Tag: Portion Control

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Weight Loss Exercise

And My Favorite Diet Plan? Weight Watchers


OK I get to finally talk about which plan I support for weight control. Over the years I have seen all the diets come and go. My dad years back did the Mayo Clinic diet, my wife joined Jenny Craig, and I have a bookshelf full of books starting with Susan Powter’s ‘Stop The Insanity’, Atkins Diet books, the GI Diet, Dr Phil’s Diet books and even more that I can even think of without standing in front of the bookshelf.

So what’s my favorite? It’s Weight Watchers. My wife joined Weight Watchers a few years back before getting pregnant with our second and I was more than a little skeptical. Over the years we learned so much about our diets, exercise and the role that weights cardio, carbs, fats, protein, and water played in our lives that I was pretty sure we could do it ourselves. Lastly I was nervous about how my wife Michelle was going to do as Jenny Craig had not gone well and she was talking about gastro banding surgery¦.this is something that I am not a big fan of at all unless as a last resort.

Well I was apparently wrong. Weight Watchers has a very simple system for weight loss by giving a point value to every food based on the calories, fat and fiber. Weight Watchers also has people mark down in a journal all of the fats and water taken in as well as number of servings of fruit. One really important factor to me is that weight watchers does not ban certain foods but instead preaches portion control and the ideals of healthy eating. This means that you will not get bored of the food and stray off of your diet, in fact it never feels like a diet to us but just a responsible way of eating.

Although the weight loss that Michelle has experienced is not like on The Biggest Loser TV show it is consistent and it has been really great to see the results. One of the really great things about Weight Watchers is the support that they give, Michelle goes to a meeting every Saturday morning where she weighs in and then a leader talks about holiday eating or motivation or what to replace problem goods with and at the end of the meeting Michele will often come home with a great new recipe.

Our family is definitely a Weight Watchers family with her watching the way she eats every day but more importantly we have great meals that are easy to make and not to strict and the whole family eats the same meal for dinner instead of us having a diet meal and three regular meals.

There are Weight Watchers meetings in practically every city in North America and there is great online support as well with an extensive website and numerous internet message boards.


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Weight Loss Exercise

10 Portion Control Tips for Fast Weight Loss

Portions are some of the hardest things to control. It is fairly simple to think, no cookies but when it comes to 2 cookies, what is 1 more cookie? Looking to use leftovers but do not want to eat them all? Here are some tips to control your portions and help you lose weight.

Portion Control Tips

1. Break down all leftovers into single serving meals and store them that way. This way when you pick them out of the refrigerator you are not tempted to eat more than one serving.

2. Salad, just the lettuce and vegetables, are very low in calories and very high in proteins and fibers. This will fill you up and limit the amount of other food you eat. Feel free to eat as much as you want, but use as little topping as possible.

3. Break up the snacks into individual sized bags and keep them out of reach. You are less likely to get up and eat multiple bags of chips than you are to clean out a single large bag that is right next to you.

4. Eat small snacks and meals throughout the day. To do this, break the food up into portions while making it and then eat one portion every few hours, as opposed to eating one large meal and being hungry later.

5. Do not place the food in front of you while you are eating. Instead, serve the food in a different room than you are eating. Eat in the living room but dish out the food in the kitchen. Out of sight, out of mind.

6. Use a vegetable as a main course and meat as a side dish. This will limit how much meat you eat and increase your intake in healthy vegetables. This is good for decreasing fat and calorie intakes.

7. When eating out, designate half of the food as take home before you even start to eat. This way it is off your plate and away from your fork. This will also limit the size of dinner, making it a great way to limit calories.

8. If possible, order off the senior or the kids menu. These foods are smaller in size and they are often cheaper. If that is not possible, consider ordering a half or lunch sized meal.

9. Indulge in a small amount of forbidden foods every now and again. This does not mean eat a whole box of girl scout cookies (my diet un-doer) but rather have just the serving size and hide the box after that.

10. Drink plenty of water with your meal or snack. Often times the water is what your body is really craving, but since thirst is ignored and hunger is satisfied, the body says it is hungry instead of thirsty. In addition, the water will make you feel more full.

Enjoy these little hints to help you maintain a healthy portion controlled diet. Remember, even if you do not follow a diet, simply by eating less you can lose weight. These hints can help you do just that.

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Weight Loss Exercise

How To Change Your Eating to Lose Weight

How To Change Your Eating to Lose Weight

Change Your Eating to Lose Weight

The way you eat can have just as much to do with your weight gain or weight loss as what you eat. By changing a few things regarding how you eat, you can actually save calories and feel fuller. These techniques are easy to follow and will not draw a lot of attention to your weight loss process.

1. Chew your food slower. Many times you eat fast and hurriedly. This can cause you to eat more calories than you actually think you are eating. My chewing your food slower and taking smaller bites, you can make yourself feel fuller and lose more weight.

2. Eat off a dark colored plate. Yep, even the color of your plate can make you hungrier or fuller. Use a cool or dark colored plate to cause your mind to relax and enjoy the food better, hence causing you to eat less and slower.

3. Relax and de-stress before you eat. Many people are emotional eaters and stress will cause them to eat more. Relaxing will allow you to eat less and enjoy your food more.

4. Have some water with your meal. Feel free to drink water between bites and before your meal. This will make you feel fuller and be better hydrated.

5. Leave the room that you are eating in after eating. This way you can feel completely done eating. Dishes and leftovers can wait for a few minutes while you relax and begin to digest your food.

6. Focus on one thing at a time. Yes, it can be tempting to read the paper or watch television while eating, but this can distract you from your portion control and can even create a habit. This can cause you to want to eat every time you watch television, rather than watch television while you eat, causing you to eat more calories.

7. Designate areas of the house in which food is allowed. Not only will this keep the house cleaner, but it will also teach you to only want to eat while in those designated area. This can help to keep cravings and temptations at bay.

8. Buy salad plates and use these instead of dinner plates. These are smaller and will make whatever you put on them look bigger. This will trick your mind into thinking that you have eaten more and therefore are not hungry for more.

These little changes are simple and easy to implement but are also very effective for controlling your appetite. Such simple techniques can help you to retrain your brain and body, causing further weight loss. With such simple techniques, there is no reason not to be able to stick to your diet plan, provided it is balanced and reasonable.

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