I'll have what they're having

I made some reasonable choices for lunch yesterday at the Greenbrier, and left the table more than satisfied. I would have enjoyed the fried green tomato sandwich more, but if I toted up the pros and cons on a list, the cons would have outweighed [heh heh – get it? outweighed?] the pros.

[Yes, I realize normal people don't think about lunch choices in this manner. I'm. Not. Normal.]

So, a starter of black bean soup, of which I ate only half, followed by their signature chicken salad. This is not a leafy green salad with grilled chicken, but an old-fashioned "ladies' lunch" – a scoop of chicken salad surrounded by fresh melon, berries, kiwi and grapes. Instead of the customary muffins, they serve it with a wedge of onion focaccia. Yes, I ate the focaccia. I had a hazelnut latte for dessert. I guesstimate that lunch came up to about 770 calories

One of my dining companions had the artichoke/spinach/crab dip with warm tortilla chips followed by a ginormous bacon cheeseburger and fries. The other had a big plate of shrimp and crabmeat with asparagus followed by key lime pie.

Won't it be great when I reach the point in my life where I don't have to analyze the food I eat in a restaurant? I'd love to be able to choose whatever sounds good from a menu, knowing that I can deal with the consequences later. Right now I don't feel like I can do that. I'm on this urgent mission, not to lose the weight as quickly as possible [because we all both know that ain't happening], but to stay on a steady path and not derail my efforts. I'm not quite at the point psychologically where I could pick myself up and get back on track after a food indulgence. It's still easier for me to eat less [I didn't eat breakfast yesterday, and only had cottage cheese and cantaloupe for dinner] to make up for a less-than-perfect choice than to work out more, although I did take time to work out for an hour yesterday morning.

What I wouldn't give for a healthy, efficient metabolism.

Oh, yes, Draper's Café did offer a couple of "spa cuisine" choices. To give you an idea of how tempting they were, one was an appetizer of chicken broth with enoki mushrooms. Thanksbutnothanks.

The rest of the day was fine. We wandered in and out of the various pricey little shops at the Greenbrier. In the jewelry shop, I was admiring a beautiful emerald-and-diamond ring. At lunch, the Spousal Equivalent handed me a [hah! You thought I was going to say 'velvet box,' didn't you?] piece of paper and asked me to guess how much the ring cost. My guess was a third of the actual $7,500 price. Can you tell I don't shop for gems very often? He had actually considered surprising me with the ring. We agreed that wasn't necessary.

Back home again, it was basketball-and-commercials until I couldn't keep my eyes open any more. Today will be more of the same. Let's goooooooo, Mountaineers!