Well, I did a decent job of eating yesterday. Already posted about my breakfast, but for lunch we went to an upscale burger place called Mike Ditka’s. The portions were among the biggest I’d ever seen, and a lot of people opted for the taco salad, which came in one of those taco shell bells and was absolutely gigantic. When mine came out, I’ll admit to feeling let down by the average-to-small size of the dish, though I know it was better for my waistline. I chose the grilled fish tacos, which were topped with lettuce, black beans, and salsa – no cheese or sour cream. Meanwhile, the taco salad came absolutely dripping with some kind of creamy dressing and loaded with piles of cheese, so it seemed I totally made the right choice! Go me.
Dinner, however, was really tough. We went to a place called Cafe Ba Ba Reeba for tapas, which is never an easy thing to get if you’re trying to eat lightly. On the one hand, you can eat as much or as little as you want and no one will notice (so it’s great if you’re really motivated to eat lightly, because you can get away with just a few bites and no one can tell). However, when you’re just taking a few bites here and there, it’s hard to tell exactly how much you’ve eaten. I typically end up overeating and yet still not feeling full because it was all just nibbles. When you add in pitchers of really delicious passionfruit sangria… yeah, that was not a low calorie night!
This morning, while I knew it wouldn’t nearly make up for it, I at least resolved to hit the gym. My hotel had a small gym on the top floor, which had pretty views of the rest of downtown Chicago (yay) but unfortunately only five cardio machines and not really anything else (boo). When I got there, there was just one machine open, so I quickly jumped on the elliptical before someone else could come steal my spot. It had been a while since I had been to the gym, so I quickly worked up a sweat as I dutifully did my 30 minutes while watching a rerun of Saved by the Bell.
After bagels and cream cheese for breakfast (oops, I totally indulged there) and a morning of training, we had boxed lunch from Cosi, which I thought would give me a chance to lighten up again. I picked the “Turkey Lite” sandwich, which was flatbread with turkey breast, lettuce, and honey mustard – clocked in at 380 calories, according to the Calorie Counter app I now had on my phone (ah, how technology has evolved since I was last doing the consulting thing). However, I got too tempted by the Rocky Road brownie that was in my box, and ate 1/2 of it (~250 calories) before I had the willpower to throw the rest away. Oops!
So now I’m on the plane home, and you’d think after all that food I’d be sated… but I am desperately craving a margarita and some Mexican food. I think eating healthy when I’m back to consulting is going to be a lot harder than I thought…
Congrats Laura! I only just discovered that you’ll be going back to consulting – sounds like, and you said, it’ll be a great ride! Hope to see you later today 🙂
– Natasha
congrats on the new job situation. it’s difficult to eat well when you’re eating out, so it sounds like you have your work cut out for you there. and the 500 calorie brown in your lunch – ouch!
Congrats on the new job! I just stumbled across your site and have linked you and added it to my RSS reader! 🙂 Check out my new site if you want at http://www.shesafitchick.com.
Mmmm marguaritas!!! Now I’m craving one too 😉
I’m with Anais! Mmmmm marguaritas!
Congrats on your new job! I also am just starting a new job… Exciting times in life!
Good luck with everything!
Krista
http://liveloverunthroughlife.blogspot.com/
So glad the consulting gig is taking off! Oh, and Cafe Ba Ba Reeba is my favorite tapas place in Chicago – isn’t it just the coolest, funky little place?
When I was traveling alot I gained 30 pounds. Sucked. I don’t know how you do it. Impressive!
Laura
Oh Chicago – how I love you and your food!
Next time you’re in Chicago, go for a run by the lake. It’s fantastic.
Congrats on the new job! How exciting to get back to what you love – good luck and I look forward to your recommendations for healthy places to eat in Chicago!
Glad to see that you are amongst the traveling consulting ranks again 🙂
Wow, fish tacos at ditkas takes a strong will. nice work