Wow MaryK - you did well! You managed to go out for lunch and get enough good food in between the lunch salad and the mid-afternoon protein bar. I was a little bit worried about suggesting that brown-bagging might get boring, because sitting there watching everyone else eat junky food is *tough* when you're in the midst of clamping back down on the diet front.
I was going to suggest Chipotle - I don't know if you have one near your workplace, but it's one of my "fast food fall-back options". I order the burrito bowl, no rice or beans, extra grilled vegetables and extra salsa. It's a very nice takeout/fast-food-ish meal. My other "fast fall back food option" is an all day breakfast place - I'll order the veggie omelet, sans cheese, hold the toast and potatoes. Oh, and can I have a side of salsa to drizzle all over my omelet too please? Some places will offer up the option of fruit on the side, or sliced tomatoes. If I was feeling extra hungry, I might ask for a mini-side salad along with the omelet. Don't laugh, but Denny's does a nice veggie omelet (comes with cheese but I ask for no cheese). The veggies are roasted/grilled, nobody minds my "side of salsa" request and usually I get asked if I'd like some fruit or sliced tomatoes in place of the potatoes and toast I've asked them not to bring me.
Meanwhile, I don't know if it's just me, but I've found that if you're going to be stuck in a place where everyone else is eating really good non-diet food, then your meal has to be just as good, or even better than theirs. Seems silly, but it works. I do not feel bad if I can get a nice omelet or if I've got one of those 'non-burrito' burrito bowls. Sitting there with some measly protein bar and some water....well...let's just say I don't think it's very nice to put myself in a place where I feel deprived or where I feel overly tempted. I could do it if I'd already eaten my 'on plan' meal ahead of time and I was just socializing and having a snack. It's *not* very easy (for me) to be hungry and watch people chow down on stuff I can't eat, which is why I find that coming up with something just-as-good, though still on-plan, works better for me in these types of situations.
Do you know what I mean? I don't care if someone's sitting there with a burger and fries if I've got a nice fluffy omelet with some salsa on it. But if I have to sit there with a useless iceberg lettuce salad with a few carrot shavings in it and some lemon juice or plain olive oil and vinegar, I'm going to have a much harder time sticking to plan. I'd last all of 48 hours...lol!
Hang in there MaryK - and I'm so glad today went well.
