My flight out of Charlotte was delayed 45 minutes, so of course I missed my connection and am now stuck in the Washington airport for 5 hours. I was very annoyed to find out I had to pay for WiFi, but I’m an internet nerd and decided it was worth $9.99 to have internet for 5 hours 🙂 I’m missing the whole first day of our PR retreat – and my presentation – but there is nothing I can do. I’m happy enough sitting at a table with my laptop and at least they have healthy food at this airport!
…..which brings me to lunch! Well before I get to lunch, I got settled at a table at 11 a.m. and was starving, so I had a Clementine (from home), a few almonds and pistachios, and hot tea! I debated a latte (I don’t drink them often but love them) but thought I didn’t need it since lunch was looming on the horizon.
But before I settled down, I scoped out all of my lunch options (I know better than to set up camp and then I have to pack up to leave for 10 minutes and come back since I have no one to watch my stuff.)
There’s a little booth called Cibo Gourmet Express with lots of exciting things: sandwiches, fresh fruit, diced fruit, a good looking chef salad, Larabars, Perrier, dried fruit and nuts, and some other stuff. There’s also a place with these good looking panini things on pita bread that lots of people are eating, but I know better 😉 I wanted a black forest ham and brie sandwich and the turkey and cheddar but they all had mayonnaise and were large with cheese so I figured I’d have more fun with a smaller sandwich and more sides. There was also a really good looking vegan veggie sandwich, but it has onions on it and I couldn’t tell if they were chopped finely (bad) or big and easy to pick off (good) but I decided not to risk it.
I ended up with the boring turkey, lettuce, tomato and mustard on what looks like whole grain bread. It was a LOT of bread. I logged it as 2 slices at 110 calories each, but hard to tell. I guess lugging my heavy bags around the airport can cancel it out.
Although the bread was good, it actually wasn’t that great of a sandwich on the inside….
On the side I got fresh berries
And a Colombo yogurt from another vendor. (Which I noticed after the fact has HFCS it it! Ug. I’ll eat this on occasion). It was no plain yogurt + cran….
Drink:
I looked all over for a small salad, but I all I could find was a hefty $10 one and an iceburg one, so I’m veggie-less today.
Lunch calories: ~475.
I also swiped a Nectar bar to try at some point this week. And a little dark chocolate, which I didn’t end up eating because it was 11 grams = 60 calories!! Not worth it for something that small, at least right now it’s not 😉
I hate that I’m not going to be able to workout today and am eating my normal amounts of food, but I guess this is a good example of “you gain some, you lose some.” (I updated the FAQs with this concept, by the way.) I’m just going to keep my focus on making the healthiest choices and we’ll see where this evening takes me. My plan now is 1 glass of wine and 2 bites of dessert, but we’ll see!
So long for now!
hk says
wow, coincidental, haha! Thanks for the updates, sorry about the flight, I tend to get antsy in airports, but not a whole lot you can do…walk around a bit and at least get your legs moving I guess 🙂
Another random silly quesiton, is it just as effective to walk for 20 minutes as it is to run for 10? I feel silly running for 10ish minutes and calling it a short run (this is to the grocery store)-but I just had to go pick up one small can of soup for a recipe and thought I'd jog there, considering I could jog back and carry the can in my hand (no bags-tough to convince myself against buying more, but I did it!). So, I ran there, bought the soup, and ran back…for a total of 20 minutes running during my lunch break. This is opposed to just walking to the grocery store (same distance there and back), is one better than the other? (given that time isn't too much of an issue-either 20 minutes spent or 40 minutes en route)?
thanks!!
the husband says
I'll answer this one, with the help of my good friend science!
1) Calories are a measure of how much energy you expend (i.e. WORK)
2) Work is defined as FORCE applied over a DISTANCE
3) Force is defined as MASS times ACCELERATION
4) Therefore, because your mass doesn't change, and the distance to the grocery store doesn't change, then you're doing the same amount of work whether you run or walk.
The only difference is the ACCELERATION, and that only affects how quickly you accomplish your work. Now the one argument you could make is that running is actually a less efficient use of our energy, so you probably burn a minuscule amount more when you run, but it's mostly negligible.
That's why you can average out every mile you travel to about 80-100 calories burned.
katheats says
Husband, your posts are still coming off as rude!!! (Even though I know you didn't intend for it to be)
HK,
He is right, though. With running you'll get there faster but you'll work harder in the shorter amount of time; walking will be easier, but you'll be doing it longer. Running is good for your cardiovascular system though, so I'd give it the edge, but walking is easier on the joints. Perhaps speed walking is the perfect transportation means?
hopers says
haah what a fabulous set of two answers…I should have reasoned all of the science concepts…haha but I guess that wasn't where I was going with it all. Either way, THANKS!
hk says
haha what a fabulous set of two answers. I should have reasoned this myself, too bad science class was too far back! thanks again!
hopers says
woops, double time 🙂
Moran says
Hey Kath!
