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• Weight Management

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• Survey Offers the Key to Losing Weight  and Keeping it Off
• Is Pregnancy a Cause of Obesity?
• Still Not Eating Your Fruits and Vegetables?
• Teen Obesity: What Does Sleep Have to Do With It?
• Enough Is Enough: Understanding Portion Size
• Is Locally Grown Food Healthier?
• Staying Fit at 40 and Beyond
• Plus Size Yoga Offers Range of Benefits for Overweight, Obese Individuals
• Obesity Rates Risks Soaring in Minority Populations
• FDA Warns Against Use of 72 Tainted Weight-Loss Supplements
• Finding a Therapist
• Trying to Lose Weight? Why Residential Weight Loss Programs Really Work

Enough Is Enough: Understanding Portion Size

By Staff Writer

Why are Americans so fat? Many experts blame our skewed concept of portion size. According to the National Institutes of Health, 20 years ago:

• A bagel was 3 inches in diameter and had 140 calories, whereas today’s bagels are typically 6 inches in diameter with 350 calories.
• A cheeseburger had 333 calories, compared to 590 calories today
• A portion of spaghetti and meatballs included 1 cup of pasta and three small meatballs, adding up to 500 calories, while today’s portion has 1,025 calories (made up of 2 cups of pasta and three large meatballs).
• A soda was 6.5 ounces and 85 calories, while today’s 20-ounce soda has 250 calories.

So how are we supposed to know how much to eat and drink?

Read food labels. The nutrition facts indicate the number of calories and nutrients in a certain amount of food and provide a decent gauge of how much you’re eating.

Portion out your food. If you measure the amount of food you put on your plate (rather than eating directly out of a bag or box), you may be surprised to see that you’re used to eating more than one serving. Single-serving prepackaged snacks can help you limit yourself to one portion.

Eating on smaller dishes may also help retrain your mind for eating smaller portions. With practice, you’ll get accustomed to eating standard serving sizes. Then you can eat double portions of vegetables, salads and low-calorie foods and smaller portions of high-fat meats and starches.

Eat slowly and without distractions. If you eat slowly, you’ll enjoy your food more and your brain will receive the message that your stomach is full. Be sure to focus on what you’re eating, paying attention to the flavors and smells of your food, rather than watching TV, driving, talking on the phone or doing some other activity.

Schedule your meals. Adding a little structure to your day can help you lose weight and eat more well-rounded meals. Pre-planning your meals can also take the guesswork and temptation away when choosing what to eat.

Try not to skip meals or go long periods of time without a light snack or small meal. This will stabilize your blood sugar and prevent you from binging at the next meal.

Note portion sizes at restaurants. When eating out at a restaurant, take extra care to notice the portion size on your plate. Most restaurants serve double the amount of food you should consume in one sitting. Take half of your meal home, share with a friend or simply stop eating when you begin to feel full.

Studies show that the more often you eat out, the more likely you are to have a higher amount of body fat, so get into the habit of cooking at home and reap the rewards of a healthier lifestyle and leaner body.