Goal 2: Portion Control

We hear this one all the time... Portion Control...
I know I am guilty of not controlling my portions- especially when it comes to foods like pasta... or pancake syrup... or chocolate cake... You get the idea. Yet, portion control is one of the most important things you can do for your diet.
Eating the proper portions size makes it so much easier to count calories, carbs, fat, and other things we tend to track as we obsess over our diets. Couple portion control with eating on a schedule, and after a while, you can almost forget about counting and calculating altogether. It's so easy. Eat small meals throughout the day and control your portions. Just add healthy food choices, and there you go. A slimmer, healthier you! Pfffft! I WISH it was that easy! Ok, it is, but still... it's soooo hard!!!  But it CAN be done!

So, what is a healthy portion, anyway? Well, it depends on the food. There are 3 tools that are very helpful when learning portion control: 1. Measuring cups. 2. Measuring spoons. 3. A kitchen scale.
Most of the time you can just get by with the first two, but there are times when the third will come in handy.
If you are eating packaged foods, check the serving size, and measure it out before adding it to your plate.
You may be surprised to learn that a healthy bowl of Cheerios can help you pack on the calories... IF you fill the bowl. Did you know that one serving size is 1 cup of Cheerios and 1/2 cup of skim milk? This will give you 140 calories. Hmmm.... how big is your cereal bowl? How much cereal do you typically add? How much milk do you add? Do you frequently get a second bowl? It all adds up!

Alternatively, you can "eyeball" the amount of food you are eating. It isn't as accurate as actually measuring, but it is helpful for times when you are eating away from home... or just too lazy to go get the measuring cups!   I find this chart very helpful in illustrating portion sizes and serving sizes.

Not too difficult, right?
Read the labels for your serving sizes and make sure you are eating the proper portion. This will help you stay on track with your dietary goals.

Goal 1: Eat on Schedule

Eat on schedule... that sounds simple, right? Maybe not. Sometimes days are busy or something unexpected comes up, or you just forgot to take something out of the freezer. Any number of things can prevent you from eating when you should. But the fact is, eating on a schedule can be one of your biggest tools to staying on track.

Why is it important, anyway? First, when you eat on schedule, you are less likely to feel really hungry. Feeling hungry is a top reason for overeating and making poor dietary choices. Second, when you eat sporadically, it does a number on your blood sugar. You get unhealthy, uncontrolled dips and spikes. This can affect your mood, your energy, and your overall health.
Following a schedule will allow you to be more in control of your diet and make it easier for you to make healthy choices. It will enable you to keep your energy up throughout the day, and help prevent you from feeling hungry.

What is a good schedule to follow? I like to aim for eating three meals and three snacks. I find that eating every 2-3 hours works well. Anything less than 2 hours is just too often, and if I go beyond 3 hours, I just get hungry. Most often I stay between 2 1/2 and 3 hours.

So, it would look something like this (simply adjust the time, depending on what time you wake up.):

7:30am Breakfast
10:00am Snack
12:30pm Lunch
3:30pm Snack
6:30pm Dinner
9:00pm Snack

Not too difficult, right?
You might like to keep a food log or diary with the times you eat, and what you eat. I find this very helpful (especially later on, when we will get into tracking certain foods).

Good Luck!