Thursday, September 2, 2010

Make Portion Control Easier, wherever you may be!

When cooking at home, serve from the kitchen (do not put large dishes of food on the dining table, it sitting there will make it much easier to over eat). If you do have leftovers after the food is plated, put it in Tupperware containers before sitting down. Keeping the extra food out of sight and out of reach, really does keep it out of mind.

When dining at a restaurant, most portions are two to four times the actual serving size! When first starting to learn proper portions start by asking the waiter/waitress to box up half of the dish when it comes to the table, or ask he/she to bring a box with your meal. This may make you feel uncomfortable with the people you are with, but trust me your waist line will thank you! And once your stomach is used to the smaller portions and your mind is used to visualize exactly how much you should eat, you will be able to just leave half of your food on your plate (and follow the normal after eating boxing techniques).

When at a dinner/ appetizer party, this can be the worst especially with all the yummy options. Make sure to eat a small snack (such as an apple, high in dietary fiber) so you are not ravenous when you get there. Check out the food and decide what you would like to eat. Take a few small appetizers to start, when finished wait 15 minutes before getting more to rank you “fullness.” Be careful with drinks as well, not only can they add tons of sugar and calories, but they also do increase your appetite. When filling your plate for the dinner be sure ½ of the plate is filled with fresh veggies (not laden in oil, butter, or fat dressing!!), ¼ with carbohydrates, and ¼ with lean protein. And do not go back for seconds!

Biggest deal with portion control is listening to your body! Some days you may find yourself needing more food, whereas other days you may be full much more quickly. And remember it takes at least 15-20 minutes to feel that full feeling.

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