If you’ve decided to cut out all of the foods that you love, stop torturing yourself! I find too many people these days going gluten free, dairy free, meat free, fat free, carb free, you name it, in order to lose weight. Unless you have a severe allergy or are choosing a certain food path because of spiritual or humane ideaology; there is no reason to cut out an entire food group from your diet. Often we deprive ourselves of something we love and soon enough it backfires and we go to the opposite extreme when we have even just a small bite.
As a new mom and watching my son eat, I’ve noticed he eats a little of everything and always leaves something behind. I also serve him all of his food in Timothy size bowls. The other day I hadn’t run our dishwasher and was out of dinner plates; so I used one of Timothy’s instead, and found a lot less food fit on it! The key to slimming down isn’t eliminating everything, it’s just about scaling back a little and being more mindful of what you put in your mouth.
One of the EASIEST ways to start eating a little less, is using smaller plates, utensils and glassware. Serve your dinner on a salad plate. Eat your cereal or yogurt with berries out of a coffee cup and your ice cream out of a tea cup. Use tall narrow glasses for drinks and you will pour yourself less. Invest in a wine glass with an etching on it to show how much a 5 ounce pour is, or measure out 5 ounces in a measuring cup and pour it in to the wine glass you use. Liquid calories add up quickly. You won’t even realize you’re eating less and you will still feel content.
We all have a little portion distortion and it’s easy to over pour or over serve ourselves; even if it’s healthier food, calories add up quickly. I noticed my half pint of blueberries won’t fit in a Timothy size bowl. I now use about 1/4 cup of blueberries in my morning greek yogurt and I save myself at least 40 calories. Timothy takes his time when eating, he’ll run around then come back and eat a little, then go and play some more. If you slow down and take your time eating, you will definitely be satisfied with just the right amount.
According to Diane Suchetka, The Plain Dealer, “In 1970, the average American downed 2,169 calories a day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. By 2008, we were consuming 2,674 calories daily.” Yes it’s important to eat healthy foods; but more than anything, it’s important to eat moderately. The French have their bread and butter, the Italians drink their wine, the Germans eat bratwurst and pretzels and the Swiss eat cheese and chocolate, the biggest difference is the amounts and sizes. When it comes to losing weight, keep eating what you enjoy; just learn to eyeball a proper size portion. By using smaller utensils and dishes, you’ll automatically serve yourself less and start to focus on the quality of your food and not the quantity.
