No processed foods. No sugar/fake sugar/sweets. No white food: bread, pasta, potatoes, rice. No starchy veg like corn and peas. No alcohol, soda, diet soda. Limited or no dairy and red meat.
This makes restaurant eating very difficult because you lose all control of ingredients, portion size and preparation methods.
Here are two good things I managed on Wednesday, when I had both lunch and dinner out. (Great planning on my part, eh? In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.)
1. Appetizer for lunch: shrimp and avocado ceviche, hold the chips. Shrimp, tomatoes, onion, lime juice, cilantro, avocado ... about a cup in total, served in a pretty margarita glass. No oil, butter, or bread in sight.
2. For dinner: fish tacos, minus the taco part. Grilled mahi mahi with a cabbage-salsa slaw that was really the filling of the tacos. I just asked them to keep the corn tortillas in the kitchen, so I wouldn't be tempted. Because you and I both know if they're on the plate, they're likely to be in my mouth.
To top it all off, Saturday night I have to go to Prime Quarter for Symplified Trucking's holiday party. I'm already planning my meal so I know what I'll be ordering before I get there. Wavering between half of the filet (it's a 9-10 oz. hunk of meat ... split it with Jim) or the catch of the day, provided it's not catfish. No potato. Mixed greens, no dressing, fresh veg for a total of 2C of salad.
The key is to look for lean protein, simply prepared and fresh, whole, steamed or raw veg. Grilled, baked, broiled all OK ... fish is my first choice, chicken my second and pork/beef last.
Skip anything with butter- or cream-based sauces. In fact, skip sauces altogether. Salsa is your friend ... lots of flavor with nothing bad included. Avoid cheesy, melty things. And anything likely to be a huge portion. PORTION SIZE WILL KILL YOU! Package half up immediately so you're not tempted to nibble as everyone else finishes the platters in front of them.
Don't let something like a turkey burger fool you. Sure, if you just ate the turkey burger patty it might be fine. Add the enormous bun, the special sauce (BBQ is loaded with sugar and salt, and don't get me started on Ranch/Thousand Island-ish burger accompaniments. If the texture is like mayo or creamy salad dressing, it's not good for you.), the cheese, the whole avocado, the onion straws ... you get the idea. Your 200-calorie patty turns into a 700-calorie wasteland.
This will all be good practice for the next two weeks where I have two business trips and a couple of fancy group meals.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
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