Apparently I am singlehandedly killing the rainforests of the world, and making baby seals cry, simply by eating (low carb) at McDonald’s once this week.
Wait, twice. I think.
Anyway…
I’m writing to you from the car, by the way. We’re currently heading south on our annual 8-hour Low Carb Road Trip to the Okaloosa Island beach…
I love the challenge of eating low carb on the go – road trips, airports, random restaurants, catered events, etc. 🙂 Of course, you can’t always eat “super clean” so my motto is this:
Make the best possible (healthy) choices in any given situation.
Let’s talk about some of those situations…
Here’s a good example for you: We made a detour on our road trip to visit family – Ricky’s family. While we were in his hometown (Muscle Shoals, Alabama) he wanted to eat at Jack’s for breakfast.
Jack’s is a fast food joint, by the way – like Wendy’s or Burger King or McDonald’s – but apparently it’s really good. And there isn’t one anywhere near where we live.
Like a good little keto girlfriend (lol) I didn’t protest. He did ask me if I could eat low carb there (nice guy!!) and I said, “sure, I can find something to eat anywhere!”
This is one of the things I love about eating low carb. 🙂
It was your typical fast food breakfast menu. I made the best of no real good choices – 2 sausage, egg & cheese wraps (without the wraps):
Oddly enough I catch no flack for eating that, or a Low Carb Thickburger from Hardee’s, a Subway salad, or anything else – unless it’s from McDonald’s. 😛 Go figure, lol. The “McBashing” is happening on my Facebook page, by the way. That’s also where I’m sharing updates & low carb food pictures from my road trip this weekend if you want to follow along.
“That’s not clean eating.”
Well duh.
This was a comment about me getting a fried egg and sausage patty for breakfast from McDonald’s. It was suggested that I should have a cooler full of organic vegetables and such on my road trip instead.
First, I’m traveling with a slender carb eating man. But even I can’t eat vegan/organic for four straight days. This woman needs some hot meals! 😛
It’s not like you can cook grass fed beef and organic vegetables… during the 17 hours of your trip that you’re in a car – not to mention being states away from your kitchen in a beachside hotel room.
That’s not the point of this trip anyway. This is my 4th annual “Low Carb Road Trip” where I share how to enjoy a low carb vacation. Which does not include cooking – for me, at least. lol.
It’s not like I’m eating every meal at a McDonald’s.
Yesterday I had a beautiful low carb lunch at Logan’s Roadhouse:
That meal was SO good!
It was grilled salmon, sautéed mushrooms, and I substituted the other side for fresh avocado slices. I drizzled the butter over the salmon. 🙂 Mmmm…
Anyway, my point is that you can’t *always* “eat clean”. Life happens – whether it’s your friend wanting to eat out at a certain place, a family cookout, a catered meal at work, etc. Sometimes you just have to eat low carb, and make the healthiest choices you can – in any given situation.
Obviously you DO want to make the best choices possible…
Fortunately we had a refrigerator in our hotel room last night, so I saved the Caesar Salad (no croutons) that came with my take-out dinner last night – which was ribs with no sauce. It made for a nice lunch today when we got back on the road – especially when I added some of my own pecan halves to it:
Yum! 🙂
Sure I could pack a cooler full of berries and nuts and cheeses and such, which is exactly what I do when we spend weekends on the lake. And I *did* pack a few things (like the pecans)… but telling me I should eat all organic all the time is like telling me I should be Presbyterian or something.
Besides…
You’re fooling yourself if you think anything grown on this planet is totally “clean”. Or that only people who don’t eat organic get sick – or ultimately die.
I hung up my perfectionist hat a LONG time ago. I just aim to do the best I can – wherever I am. I think I’d go nuts (I love nuts!!) if I had to worry about the source or history of every single product I used or food I ate.
Still, I find it interesting how much heat I take for eating sausage & eggs or grilled chicken strips from McDonald’s… but food from any other drive-thru doesn’t bring out the critics. Weird.
As for me…
LOL 🙂
I do love their fresh coffee and clean restrooms when I’m on long road trips.
Follow along & join us on Facebook!
-Lynn
p.s. I wrote this in an app on my mobile on the road, so I hope the pictures and such came out okay. We’re currently 35 miles from the sandy beach… so I’ll talk to you soon. Follow along on Facebook for fun updates! *cheers*
Hey Lynn,
Your trip sounds like fun!
