I felt like a failure, but I really enjoyed that food

(Tuesday)

I weighed in - I was up a pound - 211.  Shoot! I felt like a failure all day.  I even asked myself  the question: "What feels better, losing weight at the scale, or eating the food?"  Well, I like both feelings and I thought about how I enjoyed those tacos, fried ice cream, pancakes and chocolate shake this weekend, they were yummy.  I wondered what I could have done to balance the two - fun foods with friends, and still feel fulfilled at the scale.  Portion Control.   So I will discuss what I could have done differently and hopefully it will give you some ideas to help you.  

We had a busy weekend eating out with friends.   Here are some things I should have done:

Ask for an extra plate for the basket of chips or shared dessert.  I have practiced what 1 oz of chips looks like in my hand, for some it can be counted out as 10 chips.   I should have taken my 10 chips out of the basket and enjoyed them with my salsa. The same goes for the dessert, ask for 4 spoons, and one extra plate to see exactly how much you are eating.

Order a pitcher of water.   Drinking water in between bites makes me feel more full faster. Another thing,  put the taco or burger down.  We tend to eat messy things fast, take care not to rush through messy.   I have heard that it takes 20 minutes for your body to communicate with your brain that it is full, eating slower and drinking in between bites really can slow you down so your brain can catch up.

Order a "to go box" with the meal.   As soon as the food comes, don't eat it.  Decide what portion is best, then put the rest in the box.  Many times when we are visiting with friends, we end up eating as fast as we are talking, and don't pay attention to how much we consume.  Doing it ahead of time also keeps away the temptation.

Don't get the combo - or decide what you would prefer.   I really could have just had the tacos,  I didn't need the rice and beans.  It would have been smarter not to get the rice and beans to save calories since I was having guacamole.  Same with fries, etc.

Share with a friend.   Jeff and I ordered the same thing on Sunday at Denny's, we should have shared it, and I could have ordered an additional side of pancakes since his had blueberries, and I wanted pecans.  Many suggest the sugar free syrup, but it does not taste good to me and would have ruined my pancakes, so I should have only eaten one and dipped it into regular syrup, not poured it on.

Take off a bun.  Many are familiar with "protein style" which means a burger wrapped in lettuce.  My In-N-Out burger would have been just as good without the top bun or wrapped in lettuce.   I shared my fries, but ended up drinking my entire chocolate shake.

Ask about portion sizes, and don't feel guilty about throwing it away.   I'd rather have it go to waste rather than go to my waist.  I should have just thrown away the shake after I had that good chocolate taste in my mouth.  In-N-Out has all kinds of secret ordering styles, I wonder if I could have ordered a smaller shake.

So there you have it, I said I'd be honest.  I think there are about 8 ideas right off the top of my head.   I could have gone on for days if I would have googled it.  Plus, I'm sure WeightWatchers.com is full of great tips.

Next time we go out, I will use my head instead of following my stomach.

K