Recently I have begun to lose a little weight, mostly by avoiding sugar and flour, and I feel good. Russ and I are also trying to go to the gym, but more often than not something happens that prevents it. Either there is some other more pressing matter that must be dealt with first, or one or the other of us has a hurt foot, or a sore throat, or has forgotten to bring our headphones, or sneakers, or it’s thunderstorming, or something of that nature. There are always a thousand excuses not to go to the gym. Most of them I will need to learn to overcome. But not this one:
Today is Friday! And Friday is traditionally the one day of the week we go out to eat. Date Night! On Friday, Date Night always takes precedence over exercise. Life demands balance. A little exercise, a little work, a little fun: for everything there is a time and a season…
But just because we are going out to eat, doesn’t mean I have to “go off my diet.” Not that I’m “on” a diet. I’m just on a healthy eating plan. But being in a restaurant doesn’t mean I can’t eat healthy!
I’m trying to re-create some of the behaviors that helped me to lose weight last time, and as I recall, I had a very particular strategy for restaurants. So I’ve decided to use this strategy once again, and not only that, but I’m going to document my experiences here in this journal.
Here’s the strategy: I start the meal with a side salad, or a “house salad,” or whatever they call the small, simple salad. Most good restaurants will have one. Some are better than others. Some are more expensive than others. Some don’t need anything additional added, but in some cases—and years ago, this was my standard—it helps to make a request for additional cheese. There will probably be an additional charge, but in most cases it is worth it, turning that simple salad into an actual meal.
In addition to this, another new strategy, if not requesting additional cheese, is that I’m going to check out the offering of other “side” items. For instance, Joey tells me that Chili’s offers a nice presentation of cole slaw, another one of my favorite foods. Last week, I found that Applebee’s has a tasty little bowl of rice and beans. And nowadays, there are plenty of restaurants that offer a side of steamed vegetables.
So eating out does not have to be a diet disaster. And it doesn’t have to be expensive either!
I want to go around to all the local restaurants and see what they offer, what’s good, what’s not so good, and write about it. I think by committing to write about my dining experiences I will not only provide a valuable record for myself (and anyone else who might come to Tuscaloosa and wish to eat healthy), but having this “project” will help me stay on track, help me not succumb when the Reuben or the Double Cheeseburger and Chili Fries calls my name.
So. I start tonight! Well, actually, I have already collected notes for a couple of entries for the past couple of weeks, but tonight we go to Chili’s, so later tonight or tomorrow, I’ll write about my food choices there.
I hope that this “Side Salad” project will prove to be an inspiration. I hope this can be another part of some of the inventive things I do to get healthy.
