Stage two.
Aug. 9th, 2007 08:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jademermaidSo today I moved from stage one of the Sparkpeople program to stage two. I was a little worried over whether or not I should do it, because I wasn't really sure what the changes would be, but basically the program just gives you new goals to work on every once in a while. My first one is portion control, and I'm putting this here because I thought it was helpful:
* Use smaller plates and bowls. There's a proven link between the perceived size of food and appetite.
* Order an appetizer as an entree. Remember to stay away from fried foods though.
* Order from the lunch menu at dinnertime.
* Leftovers are okay. Ask the server to wrap up half your meal before bringing it out.
* Order smaller sizes such as a half-order of pasta or a "petite" cut of meat. Even so, portions may still be hefty. It's not unusual for a "smaller" portion of meat to be an 8-ounce serving. A good portion size of meat is 3 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards.
* Pay attention to what you're eating. You'll eat more if you're mindlessly grazing or staring at the TV.
* Learn to read food labels, but be careful. Serving sizes can be misleading (for example, a can of cola is technically two servings.)
I've already been using smaller plates, and drinking only half of a soda on the rare occasions that I want one. I've also tried to eat slower. That's hard. Eating quickly was just how I grew up, Dad always ate quickly, so I did too. Then when I was working in clubs, I only had a short time to eat between sets, so I'd wolf it down and have just enough time to fix my makeup and change. That was a long time ago, but I still carry the habit with me. So, eating slower is going to be a hard one, but I'm going to really try and work on this, I am sure it will help to eat slower.
By the way, I guess I've inspired a few people to head on over to Spark and sign up, which is great! If you make a Spark page, I can add you as a friend, so make sure to do that when you sign up!
* Use smaller plates and bowls. There's a proven link between the perceived size of food and appetite.
* Order an appetizer as an entree. Remember to stay away from fried foods though.
* Order from the lunch menu at dinnertime.
* Leftovers are okay. Ask the server to wrap up half your meal before bringing it out.
* Order smaller sizes such as a half-order of pasta or a "petite" cut of meat. Even so, portions may still be hefty. It's not unusual for a "smaller" portion of meat to be an 8-ounce serving. A good portion size of meat is 3 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards.
* Pay attention to what you're eating. You'll eat more if you're mindlessly grazing or staring at the TV.
* Learn to read food labels, but be careful. Serving sizes can be misleading (for example, a can of cola is technically two servings.)
I've already been using smaller plates, and drinking only half of a soda on the rare occasions that I want one. I've also tried to eat slower. That's hard. Eating quickly was just how I grew up, Dad always ate quickly, so I did too. Then when I was working in clubs, I only had a short time to eat between sets, so I'd wolf it down and have just enough time to fix my makeup and change. That was a long time ago, but I still carry the habit with me. So, eating slower is going to be a hard one, but I'm going to really try and work on this, I am sure it will help to eat slower.
By the way, I guess I've inspired a few people to head on over to Spark and sign up, which is great! If you make a Spark page, I can add you as a friend, so make sure to do that when you sign up!
