So here I sit in one of my local paneras. I had a lunch meeting where I talked more than I ate — so I decided that food before teaching fitness might be a good idea. I also have a homework assignment due in my nonprofit management class that I intended on completing while here— yeah that clearly is not working out.

However, after my blah review of the blah Panera Summer Shrimp Salad sandwich (see that HERE) a reader asked what I normally eat. Well that is a great question. So I really do kinda eat the same five things at Panera. As a lap-band patient at any time leafy greens, raw veggies, and breads may or may not work. However, I do stick mainly with cafe salads (greek specifically and cafe soups here at Panera. I tend to get the “Pick 2″ option as well. However, today I am not only starving but not feeling well. A dangerous combo for a band-ster. So I decided to pick the lowest calorie soup option and pair it with a very boring sandwich.

So today’s Pick 2 is — Vegetarian Low-Fat Black Bean Soup and 1/2 a classic grilled cheese. I also treated myself to a shortbread cookie (horrible stats, just horrible — but then again I haven’t eaten today) and an unsweetened Hibiscus Iced Tea (with one packet of equal in it — I know I know fake sugar will kill me — but I saved calories to eat the REAL sugar in the cookie).

I had intended on photographing the fresh plate with my phone — but my buzzer malfunctioned so I missed the original call. And by the time I looked up from my work (e.g. Facebook and downloading the new Nathalie Maines album (of Dixie Chick fame) it had been sitting there for a while and I was ravenous. So the photo is of a mostly demolished plate. I also like dipping my bread chunks in the soup — so yeah thats a hunk-a burning carbs sitting in a bowl of carb goodness.

Unlike a lot of people who are in fitness — I eat like a normal person. As a lap band patent I throw up so much food, I just go for anything that might stay in my stomach. So I eat rice, and black beans. A LOT. I eat bread sometimes — certainly with delicious cheese and my fiance’s homemade garlic olive oil. I drink full sugar sodas, and I put white sugar & real half/half in my coffee (there are somethings I can do fake sugar with – like diet coke or in ice tea — coffee is sacred and deserves the good stuff). And even with ALL OF THAT on a normal basis my doctor is disappointed in my diet because I am starving myself. Not on purpose — but just because I forget to eat — or something doesn’t work and out it comes. So sometimes in a day I might have had a bowl of cream of wheat and a Starbucks coffee drink. So yes world — fat (since size 10-12 is clearly HUGE media and internets ) people can suffering from malnutrition!

Anyhow so back to my carbalicious meal. I didn’t even think how carb heavy it was until now honestly, but that will be good as I will have fuel to take a fitness class AND teach one. Here are the stats [it is 22 TOTAL Weight Watcher Points for everything listed (soup, sandwich, shortbread and ice tea (which is 0 poins)]:

So I get 35 points a day and I STILL have 13 points left over not counting any activity points. I suppose the point of this is not only to talk about kinda what I may get on a random rainy Thursday at a quick service place. But to discuss how sometimes you can eat what you like — and still be okay. Again, I have 13 points left because what you see above is ALL I’ve eaten today minus a few bites of another bowl of soup. Now this is not idea — and normally I would have eaten some sort of morning meal and a real lunch. But life got in the way. Anyhow, I plan to do a few more of these random postings about things I — as a real person (who likes carbs) eats. Until then…enjoy my massacred plate!