A-Z Fitness - Portion Control

What you eat is only as important as how much you eat. Feeling guilty because you are craving a piece of lasagna? Why feel guilty? There is nothing wrong with eating your favorite food, especially when you keep it under control. Who says you have to bury your plate with your food? Keeping portions under control means you can enjoy more foods. Don't be fooled by restaurant gimmicks making you think eating more in your meal is a better value. There is no value greater than your health. For example; the typical meal ordered at McDonald's when it first came out carried about 590 calories with 20g of fat. That's typically what's in the 'kids meal' now. The typical person ordering a 'value sized' meal can have as many as 1310 calories and 51g of fat. And that's on the low side! Choose wisely, and you can enjoy your favorite foods from time to time, choose poorly and motivation for your fitness goals will wane. Conclusion? Eat smart.

Tips: Try to keep fruits and vegetables the first focus on your plate next to your protein. Don't be afraid to have that extra helping of peas and carrots either. Vegetable are seldom what you need to look out for when it comes to portion control. Just watch things like potatoes, which can add up the calories. The piece of meat you eat doesn't have to cover your plate either, a portion the size of a deck of playing cards is perfect. Sometimes, buying smaller plates will help you make sure your portion sizes are small. Why not give that a try?

Remember: The harder you strive to keep your portions under control, the easier it will be to enjoy foods you like, guilt free. Having a piece of pizza isn't so wrong, eating an entire pizza - no good. Are you used to larger portions? Unsure what is a safe amount to eat? That's when you need to talk with your doctor or dietitian and find out what your caloric goal should be for the day. It'll be much easier to plan your portion sizes, when you know how much you should be eating.

Goal: Keep an eye on your portion sizes this week. Make a concerned effort to identify where this is not taking place. You don't even have to target yourself in this exercise, watch how others eat at work, the mall, or the local restaurant. Do you feel others are keeping an eye on portion control? If not, identifying it will help you to make wiser decisions. If they are, it'll motivate you to do the same. Keep track of what you see, especially the best and worst offenders.

Last Weeks Goal: Where did I put my notes from last week? Oh, that's right I organized them in a folder and are sitting right here. How did you do in your organization? Did you create a binder or start keeping everything in a folder? Share your story.

What fitness words starting with the letter "P" inspire you?