Super Size Me

This is a regular portion size of meats.

Does anyone notice that when you go out to eat, you almost always come home so full you feel like you're going to explode?  On my birthday last month my friends and family took me out to a Mexican fiesta.  Complete with margaritas(a weakness of mine).  We were having so much fun, sipping peach margaritas and noshing on chips and salsa that I hadn't noticed how much I ate and drank.  My entree came, and I honestly couldn't remember what I had ordered at that point, and I tried to eat some of it, but I suddenly realized that I was so full that I couldn't breathe.  It was a horrible feeling, and I still wonder how I possibly could have done that to myself!!!  I had to go home and lie down.  I felt like I needed to hurl, which is so gross considering all the yummy things I had eaten and drank would taste horrible coming back up.  Needless to say I really should have exercised some portion control.  There has been a lot of info out there about portion control lately...what I've discovered in all my years of instruction by my dietitians is that this not a new issue.  When the first recession hit people stopped eating out because they were not(so they thought) getting their moneys worth.  Therefore restaurants started giving out bigger portions of their food.  For example, McDonald's and their Super Size Me agenda.  You could sit down to one meal at McDonald's and eat more fat and calories than you should have in a whole day!  Don't get me wrong...I really love McDonald's.  I know it's bad for me and very unhealthy, but I used to eat it all the time.  Before I got married and it was just me and my daughter we ate it all the time. It was just easier.  She liked it (I did to) and it was right by our house.  I just ran thru the drive-thru on the way home. I didn't have to cook or even get out of the car! I was admittedly very lazy.  Sometimes it just seems like so much work to cook a healthy dinner that everyone will actually eat right?  I know I've been there too.  The trick to this is portion control.  The serving size of most things you eat is the size of you're closed fist  For the veggies and fruits it is 1/2 cup. The easiest way to measure this is to scoop up the food with a measuring cup. The 1/2 cup to the top. You'd be surprised at how little food this is. And how little your body really needs for energy. I use salad plates when we eat dinner. This helps us to think we have a plate full of food.  Did you know that Michelle Obama changed the Food Guide Pyramid?  She changed it to a plate. It's called MyPlate.  I guess she thought it would be easier to understand if it were something we could recognize, like a plate.
You can find all the info here USDA's MyPlate .  But to to give you the overview it has been decided that we should get most of our daily calories from fruits and veggies.  See the plate...they make up half of everything.  The problem with that is most Americans are bread and carb-aholics, just like I am.  I look back on a normal day of eating before I started this Food War and it was cereal, bread, more bread some potatoes, and maybe a veggie with dinner.  It was way to much bread, I cut out the bread and replaced it with an apple or a cup of carrots.  I'm already feeling better.  Some tips for eating out and helping with portion control....share your entree.  Like I said, most things they serve are way over sized.  If you don't ant to share then ask for a box with your dinner and box up half of it before you even start eating.  That way you wont even be tempted to eat it at all.  Or just don't est out.  HA! I f you're anything like me I love to eat out, so this was definitely not an option. I haven't eaten out since I started this blog,  but I'm taking the kids to lunch today....soooo we shall see.  As for yesterday's menu I was bad at breakfast and had only a cup of coffee.  I know, breakfast is the best meal because it will jump start my metabolism, but I just wasn't hungry! I can't believe it either. Me, not hungry! Wow!  For lunch I had a Michelina's Lean Entree.  Too much salt, but my sodium is not high, and I was working with what I have in the house.  Dinner was the same as the day before.  I had a bagel(see, bread) and some cottage cheese and an apple.  So all in all not a terrible eating day.  So just remember portion control.  Even if you can't change the things you eat, change the amount! It will be a key to becoming a better eater and a healthier you! oxox




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