Food Through a Window.

Going to the drive through is bad, we all know it and yet we all do it. WHY DO WE DO IT???? It's easy, fast, yummy, cheap and so many other reasons. But let's talk about the not so good things about it. It's packed with empty calories and fat, it leaves you feeling sick, and if you do often the pounds will add up quick.

So let's break up with fast food. I've been trying to avoid eating there unless absolutely necessary, and it is, I pick the healthier option. How do we go about breaking up with fast food?

Make meals before you leave the house. Making food before you leave, or even at the beginning of the week save you time for those days you are so busy you want to cry. When it's made before hand you won't have to be running around the kitchen in a panic trying to whip dinner up really quick. That way, on your way home from work you won't be tempted to stop by and get fast good because you know you have it all made waiting for you at home.

Have a snack in your car/in your desk at work. We all make terrible decisions when we are hungry. So always have a healthy snack with you and then you won't be starving later and end up snacking on a whole bag of chips or cookies. Some snacks I like to keep close are almonds, baby carrots, apple with peanut butter, or trail mix! These will help tide you over until dinner time.

Take the long way. If you're like me and you have awful self-control when it comes to food, do yourself a favor and don't drive by your favorite fast food place. So many times I haven't even been that hungry but I drove by my beloved Chic-fil-a or McDonald's and I headed straight for the line. THIS IS A NO NO! Take a different route, it's as easy as that.

It's time to break up with fast food, and if you're having a hard time doing that just use the over used  break up line "it's not you it's me."

Thirsty Thursday.

That's right, it's Thirsty Thursday! But does that mean you should run as quick as you can to the first cocktail/beer/choice of drink you can get your hands on? I would say probably not. Alcohol is often times a "no-no" for people who are trying to watch their weight or get more fit, and I think I have to agree. However, there are ways you can still enjoy it.

Alcohol triggers overeating. It makes the aromas from food seem more appealing. So when you go get drinks with your girlfriends/buddies before dinner, you end up ordering a bigger meal and then end up eating much more than you normally would. Drinking alcohol also leads to those late night snacks and binges. I know that at least 90% of you all reading this end up going to Taco Bell after a late night out drinking.

Alcohol is packed with calories. It has 7 calories per gram, and that's just the alcohol part. Most drinks are mixed with sugary and sweetened drinks and flavors. One cocktail could end up being around 400 calories!! Here's average calories of some drinks: 5 ounces of red or white wine is 125 calories, 12 ounces of light beer is 100 calories, 1.5 ounces of vodka is 96 calories. Just a few drinks at a night out could end up being 1,500 calories. So if you do decide to get a drink, go for the lower calorie drinks and watch out for margaritas, sugary mixed drinks, mudslides and other sweet cocktails.

So am I saying to stay away from Thirsty Thursdays forever? No! There are ways you can enjoy a drink at dinner and still be on the right track. Here are some helpful hints to make sure you don't overload the calories with drinks.

- Limit yourself to two drinks.
- Avoid the higher calorie drinks.
- Drink water between your alcoholic drinks so you can stay hydrated.
- Sip slowly and take time to finish each drink.
- Try to keep your calorie budget below 200 calories.

So go ahead and enjoy this great Thursday, but be sure to pay attention to what you're drinking so you can make sure to stay

healthy-ish.

What I Ate Wednesday.

Knowing what to eat while still being healthy can be pretty tough. It was one of the hardest things for me to figure out when I started on this health kick. Snacking was especially hard, I didn't think having snacks was a healthy thing to do. Because of this, I decided I would start a little series of blogs! Each Wednesday I will do a "What I Ate Wednesday" and document my meals and snacks throughout the day. So if you're out there and have NO idea what to eat, you can follow my example if you want or base your days meals off mine!

Breakfast:

I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast every day, which seems boring, but it's easy to make and I know it'll keep me full for around 3 hours. Here's what I ate: Good old fashioned oatmeal! I ate 1/2 cup and then added Stevia and cinnamon for flavor. Also with my oatmeal I ate 2 egg whites and then strawberries. What a YUMMY (and healthy) breakfast!

Lunch:

I mix it up with my lunches so my days aren't too boring! But today I had deli turkey and spinach on 100 calorie orowheat bread thins, 1/4 cup almonds, grapes, and a banana. Doesn't seem like much but it keeps me feel and I snack between meals (I'll list the snacks at the end)!

Dinner:

CHIPOTLE!! That's right, I had Chipotle for dinner, and who doesn't love Chipotle?? Now listen before you go all crazy and load up all the ingredients you can fit in the bowl...you have to eat things like this in moderation. Here's what I got in my burrito bowl: chicken, pinto beans, fajita vegetables, roasted chli-corn salsa, tomato red-chili salsa and romaine lettuce. I checked the nutrition calculator on Chipotle's calculator and my burrito bowl was around 435 calories, not too shabby!

Snacks:

There's lots of different snacks you can eat in moderation and still be healthy. Here's what I snacked on today: 52 pretzel sticks, one low fat honey graham cracker, low fat string cheese and more strawberries!

And that wraps up What I Ate Wednesday! I hope that helps you out when prepping for a days worth of meals. Be sure to keep your meals 

healthy-ish!