"I was reluctant to do Health Coaching. I guess
it was just fear of the unknown or fear that I would find
just one more way not to lose weight and be healthy. I
was tired of failing. Boy, have I been pleasantly surprised.
I have gotten great suggestions, fantastic encouragement,
honest conversation, personalized plans and just a sense
of knowing that someone out there is on my side."
- Bonnie K., Cary, NC
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Portion Control: Size Does Matter
by Rachel Lukasavige
Ever since I read the book The Portion Teller a few years
back, I have been intrigued by portion sizes. Gradually,
over the years, the size of our meals (and even our plates)
has increased and as a result, so have our waistlines.
I am convinced that the #1 reason for the obesity epidemic
in America is due to our portion sizes. If you've ever
been to another country you've noticed two things; the
people are smaller and the meals are smaller. The relationship
between the two is not a coincidence.
Human nature is that we will eat most, if not all, that
is in front of us. Can you remember the last time you
took a few bites of a cookie and threw the rest away?
How about a piece of pizza, a hot dog, or an ice cream
cone? Not likely.
We are now so accustomed to the larger portion sizes
that we're served and we don't think twice about finishing
every last bite. I think if we were made more aware of
just how big our portions are we might think about pouring
a little less cereal, not going for the second or third
slice of pizza, or splitting dessert with a friend.
Here are some portion shockers from Lisa Young's book
The Portion Teller:
- Sizzler offers a 24-ounce porterhouse steak. This
is equal to three days' worth of meat according to USDA
recommendations.
- A typical muffin weighs in at over 6 ounces and contains
more than an entire day's worth of grains.
- Between 1984 and 1987 the exact same chocolate chip
cookie recipe on the back of the Nestle TOLL HOUSE package
scaled down the number of cookies it makes from 100
to 60.
- In 1964 Burger King offered a 12-ounce small and a
16-ounce large soft drink. Today's drinks come in five
sizes: 12-ounce kiddie, 16-ounce small, 22-ounce medium,
32-ounce large and 42-ounce king.
- The first Hershey Milk Chocolate bar weighed .6 ounces.
Today they range from 1.6 ounces to 8 ounces.
This is just the beginning of our super sized culture,
and my hope is that with this knowledge comes power. Start
thinking about what a serving should actually look like
and make a goal to cut back on the amount of food you
eat throughout the day. Next week I'll share practical
ways to figure out just how much you should be eating.
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