Sorry about the airport, but again, totally inspiring seeing how well you are managing to eat healthy. I have a question for you – as you were losing weight, or basically in the mind set of "I am eating 1800 calories, burning 500" or whatever, did you ever encounter any times where you just wanted to eat whatever there is in front of you, no matter how unhealthy it is? I find myself doing that sometimes! How did you over come that? What about night eating?
Hope things work out well in the airport!
katheats says
Moran,
Yes, but mostly at special occasions! But YES! I recognize I have a degree of a binge eating problem at special occasions – which I link to growing up in a family that celebrates with food. I've never been known to eat a whole box of cookies or some of the more "typical" binge characteristics, but I have eaten to the point of feeling sick one too many times! I'm working on this and have made lots of progress over the past year.
Over time, I just realized how gross I felt after pigging out at a wedding or party and how I just didn't feel my best. I've learned to picture the next day and how I want to feel when I wake up the famous phrase "A moment on the lips, forever on the hips." The only benefit of eating this cake, pie, third glass of wine is the taste/pleasure right now, but the health benefits of good health last a lifetime.
That's not to say I don't indulge in dessert, but I'm doing a much better job these days of having just a litttle and treating special events as time to enjoy myself and those around me and not an opportunity to eat everything in sight just because it's offered to me.
Hope that helps….
K
Mel says
Hey Kath! I read the post from the RD and I do not think your mind set is obsessive or unhealthy…just very aware of what your consuming-which is a good thing. I'm not a RD or anything, just a college student, but I definately know what an obsessive food relationship looks like. I suffered from an eating disorder in high school and had to see a nutritionist and counselor every week. I consider your relationship very healthy and I appauld you for all of your hard work! I know how difficult it is to have a healthy relationship! 🙂
katheats says
Thanks so much Mel, that means a lot 🙂
K
Elle says
Hi Kath!
Way to make the best of a bad situation (stranded in the airport)! Hope you're having a good trip :).
RM says
Hi Kath,
I'm just a college student too, but I've had experience with an obsessive relationship with food in the past. I would recommend looking at how you feel about food, not just the fact that you're very aware of your intake. My biggest problem was always guilt…like if I ever had dessert I couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards (for several days!!) and just felt horrible about myself. I've read some of your past entries and I don't see that w/you at all…with the oatmeal cookie recipe, for example, I remember you saying that the splurge was completely worth it because the cookies were so delicious!! I was so impressed when I read that because it's such a healthy perspective. I say keep up the good work!!!! 🙂
katheats says
Hey RM,
Thanks for the comment! I agree, it's a lot about not having "good' and "bad" foods, but viewing some as more nutritious, and therefore, "better" than others. Of course I'm going to have dessert, but I want it to be a good one that's worth it and not just some junk I put in my mouth because it's there. Like the apple tart tonight – good timing on the post!
the husband says
RE: dietitians, starvation mode, and obsessive personalities
First I'd just like to say that one of the clearest indications that Kath isn't in starvation mode is the fact that she's quite a happy person. I can't stand seeing people do south beach/atkins-type diets and feel, look, and act terrible all day long.
Second, the both of us have always stood aside in wonderment that more people don't have a epicurean love of food like we do… maybe I'm more on the hedonism side of it (just kidding), but I truly can say that there's no way I could have lost my weight without her help (or more appropriately, her example). We love food so much that to catalog our intake is necessary for us to make responsible decisions. That may be a clear indication of an unhealthy relationship with food, but what is easier to change: our psychological dispositions or our behavior? Calorie-counting is the easy solution.
Third, when I was 190lbs and trying to lose weight, I basically ate the same things as a healthy 160lb guy. It took me about 4 months to lose the weight, and I'm sure there's something to be said about the differences between men and women, but I had no experience with "starvation mode." Now I'm not saying it doesn't exist, because it makes perfect evolutionary sense, but I feel like that's a phrase tossed around too lightly as a result of people making terrible decisions about fad-dieting.
Fourth, I thought the days of people looking at a height and weight chart, matching up the BMI and making a snap-judgment about what their calorie intake should be were over – surely Kath's multiple visits to dietitians (with curiously differing opinions of what her NET should be), combined with the Bod Pod would allow her to make a well informed decision of what she should be eating.
Finally, I miss you – come home!
katheats says
Thanks husband, well said!
Funny that you called me Kath!
I miss you too – my flight comes in at 9 <3
Jessica H. says
Haha!! You guys are too cute!