Portion Distortion

Have you noticed how big dinner plates are becoming? Most meals out could feed 4 people!

We are definitely upsizing our meals and it is showing on our bodies. We are now bigger than ever before in history. For example, bread, which used to be about 26g for a slice, now weighs between 35-45g.
Have we cut our sandwiches down to compensate? No? That could explain why so many people are having too many carbs in their day and are not even aware of it. Here are some other portion distortions:

How much steak should you really have?
The size of meat should be 4 - 6 oz for women and 6 - 8 oz for men. Same size for chicken – a breast with skin on is about 14g of fat, remove the skin and it's about 6g of fat.

How about nuts.

A small handful is a good amount and should weigh about 1 oz. You might consider weighing that handful, some people have big hands:)

Fruit

Everyone thinks that fruit is good and it is, but how much are you having? To lose weight women should have 2-3 pieces and for men 3-4 a day. For maintaining 4-5 pieces a day max. The size per serving is 1/2 cup, so an apple is probably 2 servings, depending on the size of course.

Chips and snacks

Bags of chips and snacks have grown larger. A small child could fit in some of those bags (don't try that at home)! Don’t sit down to watch TV with one, you're just asking for trouble. Are you ready? A portion is 1 oz and that equals about 10 chips! Can you stop at 10? If not, don't keep a bag in the house.

Soft drinks are way, way, way over consumed
I remember when a soda was a treat, not a beverage consumed with every meal.
There are almost 10 teaspoons of sugar in a can of soda. A teaspoon of sugar equals 16 calories. That's a load of calories and NO nutrition!

Drive thru meals

Try not to drive thru for your meals, if you do, don’t fall into the trap of supersizing just because it’s only 50 cents extra. Think about what the cost to your health and your weight will be. A normal portion of fast food is a small hamburger and small fries. If you drive thru, try it and see if you're satisfied.

Here are more tips:

Cooked rice should be between ½ to ¾ cup women, 1 cup for men.

Cooked spaghetti should be 1 cup for women and 1½ cups for men.

Vegetables are unlimited but this does not include potato, corn or avocado.

Look at the serving size on the label, you may be eating low fat crackers but could be eating a huge amount of them.

Weigh or measure your food for a few days to see how much you are having. You might be surprised. For example, cereal, weigh it and you'll probably be shocked to find out you're eating 2 -4 portions.

Don’t eat on the run, it is much better to sit and take your time, savor the moment and the food.

Most times we confuse hunger with being thirsty so drink lots of water and see if this helps keep your hunger at bay.

Don’t eat just for the sake of it or out of habit or boredom. Next time you eat something ask yourself are you eating because the clock says its time to eat or are you actually hungry?

It’s all about being conscious of what you are eating and making the right choices but also still eating in moderation, a.k.a. eating intentionally:)