in record time.  Something I rarely do, unless I’m starving.  Rule number two: Slow down and listen to your body.

By the time we finished, I felt so full I thought I was going to vomit.  Luckily, I didn’t.  We went on to our next destination.  Yet, for the rest of the night, the full feeling didn’t leave.  I’ve come to the conclusion that after you’ve been training your body to eat in a healthy manner, feeding it other food makes one feel ill.

Update on Loss

After much hard work last week, I’m proud to report that I lost 3 pounds!  Whoo hoo!  Don’t mind me if I take a bow right now.  I stuck to the Nutrisystem plan the entire week.  I didn’t eat out, I didn’t have any wine, and I made sure to log everything.  Even the coffee mate my sister has been hounding me to give up.  It’s my only vice right now and it makes me happy in the morning.  I can’t give it up yet.

Until next time,
Tori

CURRENT STATS
Weight        161
Jean Size:    8 US
Shirt Size:   Medium
Bra Size:     34D US