Challenge Update #4

Congrats on the weight loss & strength training! I am in love with weights as you well know but I do a lot of cardio as well. I am probably your classic overtrainer but I am that person that is does not effect in terms of no gains. I still get muscle gain & fat loss but most people are not like this. I also have to work harder due to my age & slowing metabolism & hormone changes.

Per my post today, make sure & wear the right shoes for the right activity & if you are out just enjoying but gonna be on your feel for a long time, wear supportive shoes, not flip flops or heels just because you want to look pretty

wahoo! YAY for 1lb lost!

OMG, I am totally dieing over those calories at Cheesecake Factory – INSANE!!!

Congrats on the 1 pound loss! Way to go

I’m about to fall out of my chair from the NI at Cheesecake Factory. Obviously, i knew it wasn’t the healthiest of places, but (as you said) it is nearly impossible to find something even halfway decent. ARGH!

Great job on the loss – I know it’s not your “focus” right now, but it’s still nice to see that the effort is paying off!

I didn’t do so well – gained 1.5# on Friday’s weigh-in (sigh). However, I’m kicking into gear because…well, I’m competitive, and I hate to lose, and I’m not letting anything – including me – get in the way of my success.

I really haven’t eaten much at the Cheesecake Factory. There are two in the local(ish) area, but since it’s not very nearby, we never go there. I think I’ve been there once. Looking at menus, however, always surprises me, because I never think there can be as many calories as there are. Let’s just say it’s really good I’m not a nutritionist. ;o)

I got that HG email, too, and I couldn’t believe some of the stats! No wonder the restaurant doesn’t want to give out its nutrition info. But even after seeing all that stuff, I’ll still probably eat there if I have the chance (which isn’t often because the closest one is 2 hours away).

Congrats on the weight loss!

so proud of your progress and learning to eat intuitively girl — this is something i’m still working on myself so i am very inspired by you!! eating intuitively is what life is all about, am i right?!?!

keep up the amazing work, beautiful!
Happy monday

I love the words to Go The Distance by Michael Bolton!

You did great! Well done!

Congrats on the hard work. I know it feels so great when your heart work pays off.

Haha so funny that we had such similar posts. I have totally been that person who orders a meal made of side dishes like broccoli, so I’m not knocking it- I get a lot of crap for it though!

Congrats on your progress!

Did they take down that article? That link to the CF nutritionals didn’t work for me

Congrats on your weight loss, although as you said – pounds are not as important as some other improvements you’ve made in the last 4 weeks (and even this past week!). Did you really do strength training for 2 hours? You are a machine!

Btw, how do you count calories when you go out to eat? Do you only go to places that post nutritional stats or do you just estimate? I find it impossible to estimate, unless I get something super straight forward like a salad (and even then obviously it’s not completely accurate…). Thanks!

Oh and I’m doing well with your challenge. As you know, I failed early in the game (and will donate money to a charity) but I’ve been doing pretty well since. Had a little “incident” with eating Barney Butter and Cocoa Bliss out of the jar, but it wasn’t crazy excessive (although more than I would have liked to) and I knew why I was doing it (hungry and in bad need of chocolate = less than perfect behavior!).

Keep up the good work!! Cute Michael Jackson references

That is seriously the sandwich I always order. And I don’t skimp on anything. That doesn’t include the fries, huh? That is going to be one special day the next time I order that sucker!

Great job! I think you really nailed it when you said that you listened to your body and that’s why there’s such big changes from day to day caloric consumption.

Restaurant dish sizes are insane! I’ve never eaten at the Cheesecake Factory- we don’t have it where I live and that’s probably a good thing, haha.

love the michael jackson/pink floyd references i have been watching MJ videos all weekend and will someday learn to dance like him (HA who am i kidding?!) I am going to head to the Cheesecake factory website right now to check it out. I don’t eat there often, but I am still curious because that place is usually a diet disaster in my eyes! Great job on the continued weight loss, but focusing on your strength is the right way to go!!

Thanks for inspiring me, O Cranky One! I lost 2.2 pounds this week…probably has something to do with all the stress I’m under, but at least there’s a silver lining, right?

@ Elina — My restaurant m.o. is this: I have a few restaurants that I feel comfortable eating at. Honestly, I don’t eat out often because a) I’m broke, b) I *love* cooking and c) I feel both the quality and nutritional content of foods are questionable at restaurants. That being said, until the release yesterday of The Cheesecake Factory info., none of my fave restaurants posted their info. All I can usually do is gauge the calorie content by looking up similar foods on Calorie King, or literally dissecting the ingredients. If you really want to know about a dish, ask! I always get the Boca Veggie Burger at Claim Jumper and know, because I asked, that they cook it in 1 tbsp olive oil. This way I can add the olive oil’s 110 cals, to the 70 cals in a Boca burger and then i’m only guessing on the bread, which based on the size and the fact that I ask for Rye bread, I know is no more than 100 cals a slice. So, I guess I do tend to order things that are pretty straight forward…

In terms of the strength training — yes, i did a two hour session! I usually divide it up amongst the week, but since I failed to do that, I felt it necessary to do it in one session. I put a movie on and go to it!
@ AKA — YAY for the 2.2 lbs! You rock!
@ Liz — I know. It sucks to find out that your fave meal is a load of fat between two slices of fat.
@ Jody — Don’t worry, you will *not* find me wearing heels to D-Land!
@ PTG1002 — Keep at it! You can do this and you’re right — do not give in to self-destructive temptations!

How in the H-E-double-hockey-sticks do the Thai Lettuce Wraps add up to 1025 calories!?!?!?! The sodium knocks my socks off too, but that will still be my feast of choice when I visit the CCF in the future. But seriously, grilled chicken and veggies can add up to that much? I know the bitty little scoop of rice noodles wouldn’t jack up the calories, so maybe it’s the dipping sauces?

Thanks, Annabel! I never thought about asking how much oil they use… never thought they measure this stuff. It’s probably rare, but you’re right – worth asking.