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!