The wonderful/terrible opportunity/dilemma.
TheFinalThird
Posts: 315 Member
I looked at the time on the lower right hand corner of my office computer screen. 4:42 p.m. Wait.... what? It was just 10:37am this morning. What the heck happened?
I had been working all day on a response to a petition for review to the Supreme Court of Texas. My family members and my office staff know when I am "in the briefing zone" and to leave me alone and not break my concentration. Today was a particularly productive roll, and I was glad to get the response filed before the long holiday weekend.
Within seconds of hitting the send button (efiling the response with the court clerk in Austin and serving my two opposing counsel simultaneously), it suddenly occurred to me that I was hungry. Really hungry. REALLY, REALLY HUNGRY. I checked MFP to see how many calories I had left. Whoa... 2530. That was a first. I got so busy and stayed so focused on my work that I literally forgot to eat. Another first. I dialed up my wife to see what the plan was for dinner. Our oldest son, Daniel was in from Boston for the long weekend, and while he had previously made plans for tonight, they fell through.
We decided that since I had so many calories left, we'd head to our favorite Brazilian steakhouse. She made 5:30pm reservations and I headed for the office door. But before I did, I remembered the sign on my desk. "If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail," it says. I thought it might be a good idea to run the numbers on my anticipated 2500 or so calorie feast just to make sure I'd stay within that allotment. I closed my eyes and mentally made a note of what I usually eat there, how much of each, and in what order. Then I looked it all up on MFP.
Holy crap. It totalled up to between 5,700 and 6,200 calories. No wonder I ended up a writhing, walking, talking tub of goo, albeit not for much longer.
I thought to myself, if I plan this right, I can enjoy a big, satisfying meal and stay within calories for the day. My usual M.O. is to watch my wife's purse (really more like duffel bag, but that's another story) while she and the boys visited the ample salad bar. Altruistic? Hell no. While they were there picking their salad selections, I usually scarfed between 10 and 12 of those little chewy cheese puff roll thingies. I counted up those calories. Ugh! That was between 850 and 1.050 calories right there. Damn. I love those cheesy puff thingies. I figured out a way I could enjoy them without falling into my usual trap of binging on 'em early in the meal and rolling up a lot of calories.
First, I went to the salad bar and literally filled my plate with HEALTHY salad bar items. Instead of scarfing down the salad, I would commit to savoring each item and really trying to enjoy the texture and flavors of each item. Additionally, before I began eating I drank two glasses of water, and committed to drinking a glass of water every 1/4 plate of food that I consumed. I figured that between the salad and the water, plus slowing down my eating, I could get through that first dangerous 20 minutes or so between when the food starts heading down toward the stomach and when the brain registers that it has been fed.
As far as the cheesy thingies, I would commit to eating one after my salad plate was empty, one in the middle of my meat fest, and one at the end of the meal. I promised my panicky self that if I still had the calories and still craved them, I'd eat as many as my calories would allow, or until I was satisfied.
Interestingly, while I was eating the salad, that same panicky little voice kept repeating that my family was eating all the good meat and there wouldn't be any for me when I was ready for it. I told the voice to shut up and that everything would be fine.
23 minutes into the meal, I was well hydrated, full of delicious, healthy salad, and not nearly as ravenously hungry as when I walked into the restaurant. Total calories consumed? Under 400. Oh yeah!
It was time to flip my card over so that the meat servers knew I was ready for them. I kept my smartphone on the top of the table, and committed to entering EVERY morsel of food before I ate it. That would further slow me down. Instead of 4-5 servings of my favorites, I was happy just to have one of each. By the time I had eaten my fill (literally) of meat, chicken, cheesy puff thingies, and sausage, I had used all but about 400 of my day's calories. I was totally full, very happy and did not feel a bit deprived. I did not even want the 600 calories worth of creme brulee or papaya creme that I would usually end the meal with.
My one concession to gluttony is that at the 600 calorie left mark, I eyed the two remaining cheesy thingies. I knew I had to have them. I also knew I had the calories to accommodate them. Very, very cool. As soon as the last one was gone, I knew I was done.
Before tonight, within a half-hour after one of my steakhouse fiestas, I would always feel sluggish, over-full and bloated to the point of nausea. Tonight, I am pleasantly full, and still have the taste of the seasoned, tender meats and cheesy thingies. More importantly, I am perfectly happy with my choices. If I power walk (and I feel good enough to do that in a little while) I will even have enough calories left for a venti skinny vanilla latte and some pears poached in brandy. All in all, it's been a good day. And I have MFP and all you wonderful people to thank for contributing to my success with your wonderful suggestions and advice.
Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!
Scott R. in Houston, Tx.
I had been working all day on a response to a petition for review to the Supreme Court of Texas. My family members and my office staff know when I am "in the briefing zone" and to leave me alone and not break my concentration. Today was a particularly productive roll, and I was glad to get the response filed before the long holiday weekend.
