Your first defense against getting stuck on your diet, plateauing, or even gaining weight while "on program" is making the right decisions in the grocery store.
Here is a perfect example:
I bought this Sam's Choice Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Chicken Kit at WalMart. Now my eyesight is not what it used to be I admit, and bifocals complicate the matter. I read the nutrition information and ingredients list while WalMart did that danged annoying "dim the lights every two minutes to save electricity" thing I absolutely abhor. It gives me a headache. At 300 calories, 9 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbs (I figured that was the sauce), and 37 grams of protein per serving (4 in all) I judged the product an acceptable choice. It wasn't until I got it home and looked at it in decent lighting I realized it had potatoes in it.
Now, if I was on a carbohydrate cycling phase that would be okay. But I wanted all chicken! I thought I was buying chicken! Not potatoes, for diet's sake. The product's name mentions nothing about potatoes. And to me the photo looked like chicken in the lousy lighting. On the bottom of the back of the box in small print it says "Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Potatoes". And if you really look closely at the photo a few of those yellow slices actually look like potatoes. Maybe I should have caught that. I still say the box is misleading.
Well, I cooked it and ate it anyway. I can't afford to toss good food to the dogs even if it's not the best choice diet-wise. But this just goes to show, even reading the package isn't always enough. I should have just bought a package of skinless chicken breasts and spiced it myself. Next time, I will. My attempt at buying a shortcut backfired. To top it off, the ingredients list was a mile long and had things that do not exist in my kitchen.
Solution Number One: shop carefully, read labels, and avoid buying packaged foods - even if they appear to be healthy. When at all possible, buy fresh whole foods and cook them yourself. The extra time spent will be worth it.
By the way, this product did not save me any time. The chicken meat was raw and frozen, and it took a lot longer than the "preparation time 20 Minutes" listed on the package. I cooked a hamburger in a separate pan and ate it before the chicken even cooked. Convenience my arse.
On the up side, I'm back down to 119 pounds today. And the cranberry extract supplement is improving my urinary tract infection. Yeah!
They're Taking Over! But They Are Soooo Cute!
