One of the biggest changes I have made in my life ever since I chose to live a healthy life style is the portion of food that I eat. Until I actually started to pay attention to how much food was going in my mouth, I really didn’t think twice about how big my portion actually was. I love the saying “everything in moderation” because it’s true.  The key word though is moderation, and actually defining moderation.

What exactly is moderation? It’s so hard to determine what the proper portion is, when you don’t have a visualization of what a portion of something actually is.  For example, one serving (three ounces) of meat, poultry or fish is about the size of a deck of playing cards. Go on, go get a deck of playing cards. Take a look, the steak you eat is probably twice the size, if not more, of the deck of cards!

Now, make a fist, and take a good look at it. Your serving of rice or pasta shouldn’t be any larger than that.Think about your latest trip to Olive Garden or the last pot of spaghetti you made. The portion you get at the restaurant, or what you dish up on your plate is actually several portions!

When you take the time to keep track of portion control, and choose your foods wisely, it makes a huge difference in the progress of your weight loss. When I go out to restaurants to eat, I select a meal that I’d like, but I cut everything in half and take the rest home. This is something that I do every single time, it has become a habit. A healthy habit, and one I plan on keeping for life.

Once I made this change, the weight started coming off like it never had before.  45 pounds, and several dress sizes later, I’ve learned to take charge of portion control. Every single restaurant that you go to is sure to give you more than one portion of food. Remember, you can enjoy everything in life, but everything in moderation.

Additional Reading:
• Control Your Weight to Keep Diabetes at Bay
• Mindful Eating Can Help You Lose Weight
• Healthy Holiday Eating at Thanksgiving
• Healthful Benefits of Eating Apples
• Get Fab Abs With These Three Exercises

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