Day Two: Cheesecake Mayhem

Ever notice how huge portions are at restaurants? Not just the 'wow I don't think I'm going to be able to finish this last bite' kind of huge, but the 'I really don't think this amount of food can physically fit into my stomach' huge.

I've really started asking myself 'why?' Is it so that they can justify charging $10 for a salad and $15 for an entree? Take, for example, what I had to eat at the Cheesecake Factory tonight...


I give you, Chicken Picatta. While it is generally considered one of the 'lighter' Italian dishes due to the lack of frying, the portion size makes this dish wildly unhealthy. Although it is difficult to see in this photo, there are actually three chicken breasts in the dish. On average, a single serving of meat is about the size of the palm of your hand...so there's at least three (but probably four) servings of chicken in this single dish. Also, while it may not look as if there is a large serving of pasta, it is still well over an individual amount.

Thankfully, I split it with my mother in an attempt to not overstuff ourselves. But what about the millions of Americans that just say, 'what the hell, why not?' and finish the whole plate by themselves? I strongly feel that one of the major factors contributing to obesity in the US is something as simple as portion sizes.

Anyway, on to the daily totals...


Breakfast:
Skipped

Lunch:
1 Turkey BLT with Primo Taglio Mesquite Smoked Turkey, 2 slices think cut bacon, 1 leaf Romaine Lettuce, 1/2 slice Primo Taglio Provolone Cheese, 2 slices Mrs. Baird's 100% whole wheat bread, and 1/2 Packet Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce from Chick-Fil-A

Calories: 345
Fat: 16g
Cholesterol: 45mg
Sodium: 1,107mg
Carbohydrate: 27g
Protein: 26g

1 Mott's Natural Applesauce
Calories: 50
Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 0mg
Carbohydrate: 12g
Protein: 0g

1-Water, 8oz

Nutritional Info From, The Daily Plate, Chick-Fil-A.com

Snack:
8 (ind.) Chocolate Teddy Grahams
Calories: 40
Fat: <1g style="font-weight: bold;">Dinner:
1/2 Chicken Piccata from The Cheesecake Factory
Calories: 693
Fat: 24g
Cholesterol: n/a
Sodium: 367mg
Carbohydrate: 36g
Protein: n/a

Nutritional Info From, Nabisco

Dinner:
1/2 Tossed Salad from The Cheesecake Factory
Calories: 95
Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: n/a
Sodium: 87mg
Carbohydrate: 10.5g
Protein: n/a

1/2 Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory
Calories: 539
Fat: 21.5
Cholesterol: n/a
Sodium: 175mg
Carbohydrate: 52g
Protein: n/a

3- Water 8oz

Nutritional Info From CalorieLab

Daily Totals
Calories: 1,762
Fat: 63.5g
Cholesterol: 45mg*
Sodium: 1,736mg
Carbohydrate: 144.5
Protein: 26g*

Water: 48oz

*Denotes incorrect value due to missing data.


Current Caloric Needs:
I currently need 2139.6 calories each day in order to maintain my weight at a light activity level
Today, I created a deficit of 377.4 calories and just about 'broke even' on fat.


Daily Thoughts?
Not the best day, but definitely better than yesterday. If I continue to create a 400 calorie deficit each day, it will take me 9 days to lose 1lb of fat. But...we all know that's harder than it looks!

Day One

I have never thought of myself as overweight.

Particularly because for most of my early life I was considered petite and underweight. However, like many Americans, I have begun to notice the needle on the bathroom scale creeping higher and higher every time I step on and I feel like it is time to address my evolution from a short and petite girl to an overweight woman.

Currently, I am 5 feet 2 inches tall and weigh on average, 135 lbs. Now I know this isn't an incredibly large number, in fact I'm sure there are many people that are the same height and weigh much more, but in regards to the BMI chart, I am teetering between the 'healthy' classification of BMI= 24 and overweight, BMI=25.


Now, I realize that there is controversy regarding whether or not BMI should be used as an accurate measure of physical health, but I feel like it is a helpful benchmark. (Particularly because according to this chart, a healthy weight range for a person my height is between 115 and 131.


I am age 20, and in the three years since I left high school, I have gained ten pounds. I have no idea where the extra weight came from. (Although I do suspect that a summer job at a French restaurant as well as living around the corner from a Chipotle may have contributed...) It seemed like when I would climb on the scale and see I was about 1 or 2 lbs heavier, I would almost always attribute it to a hefty meal I had eaten earlier in the day and never worry about it.

This is what I look like today.





Finally I have decided that enough is enough.


I hope to use this blog to keep myself honest through the coming months, during which I hope to see significant weight loss results. Although my New Year's resolution was to lose the weight and be beach ready by spring break, life always seems to get in the way. (And who ever really follows through with those anyway?!)

So, I will begin by admitting all of the horrible things I put into my stomach over the course of the day...


Breakfast:
1- Banana Nut Muffin: Homemade
Calories: 448
Fat: 23g.
Cholesterol: 71mg
Sodium: 449mg
Carbohydrate: 54g.
Protein: 5 g.

2- Water. 8oz

Nutritional Info Source: The Daily Plate

Lunch:
1/2-Chicken Pomodori Panini from Corner Bakery:
Calories: 390
Fat: 17.5g
Cholesterol: n/a
Sodium: 1050mg
Carbohydrate: 36.5g
Protein: 22g

1/2-Ceasar Salad from Corner Bakery:
Calories: 280
Fat: 23.5g
Cholesterol: n/a
Sodium: 530
Carbohydrate: 10.5
Protein: 6g.

1-Water: 8oz
Nutritional Info Source: Corner Bakery.com


Dinner:
1- Crispy Chicken Tacos with flour tortillas from Chili's*
Calories: 1480
Fat: 74g
Cholesterol: n/a
Sodium: 3890
Carbohydrate: 140
Protein: 68g.

5- Water: 8oz

*nutritional info listed as served. Entire dish was not finished. Different sides were substituted for beans and rice.

Nutritional Info Source: Chili's Generic Nutrition Guide


Daily Totals:*
Calories: 2598
Fat: 138g
Cholesterol: n/a
Sodium: 5919mg.
Carbohydrate: 241g.
Protein: 101g.

Current Caloric Needs:
I currently need 2139.6 calories per day to maintain my weight at a light activity level.
Today, I created a surplus of 458.4 calories and 74.2 g fat.

As you may have guessed, today was not a good day for diets everywhere...particularly mine. Although I have been trying to eat better for most of the semester, it becomes extremely more difficult over spring break. I find that friends and family feel much more comfortable coming together over food, which is quickly taking the place of America's forgotten favorite pastime; baseball.

Although my first day didn't give me that 'step in the right direction' feeling that I have been desperately looking for, maybe this wake up call is better. Rather than report on the tremendous caloric deficit I created on the first day of my diet due to lack of eating and extreme attention to the foods I was eating, I like that I can really see the huge amount of calories I took in today. It is something that demands action rather than a pat on the back.


With that, it's off to bed. Tomorrow will be a better day.