If you didn't, why not? Did you think it was silly? Were you afraid of what it might reveal? Either answer are legitimate reasons for * avoiding the issue *. But I can tell you avoiding the issue IS NOT going to make you healthier. So how serious are you about being healthier? How serious are you about losing weight?
This week we're going to talk about what TRUE PORTION SIZES are. Some of them may surprise you. I know the first time I told my husband that a 'portion' of mashed potatoes consisted of the ice cream scoop, he thought I was nuts! LOL
Carbs are most often a 1/2 Cup portion. A traditional ice cream scoop is 1/2 Cup... the same portion size for any of your starches such as mashed potatoes, white rice, pasta, etc. And an additional FYI - it's also the portion of Ice Cream. 1 scoop... sans toppings unless you want to count some pureed fresh fruit like strawberries or rasberries.
But what about Proteins? How big of a piece of steak or a pork chop or chicken breast is the RIGHT portion?
Think in terms of a standard deck of cards, or the palm of your hand - not the whole section from heel to finger tip - but from heel to where the fingers join the hand.
Although Cheese is a protein, it's also a dairy. A 1 oz piece of cheese is equivalent to a DOMINO.
Fats are easy. 1 serving of fat will fill a WATER BOTTLE CAP.
Sure doesn't sound like a lot of food does it? So what are you suppose to fill up on?
VEGETABLES and FRUITS.
You can determine the amount of these by the dimension of a DVD case - stacked 3 high
Jorge Cruise came up with a great *Portion Control* visual in his book The 3-Hour Diet.
First of, start with a 9" dinner plate. Most of us use a large plate - 12". Don't believe me? Go to your cupboard and get out the same plate you'll put on the table for supper tonight. Find a yard stick, a ruler, tape measure or your husband's shoe. What measurement do you get?
Studies show if you use a smaller plate, you'll eat less. Why? Because if your eyes transmit a picture of a FULL PLATE to your brain, it reads it as FULL ! It doesn't care about the SIZE! Your brain only comprehends what YOU TELL IT!
If you don't own a 9" plate, take thee to the Dollar Store, Thrift Store or local Discount shopping center (You know the one I mean. The one you do a majority of your weekly shopping at). Buy one for each person who sits down to dinner with you. If you use this plate as your guide, you won't need to worry about measuring QUITE so much.
Cruise plan calls for you to divide your plate into thirds. NOT equal thirds! Here's how the equation works:
Fill 1/2 the plate with your VEGETABLE and or FRUIT. You can combine it with a salad or fresh vegies. And remember that dressing you want to drench it in? Read the back of the dressing bottle for the CORRECT serving size. That label on the back we never pay much attention to is FULL of valuable information.
Okay so now you have 1/2 a plate full of good stuff. Now to the stuff you'd rather be eating. Divide the remaining 1/2 into 1/2 again. 1 side for your carb and 1 side for your protein.
Don't worry if it doesn't seem like a lot. You're going to be snacking on a piece of fruit in three hours and drinking lots of water. You'll be fine.
Will this be easy? NO
Can you adjust? YES - if you want to
Is it the best for you? ABSOLUTELY! What isn't good about being HEALTHY!
So give this a try for a week. Using the guidelines given, practice the portion control. Next week I'll try to have located some of the other portion guidelines I've come across. The more you know - the easier this will be.
Enjoy the journey!
Posts
This is fabulous, Kelly. I heard a red meat serving size is = to a deck of cards... do you know if that true? Hugs to you, C
ReplyDeleteoops, there I read it. I was re-reading... lol
ReplyDelete