Within seconds of hitting the send button (efiling the response with the court clerk in Austin and serving my two opposing counsel simultaneously), it suddenly occurred to me that I was hungry. Really hungry. REALLY, REALLY HUNGRY. I checked MFP to see how many calories I had left. Whoa... 2530. That was a first. I got so busy and stayed so focused on my work that I literally forgot to eat. Another first. I dialed up my wife to see what the plan was for dinner. Our oldest son, Daniel was in from Boston for the long weekend, and while he had previously made plans for tonight, they fell through.
We decided that since I had so many calories left, we'd head to our favorite Brazilian steakhouse. She made 5:30pm reservations and I headed for the office door. But before I did, I remembered the sign on my desk. "If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail," it says. I thought it might be a good idea to run the numbers on my anticipated 2500 or so calorie feast just to make sure I'd stay within that allotment. I closed my eyes and mentally made a note of what I usually eat there, how much of each, and in what order. Then I looked it all up on MFP.
Holy crap. It totalled up to between 5,700 and 6,200 calories. No wonder I ended up a writhing, walking, talking tub of goo, albeit not for much longer.
I thought to myself, if I plan this right, I can enjoy a big, satisfying meal and stay within calories for the day. My usual M.O. is to watch my wife's purse (really more like duffel bag, but that's another story) while she and the boys visited the ample salad bar. Altruistic? Hell no. While they were there picking their salad selections, I usually scarfed between 10 and 12 of those little chewy cheese puff roll thingies. I counted up those calories. Ugh! That was between 850 and 1.050 calories right there. Damn. I love those cheesy puff thingies. I figured out a way I could enjoy them without falling into my usual trap of binging on 'em early in the meal and rolling up a lot of calories.
First, I went to the salad bar and literally filled my plate with HEALTHY salad bar items. Instead of scarfing down the salad, I would commit to savoring each item and really trying to enjoy the texture and flavors of each item. Additionally, before I began eating I drank two glasses of water, and committed to drinking a glass of water every 1/4 plate of food that I consumed. I figured that between the salad and the water, plus slowing down my eating, I could get through that first dangerous 20 minutes or so between when the food starts heading down toward the stomach and when the brain registers that it has been fed.
As far as the cheesy thingies, I would commit to eating one after my salad plate was empty, one in the middle of my meat fest, and one at the end of the meal. I promised my panicky self that if I still had the calories and still craved them, I'd eat as many as my calories would allow, or until I was satisfied.
Interestingly, while I was eating the salad, that same panicky little voice kept repeating that my family was eating all the good meat and there wouldn't be any for me when I was ready for it. I told the voice to shut up and that everything would be fine.
23 minutes into the meal, I was well hydrated, full of delicious, healthy salad, and not nearly as ravenously hungry as when I walked into the restaurant. Total calories consumed? Under 400. Oh yeah!
It was time to flip my card over so that the meat servers knew I was ready for them. I kept my smartphone on the top of the table, and committed to entering EVERY morsel of food before I ate it. That would further slow me down. Instead of 4-5 servings of my favorites, I was happy just to have one of each. By the time I had eaten my fill (literally) of meat, chicken, cheesy puff thingies, and sausage, I had used all but about 400 of my day's calories. I was totally full, very happy and did not feel a bit deprived. I did not even want the 600 calories worth of creme brulee or papaya creme that I would usually end the meal with.
My one concession to gluttony is that at the 600 calorie left mark, I eyed the two remaining cheesy thingies. I knew I had to have them. I also knew I had the calories to accommodate them. Very, very cool. As soon as the last one was gone, I knew I was done.
Before tonight, within a half-hour after one of my steakhouse fiestas, I would always feel sluggish, over-full and bloated to the point of nausea. Tonight, I am pleasantly full, and still have the taste of the seasoned, tender meats and cheesy thingies. More importantly, I am perfectly happy with my choices. If I power walk (and I feel good enough to do that in a little while) I will even have enough calories left for a venti skinny vanilla latte and some pears poached in brandy. All in all, it's been a good day. And I have MFP and all you wonderful people to thank for contributing to my success with your wonderful suggestions and advice.
Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!
Scott R. in Houston, Tx.
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Replies
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i love those steakhouses!!! Way to go.0
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Good for you! Way to plan it out and have a great meal that you still really enjoyed while staying within your limits!0
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I totally get your "briefing zone" I'm an accountant and during tax season I literally forget to eat some days BUT we have to figure out how to keep our concentration while fueling our bodies throughout the day so we're not starving at the end of the day. We can do it!
I'm not raining on your parade - don't worry. I'm one of your biggest cheerleaders (literally and figuratively lol)
You have conquered a lot of your bad habits this week alone - you should be so stinkin' happy with yourself!! I know I am happy for you and enjoy being part of this with you!
Have a wonderful time with your family this weekend!!0 -
Hey Scott, a similar thing happened to me the other day!
