Portion Control and Making Healthy Choices

Last week, we went to Chevy’s with my mom. It’s a tradition that we go to Chevy’s whenever she visits us. In the past, I had a really hard time to control my portions at Chevy’s since I love chips and salsa and used to eat way too many chips in one sitting. Their chips are warm, and I love the fire-roasted tomatoes in the salsa. Also, sometimes the salsa is nice and spicy, just the way I like it.



Last week, I made a few good choices and a few not so good choices when we went to Chevy’s. First the not so good choices:

• I didn’t look up the nutrition facts for various menu items before we went to the restaurant.
• I ordered a Chile Verde Bowl from the lunch menu, which I later found out contained 1,030 calories, 44 grams of fat, and 2510 grams of sodium!!!! There are many worse items on the menu but also several much better choices. If I had looked at the menu before we went (which I usually do), I could have made a much better choice.

Despite choosing a not very healthy entree, I actually made some good choices:

• I passed on the chips and salsa and instead ate some of the salsa with my entree – I am very proud of not eating any chips! :-)
• I took off the sour cream as soon as I got my dish as I figured I didn't need the extra fat. Instead I added some flavor with some salsa.
• I ate less than half my entree and got the rest to go. I had some of it later that night, and the remainder the following morning.
• I left the restaurant feeling satisfied but not stuffed.

Questions: Do you look up nutrition information before you eat out (if it’s available)? Do you decide on what you’ll order before you enter a restaurant? Do you tend to get “carried away” by the menu? Do you have any eating out strategies you’d like to share?

 

Be well,
Andrea