After my running groups run a few nights ago we sat on the curb in front of our friend’s house as we pretended to stretch and talk. The discussion of weight loss was one topic of discussion. Calorie counting, sugar, butter, nuts, and wow was brought up.
I’ve noticed as some of my friends have as well, that even though we run consistently (3-6 miles 4 or more times a week) we haven’t lost any weight. Part of that I think is that as you run you tone your muscles and burn fat and we all know that muscle weighs more than fat. But, for me, I think it really comes down to portion control (and sugar, but we’ll discuss that in another post).
When I was training for my first marathon I found that I had to eat more to stay nourished, and as I have continued to run I have kept the same healthy appetite. But the thing that we (I) so often need to remember is that I’m not running as much or as often as I was during the marathon training.
Portion control comes down to balancing how much you exercise compared to how much you really NEED. We’re told that a healthy man should have about 2,000 calories per day and a healthy woman about 1,800. But this isn’t a one size fits all situation. You need to determine how many calories you actually burn during the day which will be different on days that you exercise or don’t.
There is a good way to figure out how many calories per day you need to consume by going to the Calorie Calculator. Put in how much you weigh now, and how much you exercise. This will determine how many calories to consume if you want to gain, maintain, or lose weight.
The amount of calories you consume is only one part of portion control. The other is the actual portion of your food. After the discussion last night we all agreed that a healthy diet comes down to moderation.
DON’T stop eating what you love, just eat less! – If you must.
Here are some ways to help control your portions while still being able to eat what you want, like bread, and pasta, the occasional fun size candy bar or two, or ice-cream pie – yum.
Don't Worry About Cleaning Your Plate
When dining out, some people will clear their plate no matter how big the portions. If you're one of them, try to eat a healthy portion, then stop. Ask your server to wrap up the leftovers immediately, so you're not tempted to keep nibbling. You'll save on calories and have another meal for the next day! – this is hard for me, I tell myself every time that I’ll ask the server to bring out a box with the food so I can put half away to begin with. I am going to try to work on this so the food in front of you is not a temptation.
Buy Individual-Sized Snacks
You may save money buying bulk foods at Costco or the other warehouse stores, but it's not helping you cut back on calories. Once that enormous bag of potato chips is opened, it's very tempting to continue snacking. Try buying individual-sized snacks and limit yourself to eating just one. Or, if you really don't want to spend the extra money, divide your bulk-sized snacks into small baggies when you get home from the store. This is a must because you know you won’t stop and just one. Make sure you set aside smaller groups of chips, or cookies and once they are gone, you're done.
Read the Labels Carefully
Many packaged foods and drinks look as if they provide one serving, but they're actually two or more. Yet the calories and other nutritional information on the label are for just one serving, so unless you read carefully, you may be consuming more calories than you think. Make sure you check the number of servings per container first and then eat or drink just one serving. This can be surprising, did you know that one package of Ramen is 2 servings! I had no idea, make sure to look at the packaging.
Use Smaller Dishes
Downsizing your dinnerware may help you consume fewer calories. Food psychologist Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating invited 85 food experts to an ice cream social for and gave them a small or large bowl and a small or large scoop. Even the experts, who should know better, served 31% more ice cream (127 more calories) in the large bowl and 15% more (60 calories) from the big spoon. Try using smaller plates, bowls, and glasses for your meals. Use small serving spoons to serve fattening topping like gravy, and large ones for low-calorie items like veggies.
Substitute Veggies
If you're trying to change your over-sized portion habits, you may find yourself craving more food with your meal. Round out your plate with low-calories veggies such as celery, carrots, or peppers. They'll help you feel fuller without adding too much to your total calories.
Wait Before You Reach for Seconds
If you're hungry for more, try waiting 10 minutes. Your stomach needs about that long to signal the brain that it's full. Instead of going for that second plate of pasta, distract yourself by talking to someone or reading, if you're dining alone. If you're truly hungry after 10 minutes, help yourself to more of a low-cal food.
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