We live in a country where everything is supersized. Our cars, our TVs, our food.. and ultimately, us. Livestrong.com cited that in a 2010 study, the US ranked second in the world as the most obese country, not far behind Mexico. I am not telling you this to discourage you, only to hopefully build on what I've already harped on already - AWARENESS!
Like I said a few posts ago, WW has helped me become highly aware and slightly crazed about what I eat and the amount that I eat. I find myself looking at the nutritional data at the store all the time! It takes me twice as long to get out.
Check out this image from the web about portions. I know we cannot see the side information but the plates speak for themselves. The plate on the left is what you get in most fast food meals. It is 2 or more servings of what it "should" be - the plate on the right. I haven't looked at a fast food nutritional chart lately, so I am not sure they go by servings or menu items.
Another reason for you to be aware of what you eat. I believe if this was a Micky D's it would be a Cheeseburger Deluxe and Fries (I only know that because my boys like to eat those). The fries on the right are not even a serving of the small fries on the menu. So how much are we really eating when we order that value meal? or when we are eating out? The suggested serving for a piece of steak (ribeye, strip, etc) is 4 oz, as with most meats, trimmed of the fat. The smallest steak available at most steakhouses is 6 oz. And though you might think that Chili's and other chain restaurants offer a 4 oz steak as a combo meal, it is exactly that!! A combo meal in which you are getting possibly 2 4 oz meat/protein servings, a side or two, smothered in some possibly high fat sauce to give it flavor coz they do not use the quality meat that a steakhouse uses.
If you are a NE employee, you know that the health program we have at work offers some pointers on portions also. They say that we should eat meals off of an 8-9 inch plate. That's about the size of the plate the Olive Garden uses for salads. If you do eat out, drink a couple glasses of water while you're waiting (think about skipping the bread unless its a must have) and save half of your food for tomorrow's lunch. Its the little things that make the biggest changes...
There is a lot of information about how much a serving should be out there on the web. Check out this website to see if what you think is a serving really is what the USDA recommends. It gives visual aids as to how much a portion should be.
http://web.mit.edu/athletics/sportsmedicine/wcrservings.html
Ok...ok... end of rant... watch your portions.
>M<
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