Our size is changing…

My wife and I have been noticing a change in our size… we are growing bigger. It seems to happen to all of us, as we get older, we eat the same as we use to but we keep gaining weight. With that weight come some unexpected problems. Our joints begin to hurt, we get out of breath, lack of energy, tired etc, so we end up sitting more, doing less and still eat the same amounts. No wonder we gain weight.
We need to regain control over the amount of food we are consuming. I don’t mean dieting, diets don’t work! What I do mean is we need to regulate the intake of calories and the output in exercise.
To start with we have to regain our understanding of portions. I read recently that from 1977 to 1997, hamburgers expanded by 23%; a plate of Mexican food got 27% bigger; soft drinks increased by 52%; snacks (potato chips, pretzels, crackers) grew 60%. I’m sure most of you can recall when a typical soft drink used to come in a 10 ounce cup, now they are about a gallon.
It seems as we expand so does the portion of food that we are eating. Thats more calories. As we gain weight, our bodies tend to complain about the extra work and we do less, that is the exercise. So the first step seems to be portion control. We need to get into the habit of measuring the portions so we know how much we are eating (calories). This will help us take control over the amount we eat. Once you are into the habit of controlling your portions you can easily reduce the amount of calories quickly and easily without I might add giving up what we love to eat. You could lose weight simply by eating the recommended portions instead of the whole thing. You would be surprised at the actual portion size compared to the container.
Here are some tips:
Use smaller plates. Get smaller plates. There is no need to have a 12 inch dinner plate go for the 9 inch plate. When you are dining out, have the waiter/waitress box half of the meal before bringing it to you. Out of sight, out of mind so to speak. Leftover are great, you get to enjoy the meal twice for the same price.
Pay attention to what you eat. No TV, no computer, no reading, no dinner arguements, eat your meal without distractions. Before your meal start with a glass of water (ice water is better), your body needs it and it starts the process of filling you up so you eat less. Eat a salad, put the dressing in a small dish on the side and dip you fork in the dressing for each bite. You will use less dressing and still get the same taste. Eat your vegetables first. When you are not hungry, stop eating and get away from the table.
Eat smaller more frequent meals… snack more often. You should eat 6 times a day. Start with a good breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, bedtime snack. NOW, snack does not mean sweets! Try vegetables, carrots are great for giving you that crunch you sometimes crave. If you start to crave something, start taking notes as to what you are eating. Most often cravings are because the body is not getting something it needs and your mind interprets that as a craving for something you like, trying to make you eat so that it gets what it needs. We are weak and our minds know it. So pay attention and give it what it NEEDS not what you think it wants.