Sunday, April 15, 2007

Sherri's Helpful Hints












Tips for Guilt Free Eating

Aim for a small total amount, maybe a small portion daily, of a favorite food.

Choose foods that you like but are able to resist after you've had a small portion. For example, you'll probably never be satisfied with one or two potato chips, but one bite of cheesecake might be enough to satisfy.

If a certain food is extremely hard to resist, eat it infrequently, like once a week, or not at all.

Avoid foods such as potato chips that make you hungrier or lead you to crave more.

Keep only a few different favorite foods in the house at one time. Research shows that people eat more calories when there's a greater variety of treats around.

Slow down. Take small bites and enjoy every one.

Eat first, then have a beverage, so you can give your full attention to your food.


Portions

Did you know that the standard bagel is the equivalent of four or five slices of bread and that the average soft drink is three times the size it was 25 years ago? It's no wonder that so many of us are overweight. We eat portions that are way too big, with way too many calories. To lose weight, you'll need to cut your portions down to size. Here's how:

Eat on a salad plate instead of a dinner plate. A fuller plate tricks your brain into thinking that you're eating a lot.

Eat lots of high-water, low-calorie foods, like lettuce, raw veggies, broth-based soups, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products. You'll feel satiated without breaking the calorie bank, says Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition at Penn State University and author of The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan: Feel Full on Fewer Calories.

Do a monthly portion check-up. Drag out the scale and measuring cups to make sure your portions haven't crept up in size. Even a small difference like three ounces of turkey instead of two can add up to a few pounds over a year.


Portion Sizes

1 tsp. of salad dressing equals the size of a half dollar

A small (2 oz.) bagel equals the diameter of a round beverage coaster

A tortilla equals a salad plate

1/2 tsp. of oil equals 1 thimble full

1 half-oz. roll equals a bar of soap

A medium baked potato equals a computer mouse

1/2 cup veggies equals the bulb part of a standard light bulb

1 cup of pasta equals 1 baseball

3 oz. of meat equals a pack of tissues or deck of cards

1/2 cup of rice equals a custard cup

1 oz. of nuts equals 2 shot glasses

1/4 cup of sour cream equals 1 golf ball

1 oz. chunk of cheese equals 2 dominoes or your thumb

1/2 cup of rice or pasta equals the amount that fits into a cupcake wrapper

A pancake or waffle equals the diameter of a CD

3/4 cup of frozen yogurt equals 1 tennis ball

3 oz. of fish equals an eyeglass case

1 1/2 oz. of raisins equals 1 soup ladle

1 cup of dry cereal equals 1 wine glass

1/4 cup of sour cream equals 1 golf ball

1 oz. of chocolate equals 1 package of dental floss

1 tsp. of peanut butter equals a lipstick cap

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