Your point “Besides, you’re fooling yourself if you think anything grown on *this* planet is totally ” clean”. Or that only people who don’t eat organic get sick – or ultimately die. ”
stood out for me.
I agree with you completely.
I think the whole organic thing is out of control. When my father was young I am sure what he ate fresh food off of his farm that may have been organic, but over the years I bet most of what he has eaten has not been organic, and he is a very healthy 87 year old man.
And a few years ago we were speaking to our pharmacist about food choices and diet. She was very open about what she ate each day. I asked her if she chose only organic foods and she said no, because she said that she didn’t fully believe that everything that is labelled organic, truly is organic. That really got me to thinking, and after that I stopped worrying about it all as well.
Enjoy your trip!
Thank you, Sicorra! I have a great friend – Crystal Collins of NaturalThrifty.com that is “organic” – and we’ve had some really good discussions on the topic, specifically on just how “organic” things really are, various labeling issues, etc.
After I wrote this post, Ricky and I were sitting on the beach later that evening eating some “real food” (pecan halves if I remember right) and a military plane flew overhead.
It was quite beautiful, sitting in the sand, waves lapping at our feet, sunset glistening over the ocean, a big plane flying over… then I looked down at the food in my hand, and Ricky and I just looked at each other and laughed! So much for “clean food” we said – what with plane exhaust and such. 😛 haha
I’m not sure why when one says “low carb” they hear and assume “clean eating” all the time. It makes me crazy. Some of us can only tackle one issue at a time. 😛
Exactly, Shannon. If someone had told me that I had to do everything so perfect when I first started eating low carb… I would have given up before I ever started!
That reminds me of this “KISS” post I wrote recently: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/4945/simple-low-carb-diet/ 🙂
The two are not the same. You can eat clean, eat organic, eat vegan, eat ketogenic, eat low carb – they’re all different. I say decide what you’re going to do (today) and DO IT. Make the healthiest / best choices you can. Simple as that!
Hi Lynn,
So glad you are first getting away, and secondly sharing all your low carb meals on the road with us. I love the photos, please it keep it up! What a help it will be when when my honey and I start our trip soon, he is very supportive too, which is a blessing.
I will pack nuts, cheese, water along with a few other low carb options, and I fully plan to take advantage of eating low carb on the whole trip. However, I may sneak in one cheat meal if all planets and stars line up, or not! Lol = )
Just the fact you are staying on board with low carb is awesome, and we do what we need to do to stay and keep low carb meals.
By all means if there is a fast food place where I can get fried eggs, sausage and or bacon, I’m there with you!
I agree with Sicorra wholeheartedly. They are becoming better about labeling, but there is a lot of mislabeling, and the whole non-GMO is still rather dicey in my book. I read labels and shop at the health food markets and regular markets, but honestly I think there are not any real guarantees. My son is starting to grow all our family’s food, aquaponic style, and we hope to be non-GMO and all organic by the end of this year. Our fingers are crossed! But for now all we can do is our best, and be happy with the choices we make…
Enjoy your trip, and keep us update on the low carb adventure!
Terry
Thank you, Terry! I’m so glad you enjoyed the updates & topics. The trip was SO much fun, and successfully low carb the ENTIRE way. 🙂 Even on my birthday, which was the Sunday we drove back. Fun!
I think it’s awesome that you’re growing your own food as a family. What a cool thing to do! I love that you’re making healthy decisions, but also open to living and enjoying your life on the go.
Balance is KEY in my opinion, to quality of life.
Preach! 😀
I work at an 8 to 5 advertising place, & right now there are mixed nuts, peanut butter, deviled ham and deviled chicken, kippered herring & 90% cocoa Lindt dark chocolate in my desk drawer. That’s for when I don’t have time in the am to fix food, or don’t have time to go out to lunch. And there’s nothing wrong with a Wendy’s double burger (hold the ketchup & bun), BK or McD’s similar. It’s low carb, satisfying and gets you through the day. Flexibility is really important in everything. 😀
I agree, Jo. Being able to go with the flow and be flexible is SO much less stressful, and just makes life easier. And easy is GOOD in my book!
I can’t even imagine the stress of trying to “eat clean” or “be organic” 100% of the time. That could make me crazy real quick. I’m already a germophobe – I’d hate to add another paranoia / conspiracy to the mix – my head would explode, haha!
