Monday 8 July 2013

Calories Off Somebody Else’s Plate Don’t Count

It was too hot to cook,  so lunch at the pub it was.

Four late middle-aged ladies sat at the next table, all retired teachers to judge by their very lively conversation. Three of them were eating the speciality of the house, fish and chips, with a side order of mushy peas and a large dish of tartare mayonnaise; the fourth woman had a salad. As she was also the plumpest I wasn’t surprised when she explained that she was on the 5:2 diet. I’d only recently been told by somebody else that this is a relatively painless way of shedding a few pounds, so I was interested in what she had to say.  I looked over and saw her take a chip (French fries) off her friend’s plate.

“Go on, have another,” her friend said. “O no, I won’t, just the one will do”, the dieter said.

“It’s really quite easy to stick to this regime”, she continued, “I eat what I want for 5 days of the week and on two days I reduce my calorie intake to 500. I’m allowed 200 calories for my lunch today and tonight I’ll just have some chicken. I had a boiled egg and fruit for breakfast, so all in all, I shouldn’t be over my limit."

The four of them continued to eat and talk and I turned my attention back to my own food, also fish and chips. The portions were very generous, too much for me, and I started to wrap up my leftovers to take home for Millie. She loves a bit of fish and chips.

The ladies too had eaten what they needed and pushed their plates away, leaving some chips. The salad lady reached over and took another chip. “Nothing nicer than a well-cooked chip, is there,” she said, chewing. “Here you are,” her friend said, “ take them before they get too cold to eat.” One of the others pushed the half full dish of tartare mayonnaise over. “A bit of mayo to go with the chips?” All four giggled.

“O all right, then,” the dieter said, dipping chips into mayonnaise and popping them into her mouth. “Delicious !” she said, “they really do chips well here."

47 comments:

  1. Ah well, she might be plump but she's clearly happy.

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  2. Haha! Mind you I think one reason this diet works, is that you can actually eat a bit over the 500 calories ... the secret is to cut down and be aware of what you are eating, and over a longer period of time this does get the weight gradually down. I hope you will meet the lady in a year's time and she will be slimmer, despite her "blank" about other peoples' food!

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  3. It's so easy to overeat at a restaurant. I was planning on going out with my friend Judy tonight but she canceled. I had "saved up" some calories for our dinner out, so I can have a pretty nice meal at home and still not meet my calorie limit! :-)

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  4. Of course they don't, and everyone knows calories eaten standing up don't count, either. ;)

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  5. People either jump to unwarranted conclusions,
    or miss what is right before the nose.
    What funny creatures we are


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral
    ~ > < } } ( ° > <3

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  6. Apparently, she'll have to start over at 5! I recommend a green drink for losing weight - it tastes so bad you don't want to eat anything else for a long time.

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  7. It's usually eating all those things unawares that do us in. Well, not me, but people who try to diet, which I think is a silly thing to do. I would rather see someone eat healthy and sensible food when they are overweight. I think starving yourself is not such a good idea. And the smart thing to do, is not to overeat.

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  8. ha. nothing like good pub food to break a diet with...smiles...the faire sounds delicious...we need a good pub here...well maybe not, i dont need the other calories...smiles....

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  9. People sure are funny, aren't they? B eats off my plate ALL THE TIME. And yet she stays thin, and I sport a fairly substantial spare tire. Go figure!

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  10. And broken cookies (biscuits) have leaked all their calories, so they don't count, either.
    I would find it very difficult to not have one french fry from my neighbour's plate. And another. And another. I have no will power in the face of salty, fatty things.

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  11. Oh, I have not had mushy peas in years and years! As children here, Stewie the Pie man always had the best pot of mushy peas on his cart. Deep fried fresh fish and chips - oh now we're talking! Excuse me, my tinned salmon and salad awaits me..........

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  12. I had mushy peas in Australia and I was not impressed. Didn't have them in England, but did have fish and chips. Many years ago now, but I remember they were delicious.
    The 5-2 diet wouldn't work for me. 500 calories would send my blood sugar plummeting, but I really do have to cut back when I get home. We're in British Columbia now for a quick visit with my family, then to my 50-year high school graduation reunion. Doesn't seem possible! We're just meeting for dinner, nothing elaborate like the 20th, 30th and 40th. Then Dick and the dog and I will go back to Alberta.
    I'm still giggling about calories off another person's plate. Almost believable, too.
    Luv, K

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  13. I always think if calories just came in ones or twos, I'd be able to keep track of them, it's all those hundreds that bring me undone and make my head spin ... so much that I need a sugar hit. Nothing about dieting makes any sense to me!

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  14. Hi Friko - described so well .. and happens way too often! I try not to pinch others' chips if I've not ordered them ... usually I manage!

    Wonderful weather down here .. hope you're enjoying your walks and that beautiful countryside .. cheers Hilary

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  15. All those little spoonfuls you taste to check the seasoning , when cooking , don't make you fatter , either ... nor the last slice of ham ( shame to waste it ) . But you'll really be pleased to know that , now almonds are Good For You because of their calcium content , you can eat as many as you like .... well , almost .

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  16. I have a friend who has been on this diet and I have to say when I saw her last week she was looking remarkably trim. I guess she did not pinch the odd chip :-) Have a good week, Diane

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  17. If we're swopping sayings, hers probably would be "Waste not, want not". :-) Shame to see a good chip go begging.....

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  18. I remember my doctor telling me to get an exercise machine to keep me more active in bad weather. I complained that I had no where to put the monstrosity. She said, "Replace your kitchen table with it."

