Choices

I recently dined at the Cheesecake Factory for a family birthday celebration. Yes, I did have some cheesecake—who can resist? But let’s move back to earlier in the evening when I was choosing what to eat for my meal.

The two choices I had narrowed down to were shown like this on the menu:

BANG-BANG CHICKEN AND SHRIMP
A Spicy Thai Dish with the Flavors of Curry, Peanut, Chile and Coconut.
Sauteed with Vegetables and Served over Steamed White Rice

or

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT GRILLED CHICKEN™
Lightly Pounded Chicken Breast Charbroiled and Topped with a Tomato and Arugula Salad. Garnished with Steamed White Rice and Asparagus. Under 590 Calories

Which one would you choose? The bang-bang chicken and shrimp sounded tastier, but I wasn’t sure how high in calories or fat it was. In the end my decision was determined by thinking ahead—I new I wanted to have cheesecake. Therefore, I chose the meal that I new was healthy and sensible, the Weight Management Grilled Chicken. (The seriously need to rethink that name, by the way. It’s not exactly a pleasant order to make in front of a large group.)

Later I was curious about the calories information for all my choices. First I checked the cheesecake. Yikes! 912 calories! But it was delicious.

Next I checked the two meal choices side by side.

BANG-BANG CHICKEN AND SHRIMP calories 1383, fat 20 grams
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT GRILLED CHICKEN calories 583, fat 2 grams

There you have it. I made the right choice. What a gratifying feeling!