Yeah, and you should also be weaving your own cloth, making your own butter from your own organically free range grass fed cow…….lol. We also need to lighten up. Your trip sounds like a heck of a lot of fun and you’re doing an awesome job on eating on the road. Thank you for sharing. The blog always makes my day.
THAT makes MY day, Leslie! 🙂
And you cracked me up, lol – SO true…
*cheers*
I remember when I first started with 90 Day Low Carb Challenge and I spoke about getting real butter. Someone told me that I NEEDED Kerry Gold Butter! I told them that for YEARS I had been eating margarine and my body was too busy getting all of the plastic out of it to care if it was that brand or not………As far as the organic only way of eating goes, years ago I read a news story of some organic pig farmers…………one of the partners murdered the other one and fed him to the pigs! Now that’s organic alright! Have a safe trip!
LMAO, Marilyn – what a story!! 😛 haha
When I first started eating low carb I ate Country Crock margarine, and ate Atkins bars and drank Diet Coke. I lost weight FAST too. I’m the last one to be judgmental. I say do whatever it takes to first lose weight, if that’s what you need to do – and then go from there.
So many people need to lose the weight first… to get to a place of emotional and mental stability to even be able to think about “health”. I say start where you are, and improve as you go. 😉 *cheers*
You are headed to my beach! I live here. Lots of tourists in the restaurants, but there is a Fresh Market, and the Publix is not bad either.
Chris – did you get the email about lunch here on Sunday?? 🙂
Lynn, you just keep doing you because most of us think you’re pretty awesome. I love how you live life and show us the real way to handle situations! Enjoy your road trip, wish I was able to make the trip to meet you but can’t do it, a bit too far for me. BTW, earlier when you mentioned Jack’s, I was like YUM, loved that place. Of course then I was not eating low carb and had a plate full of carbs. Anyway, point is, small world really. My dad lived (he is now passed away) with my step mom in Russellville, AL which is right by Muscle Shoals and is where I went to Jack’s. Congrats to Ricky on having a new grand baby!! Keep up the good work, you help us all so much!!!
Thank you, Lisa. 🙂 What a small world! The new baby is so precious – wow. She’s absolutely perfect!! Ricky is super proud, lol – and we’ve made 3 trips already because he just can’t get enough of her sweet face! Too cute.
I really appreciate your kind words. I really enjoy living my life, staying on the go, and just figuring things out on the way. *cheers*
I love that I found your blog and Facebook! What you give is is advice on how to navigate the real world out there. Keep it up!
Thanks, Terri! The world is full of carbs, it’s full of bad things and things that are bad for us (even the sun will kill you! But try going without it, lol). It’s full of situations and places that make it difficult to eat healthy…
But the world is also full of adventure and beauty, and amazing experiences. We only get one life. I say live it full on, and do all you can do! And grab an egg and a piece of sausage on the way if you have to. 🙂 lol.
You said you wrote this on an APP? Do you mind saying which one? This is a pretty long post to write on a smartphone or tablet. I write so much better on a laptop or PC with real keys. Touch screen typing takes me forever one touch at a time….lol
I used the WordPress app. And I typed this entire post with one finger, lol. THEN I learned how to swype… haha. 🙂
I have been off and on Atkins diet for 40 years…it has been the only diet that let me lose weight without exercising. Walking is my limit for the past few years…not to say that I haven’t lost weight with other methods as well. In the early years I had great success with weight watchers, however in my later years I have not been able to lose on WW diet.
Great to meet you, Carol. 🙂 It’s amazing how well a LCHF diet works. And on top of that, I’m eating healthier than I ever have before!
When we travel, we often bring food from home. It’s always so much better than what we can get on the road. And, we are very lucky to live in an area that is “eco-groovy” so the food here is pretty darned clean. For example, grass-fed beef are raised here and the meat shipped to SF where it costs 3x or more higher than we get it. Even the regular supermarkets (Safeway and the local chains) carry many “health foods” and local products, so we are truly blessed. That being said, we are not saints, and although we do our best on the road, you still have to go with the flow. We just returned from a trip to Silicon Valley where it took 3 stops before we could find a “cafe” that was little more than a pastry shop. But, luckily for us, we found other place to eat that were nutritious and fun.
I have just joined your group and love your blog! I respect everyone’s opinions but one thing I have realized in the numerous years I have been on this planet is that I will glean what works for me and leave any sign of negativity behind me! I understand the idea of clean eating but not everyone has the “funds” to afford the lifestyle. So, I will read and glean! Thank you for this group!