From the very beginning of my journey from fat to fit I knew in my heart I could be successful without any special diet other than making slow and steady reductions in what I was already eating. Portion size and other aspect of moderation were going to be key.
As I wrote in Paring Down at Noodles & Company, only a few short months ago this was a typical meal for me at Noodles:
- Large Indonesian Peanut Saute with Chicken (1000 calories)
- Cucumber Tomato side salad (120) or Potstickers (490)
- Flat bread (210)
- Stuart’s Orange & Cream soda (170)
- Large cookie (490)
A meal that clocked in between 2000 and 2400 calories. This would often be for lunch too, not even my primary meal of the day.
Back in September when I wrote the original Noodles post I said I had worked my way down to the following:
- Small Indonesian Peanut Saute with Chicken (510 calories)
- Small tossed side salad (60)
- Glass of water
And here is where I am at today:
- Large Thai Curry Soup with Chicken, no noodles & extra vegetables (390 calories)
- Glass of water
- Stick of sugar-free chewing gum
The next time I eat there I am going to go for the small size, and that will pare that meal down about as far as I can. We’ll just have to see if it is enough for me. I suspect that if it isn’t now, that it will be once I lose more weight. I am learning how good it feels to not be stuffed to the gills after a meal, like I used to be when I ate at Noodles. Just compare this meal with what I used to eat there! What I really like about having this bowl of soup for a meal is that it is so flavorful and fresh tasting. Absolutely does not feel like I am on a diet when I am savoring it.
I am just at the beginning of my journey and time will tell if this strategy is sustainable, but certainly for the time being a key element of my weight loss program is to take normal meals as I regularly eat them and optimize the hell out of them by making slow and steady reductions.
Like This Post? Give me the thumbs up 
