Do you have a lot on your plate? Does squeezing in time for the gym just seem impossible? Paring down your portions is the easiest secret to staying slim.
Before you swear off everything except for baby carrots and celery, read this! The culprit behind weight gain may not be what you eat but how much you eat. Since the late seventies, we have added 570 calories a day to our diets, and half of them can be attributed to larger portions, according to research at the University of North Carolina. "Even though today's serving sizes can be more than triple what the USDA recommends, they've become our new normal, and anything smaller can seem puny by comparison," says Lisa R. Young, Ph.D, R.D., a Fitness advisory board member and the author of The Portion Teller Plan. Fortunately, having strong visual aids can go a long way toward helping you shift your mind-set. Once you know what right-size portions look like, selecting them will become second nature. And the best part? You can downsize your plate--and your weight--without giving up the foods you love.
Smoothies: Even the smallest size at most smoothie shops is often double the amount you should be sipping. A large can contain 40 ounces and 1,000 plus calories! Pass up the juice bar and bring your own recovery drink to the gym. Try Dannon DanActive or Oikos Organic Drinkable Low fat Yogurt. Or at home, make your own by blending three quarters of a cup of low fat milk with a half cup of frozen fruit and half a banana. Makes 8 ounces and has 235 less calories.
Pasta: This is one dish that always seems to be served in gigantic portions. Researchers at the Center for Science in the Public Interest found that pasta dinners at some popular chain restaurants contained between three and three and a half cups of noodles, or 840 to 1,040 calories with sauce. Next time you eat out ask if they offer lunch or half-size portions. If you don't see a smaller serving on the menu ask to be given just one cup of pasta and have the rest boxed up before its brought to the table. Special requests are standard nowadays and most waiters are happy to accommodate you.
Potato Chips: "Snack sizes are often twice as big as they were 30 years ago," says Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "And even though the labels on the bags say they serve two or more, many people polish off the entire contents themselves." One of the most popular snacks, potato chips, may contribute more to long-term weight gain than many other foods or drinks. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that every additional serving of chips a person consumes daily, they gain nearly two pounds every four years. Choose popped as opposed to fried chips to get more food for fewer calories. IF you prefer the classic version, opt for a one-ounce package or split a bigger bag with a buddy.
Ice Cream: "Eating directly out of the carton means you may well keep going until you hit the cardboard at the bottom," says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., the director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University. IF you're indulging in premium ice cream, that can be the caloric equivalent of a double cheeseburger, plus a whopping 20 grams of saturated fat--nearly your daily maximum. Dish out a single serving and use a small bowl and spoon. A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that doing so could shrink your helping by about 30 percent. At the ice cream parlor get a cup or a cone with a single scoop rather than a sundae or milkshake, which can contain roughly 1,400 to 1,700 calories.
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