What's On Your Plate?

Last Friday, a dear friend of mine invited myself and another girl out for a "Galentine's" lunch. The other girl was easily half my age and when I told her that I was a personal trainer and a nutritionist, she immediately began asking me questions about her weight issues. She is in her late 20s, works full time, newly married (3 months to an ex-Marine) and has put on a few pounds during the winter months. She plays kickball and softball on community leagues and the seasons are just around the corner. She and her husband alternate cooking and she feels that she is eating pretty good, but she is gaining weight. What is a poor girl to do?
Well, for starters, let us look down at our plates. We were at Traverna's Ristorante, a fabulous Italian restaurant that has recently moved to Knox Street in Dallas. I ordered a salad, no cheese and no added meat. The salad was great - greens, avocado, hearts of palm, bacon, onions and an herbed vinaigrette dressing. I had a water to drink. The other girl ordered Eggplant Parmigianino with a side of angel hair pasta and a cola to drink. She also had cheesecake for dessert, which she only ate half and took the rest home. While I don't obsess over every calorie, I am mindful of what I eat, especially when I eat out. There are all kinds of hidden calories in restaurant foods - butters and sugars and salts to enhance flavor. She thought eggplant was a healthy alternative, but in this case, maybe not so much. She could have eliminated a bunch of empty calories by drinking water and skipping dessert.
Having said all this, I also think that from time to time you have to throw caution to the wind and just eat whatever you want. If you don't, then staying on a strict diet becomes too hard and people will just quit. So, the bottom line - watch what you eat. Cut out unimportant calories, like cola. But don't  deny yourself everything all the time. You gotta live!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day, filled with love. Did your lover write it across the sky? Scene from my front porch on Friday.