I have five “portion control” tips for you today. As usual, everything starts with taking into consideration, what is your goal? What is this meal for? i.e., what will you be doing for the next few hours before you eat again? Will you be at work, or be physically active?
It is next to impossible to put one short answer to fit all people with their different lifestyles, fitness goals, sex, age, etc. So I will try to give as much information without being too lengthy to help you make decisions for yourself as an individual. You are unique after all. I am always willing to answer any questions on an individual basis by phone (520)318-3488 or email justinlist1@gmail.com. You can find me on Facebook at BetterBodiesonCampbell.
The first tip is, “eat until you are not hungry. Don’t eat until you are full.” It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get the signals that you are full. So if you eat until you feel full, you have essentially overeaten for 20 minutes. This is why it is good to eat slowly.
Second, make your plate. You should make your plate according to how much your meal should be. Consciously tell yourself, “This is enough food”. Don’t go back for seconds and don’t set the serving dish on the table. When you set your plate, you’re minimizing the chance of overeating.
Third, plan your meals. You should have a meal plan in some shape or form. At a minimum, you should have a meal schedule. Skipping meals is detrimental to you overall success. So build a meal plan. Know how many meals you can get in a day. This should be 4-6 including snacks. Your schedule will generally dictate how many meals are in a day and days off of work are typically different from work days. There is less structure in terms of schedule so it is harder to eat all your meals and takes more effort. Your total food should be the same at the end of the day, so if you are eating 4 meals a day, your meals will be slightly larger than if you were to eat 6 meals a day.
Fourth, don’t let yourself go hungry. This coincides with planning your meals as you will not be starving if you are getting all of your meals in. When you get too hungry or go too long without a meal, you lose will power. Think about when you are really hungry, high fat and high sugar foods sound the best. Or when you go to the grocery store when you are hungry, you put all the bad stuff in the cart. If you eat your meals regularly, you will increase your will power and have a greater chance for success.
Fifth, don’t eat just for flavor. When flavor is first on your mind, you will have trouble eating healthy because all the flavor is in the fat and sugar. This is not to say that healthy food can’t tastes good, but when you set up a meal, you should be thinking in terms of getting sufficient amounts of protein, carbs, and fats. Over time your pallet will change and the “bland” foods will start tasting good. Don’t be afraid to deny yourself that indulgence. Also, when you are eating properly, you will find that it is actually a lot more food than you realize. For example, some latte’s can be up to 700 calories. That would be equal to 12 oz. of chicken (skinless light) and 2 sweet potatoes. That is two meals worth of food. So a latte is not a very good choice of using your daily calories. Especially since your body does nothing productive with the latte and the chicken and sweet potato meal will help to recover from a workout and build lean muscle that in turn increase metabolism. So think before you spend your calories.
I hope this helps and I am always appreciative of feedback and questions. I put my email and you can find us on Facebook if you would like to know more. And if you live in Tucson and are looking for a great personal training studio, give us a call. Better Bodies on Campbell 318-3488
In good health,
Justin List
Owner: Better Bodies on Campbell
