No Fat- doing good

Hey!

So one week with NO fried foods. NONE. YAY me. It's been sort of hard, but then again, sort of not. I have limited my actual fat intake quite a bit. It's truly deep fried stuff like fries, chips, cheese sticks I am avoiding but I need to watch the saturated fat too - so fat in general is under the microscope for me.  Before I go out to eat, I look up the nutritional chart first. (I always eat out at lunch). I have been cooking all dinners at home - and have very much limited my sugar intake. Only water to drink.

My pants feel loser -- and I feel good in general. I can't say I have had some epiphany or anything with not eating so much fat- I am just making better choices and doing it on purpose. The last two times I ate lunch at Chili's - I got broccoli instead of fries. I've had sandwiches instead of burgers. No cookies at night ... or anything like that. No Girl Scout cookies here at work...

Today I went to The Corner Bakery for lunch. I checked online first and chose a soup/sandwich combo which was pretty ok in calories and fat. I ignored all the cookies and cakes and just marched up to the counter ordered my chicken sandwich and my lentil soup and marched back and sat down. I can do this --- I was telling myself, even though that little mini bundt cake looked goooooooooood.

When they brought my food I was SHOCKED to find the space between the soup and sammy FILLED with potato chips. CRAP! That wasn't mentioned on my menu. They looked SO GOOD too. But I ignored them. I ate my stuff and I didn't even touch ONE chip. I am so proud of myself today. I also scraped off some of the mayo and removed some of the cheese. Here is my lunch today when I was done with it.

I did eat the pickle- cause it was touching a chip and I was thinking mmmm... I bet a little taste of that chip grease got on you Mr Pickle. So I ate it to see but, no ... just vinegar. :(


.... and this won't be forever. I mean it's not like I'll never have another chip. Someone told me today, "Well you can cheat this weekend" ... NO I really can't. I know me. I need to get into a routine first. It takes 21 days to get into a routine - so .... I am maintaining this strictness for 21 days. THEN at that point I can have fries once a week or a piece of cake or something - but if I do it now, I think I'll ruin it. I'm just now starting to see the cravings going away ... so no need to ruin it now. But that first chicken strip meal will probably make me cry. LOL

The next thing I suppose is to get back to the gym. I was doing so well last year before my gallbladder surgery. I just never got back into it. But ... one life change at a time, I say!

Kah

Exploring Houston: Soto's Cantina- Houston

Soto's Cantina
10609 Grant Rd., Houston, Texas

Ah ... deliciousness! I am ALWAYS on the hunt for delicious Mexican food and this little visit was BEFORE I decided to go "no fried food" -- cause alas, those deep fried chips are OFF the diet for now!

I went online and was reading some reviews on restaurants in Houston and found one about this resturant which is pretty close to my house. If you are from Houston or have been here for any time, this is the family who used to own the La Parrada restaurant on 1960. They closed it down and opened this one: Soto's Catina.



Soto's outside

 It's REALLY cute on the outside and easy to find. When we went in, it was relatively quiet for a Saturday night - but within 30 minutes it was PACKED. That speaks for itself!

We ordered queso right away and it was good. I don't know if it's US and we're just killed our tastebuds with hot stuff or what, but once again, we had to ask for jalapenos on the side to jazz up the queso. Once those were added, we jumped on the train to Flavortown and it was ON. Nice queso!



We got the teeny one

 Their menu was GREAT. It was very nice and had pictures and was very descriptive. They even have some $17 steak on it which has apparently won awards, statewide. We didn't get it because I wasn't up for trying the steak AND a new restaurant all at the same time, not for $17!

I decided to go with a combo plate - just a little of everything. My plate also came with a "taco" which was al carbon- which just means like fajita meat as opposed to ground beef. Well this was ONE FANCY taco with queso and everything poured over it. Well ok, I'll take it! The beans and rice, which are usually the REAL test were EXCELLENT --- and we would totally come back to this place! I also ordered a chicken enchilada to really test it out because traditionally, I don't dig chicken in mexican food (except for fajitas).

Rice, beans tamale and chicken enchilada



Super fancy taco

 This was a great place and we'll be back! I recommend it and I'm sure the 200 people that were in there with us will recommend as well! The only bad thing was, upon getting home, we found out Whitney Houston had died and that will probably forever stay with me. Every time I go in here I will probably think about her. It makes me sad and sad/delicious Mexican food don't mix.

Kah

BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD Test

Ah, the New Year!

It brings all sorts of things - car inspection, HOA payment is due, all your doctors start calling to have you come in. Between January and March I will have three checkups - all different docs - girly doc, thyroid, dermotologist, etc ...

Saw the thyroid doc a few weeks ago - levels are fine, they actually have been for several years. I haven't had to change medicines I think in at least 2. This time he surprised me and ran a cholesterol, sugar, etc test. I saw it marked down on my sheet before I headed down to the lab. DARN IT! I know I have been being bad. Lunch is my comfort. Sometimes I need that hour to just fall into something delicious, go out with a friend, maybe read my book somewhere ---- and I knew it was catching up with me. SO SCARED about the cholesterol too cause my dad's side of the family has terrible heart troubles. Gosh darn it, I KNEW better!

Well, this past week the results came and WHEW --- talk about dodging a bullet! My sugar was a perfectly lovely 65 and my cholesterol --- SO proud to say 144! My bad cholesterol was low and my good was just fine ... what a load off! BUT --- (DUN DUN DUN - scary music), my trigylerides were not good. 169 ---- and they are supposed to be under 150. CRAP.

I looked it up and it's fat in the blood. Ah, there's my bad eating catching up with me! It's not on the sugar or the cholesterol, but it's on the fat in the blood --- and the doc left me a little note (watch what you eat!) ... CRAP. Fine.

Anyway I choose to look at this as an early warning sign- nothing terrible or life threatening ... but you better snap out of it girl! SO --- here's what I'm doing. NO fried food. NONE - not even chips and salsa at this point. After a few months, I will allow it for special occasions or whatever - but right now, none. I also am going to add some lean fish to my diet- twice a week. I like salmon ok --- but the rest, UGH ---- not a fish girl ... but some grilled salmon, I can choke down. I was never a soda person anyway, but I am increasing my water intake and really limiting sugar. Sugar isn't going to totally go away --- I think a cookie once in awhile or a piece of cake at a birthday party is fine --- but fried foods are GONE. Some fat is ok and actually needed, so I'm not going to freak out about cheese on my sandwich, etc. I also spent the week learning about saturated fats, transfats, etc. I think I've got a handle on it!

I am going to get my regular doc to retest me in June -- give myself three good months. Hopefully I'll see some difference.

Kah