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Packing and Losing

My year-and-a-half-long love affair with take-out is over. It started when I was selling my house in Colorado: take-out kept the kitchen clean. After I got to Indiana, I started out working part-time and didn't have much human contact at work. Getting take-out brought me some human contact. I was tired of cooking, too.

My weight crept up to the point on the scale where I don't let it go any higher. Even though I ordered food that sounded low-carb, the restaurant information showed 20, 30, or 40 grams of carbohydrate per dish. One Sunday night recently, I made too much chef's salad and took the rest to work the next day. I kept going--I brought my lunch to work every day for a week. Five pounds fell off.

Packing my lunch hasn't been that hard--I was just tired of doing it and then fell into another habit. Now, I usually make a big dinner and take the leftovers to work, along with a low-carb dessert.

What if I don't feel like packing a lunch (or making dinner)?

  • Atkins dinners are available close to home and work.
  • Hardee's makes a good lettuce-wrapped burger.
  • CVS has macadamia nuts (but they're expensive).
  • A roasted chicken is an easy dinner and allows for leftovers.

What hasn't or wouldn't work?

  • Take-out from most restaurants. It's either too carby or too small.
  • Meal delivery services. They're expensive AND you still have to cook and clean up. It's the worst of both worlds. Besides, what happens to them if you're not home when they're delivered? 
  • Atkins bars--they give me gas.

The appeal of the "meal delivery service" eludes me. They're not actually meals, just ingredients in a box with a recipe. The ingredients still have to be chopped and cooked and the dishes done. It doesn't save you a trip to the grocery store since you still have to go there for coffee, bacon, and dish soap.
Restaurant meals tend to be full of sugar and starch. When you pass up the bread, rice and potatoes, you see how little there is to the meals. Indy's fabulous food scene is mostly a wasteland for me. However, the climate here makes it a great place to garden and there's plenty of traditionally raised pork--including bacon, lard and several kinds of sausage--near my home. I bought some the other day and made green chile with pork: I had a cold, and I couldn't find green chile here for love nor money. It's made some great lunches, and despite my being sick, it wasn't that hard to make.
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Comments

Larcana said…
I've gotten to this point as well. I know what's in the dish I made, not so much with restaurants.
It's also, a pricey thing to eat out.
July 09, 2017
Lori Miller said…
I'm curious how Panda Express manages to get 40-50 grams of carb in a little meat and vegetable dish. Sugar and corn starch, I suppose.
July 12, 2017
Lowcarb team member said…
"However, the climate here makes it a great place to garden and there's plenty of traditionally raised pork--including bacon, lard and several kinds of sausage--near my home."
Sounds good Lori, just add some low carb vegetables!

All the best Jan
July 15, 2017
Lori Miller said…
I just got your comment, Jan. I've got more low-carb vegetables in the garden than I can eat!
July 18, 2017
Val said…
What seems to be working the best in my cobbled-together plan is batch cooking... Bcz I certainly don't feel like starting a big cooking project after a long hard day at work!
July 24, 2017
Lori Miller said…
I usually bring leftovers from dinner.
July 25, 2017
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