Last class.
Over the previous three weeks I had really learned a lot. I was actually going to miss these meetings. Seeing the progress that others had made, hearing the problems that they were having, and listening to their questions and how the instructors advised them, all helped me understand what I was going through, and made me feel that we were a team - fighting a common enemy.
At the last class we discussed the difficulties (or lack thereof), of eating out. At this point I felt I had a pretty good grasp of carb counting, but there were still things I learned that surprised me. Obviously, the numbers I will give you here are approximate, because every restaurant is different, but they will give you a good idea of what you are up against.
Breakfast:
What is the best choice of the following:
4-5'" bagel Large muffin English muffin breakfast sandwich 3" frosted donut
Ready for this?
The bagel has 70 g. carbs. The muffin has 80 g. carbs. The sandwich has 30 g. carbs. The donut has 35 g. carbs.
The best choice of these four would be the sandwich, with the donut coming in a close second. Ronald McDonald should be proud. I was surprised to see this initially, but think about it. The only carbs in an english muffin breakfast sandwich is in the english muffin. Eggs, cheese, and meat are all protein.
Lunch:
Lunch is lunch. A sandwich, a salad - I don't think I need to explain this to you.
Dinner Entrees:
Asian: Stay away from the rice and noodles and you're good. One cup of fried rice has 50 g. carbs. A half cup would be better.
Indian: Indian food is your friend. Low carb baby!
Italian: Italian food is not as friendly. Imagine that! Fettucini Alfredo, Lasagna, Ziti - Carbs, carbs, carbs. How 'bout 60-70 g. each! That's 4-4 1/2 carb choices right there. And who in the world can eat Italian food without bread? No one, that's who. But don't get your panties in a wad. Chicken or veal parmigiana, sauce on the side with a little whole wheat pasta has 30 g.
Mexican: The carbs are in the tortillas. Remember that and you'll be fine.
Pizza: Personal pizza - regular crust - 111 g. carbs! A slice of thin crust - 20 g. See the difference? Two slices of thin crust aren't going to kill you. Use your head.
Nachos: This'll make you happy! Nachos with cheese only have 30 g. carbs! Of course the serving size is 6-8 chips. Oh well....
Dessert: Cake is bad. Cheesecake is better. Fruit pie is bad. Pumpkin or custard pie is better. Ice cream (1/2 cup) is fine. It's simple really.
Now you should have a general understanding about eating out. It's all about choices. My mother asks me all of the time, "Can you eat that?" Yes I can. I'll say it again. It's all about choices. If I'm at my favorite restaurant and I know they have the best apple pie in the world, I'll have a salad for dinner. If I have a craving for pizza, I'll have a slice or two (thin crust of course) and skip dessert. This isn't that hard folks. Don't deprive yourself. You'll feel bitter and binge later. Everything in moderation. People told me that for 45 years, and these folks made me realize it in four weeks. I thank them for that.
And now for the time I was waiting for! The weigh-out! I couldn't believe I was looking forward to getting on a scale! C'mon - get out the bullhorn.
It was eight weeks since I had been diagnosed. And the winner is.....
ME!
In eight weeks, I had gone from 254 pounds to 210 pounds. My blood pressure was never bad -110/77 was my average. Today, my blood pressure was 92/68! Evidently diet and exercise really are good for you. The thing that made me most proud though was that my entire class lost almost 80 pounds - and I lost 44 of them. Over the top as usual...