I went to one of those family style restaurants with my two slim friends, we normally order similar things but now that I started using MFP, I decided to look up the menu on the restaurant's website because it has the calories written beside each meal. I calculated my options for certain meals based on whether I wanted a hearty main and a light dessert, or if I felt like I had a sweet tooth then a lighter main. Out of curiosity I looked at the calories for the meal I'd normally have and it almost totaled my calorie allowance for the day. I felt really ashamed at the way I'd eaten before but I was so pleased with myself for taking the step. I opted for the one that would let me have a dessert, but when I'd finished my main I wasn't interested in it either. I also drank water instead of the refillable colas they offer. I too normally feel sluggish after eating out at restaurants but I felt just nicely full and not sleepy.
Great work on the choices and being determined! We can do this
Helen x0 -
Honestly I think it is US that should be thanking YOU!0
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Way to go, Helen! I firmly believe becoming conscious of what we're doing is the first step in fixing it. I am thrilled for your positive eating experience.
S.R.0 -
Great way to be proactive!0
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Very enjoyable to read. Well done, Scott, for maintaining control even when you allow yourself to have what you want. And lucky you, sounds like you have a very interesting job!0
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Fantastic!!!!! It feels good when we do it right doesn't it?0
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Wow, while I completely understand your "briefing zone"...I'm a paralegal, so my bosses don't type up their own briefs....but damn, your post is very cool, yet very long. Are you sure some of your briefing zone didn't drift into that post??
Congrats to you! I think you are totally awesome! I would have never imagined that a Brazillian restaurants food would rack up that many calories, but now I know! We recently had a place open in my town that serves that type of food, but have yet to eat there. I will be well informed when I do.
You rock! Keep up the awesome work!!0 -
I check out the menues when we go out and plan what I will eat...I never leave feeling deprived..WTG0
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Wow, while I completely understand your "briefing zone"...I'm a paralegal, so my bosses don't type up their own briefs....but damn, your post is very coo, yet very long. Are you sure some of your briefing zone didn't drift into that post??
Hard to turn it off at the end of the day sometimes. Sorry!0 -
I really wasn't trying to be offensive, I promise you. I completely understand!! It's just one of those things that carry over from the job...LOL.0
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Awesome job!!! I really enjoy reading your posts.0
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I love this post! Very helpful!0
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Great work and great planning!0
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That's FANTASTIC! WTG and totally inspiring too - it shows we CAN all have what we want - just in moderation! (and still feel satisfied as well!) 0
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Thank you for sharing. :flowerforyou:
I find I do this as well. It really is eye-opening.0 -
Now THAT is a WIN. Congratulations!! 0
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We don't have those kind of Restaurants here in the UK but visited one in Chicago and one in Toronto whilst visiting our daughter and I must say they are totally delicious! The one in Chicago had the most delicious mashed potato,I was not counting calories then just a greedy pig so ate loads! If we get to go to one of those places again I will take your advise. Thank you and have a great weekend. 0
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Brazilian steakhouses are AMAZING! Thanks for posting this. Now if me and the guy go to one of these again I have a strategy to utilize 0
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That's awesome! Great job!0
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That is a total WIN! Love those Brazilian steakhouses - but it's so darn easy to over eat! I applaud you - WTG!0
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Fab post. Sounds like my day today.
When I go to the local wonderful Japanese restaurant, I usually get the combination tray, with the tempura, the sushi, the sashimi, the salad, the fish ... and wind up eating more than 1000 calories. (I added it up last time I went there.)
So ... tonight, I decided to get a different meal: cooked shellfish and vegetables with Japanese sticky rice. I felt quite full at the end of the meal, added everything up ... and discovered I have nearly 200 calories left.
Enough for a small serving of sorbet, if I want.
Will I have it? Haven't decided yet.
But it does feel VERY good to know I can do this!
So, congrats to you, and thanks for the inspiration!0 -
What a great post. Very uplifting. Congratulations on your foresight and your will power. Glad it worked out so well for you!0
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Excellent!!!!0
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Awesome. And that, my friends, is how you make a lifestyle change. Go you!0
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Awesome! Cheesy bread (or anything with cheese) is a weakness of mine. I'm glad you kept it under control!0
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Honestly I think it is US that should be thanking YOU!
I agree 100%. I love MFP and all of my friends, but Scott, you just have a way of saying things that resonates. You're such a great motivator. I look forward to reading your posts every day!!!
ETA: Also, I think one of the hardest things to overcome is that "panicky" feel. My therapist reminded me that I had to give myself to eat more later, if I really wanted it. By doing that, I know longer have the fear that there won't be more food later. Giving myself "permission" to eat things I used to beat myself up for has allowed me to actually eat less of it. Good for you for overriding the fear!0 -
We don't have those kind of Restaurants here in the UK but visited one in Chicago and one in Toronto whilst visiting our daughter and I must say they are totally delicious! The one in Chicago had the most delicious mashed potato,I was not counting calories then just a greedy pig so ate loads! If we get to go to one of those places again I will take your advise. Thank you and have a great weekend.
Just to let you know they are some Brazilian BBQ places in the UK but they are few and far between. Just google brazillian barbecue UK. Yummy!0
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