Take CONTROL of your PORTIONS

When discussing diet changes with clients and class participants, portion size seems to be one area that puzzles most. When you are more conscious and working toward changing your diet, this is one of the many areas that has to be addressed. Food portion sizes today are far bigger than they were in the past, which means we are taking in far more calories than we realize. If you do not burn the extra calories that you take in, the waistline grows and the number on the scale continuously increases. Understanding healthy and correct portion size is critical to long-term weight management.
Most people may not use measuring cups, spoons and food scales, although, it is the optimal means to know food amounts with preparation and consumption. Once you have been using them for a while and consciously make an effort to be in tune with what is going in your mouth, you will probably be able to put them aside. The amounts will become second nature to you. If you choose not to go that route, the next best method is to use items that are common in everyday life and visualize your portion based on that item.

Here are some examples:
Checkbook = 6 oz of light flesh fish
Deck of cards = 3-4 oz of boneless and skinless chicken breast or lean beef
Compact disk = Size of 1 whole wheat pancake
Computer mouse = 4-5 oz baked sweet potato or yam
Poker chip = 1 Tb. Use for olive oil, light salad dressings and (nut) butter spreads
Golf ball = ¼ cup. Use for raw nuts (ie. almonds and walnuts)
Lightbulb = ½ cup. Use for frozen yogurt, cooked whole grain pasta and rices
Baseball = 1 cup. Use for high fiber cereals and vegetables (the more vegetables, the better)

Some tips:
1. Measure your foods. Either use the relationship size guide OR actual measuring devices.
2. Be mindful of what you are eating. Take your time when you eat, sit and chew slowly.
3. Stop eating when you are full. It usually takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that feeling.
4. Eat more of your calories in the early part of your day especially if that is when you are most active with life, work, and children. Eat lighter in the evening.
5. Eat 5 smaller meals in a day rather than 2-3 large meals.
6. Use your food labels to see nutrition values. What is the serving and how many calories are in it?
7. Check my entry on January 31, 2010 for free web sites that allow you to track your progress. You are able to see for your height, weight and age how many calories you should consume in a day. In addition, it allows you to see how many calories you should consume when you want to lose weight.

Don't Let the Winter Blues Throw You Off Track

I was speaking with a girlfriend today that lives in the Detroit area, which has had their share of harsh winters. Ironically, the winters in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country have been far more severe than what she has experienced so far. I always ask how her workouts have progressed. She was disappointed that she has not maintained her consistency and noticed that the gains she made in her strength training class has fallen short as a result. She attributed it to the Winter Blues.
She is in Detroit without back-to-back blizzards in a week and still has the Winter Blues. So I know many of my clients, class participants and future clientele possibly have the same issue. This weather makes you want to snuggle under a warm blanket on the couch, lounge and snack on comforting foods. You are tired of shoveling, tired of looking at the snow and tense up at the mere mention of another possible inch.
It is so easy to succumb to these feelings of fatigue and tension by grabbing something quick and unhealthy (comfort foods) to eat rather than thinking about what your daily food intake should be. It is also true with exercise. When you fall off track, you have to get back quickly because it is harder the longer you stay away. Even when there is a blizzard and you are home bound, that is the time to take 30-45 minutes or even an hour to get a workout in. What else do you have to do? Your health and well-being is worth that hour. When you exercise, endorphins are released. These are the natural feel good chemicals your body releases. So get moving, eat healthy and get out of the winter blues!