Coming Soon -- My Lean Dining Wiki

The “Lean” part of this blog is focused creating a healthier relationship to food for me. This past year I have lost 100 pounds so far, and I have changed my eating habits a lot!

I have been overweight all of my life. Therefore I have been on a diet most of my life too. So I am very educated about calories, nutrients, foods, etc. I didn’t eat a lot at each meal, but I did eat too much of the wrong things and not enough of the right things! For example, I love bread and could eat a ton of it at any meal, but when it came to vegetables … not so much. Vegetables to me were potatoes, peas, corn, green beans, ice berg lettuce and tomatoes. As vegetables go … probably not the best choices. I didn’t eat a lot of beef (unless it came between two buns from a fast food place), because I can’t seem to digest beef. The only meats I eat consistently are chicken and turkey. Since there is only my husband and me here to eat the food we prepare, we would often eat the whole recipe at a meal even if it was meant for four servings.

I knew that if I was going to lose weight and live a leaner, cleaner, greener lifestyle, these old eating habits had to go. Little by little I have been making the transition from meat based meals to meals that have less meat and more veggies. I have given up my old favorite veggies and have been trying new ones. Who knew I would come to love yams!!! I made a roasted root vegetable dish the other night with yams, carrots, rutabaga, celery root (huh???), with a little virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar … we just couldn’t believe how delicious it was.

The one thing that Tom and I hated giving up when I decided to make these changes to my diet was going out to eat. It was a fun way for us to be together and discuss the day or to meet with friends and catch up. And who celebrates anything without going out? So this was a hurdle I had to overcome. Google was a GREAT for helping me with the process. Tom and I no longer went out to dinner “spontaneously.” We always made a plan to go out. This made it seem even more special ... almost like a date! Before we go out to dinner, I would Google the restaurant and check out the nutrition information for their meals. We would pre-select the meals before we left the house. It worked like a charm. We could get to go out for the evening, enjoy the meal, then come home and not feel guilty.

In her book, Isabody Beautiful, Susan Sly explains that “the human body can only properly digest about 600 calories in one sitting. Anything beyond this can easily be converted to fat.” So, now when I select what I am going to have at the restaurant I make sure that the entire meal falls under 600 calories.

I would like to use this wiki to share some of my Lean Dining restaurant meals with all of you. If you come across some great dishes, please add them along with mine. I think it will be fun and helpful for everyone who wants to feel free to go out with family and friends even though they are dieting. This wiki can also be helpful for those who are looking for all vegetarian cuisine, gluten free restaurants, and restaurants who only use local, fresh organic foods.

Thank you in advance for your contributions. Bon Appetite!!