Day 4: Movie Night Survival Strategies

It's the weekend. It's time to relax and unwind and maybe even go out and have a little fun. What do you do when you've been so healthy all week, then the weekend shows up and you want to ease up a little bit on the diet, while still avoiding a 2-day binge of any junk food within a 3-mile radius.

A good way to plan for the weekend is to eat well during the week, knowing that you will allow yourself a few treats over the weekend. I'm thinking that planning to ease up a little on my healthy eating will prevent me from going completely crazy.

With the Weight Watchers program, I have 35 extra points to use at my discretion, guilt-free, throughout the week. I don't have to use the points if I don't want to, but I am allowed to use them and enjoy a "treat" if the opportunity presents itself. A lot of people use their points little by little throughout the week, while others choose to save them up for a special occasion. I like this idea because I can still allow myself to eat what I want once or twice during the week without the guilt and regret the next day.

Friday is my favorite day of the week because it's date night for my boyfriend and me. We live about an hour and a half away from each other, so we typically meet in Bloomington, which is the middle for both of us. Our date nights always involve dinner followed by some other activity. Tonight we're going to see Alice in Wonderland.

I love going to the movies. I am sucked in by the bright lights, all the people, the comfortable theater seats and the prospect of being entertained for a couple of hours. But nothing gets me into that movie theater more than the smell of that delicious, buttery popcorn.


It would be an understatement for me to say that movie theater popcorn is a guilty pleasure for me. A more appropriate term might be "an unquenchable craving from the deepest place in my being that screams for my attention as soon as I walk in the door." I. Love. Movie Theater Popcorn.

Unfortunately movie theater popcorn does not love me. My hips can tell you all about it.

According to the nutritional website TheDailyPlate.com, A large movie theater popcorn with butter has an estimated 1640 calories and 126 grams of fat. That adds up to 43 Weight Watchers Points, which is well over the total I am supposed to have for one day, and well over my Flex Points allowance as well.

But what am I supposed to do when the smell draws me in and I can't ignore those cravings?

Here's my answer:

I know that when I get to the theater I am going to want popcorn. And I want to enjoy my movie-watching experience with my favorite snack. I don't care what all those dieting websites say, sneaking in a Ziploc bag full of carrots and celery is not going to help me.

Knowing what I'm going to do ahead of time is going to help me to be prepared when my old friend Popcorn starts calling my name.

For the movie tonight, I am going to have a small popcorn (7 cups), with butter (who gets no butter at the movie theater, anyway?). This is an estimated 630 calories and 50 grams of fat, for 17 of my flex points.

However, because I am choosing the popcorn, I am going to limit myself on other things, like sugary soda. I will drink water, and I will avoid the candy counter.

The theater we're going to tonight offers unlimited refills on drinks and the really good ice. Fellow ice chewers will appreciate this sentiment. "The Good Ice" refers to ice pellets, ice nuggets, or Sonic Ice. There is no better ice consistency in the world for your chewing pleasure. It just fits so perfectly between your teeth and is just soft enough while still allowing for a little bit of crunch. In addition to its perfect texture, this ice also takes longer to melt. There really is no question when it comes to frozen water. "The Good Ice" is the way to go.


All of that to say, getting a cup of ice is almost as important (if not more) than getting popcorn at this particular theater.

I could go the cheap route and bring along my own bottle of water (don't tell), then try to coax the cashier into giving me a free cup of ice. Or I could see if they have a water spigot at the fountain where you get your drink, and again, see if the cashier will give me just a cup for water and ice without charging me. I'm guessing they probably won't do this (which is a shame, considering that I'm spending half a million dollars for the movie tickets and the popcorn, rather Adam is). If they don't allow either of those options, I will be forced to purchase a regular-priced drink and then only fill my cup with ice.

Then I'm left with this conundrum: Iis it worth it to pay $3.50 for a small cup of ice, or should I just go without and enjoy my bottled water sans those wonderful little frozen pellets?

The answer, of course, is even though they're robbing me blind, I'm going to get the ice.

And for dinner we're eating at Flat Top Grill, which is about as close to a heavenly feast as you can get. It's a create your own stir fry restaurant where you walk through a line and pile as many vegetables as you want into a bowl with some rice or noodles. Then you add meat and they cook it for you and bring it to your table. It is delicious. And it's healthy. I won't be able to add up my points until I get there and pick out what I'm going to have, but I figure my stir fry won't possibly be more than 10 points. I'll update you tomorrow on what my total ends up being.

I think overall, the best plan for going to the movies and trying to stay healthy is to eat better before you go, plan ahead, and make sure you allow yourself to have what you want, without overdoing it. There's no reason to get the Jumbo Mega Sized Bucket of popcorn for 25 cents more, even if the sixteen year old kid working the counter tells you it's a better deal. A small will satisfy you just fine, and you'll keep your quarter.

If you give in to your craving in one area, make yourself stay strict in another area, like soda.

It's kind of a common sense approach. But I know that I want to make healthy living a complete overhaul of my lifestyle, and not just a trendy diet that I'll stick with for 3 weeks. So I have to allow myself a little wiggle room. It's not practical or realistic to expect myself to eat only healthy foods every day for the rest of my life. But with a little preparation and planning I can enjoy some of the less-healthy foods I love, while staying on track with my plan.

Thanks for reading, and remember to let me know if you want to participate in any of the challenges from yesterday's blog!