My city is NOT sabbotaging me, its the opposite. :)

NYCNika

I can't manage to make my own lunch, and I buy lunch and breakfast out every day.

I am lucky to be working in Manhattan -- I am still able to be under my calorie goal. For breakfast there are fresh fruit cups, fat-free yogurts with nuts, etc.

For lunch.... I can walk to 5 Prets, there are more of them than Starbucks. There are some things in Cosi I can eat (like signature salad with 1/3 the bread, or half sandwich, half salad...), Le Pain Quotidien, and so on. But recently, there have been droves of new lunch places with emphasis on healthy and organic opening up. With calories posted on every menu items, even if they don't have enough locations to be required by law to do it. I tried one last week, and today I discovered a new option:

http://choptsalad.com/pdfdownloads/Chopt_Menu_NY.pdf
I love the part that every ingredient and every dressing has calorie info on it. I'll try it tomorrow.
And right next to it, a new Roti place is opening up. (I know roti is not exactly low fat, but from photos they have in their window it is clear that they will be a health-conscious calorie posting place). They are growing like mushrooms and they have business. And that is just the places that post calories (there are plenty more small choices, but now I prefer to know calorie count).

It is very helpful to have so many choices for healthy lunch (most of my coworkers buy lunch every day too). Granted, I must walk 4 avenues each way at lunch to avail myself of this wide selection, but I'm not looking at it as if it is a bad thing. Oh, and I just mapped the walking distance of my commute and was shocked to discover I walk 2 miles per day just to get to work and 1mile a day to get lunch (0.5milesx2). So, on an average day, 3 miles a day just to get to work and eat lunch. It just comes out this way because the stretch to my train is 0.5 miles, stretch from train to work is 0.5 miles, and same for way back. I don't log it, because this is part of my daily routine.

The city also has laws about nutritional info being posted on menu if you have x locations, now ban on soda above 20 oz, run anti-commercials about sugary drinks, parks department has free hike sessions and programs, many races run throughout the year for runners and bikers... I feel the city is supportive of those who try to be healthy.