Portion size, revisited

I wonder how big their scoops are.

It's quite a funny feeling to read about capitalist sharks circling a massive, failing chain restaurant, and it recommends a particular strategy to turn it around: cut it out with the massive portions of bad food, serve smaller portions of good food.

“Extreme portion size is inconsistent with authentic Italian values,” said Starboard Value, which owns a stake in Olive Garden’s parent company, and wants the chain to shift toward selling smaller portions of better food. 

Quantity over quality is an overarching theme when it comes to the American value system of consumerism as a method of finding happiness. But when it comes to authentic Italian food, and to to food and health in general, more is not always better.

One of my resolutions this year is to refocus my weekday calorie consumption back to 2300, and more importantly, do so without counting every calorie compulsively -- to live within the budget without expending more mental energy than I have to. The NY Times ran a series of photos around the new year of exactly what 2000 calories from a fast food restaurant looks like -- 2000 cal is the recommended daily caloric intake for an average adult. Thing is, these meals are just that -- single meals, not an entire day's worth of food.

This picture is 2000 calories from Chipotle, a newfangled face food chain that stresses the quality and sustainability of it's ingredients, fresh cooking and healthfulness along side quick service. I like their stuff, and have had their burritos a bunch of times in the second half of 2014. However, strip away the chips and dip and soda, and I find it challenging to have a meal here for under 800 calories. Credit to them, they have an excellent, simple calculation tool on line, but even when I put together a burrito to my satisfaction (no cheese or rice, but ya gotta have guac) it's still 865 calories, when an ideal meal is 600-700 cal. In these terms, it's almost senseless to look at most other fast food chains -- it's quantity over quality, looking to take my money in hopes that I'm not looking out for my health.

The photo essay ends with home cooked foods that total up to 2000 calories -- easily three squares a day and snacks. They're preaching to the converted, sure, but it's good to be reminded as I start a new year. This year has been a bit bumpy for me so far, but I'm confident I'll be able to get things in order. Start with the good functioning of the insides, and work outward. And the insides work best with good, clean fuel.

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2341
Close, felt good, didn't really deny myself much. I'm sure this will get easier as I allow new revised habits to become more automatic.

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BIKE CREDIT: 625 cal
MONDAY COUNT: 2280

SLEPT: 10pm - 6:30am, 8.5 hrs
Nice afternoon bike ride, cold weather is coming in and may not ride again for a week or so...

AM SNACK: 6:45 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10:30am, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

LUNCH: 1:15pm, falafel, tomato soup, health salad, 615 cal

PM SNACK: 2:15pm, momma salad, grazebox beans, 260cal

BIKE SNACK: 4:30pm, homemade granola bar, 250 cal

DINNER: 7pm, hake, asparagus, poppa salad with dressing, fritos, 850 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, potato chips 320 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2255

SLEPT: 9pm - 12am, 1am-7am, 9 hrs
Sick kid at home, stressful but ate well.

AM SNACK: 7:15 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10:30am, fage yogurt with honey, vanilla, almonds, 450 cal

PM SNACK: 2pm, momma salad, grazebox seeds, 270cal

LUNCH: 3:30pm,chicken meatballs, steamed stringbeans, curry lentils, 660 cal

DINNER: 7pm, sautéed chicken breast, poppa salad with dressing, 415 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:30, popcorn, +/- 300
Actually measured this out for the first time in quite a while -- around 300 calorie of popcorn fried in butter and olive oil is maybe half of what I was guesstimating before…
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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2135

SLEPT: 10pm - 6:30am,  8.5 hrs
Day at home hammering away, nice to have my kitchen right by to just eat when hungry, and eat homemade food.

AM SNACK: 8 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11am, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

LUNCH PT1: 1:30pm, poppa salad with dressing, 200 cal

LUNCH PT2: 4:15pm, stir fry with shrimp, shiritaki noodles, oyster sauce and shitake mushrooms, 350 cal

PM SNACK: 5pm, momma salad, cashews, 440 cal

DINNER: 8:15pm, 6" Subway veggie burger, 12 oz diet coke 435 cal
Funny how the small fountain soda is 21 oz, only filled it half way.
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THURSDAY COUNT: 2465 

SLEPT: 11pm - 6am,  7 hrs

AM SNACK: 6:30 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 10:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11:15am, Fage yogurt with almonds, honey, vanilla, 450 cal

LUNCH: 2:15pm, sautéed chicken, pickles, poppa salad with dressing, 580 cal

PM SNACK: 4:15pm, momma salad, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, kind bar, 200 cal

DINNER: 8pm, grouper, brussels, quinoa, chocolate crinkle cookie, congee, +/- 975 cal
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FRIDAY COUNT:2570

SLEPT: 11pm - 6am,  7 hrs

AM SNACK: 7 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 10:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11:15am, fruit smoothie, 450 cal

PM SNACK: 3pm, grazebox popcorn 160 cal

DINNER: 5:15pm, hotdog, fries, cesar salad, some ice cream & soufflé, +/- 1000 cal

EVENING SNACK: 6:45, 2.5 cookies, 400 cal