It is true. The best eating habits are developed by utilizing portion control. In 2008 I successfully lost 30 pounds just by eating normal portion sizes. I didn’t give up any of the foods I love, nor did I give up junk food or alcohol. I didn’t even “measure” my portions, I just visualized what I normally would eat at a meal and cut it by oh, say 20%. After a few weeks I cut it again. After 8 months I was 30 pounds lighter and I had barely busted a sweat. Unfortunately, I fell back on some bad habits during some stressful moments in my life so here I am trying to lose the weight, again!
Here is your homework for the day. Take out a dinner plate and look at it. Visualize how you normally serve up your food. Is it piled high? Does the food go all the way to the edges of the plate? These are just some of the habits that needs to be broken. Now, visualize your meal as if it were a pie chart. How big a piece of pie is given to starchy foods loaded with carbs, vs. how much is given to protein rich food and veggies? Again, habits that need to change.
For this week, I will concentrate on my portion size. I will fill only the shallow indentation of my plate, staying a good inch or two away from the edge. I will also be focusing on eating the proper balance of all the major food groups. I started doing this again with last night's dinner and I will say, it was hard. I made meatloaf with mashed potatoes and whole green beans. In the end, I was able to stick to my own dictate. Later, I took childish delight in watch my fiance groan all night because he had overstuffed himself. Yes, he went for seconds too soon.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
In the beginning...
Hello! As so many do, the New Year prompts many an individual to ponder on resolutions and goals for the coming year. And, as so many do, by the Spring they find themselves falling short of their expectations. Therefore, they toss the resolutions and goals they made for themselves and live for the moment of truth when the deadlines to meet their self imposed goals come and go. This allows most folks to shrug in a Gaelic manner and console themselves with the knowledge that they must have set unreasonable goals for themselves; it was no wonder they weren't attained!
The year 2011 will see many changes for me and my family. A new move to another state. The hope that my telecommuting job will pick up and allow me to earn some much needed money. Planning my wedding. Dealing with the aftermath of my future mother-in-law's cancer treatments. To say that my stress levels will be seriously tested is the understatement of the year.
One such change is my ever increasing desire to feel more healthy. I know, I know. The word "diet" is as much a four-letter word in my book as any you can dare to imagine. The fact of the matter is, I am NOT getting any younger and am forced to acknowledge certain biological changes that are happening now, as well as the dreaded future (gasp! dare I even mention "The Change"?) Add to this is my fervent desire to not look like the abominable snow woman as I walk down the aisle later this year. To this extent I am embarking on a six month mission to tone up and slim down some. We shall call this a "dietary lifestyle change". Why?
To begin a diet conjures up, at most, a temporary flight from all food that tastes even remotely delicious. Thus, most folks only consider a diet to be a temporary measure. However, by definition, the word diet simply means the usual food and drink consumed by a person. So for better or worse, we are ALL on a diet of some type.
I will endeavor, through this blog, to share my journey with you. By allowing my lifestyle to be public I am hoping to us it an an incentive and inspiration to attain my goal of a healthier me. I will write able my experiences, good and bad. I will post some recipes so tasty you will not even know they are good for you! I will detail all attempts at excerise and share my health goals.
To begin, I firmly believe that the bathroom scale is the most destructive thing a person can have in their home. My advice, get rid of it; preferably today! How many of us have chained ourselves to a scale, ate bird like portions, only to not see so much as an ounce lost - and don't even get me started on the short term water weight gain during "Aunt Flo's" visit!
Ask yourself instead, how do you feel? Are you tired a lot, do you have difficulty talking short walks, climbing stairs, etc? Do your clothes fit comfortably? I guess you are asking yourself then, How will she track her progress? Well, the best I can and will do is to keep track of my dress sizes. Maybe this isn't the best approach for you. That is ok, as long as you find a method of motivation that is right for you.
So here it is.. in black and white for the public to see and read: my dress size is..... 20.
Let the journey ... BEGIN!
The year 2011 will see many changes for me and my family. A new move to another state. The hope that my telecommuting job will pick up and allow me to earn some much needed money. Planning my wedding. Dealing with the aftermath of my future mother-in-law's cancer treatments. To say that my stress levels will be seriously tested is the understatement of the year.
One such change is my ever increasing desire to feel more healthy. I know, I know. The word "diet" is as much a four-letter word in my book as any you can dare to imagine. The fact of the matter is, I am NOT getting any younger and am forced to acknowledge certain biological changes that are happening now, as well as the dreaded future (gasp! dare I even mention "The Change"?) Add to this is my fervent desire to not look like the abominable snow woman as I walk down the aisle later this year. To this extent I am embarking on a six month mission to tone up and slim down some. We shall call this a "dietary lifestyle change". Why?
To begin a diet conjures up, at most, a temporary flight from all food that tastes even remotely delicious. Thus, most folks only consider a diet to be a temporary measure. However, by definition, the word diet simply means the usual food and drink consumed by a person. So for better or worse, we are ALL on a diet of some type.
I will endeavor, through this blog, to share my journey with you. By allowing my lifestyle to be public I am hoping to us it an an incentive and inspiration to attain my goal of a healthier me. I will write able my experiences, good and bad. I will post some recipes so tasty you will not even know they are good for you! I will detail all attempts at excerise and share my health goals.
To begin, I firmly believe that the bathroom scale is the most destructive thing a person can have in their home. My advice, get rid of it; preferably today! How many of us have chained ourselves to a scale, ate bird like portions, only to not see so much as an ounce lost - and don't even get me started on the short term water weight gain during "Aunt Flo's" visit!
Ask yourself instead, how do you feel? Are you tired a lot, do you have difficulty talking short walks, climbing stairs, etc? Do your clothes fit comfortably? I guess you are asking yourself then, How will she track her progress? Well, the best I can and will do is to keep track of my dress sizes. Maybe this isn't the best approach for you. That is ok, as long as you find a method of motivation that is right for you.
So here it is.. in black and white for the public to see and read: my dress size is..... 20.
Let the journey ... BEGIN!
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