Sneaky Nutrition 101

After my workout today, I managed to get Mark to drive me to El Polo loco since I didn't bring my lunch and I needed food that was somewhat healthy in terms of what you can buy as fast food.  On top of getting mark to drive me, I touched him for eight bucks when I told him after we got there that I needed some coin.  Since I've been riding every day and working out at lunch this week (stud with huge nuts says what?), I got the Original Pollo Bowl and a side salad.  Yeah the Pollo Bowl has 610 calories but I've been burning a lot and I was hungry like the wolf.  I figured the side salad would be a nice next to no calorie filler for me with a little bit of fiber to slick the ol' treads.

Long story longer, as I was munching on the side salad after I finished the Pollo Bowl, I decided to look up El Pollo Loco's nutritional page (El Pollo Nutrition) and see what the calorie count on the Loco Side Salad was.  Any guesses?  If you guessed a whopping 100 calories, you're half right.  That little four ounce sucker is a shocking 210 calories with 18 GRAMS OF FAT.  The entire Original Pollo Bowl only has 10 grams of fat!

So look at it this way.  The Original Pollo Bowl is 18.1 ounces and its 610 calories with 10 grams of fat.  Not great for you, but eh..who cares once in a while and its way better than something fried.  If you take the Loco Side Salad at 4.2 ounces and multiply it out so the serving is the same as the Pollo Bowl, you'd get 945 calories with EIGHTY ONE GRAMS OF FAT.  Sweet mother of crap that is a horrifically bad salad for you!  I threw half of it away.  Never again folks, never again.  Talk about something that isn't worth it!

Just goes to show you that you cannot assume something is healthy or low in calories by looking at it.

Side Note:  Props to El Pollo Loco for having a variety of things that are actually healthy (for fast food) and they clearly designate those things on their menu.

Mid Day Update...

Today for my lunch workout I planned to time myself running three miles.  Mark, an avid runner, was to be my pace man to keep me honest and worry about pace while I just lugged along like some kind of spastic turdbot (The Oxford dictionary will be adding turdbot in its 2013 edition).  I planned on taking the easy way out, hooking up the iPod and running on a treadmill in the nice climate controlled gym but Mark insisted we take to the SART and run like men. Yes folks, the SART isn't just for biking, you can do all sorts of things on it like bike, run, walk, spray paint, drink 40's of Olde English 800, and even live!

I haven't run in a few weeks and I've gotta tell you it wasn't pleasant but I was able to complete my three miler with a time of 28:22 (9:40 mile pace).  Mark was a big help in making sure I met my pace goal by offering me words of encouragement, told me to stay on his shoulder to keep close to my pace goal, and farting incessantly while making comments like "Ooof!  More tea vicar?" and "Mate, don't you worry, there's plenty more where that came from".  What a pal.  Overall I'm pleased I actually measured myself but its depressing that just two years ago I ran a half marathon at a pace of 9:06 so I've got my work cut out for me.

After sauna and shower time back at the gym (where Mark hopefully wiped his ass), I headed to El Polo Loco since I forgot my healthy lunch.  Yes, El Polo Loco is fast food but they do have a couple of healthy solutions that are quite tasty so I chose the 'Skinless Breast Combo' with no salad dressing.  Thus far, today has been a triumph so I'm feeling good about my progress.

El Polo Loco Skinless Breast Meal nutritional data.  Pretty freaking healthy for fast food:

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