Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Ignorance is bliss

Didn’t pack a lunch today and was trying to figure out what to eat. I’d spent some time on a stationary bike being a lab rat for Pat this morning and was starved by lunch time.

Cafe Rio sounded good, but I figured even a salad was going to be about a bazillion calories. Checked out the daily plate on Livestrong.com and found that it was 800.

That seemed a bit much, so I looked at Jimmy John’s. I only ever get one thing there: the Italian Night Club. I was horrified to find that it was over 1,000 calories and nearly 60 grams of fat. For just the sandwich. A Whopper is better for you, and TWO Big Macs are about the same. Yikes!

So I looked through a handful of other options that are within a few blocks of my office. And realized that packing a lunch most days is a good idea for more than just financial reasons.

In the end I went to Cafe Rio and threw half my tortilla away. I’ll miss Jimmy John’s. I may still eat there occasionally, but I’ll never enjoy it quite as much.

8 comments:

  1. A good salad strategy: Don't eat the tortilla, tons of fat in those, and get the dressing on the side. Then just dip your fork in the dressing before you jab your food. No drizzling. You'll finish the salad with almost all your dressing left over, and you'll realize that you didn't miss it.

    Calorie counters are depressing.

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  2. I had 5 guys today. Cheeseburger and fries. Mmmmmmmmm

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  3. I eat the tortilla, and I use it to mop up my leftover dressing, too. Of course, that's at Costa Vida. I haven't been to Cafe Rio in about 13 months, ever since I bit into a large piece of metal while eating my salad.

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  4. And I wouldn't trust that calorie count. There's no way there are only 800 calories in one of those salads.

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  5. My 6 year old was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in January this year so we have to track EVERYTHING he puts in his mouth. It automatically translates over to your own life as well as you now know the nutritional information for every piece of food that is around you. it's a double-edged sword! Great to know, sucks to know:).

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  6. Dave, how cool is Team Type 1? I remember reading an interview with Wade Simmons, who is diabetic, and he said part of his motivation on the bike is to show others that diabetes doesn't need to keep you from doing really cool stuff, on the bike or elsewhere.

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  7. I agree. Team Type 1 is awesome!! My son thinks they are cool as well and I always cheer them on and would like to see them do well.

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