A Schnitzel And A Beer, Thanks...

You know...

There’s nothing like the first mouthful of a perfectly cooked schnitzel from the pub

The crunch of the crumb accompanied by the tenderness of the chicken or beef

A nice hot sauce or maybe a special topping to complement

And a good serving of chips also doesn’t go astray (your choice as to whether you like the Schnitty on top of the chips or to the side)

There’s also a sense of satisfaction from seeing it spilling over the sides of the plate, as the bar staff places the dish in front of you

It’s piping hot

You’ve got your money’s worth

And you know darn well you’re going to be full

Oh the schnitzel!!!

Look… I’m sorry…

I know I’m going to be disappointing to a few of you here

My days of the Schnitty stopped quite a few years ago

I just can’t…

Look, I think they’re quite delicious (at times)

And sure, they’re also pretty good value for your hard earned buck

But… they’re just too costly to me

It’s the calories

The crappy oil they’re generally cooked in

And it’s the coating of the crumb which doesn’t align with my current way of eating

Now, before I go on, I just want to say this

I am in NO WAY saying that you shouldn’t have a schnitzel

If it’s your thing, then you should definitely DEFINITELY enjoy it

However, I feel as though it’s my duty as a trainer to draw your attention to items which I believe are important

One of those important items is, the magnitude of calories we can easily ingest, in an outing to a pub or a restaurant

And of course today

I am using the schnitzel mainly as my example…

I’m being a bit conservative here (in terms of schnitzel size), but just googling the average calories in a 250g chicken schnitzel

Shows up as a whopping 740 calories

Let’s say you have 2 pints (425ml each) of Lager, that works out to 300 calories

Or instead you have 2 glasses of dry white wine (160ml each), that equates to approximately 220 calories

And if you do decide to eat say… 200g of hot chips with your meal, that also works out to approximately 490 calories

So this particular outing, without an entree or dessert, you could be looking anywhere between…

1400 and 1550 calories

And look, I could be out with the chicken schnitzel calorie count

However, I’m pretty sure there are many out there weighing in a lot more than 250g

See the thing is also

You could opt for a 250g steak instead

Which I would say is the healthier option

So if you have your steak (250g Rib eye fillet) which works out to 370 calories, but you still have a couple of the lagers and you get the chips

That’s still around 1100 calories

So then

What’s the key to calorie success, you might ask?

DON’T. EAT.

Kidding of course

To me it’s trying to create continual awareness, and a decision not to remain too ignorant to the food situation

Can you have a drink and a meal at the pub?

You certainly can!

Do you have to consider making allowances for it?

Well, it depends on your goals

My philosophy in terms of health and training, will continue to refine itself as the years go by

These days I feel the question I ask everyone is

"How do you wish to live your life"

If you want "this" out of life

Then you’ve got to do "that"

Whatever direction you choose

There inevitably has to be some form of adjustment

And some level of sacrifice

You and I can’t expect a different result, without making a change

It’s trying to work out what level of change you are prepared to deal with

Again please understand, I am not saying that one should remove all pleasures out of their lives in order to be healthy

I’d actually say that doing such a thing, wouldn’t be healthy at all

Just make some real time to analyse some of your habits or choices

Consider tracking your food for a bit

It’s worth looking at your calorie intake and I would say on top of that, assessing the types of food you consume

Just doing a bit of research

Could be very enlightening to you

And with great hope

It’s going to be a lot easier to take the appropriate action

To steer life in the direction that you want it to go in

Stay strong!

P.T. Scott 😀🔥💪

Scott Jenkins