In praise of gym rat food

For the benefit of clarity, what I am about to provide is not an official Weight Watchers International endorsement, but rather a David Kirchhoff Weight Watchers member endorsement...

I seriously HEART food from the Pump Energy Food in NYC. A lot.

I first discovered this place back when our offices were at 7th and 57th. I remember when I first walked in back in 2002 and was greeted by a wall full of autographed pictures of scary looking body builders. It was clearly built for the gym rat crowd. I'm not saying that in a negative way as I have embraced the gym rat culture myself.

The Pump has come a long way over the past years. They have six locations throughout Manhattan, including one close to my current office. They will deliver within 20 minutes in most cases, but that's not why they have my unending affection...

This place is basically all Filling Foods all the time. None of their food is fried. They avoid the typical dollops of butter and other related goops that restaurants often use to make the foods more palatable. These add-on's result in the calorie bombs we have learned to fear when dining out. The Pump uses whole wheat instead of refined flour resulting in a healthy dose of entres with whole grained race, whole wheat pasta, grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, etc. This place is a safe zone for people on the program.

Better than that, they sell big food that's low in calories. Lots of protein and veggies that keep me full and content for hours. Despite the way it sometimes looks and the completely ridiculous names they give their dishes, the food tastes great. To me anyway.

My favorites include notables such as "the Lean & Mean" (see attached photo), "the Big Arms", "the Turbo Omelet" and a personal favorite, "the Baseball." Don't cast judgement on the names, which can be a little off-putting for people with delicate sensibilities. Further, just because I eat the Big Arms doesn't mean that it gives me big arms.

For me, a big part of staying on plan is finding Safe Places where I can eat tasty, big food and not worry about staying on program.

http://www.thepumpenergyfood.com