One of my all time favorite quotes is "You can't out exercise a bad diet." My next favorite you might ask? "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Are they a bit corny? Sure. But, they always make me think. As you already know I am an Army wife, which means not only do I move a lot I travel a lot, whether it be to visit our families, spend time with old friends, or travel to see my hubby while he is gone at school; I am on the road A LOT.
When I started my lifestyle change I remember eating out was always the hardest thing for me. I mean lets be honest inside every woman is a little kid cheering for the cheese fries and chocolate cake, am I right? I grew up in an era where salads were the key to losing weight. I remember watching my mom and grandma order them, or make them as part their "diets" before a big event, or vacation. So I must admit when I started my research and realized not only do most salads have absurd amounts of calories, most have very little nutritional value. Well crap, now that salads are a no go what am I supposed to eat at the drive through? One thing I will preach again, DO YOUR RESEARCH. All fast food chains have their nutritional values available for you to see if you ask, or in the day of technology Google it :) I have a handy dandy app on my phone I use, but I also use a lot of common sense. Chicken is obviously leaner then beef. Grilled is better than fried, and wheat buns are better than white. Avoid condiments if possible, ranch and mayo are loaded with fat and others such as ketchup or mustard are mainly empty calories that can be prevented. Also another thing I strongly encourage, sub out your fries!! Get the baked potato or the fruit cup. Last but certainly not least as you order your combo, DITCH the soda and sweet tea. The amount of sugar and once again empty calories are making those jeans tighter and tighter. Opt for a bottle of water or unsweetened tea, most places even offer low fat milk instead, if that is an easier trade.
A huge contributor to my travel snacks is pre thinking, and packing ahead. I can live on some fresh fruit so i toss some in a Tupperware to take with me, plenty of coffee, water, protein bars, and peanuts. Eating is my downfall when I drive. I get bored and am extremely ADHD, plus I smoked for a good five years which always helped keep me occupied in the car previously. First off smoking is terrible for you and it makes your teeth and skin gross, enough said. Drinking my usual amount of water causes me to need to pee every twenty minutes which is just not practical while on a road trip, so try chewing some gum, and snacking healthy.
My next subject matter, is restaurant dining. In this day and age we often meet our friends, family, co-workers, and pretty much anyone for a casual dinner date. Once again do your research before hand, check out the menu online before you head out or if you decide last minute glance through the whole menu and think about your options before compulsively selecting the first thing that sounds great. Alcohol is also a big downfall in the diet area. Everyone enjoys to unwind and relax and some of us like to have a drink or two. Those few drinks can be just as sugary, and sabotaging to your diet as soda. Some people think wine is better than beet or liquor is better than wine, the fact of the matter is your body converts alcohol to sugar no matter what form it may come in, so just be aware. Alcohol along with caffeine dehydrates you which can cause your body to retain water and leave you feeling bloated another bummer when trying to lose weight.
Just tonight I went out to a Chinese buffet, and while my stomach wanted to dive into the fried dumplings and lo mien, I stuck with my shrimp a few sushi some steamed veggies and fruit for dessert. Sure it doesn't sound exciting, but either does feeling bloated and miserable from over eating or eating things that are going to make you sluggish and have no energy. You truly are what you eat, your performance in work outs and in life in general is going to be based on your nutrition. Take care of your body while you can, it's the only one we get here :) Until next time think before you eat and think with your head and not your stomach ;)- Amanda
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