The Petite Athlete

For 2008 Mississippi has claimed the title of fattest state for the third consecutive year, while Colorado repeats as the leanest. Delaware rose the most places in the rankings over last year, while California dropped the most, according to a new analysis by CalorieLab, Inc.

When you pile food on your plate, do you have any idea how many calories you’ve signed up for? Do you calculate the recommended serving size by checking out the label or back-of-box nutrient information? Or do you tend to guess? Guess-timate?

Many of us tend to underestimate the amount of food we eat and tend to overestimate the recommended portion sizes for many foods.

For example, try pouring out your usual portion of pasta and measure it! Then, compare it to the label portion size. Chances are, you’re eating two, three, four or more times the amount on the label. I was eating 2-3 portions without even realizing it.

• Woman’s fist or baseball—a serving of vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist
• A rounded handful—about one half cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta – this is a good measure for a snack serving, such as chips or pretzels
• Deck of cards—a serving of meat, fish or poultry or the palm of your hand (don’t count your fingers!) – for example, one chicken breast, ¼ pound hamburger patty or a medium pork chop
• Golf ball or large egg—one quarter cup of dried fruit or nuts
• Tennis ball—about one half cup of ice cream
• Computer mouse—about the size of a small baked potato
• Compact disc—about the size of one serving of pancake or small waffle
• Thumb tip—about one teaspoon of peanut butter
• Six dice—a serving of cheese
• Check book—a serving of fish (approximately 3 oz.)
• Get out a measuring cup or a food scale and practice measuring some of your favorite foods onto a plate, so that you can see how much (or how little!) a ½ cup or 3-ounce serving is. This will help you “eyeball” a reasonable serving!

When our parents ordered a coffee two decades ago, they weren’t given as many size options—a standard cup of joe was eight ounces, the size of a small coffee cup. Nowadays, most of us feel like we don’t get our money’s worth unless the cup is at least twelve ounces; it’s not unusual to see thirty-two ounce coffee cups, four times the size they used to be. When made into a mocha, the morning coffee has as many calories as a full meal.

Because portions are now so large, it’s hard to understand what a “serving size” is supposed to be. Today’s bagel counts for three servings of bread, but many of us would consider it one serving. Larger sizes at restaurants have also contributed to larger sizes when eating at home. A study comparing eating habits today with twenty years ago found that participants poured themselves about 20 percent more cornflakes and 30 percent more milk than twenty years ago.

Portions sizes are no joke, and the American culture is now eating more than EVER.

Here’s what I have done to attempt to rein in the madness!

1. GET RID OF THE BIG PLATES. Honestly, they are just not necessary. If you see a big plate, you’ll want to fill it up. That’s just how we, as American’s, are. We’re greedy mo-fos. I now have small, saucer plates for meals and serve “treats” in ramekins, for items such as like ice cream or a serving of cookies.
2. Fill 1/3 of your plate with veggies. I don’t believe in counting the calories in veggies. I just don’t. They’re mainly watered and nutrient based. Worry about your starches and your sugars. Realize that things like CORN are not vegetables though. They are in fact a starch.
3. Drink water before and with your meal. This helps you to chew slowly and stop wolfing. I eat faster than lightning if I am not drinking something with it.
4. Enjoy the first three bites. Psychologically, these are the bites that count. Everything after that, you’re just going through the motions.
5. Stop eating out of the box. You’re bound and determined to eat way too much. I find that portioning out the servings into small sandwich baggies really helps avoid over-snacking and under-calorie estimating. This might sound like a pain, but when you’re in a snacky mood, and wandering around, bored in the kitchen, if you see the Fig Newtons in a plastic baggy, and know that the 3 of them in that bag is a serving, and equals 150 calories, it’s easier to think about choosing a food with more nutrients that will keep you fuller longer, for the same amount of calories, like grapes, a large apple, veggies and hummus. Those 3 cookies will disappear quick, but you can munch on a lot of veggies and hummus before you reach 150 cals. Plus, the water in fresh veggies leave you feeling fuller and won’t leave you with an insulin rush, craving even more Fig Newton’s. See where I am getting at, here?

I am so mindful of portions. That’s why I don’t buy loaves of bread, as two slices is actually one serving. I stick with english muffins, a real portion of bread! It boggles my mind that they have to sell “40 calorie slices of bread” in special wrapping and can get away with selling it for a shit-ton more money. Less bread, higher price? Because it is now considered a “diet” food. A normal portion.

For real?

It’s estimated that 1 in 3 children born in 2000 are going to have Diabetes by the time they are 15.