Being large, I've been there and still am to be honest. Just not as large as 52 days ago. Going large at every opportunity, that was me. Large steaks, large ice cream sundaes, large tubs or movie pop corn. Portioning large was my way of life. Go large I did, all the way to a 320 pound body.
Finally I seem to have this portioning thing figured out. Engaging in a bit of simple 'than & now' comparison really drives this learning in for me.
A 20 ounce steak, or 2 thick cut pork chops, or 3 bratwursts; that was how I used to portion meat. A healthy serving of meat is 2 - 3 ounces or some say visualize a deck of cards.
A 4 egg omelet or 4 fried eggs; that was how I used to portion eggs. A healthy serving of eggs is half that, two. You can visualize two eggs I hope :-)
Italian restaurants, so much to gobble up there while waiting for the entree to arrive. Especially Bread! Easily 4 - 6 bread sticks, or half of the loaf in that basket is what I would draw through a saucer of oil & parm; that was how I used to portion bread. A healthy serving of bread is a single slice of the typical white, or better yet a whole grain bread. Look at one slice, and move on.
Chinese or Japanese restaurants, they are so much fun especially in buffet form. Rice used to land on my plate in 2 - 3 cup servings and I'd have 2 - 3 servings in a sitting; that was how I used to portion rice. A healthy serving of rice one-half of one cup or some say visualize a golf ball. Fore!
Oh I shouldn't ignore fruit & veggies in my reflection here should I? Fill up my 20 ounce glass to the rim with orange juice please, or give me any amount of veggies as long as it is covered in a cup of cheese sauce; that was how I used to portion fruit & veggies. A healthy serving of fruit or vegetables is one piece of whatever you are having, without the cheese sauce tsunami. Ok, eating a whole pumpkin (considered one piece) is way more than 1 serving. A healthy serving of juice is 6 ounces, that is six shots of OJ for my fellow whisky drinkers.
Folks, I got large because I ate large. Me, I did it, nobody else, sad as it is to confess. But the good news is that today, from now on I potion to be healthy and I do feel this is making a difference. I so look forward to experiencing the difference of being truly healthy.
Make sense? Do you see portion discipline as an important factor in the state of your health?
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!
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Great post.
ReplyDeleteI learned at WW that a 4 oz chicken breast is the size of the palm of your hand. Since I carry my hands with me everywhere I go, I use that visual a lot.
This is a fab post. You're the first person to ever make portion control sound interesting! I do have trouble keeping portions to within reasonable amounts. It is just too easy to measure out 1/4 cup of nuts and add a few more on the top!
ReplyDeleteGREAT post Patrick & the visual says a lot!!!!! I do use portion control & it has made a huge difference to me! Even at night with my healthier animal cookie treats, I count them out & my hubby laughs & yells out, are you counting them again. Of course I am!
ReplyDeleteSharon, palm of yopu hand huh, thats a good visual to remember.
ReplyDeleteCarla, add a few more on top; yeah I still do it. Gotta get better there still.
Jody, Thanks for the post on your blog yesterday based on a post of mine, very cool to see I've contributed. Keep Counting!
Portion control (or lack of!) has always been an issue for me. Ever since I was a young child, my mum served us meals that an adult would struggle to finish... In some misguided way, she thought it was good to have a 'healthy' appetite (how ironic!) but it just taught us bad habits...
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