I could go on at considerable length about how the main principle of weight management hinges on food going in one end and then said food efficiently exiting the other end. I could expound on the fact that certain foods help this process and that certain foods hinder this process. I could site this post and remind you that the order in which those foods are eaten is also a factor. I could preach that the more whole, raw foods you eat the less you have to worry about portion control because your body will naturally regulate it's hunger when it effectively receives the nutrients that it so desperately craves.
But I will leave all that for another day.
Today is about simplicity. Just eat less.
Here are some tips to get you started:
Today is about simplicity. Just eat less.
Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Eat three meals a day. Yes, I know, we've all been beaten over the head with the propaganda that we are supposed to eat 5 mini meals scattered throughout the day to keep our "metabolism" burning like a raging inferno and keep our blood sugar stable and blah, blah, blah. While that may (or may not) be true, the 5 meals that most people are eating are not "mini." They are five regular size meals that people are forcing themselves to eat because they think it's going to result in some fat burning magic. Try having three square meals and see how you feel.
2. Eat those meals on 9 inch plates.
One of my favorite books is The 9-Inch Diet written by Alex Bogusky and Chuck Porter. In the book, they talk about how the size of dinner plates in America has gone from 8.5 inches 30 years ago to 12 inches today. They contend that it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you eat one serving of it on a 9 inch plate (piled only 1 inch high…don't get any crafty ideas). While I disagree that you can eat anything just because it's on a 9 inch plate (a 9 inch plate of Twinkies is still a 9 inch plate of Twinkies), it is a good jumping off point. As per my dinner suggestion yesterday, get a 9 inch plate fill half of it with veggies, 1/4 with vegan protein and 1/4 with a gluten-free grain. For the meat eaters fill the plate with 3/4 veggies and 1/4 meat.
3. Give yourself a hand
Our ancestors didn't have Weight Watchers scales or measuring cups to figure out what a proper portion size was. So nature, clever lady that she is, gave us our very own measuring tools right on our bodies….our hands. Whenever you are at a loss about how much you should be eating simply look at your hands. Your palm (not counting fingers or thumb) is the amount of protein or starch you should have in one sitting. Your two full hands put together palms to the sky (Oliver Twist asking for porridge style) is the amount raw leafy vegetables you should eat in one sitting. The amount of dark chocolate you should have for dessert is the size of your thumb. Gotta love Lady Nature. She's a smart one.
-♥ J :)
3. Give yourself a hand
Our ancestors didn't have Weight Watchers scales or measuring cups to figure out what a proper portion size was. So nature, clever lady that she is, gave us our very own measuring tools right on our bodies….our hands. Whenever you are at a loss about how much you should be eating simply look at your hands. Your palm (not counting fingers or thumb) is the amount of protein or starch you should have in one sitting. Your two full hands put together palms to the sky (Oliver Twist asking for porridge style) is the amount raw leafy vegetables you should eat in one sitting. The amount of dark chocolate you should have for dessert is the size of your thumb. Gotta love Lady Nature. She's a smart one.
-♥ J :)
photo via The 9-Inch Diet
