Mary's weight loss ramblings
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I've been toying with the idea of starting a journal here for the last month or so. It seems like whenever I post something on a forum, I ramble on forever. I thought it might be more considerate of fellow forum postees if I corralled my wandering thoughts in one area.
Also, I'm home with a cold today, and my internet connection is working. How could I resist?!
I've been eating out quite a bit lately. Not good for the wallet or the waist line. It's so frustrating to be on any kind of restricted diet (vegan, low-fat, etc) and try to eat out. Restaurants cater to SAD eaters, which means meat, fat, salt, sugar, all in giant portions.
I went to a Southern theme placed a few weeks ago with some coworkers. I ordered mashed sweet potatoes. Looking back now, I'm sure they had milk and butter in them...that's how you make mashed potatoes, sweet or otherwise, right?! I also ordered beets and collard greens. I asked the server if the greens had meat in them (again, Southern cooking here) and she said no. But she came back in a few minutes and said yes they did. So I ordered a side salad with the dressing on the side. Let me just say that I wish salads were only that--SALADS! Not covered in cheese, bacon, nuts, eggs, croutons and whatever other non-vegetable toppings the chef can come up with! Well, the salad arrived covered in what looked like bacon bits. So i asked the waiter to take it back. After a moments thought, he said it wasn't bacon bits, but candied walnuts! OK, I could deal with that. So I ate the lettuce from around the nuts. But the whole time, I could just feel my coworkers watching me and rolling their eyes. I think I'm seen as a picky eater or hard to please or something.
I went on a road trip to North Carolina a few weeks ago. I stopped in Asheville, which has a surprising amount of veg-friendly stores and restaurants. I went to a place called the Laughing Seed. It was SO nice to look at a menu and know that I could eat anything there without having to ask, "does this have cheese on top?" The menu was very clear and gave most ingredients so I could pick out foods that I felt would fit McD guidelines. I ordered a black bean and winter squash burrito. I left off the tofu sour cream (which the menu helpfully described). It was delicious! For the first time in years, I could relax and enjoy a meal and not wonder if my food was being fried in lard or coated in bacon bits in the kitchen. I definitely need to find some more veg restaurants to patronize!
Also, I'm home with a cold today, and my internet connection is working. How could I resist?!
I've been eating out quite a bit lately. Not good for the wallet or the waist line. It's so frustrating to be on any kind of restricted diet (vegan, low-fat, etc) and try to eat out. Restaurants cater to SAD eaters, which means meat, fat, salt, sugar, all in giant portions.
I went to a Southern theme placed a few weeks ago with some coworkers. I ordered mashed sweet potatoes. Looking back now, I'm sure they had milk and butter in them...that's how you make mashed potatoes, sweet or otherwise, right?! I also ordered beets and collard greens. I asked the server if the greens had meat in them (again, Southern cooking here) and she said no. But she came back in a few minutes and said yes they did. So I ordered a side salad with the dressing on the side. Let me just say that I wish salads were only that--SALADS! Not covered in cheese, bacon, nuts, eggs, croutons and whatever other non-vegetable toppings the chef can come up with! Well, the salad arrived covered in what looked like bacon bits. So i asked the waiter to take it back. After a moments thought, he said it wasn't bacon bits, but candied walnuts! OK, I could deal with that. So I ate the lettuce from around the nuts. But the whole time, I could just feel my coworkers watching me and rolling their eyes. I think I'm seen as a picky eater or hard to please or something.
I went on a road trip to North Carolina a few weeks ago. I stopped in Asheville, which has a surprising amount of veg-friendly stores and restaurants. I went to a place called the Laughing Seed. It was SO nice to look at a menu and know that I could eat anything there without having to ask, "does this have cheese on top?" The menu was very clear and gave most ingredients so I could pick out foods that I felt would fit McD guidelines. I ordered a black bean and winter squash burrito. I left off the tofu sour cream (which the menu helpfully described). It was delicious! For the first time in years, I could relax and enjoy a meal and not wonder if my food was being fried in lard or coated in bacon bits in the kitchen. I definitely need to find some more veg restaurants to patronize!