    Never happened. So now I avoid the table and eat while sitting on the sofa. Calories are depleted the farther you are from the table, right?

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  19. I have a confession: I am a chip-pincher. Probably explains a lot about why I can't lose weight LOL.

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  20. Friko, you've told this tale very well. Sounds as if those friends know each other very well and enjoy each others' company.

    It's too hot to cook hereabouts too. I am thinking about Greek yoghurt for my lunch. (I did have plenty of calories from my French toast breakfast....)

    xo

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  21. I love it when you sit near chatty people - we are sure to have an amusing post! Over here it is a well-known fact that there are no calories in food consumed while walking, so an ice cream cone bought and eaten on the move is a sensible choice for a dieter.

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  22. This TOTALLY cracks me up! And yes, I've been known to be a chip pincher, but generally not when I'm really trying to work it!

    There was a three-part PBS series by the 5:2 diet guy Michael Mosley -- the first part just focused on that. I found it very intriguing but haven't started yet. I expect resistance from Skinny-biker Rick who doesn't understand the concept. We'll see. I will be faithful, though, if I commit -- of that I can be sure!

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  23. That is so funny!

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  24. This is so funny and so true, Friko! All the tales we dieters tell ourselves -- that calories from others' plates or food eaten while standing up are free calories! Of course, it all does add up, which is why keeping a log and writing it all down helps. I've been astonished at times when I've read the calorie log! I think the answer is not to diet per se but to learn to like healthy, low-density food as much as the old favorites. I'm finding lately that a piece of fruit is really more satisfying than cookies, but it has been a long struggle to get to this point.

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  25. Oh my Goodness! What a laugh!
    Maggie x

    Nuts in May

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  26. aaah, if it wasn't for chips. cheese and chocolate we'd all be thin

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  27. Oh the dieter's work is never done. David cleans my plate most days and has a hard time keeping weight on. I should be so lucky. Who likes mushy peas? I think they are disqusting. Dianne

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  28. Ja ja, es "menschelet" halt ueberall! Aber das ist doch nett und amuesant, wo kaemen wir denn hin, wenn wir alles so ernst nehmen wollten? :-)

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  29. Forbidden chips of somebody else's plate always taste the best.

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  30. I don't believe in diets, they nearly killed me. Sensible balanced eating and daily exercise is the key. But hard to practise. I've a friend like your neighbour who "eats like a bird" and wonders why she can never lose a pound. This bird lives on leftovers, I've seen her skim around the table and scoop everyone's leavings before she loads her dishwasher.
    I feel slightly ill even when I think of doing that!
    And I LOVE mushy peas with a load of haggis to balance it. :)
    XO
    WWW

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  31. I've found you always have to look out for the "I'll just pick" people too...they eat more than those who order a meal. ~Mary

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  32. I am still chuckling! I wonder how that 5:2 diet is really working for her. She reminds me of my sister and her crazy diets and the way she gives in so easily.

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  33. There are a lot worse things to be in life than plump. ;)

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  34. Too funny...it's so easy to fall off the dieting wagon!

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  35. weight management is never anything I've had to deal with, unless it's being too thin which I was for most of my life, so I find it hard to relate to the whole diet thing. eat what you want I say and don't succumb to the judgement of others.

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  36. A common malady methinks. At least, I know I've got it. Can't resist chips. No way.

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  37. I just picked up on the fish and chips – love them. I have not found good ones where I live but when we were in San Francisco several weeks ago there was a pub next to our hotel, the Irish Bank, and we had fish and chips there – once inside this pub it really did not feel like being in California. Thanks for reading my long post – it’s hard to keep almost 10 years of a life within 3 posts … but I am finished. I enjoyed your posts on your Google searches and your take on the routine of some days – you always write thought provoking posts.

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  38. I love chips. Covered in ketchup and malt vinegar. Or gravy.

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  39. I keep hearing about this 5:2 diet - sounds at least fairly sensible!

    I'm not a big fan of fish and chips or mayo - so I'm saved! Or do you think that chocolate has calories in it? ;-)

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  40. You capture human nature very well in this post, Friko.

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  41. Funny, this bothers me a bit. My mom, on doctor's advice, and with tremendous discipline, took off and kept off 40 pounds. It was very hard, and I'm glad she didn't have lunch companions who veered her off course. She feels much better these days, and it wouldn't have happened if she hadn't had the support of her friends.

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  42. Funny conversation, Frico!
    There are a lot of different diets in the world. Here is another one:
    "You look slimmer, dear, what is your diet?
    Carrots, salad, radish, celery.
    Do you boil them or fry?
    I'm weeding them!"

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  43. Lol ! it's not for nothing that there are so many overweight women in the UK ! When I sit at the seafront in Eastbourne I see them walking by ! Fortunately I don't have any weight problems and still keep my 65 kgs which is not too much for 1.72m ! BTW I love fish and chips and jacket potatoes. Last time on our UK tour we ate that each time as lunch ! (Breakfast and dinner was included in the tour) We couldn't get enough, because you don't get that in Belgium. Our potatos have another taste and therefore even if when I cooked this once at home it wasn't good.

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  44. Oh I'm so guilty of not ordering fries/chips and then sneaking some from Frank's plate. You caught me!

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  45. Good chips are so hard to resist!

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  46. Hi Friko, I know you only from Dave King's blog. Dave's blog is being featured on Poets United......and I think Dave needs some support. (I worry about him.) If you could find it in you to send some support his way, I would sincerely appreciate it. Here is the link....and I thank you:

    http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/2013/07/blog-of-week-pics-and-poems.html

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Comments are good, I like to know what you think of my posts. I know you'll keep it civil.