Size It Up-Compare food portions to everyday household items

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This is another helpful tool to help keep your portion sizes in check! Click here to print this sheet out for a handy reference to what a healthy,normal portion size should be.

Calorie comparison of common beverages

This chart is a comparison of common beverages side by side.  This should be enough information to convince you that you should watch your drinks carefully because the calories add up quickly.  If you could replace some of these calories with food, you would feel more satisfied.

Notice that the calorie content is ONLY 8 OUNCES OR ONE CUP of the beverage! Sometimes we have way more than just 8 ounces of a particular beverage.

Need Appetite Control?

What if I cut back on my portions, and I feel like I am about to eat the house down because I am starving? There are several suggestions that will help keep you full. They are:

• Try to eat meals at regular intervals. Skipping meals cause you to eat more than what you normally would if you would have eaten every 3 to 4 hours.
• Make sure your snacks and meals are high in fiber and protein. For example, eating a piece of fruit for a snack is great, but it has no protein or fat which means you will not feel satiated for very long. One tbsp. of peanut butter or a cheese stick would be the perfect addition to an apple or banana because you will be making the snack more balanced.
• To control your intake of the higher-fat, higher-calorie parts of a meal, take seconds of vegetables and salads instead of meats and desserts.
• Avoid eating in front of the TV or while busy with other activities. Pay attention to what you are eating and fully enjoy the smell and taste of your foods.
• Eat slowly so your brain can get the message that your stomach is full.

The biggest and best suggestion of all is to order a product called Max Appetite Control by AdvoCare. It is what I use to help control my appetite while giving me energy and core nutrition. It is NOT a diet pill! I still use the same products I started out with because it is a permanent solution not a temporary solution. It can be compared to brushing your teeth. You brush your teeth everyday because you want to keep your teeth in good health. Right? No one I know of brushes their teeth for a few weeks and gets them in good health and quits brushing because their teeth are in good health! That is insane. So don’t think you are going to take these products to get in good shape and then quit taking them thinking you will continue to feel energized! Go to www.AdvoCare4Victory.com to read my story and how I got my appetite back under control!

Enough of my suggestions, what suggestions do you have for cutting down on portions or what tricks do you use to try to stay full and control your appetite?

Tips on Portion Control

The amount of food you eat plays a significant role in gaining, managing, or losing weight. If you eat more calories than your body burns, you gain weight. If you eat the same amount of calories that you burn off, you manage your weight. If you eat less calories than you burn, you lose weight. It is that simple! Most people need guidelines on how much they should be eating. An easy way to do that is use your hand as a tool for measuring your portion sizes. At a meal when you have a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate ( brown rice, sweet potatoes, wheat bread, etc.), your protein portion should be about the size of your palm and you complex carbohydrate portion should be about the size of you fist.

If you are eating packaged foods or casseroles, pay close attention to the serving size. Sometimes the portion of food in the package is more than one serving. The difference between a portion and a serving is that a portion is how much you choose to eat whereas a serving is the amount of food listed on the product’s nutrition facts. Looking at the nutrition facts will give an idea of how many servings are in one package. A general rule when eating packaged foods would be to eat only 1 serving instead of several. It could be a healthy choice like Baked Lays or pretzels, but it is still important to stick to one serving. I can remember a time back in the 1990’s when I thought if a food was low fat, you could eat as much as you wanted. Wrong! Boy, was I in the dark! You can overeat on healthy foods and end up eating more calories than you burn off in one day. (Meaning you gain weight!) If you are eating casseroles, you have to guess or estimate what a reasonable portion would be. A rough estimate of an appropriate serving would be about the size of your fist. Of course, it depends on what kind of casserole so if it is questionable, find something else to eat. The following are some quick and easy ways to keep your portion sizes in check.

Quick tips for measuring portion sizes:

• When eating something like baked chips or pretzels, measure out one serving instead of eating out of the bag.
• Measure out dry cereals
• Measure drinks like milk and juice
• When eating out, box up ½ of your entrée and save to eat for the next day or split an entrée with a friend.
• Use a small salad plate when eating at home and divide it into thirds.( 1/3 lean protein, 1/3 complex carbohydrate, 1/3 vegetables)