Thursday, September 3, 2009

IF , it does a body good

In my line of work, dining with customers is part of the program. Last night was one of those dining experiences. Whenever I have to eat one of these larger meals, I make my day simple and use it as a fast. After a 24 hour fast, a meal like that is really tasty ;-)



BUT......buyer beware, after 24 hours of not eating (and a workout and tennis mind you) you MUST go in with a plan, or you will "undo" all the benefits of the fast.



Thanks to where I work, I have a top notch steak house at my disposal for client entertainment. Now a steakhouse is probably one of the easiest restaurants to eat in and keep your self in line.


The table is set;
It's called the "Wine Room" for a reason




I didn't snap a picture of the appetizers, but this is what I ate; 2 oysters, 1 large cold shrimp, 1 large grilled shrimp stuffed with basil and wrapped with bacon and some BBQ sauce. Tomato salad with mozzarella. One Large steak, grilled asparagus and some creamed spinach. 2 glasses of a very nice Californian Cabernet.

Even though I ate a lot of food (I did not finish the steak, 22 ounces is too much for me), I didn't feel bloated or full. I left the bread basket alone, I did not eat the lobster mashed potato, nor did I have the crab macaroni and cheese, the twice baked potato or the hash browns. Desserts were for the rest of the table. And honestly, I really don't crave those foods anymore. I did crave my steak since about 3pm ;-)

Does this look good or what?


How do you fare after a fast?

And like I've told all of you, you're more then welcome to come visit lovely Naples, I'll show you some secret beach spots....., join your for beach sprints or a workout and might even treat you to a steak ;-)

10 comments:

Mark said...

Good stuff Marc. It's pretty easy to eat out if you stick to the plan. You can always find a steak and usually some kind of veggies...sure they are feedlot and probably frozen, but not bad once in a while in my book.

We went to an old school burger and ice cream shop the other day. Even there, I was able to eat to plan: 3 egg omlette with (frozen) spinach and asparagus, a side of (frozen) broccoli instead of breakfast potatoes and toast, and I skipped the ice cream (which is awesome there, but I was trying to lead by example...this was missed by the kids and my wife as they partook of the cream :) )

Interestingly, we'll be visiting Naples during Thanksgiving. We're doing a Disney World trip and flying into Ft Meyers to see a college buddy who is in Naples. I don't think we'll have spare time, but you never know...

Marc said...

Hey Mark,

That will be real nice come November. I'm sure the weather will be a little better then MA.
;-)

Would enjoy meeting you if you have the time. where are you staying in Naples? Your friends house or a hotel. If you need hotel accomodations....I can help ;-)
Just let me know.

The steak served at Shula's Steakhouse here is not your average feed lot, and not frozen. Only 1% of all (commercial) beef qualifies for what they call the "Shula's cut". They have their own supplier in Georgia. It's not grassfed ;-(

I lead by example with my kids...it does no good ;-)

Marc

Threshold Photograpy said...

OMG LOOK AT THAT STEAK!

You're a steak-tease, dude. A dirty steak-tease. I think I'm going to have to pay a visit to the Argentinian steak restaurant this week now...

Greg said...

For me, eating out requires careful planning if I hope to avoid watching my calorie count explode.

I've gotten to the point of searching out meals on restaurant menus before I get the the venue. Maybe I'm becoming a little obsessed??

Mark said...

Greg - I do the same thing. Guess we're both obsessed.

I used to do that b/c I was worried that the slightest deviation from the path would cause me to lose my way (read: carb bender!). That has become less and less of an issue for me...I seem pretty stuck on this lifestyle now. I still do it though....

Marc said...

Beastie,

You're too funny!! Hey did you ever find a Dutch Paleo resource??

Greg,
Yes you're obsessed hahahahaha
If you don't eat different in restaurants then you do at home, you're good to go.

Mark,
Can you elaborate on your benders??
Is it real bad? How often? what's the cause?

Have a great long weekend!
Marc

Mark said...

Benders are mostly a thing of the past.

When I had something sugary, I almost always lost a bit of control and ended up eating a lot more junk...whatever's around. Driven/compelled and not at all hungry (actually quite full).

I occasionally still fall prey, but it happens less and less.

Jay C said...

Marc;

Yep, totally agree about your comments on my blog.
I have two pork butts going in smoker tomorrow 6:am, will be done around noon Sunday, should be a good weekend.

Hope all is well with you.

Chow On, Peace Out.

Jay

Anonymous said...

That steak looks fantastic! Good piece of advice that after an IF to eat soundly. Funny, but I can always take the time to create a decent meal even after fasting for 20+ hours. When I eat, it is more than a normal meal, but I make sure that it is the right kind of intake.

Marc said...

Andy, same for me. But I do have to "think" about it prior to eating....maybe as a reminder to myself?
The steak tasted as good as it looked.

Marc