Healthy Living with Portion Control

Portion control may be the key to healthy living and happiness. The portion should be small when it comes to fat, sugar, and carbohydrates. The portion should be large when it comes to exercise, sleep, and friends. The portion should be just right when it comes to meals.

I responded to a call to lose weight and spent two years shedding 70 pounds. I walked, stretched, or crunched everyday. I lived life the South Beach way. When I reached the well-known plateau, I changed to Weight Watchers and learned to keep food and exercise diaries. I now have a great collection of recipes and cookbooks that stress vegetables and fat-calorie substitutes.

I signed with relief when I could tell myself I was now maintaining. And I put on 10 pounds. My jeans still zipped, so I told myself it was fine. Except, of course, it wasn't just fine at all. So began my journey back down the scale. I needed to relearn the portion lesson.

A key to portion control is the food diary. It does help to write down everything you eat because you think before you put something in your mouth. I know vegetables and fruits should dominate every meal. Healthy food starts with veggies and fruit. They are good breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. I promise myself I will try new vegetable dishes. I am learning to share recipes for the successes with friends and encourage them to share theirs with me. I try hard to have vegetables dishes that can be reheated sitting in the refrigerator.

I have returned to my emergency foods of sugar free Jell-o, sugar free candy, and sugar free popsicles. I am never without something to eat. And since I know crackers are my downfall, I don't have them in the house-ever.

I have several exercise tapes that I enjoy. Leslie Sansone makes me smile and keep Walking Away the Pounds. I can hear her say, "big muscles burn big calories." Denise Austin empathizes with me about my fat zones and has a varied workout that is never boring. I have worked through these tapes often enough that I can walk/run in place while watching TV.

I used to say, "You have to have been in shape to be considered out of shape." I now think I am pretty close to being in shape. And those 10 pounds have melted down a bit. I watch the scale and know when I need to put on a nice pot of veggie soup for dinner. I never let a day end without a large portion of exercise.

Sources
South Beach Diet website, http://www.southbeachdiet.com/
Weight Watchers website, http://www.weightwatchers.com/
Leslie Sansone videos, http://www.lesliesansonevideos.com/
Denise Austin videos, http://www.deniseaustinvideo.com/