weight and dinner selections

REMINDER!!!!! PATIENT APPRECIATION TODAY AT 1230!!!!!
I was out to dinner last evening at Spartans, a very good family restaurant in Burke. The food is good, the prices are excellent and the portions are bountiful. For these reasons, the restaurant always seems crowded. Sometimes I feel sort of bad going there because I always bump into patients and I think when a patient sees his/her physician, they start feeling guiltuy of what may be in front of them on the plate. Of course, I NEVER stop by for more than a few seconds to say "hi" and I purposefully never look at their plate and most certainly would NEVER make a comment such as :"Hey...you have high cholesterol..why are you having that chocolate dessert???"

Last night though I did have an observation. As I was walking to my table and when I was exited, it seemed that the very overweight patrons of the restaurant had one thing is common: they all had a pasta dish in front of them...lasagna, spaghetti, manicotti, etc.

Obviously, carbohydrates hinder weight loss goals, but certain carbs will be more detrimental than others. A slice of wheat bread is a carb. So is the spaghetti. The point here is that for the longterm, staying on Phase 1 (no carbs) is not practical, and carbs do need to be reintroduced. But if you are in a weight losing mode, try to watch the types of carbs you have coming in, and avoid any pasta as part of your plan.