Category Archives: Red Robin

Day 58: Another successful dinner out

Weight loss: 17 pounds; next weigh-in: Saturday, Mar 10th

Typical morning at work. It was busy as all get out and every time I started back to the kitchen to heat my eggs, I was interrupted.  The result was I still hadn’t eaten by noon.

Rick was coming by work to drop off the truck and ride his bike back home. I asked him to pick me up something for brunch, because the eggs had lost their luster.

I check out Wendy’s online and lo and behold, they have some customization options. After selecting the item you want from the food menu, look for nutritional information. On that page, is a button that says “personalize it.” I was able to remove the bun and honey mustard sauce from the grilled chicken sandwich and see that the results made the meal only 3 grams of carbs. I personalized a side salad to go with it, and submitted my order to Rick, the carryout delivery guy.

Rick picked up and delivered, and the results were very satisfying. Although I rarely eat there, I’ve always thought Wendy’s chicken breasts were very big and moist, and it was just as good without the bun. I was just happy to outsmart the fast-food carb monster once again.

I had dinner plans with my friend Shelly. We met at Red Robin, where I had the guacamole cheeseburger again. This time, I didn’t ask for a lettuce bun. The concept was great, but the guac tends to smoosh around between the lettuce leaves. I opted for the side salad instead of bottomless fries again. As usual, they were tempting me from Shelly’s plate across the table. I ate about an inch off of the end of one. That was enough.

As I contemplate what to add to a potential cheat day menu, steak fries become a great possibility. Those, and perhaps pasta, are the only things I can’t successfully replicate in a low-carb option.

Dessert was chocolate mousse.

 

Day 47: Keto-friendly Red Robin dinner

Weight loss to date: 14 lbs. Next weigh-in: Saturday, March 3rd

Big deadline looming at work, so I had to go in for a few hours. Rick and I took the time to go to the diner for breakfast, and I had 3 scrambled eggs with 6 pieces of bacon.

A few hours later, I ate a low-carb Kroger yogurt with some chili-lime almonds. It was a light meal, and I saved lots of carbs for dinner/movie night.

Rick and I sometimes do the Red Robin movie/dinner deal, so I looked up my keto-friendly possibilities. Red Robin is on top of things! They have an Iphone (and website) app that allows you to swap out meal ingredients and check the nutrition as you do so. It’s called the Red Robin Customizer. They also have lots of burger bun options, including a big lettuce bun. Smart marketing, Red Robin!

I installed the app and had some fun playing with options. I decided to get the guacamole bacon burger with a lettuce bun for 7 net carbs. I also saw that their wing appetizers were only 2 carbs, but decided not to get them when I got to the restaurant. The appetizer was 9.99, or I could choose a side salad in place of the fries that came with the burger – for free.

The burger and salad were both very good. The burger itself was really tasty. It was easy to eat on the lettuce bun–if a little too large for my tiny mouth. Near the end,  the guacamole started sliding around and misplacing the bun. I had to use a knife and fork to eat the last 1/4 of the burger.

The most difficult part of the meal was watching Rick eat his bottomless steak fries. I like those ALOT. Trying to be helpful, he moved the ketchup bottle in front of the plate, but I knew they were there. At the end of the meal, I took 1/3 of one steak fry and chewed it slowly. It was very good, and that got the craving out of my system.

I know I could probably binge and eat something like that now and then, but after yesterday’s zero weight loss, I’m not very tempted. That tiny taste kept me satisfied.

We went to see Safe House. It was a little too action-packed for my taste. I hate the “shakey-cam.” Dessert was at home: sf lime jello.