I know...that's a pretty weird blog entry title, but you'll get the point in a moment. I spend a large portion of the day outside of my home. Like most of you I have a full-time job. My job makes weight loss just a tad more difficult, but I persevere anyway. I am a manager/server at my local IHOP. I have been there for over 4 years and in that time I have gained seventy pounds. No, you don't have to read that again it said SEVENTY!
Not all of that do I blame on a penchant for pancakes, actually I don't eat pancakes often. I blame it on my lack of home cooked meals. When I started back in the summer of 2005 I had taken the job as a third shift server in addition to two other part-time jobs I had at the time. I worked as a conference server in the morning, a line server at Qdoba Mexican grill at night, and a IHOP server in the wee hours of the night. So how often do you think I was home?? Yep, not much! Therefore breakfast was scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, and the like in the morning and whatever tasty dish they made for lunch at the conference center. A chicken burrito for dinner at Qdoba, and more than likely a burger and fries around 2 am at the HOP (as I have affectionately nicknamed it). I estimate that to be about 2800 calories a day. I walked alot with my mother, but you know what? Walking on my off time w/ my mommy does NOT burn off 2,800 calories a day.
It's virtually impossible to get a good understanding of what's going into your body when you're not preparing it. I honestly didn't have the time to, and wasn't really concerned. Now I couldn't possibly imagine living off of restaurant food. Unless I can watch how it's being made or I have a pre-made plan and know exactly how many calories I am taking in. I live to try new fruits and veggies, and my daily fight with food is something I am determined to win. I know this war begins right in my kitchen, in my cupboards, and in my fridge. And I can not, or better yet will not, put my health in someone else's hands.
