Tweak of the Week: Portion Distortion

Do you know what a serving of meat looks like? No, it’s not the 22-ounce T-bone at your local steakhouse. A proper portion of meat is 3 ounces. Do you know what that looks like?

That’s one of the major problems of weight loss: understanding portion size. You can eat all the right foods, but if you eat them in over-sized portions, you’ll still be consuming too many calories. In a country where bigger is better and “all-you-can-eat” is the mantra, it’s no wonder we have a serious weight problem.

Several well-controlled, laboratory-based studies have shown that serving larger portions leads to eating more food. Even when eating more, people don’t report being more satisfied. Most people underestimate the amount of food they eat — and overestimate the amount of exercise they do. This is a recipe for disaster.

Knowing what a proper portion looks like doesn’t have to be difficult — you don’t need a food scale (although it wouldn’t hurt). To give you visual comparisons for suitable serving sizes, eDiets Nutrition Specialist Renee Brunetti, LD/N, gives you these food cues to properly pick your portions.

Visual examples of different food portions:

–1 medium fruit — tennis ball or tight fist
–1/2 cup of fruit, veggie, cooked cereal, rice or pasta — cupcake or tight fist
–1 cup of raw salad — the amount you can hold in two hands cupped together.
–1 medium baked potato — computer mouse
–1 cup of cold cereal — large handful or tight fist
–1-ounce bagel — a yo-yo
–3 ounces of meat, poultry or fish — palm of a woman’s hand or deck of cards
–1 ounce of cheese — 4 dice or the top half of your thumb
–3 1/2 ounces of tofu — 4 ice cubes
–1 ounce of meat, fish, chicken or poultry — 1 egg
–1 teaspoon — the tip of a medium-framed woman’s thumb (also, 3 teaspoons is equal to 1 Tablespoon)

Note: The following items expand after cooking.

–1 ounce of pasta will cook up to about 2 ounces, which is equivalent to 1/4 cup. Pasta doubles in volume.
–2 tablespoons of rice cook up to about 6 tablespoons, or about 1/3 cup. Rice triples in volume.

A recent study in the journal Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism confirmed that use of packaged entrees as part of a weight-loss diet is an effective means of achieving portion control and enhancing losses of weight and fat mass in overweight men.

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2 TYPES OF YOGA for Man

There are two basic types of Yoga. One requires much practice, patience, and discipline

Yoga from India

And Then There’s Irish Yoga

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5 Beauty Secrets of the Pros!

Here are your five free beauty tips:

1. Rub a damp eyebrow brush over a bar of glycerin soap. Then comb through brows to shape them and keep them in place all day!

2. To keep your face from looking overly “done,” soak a washcloth in warm water. Wring it out so it’s barely wet, and gently press over skin. It’ll blend and set the makeup.

3. To smooth out a smudged manicure, dip your finger in polish remover. The color will blend and even out on its own.

4. Power up the clarifying effects of your shampoo without damaging your hair by adding three dissolved aspirin to each application. Your hair will feel squeaky clean.

5. Intensify the effects of your moisturizer and keep it from interfering with your foundation by gently blowing on it with a hair dryer set on cool for about 30 seconds.

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What Type of Eater are You?

The various types of eating personalities:

Unguided Grazer! Eating occurs any time and anywhere, since food is an afterthought. Your diet varies from one day to the next because there is no structure or planning. The one thing that is consistent is that the foods are convenient and readily accessible. Because food is often consumed while the grazer attends to other activities, you frequently lack a conscious connection to your hunger and eat past your point of satiety. You aren’t getting all the right nutrients, are probably eating excessive amounts of calories, fat and salt and your portions vary from small to oversized.

Nighttime Nibbler! You consume 50 percent or more of your daily calories from dinner and nighttime snacking. You may go all day without eating anything, since you aren’t hungry or are denying your hunger. Some nighttime nibblers don’t eat during the day because they put their work, family or travel schedules ahead of taking care of themselves…an approach that backfires. Dinner is often repeated snacking that ends only by falling asleep. Since you consume most of your calories when your metabolism is slowest, your excess calories are more likely to turn into fat.

Convenient Consumer! A diet of convenience: packaged, bagged, microwavable and frozen foods are the staples of your diet. All foods listed in your diet diary bear a brand name that is posted on the box, menu or restaurant chain. There are few (if any) fresh foods or home-cooked meals. The problem with this dietary pattern is that these foods are generally higher in fat, sodium and calories and lower in fiber than fresh foods cooked at home.

Fruitless Feaster! You enjoy a plain meat and potatoes menu. With the exception of a daily glass of orange juice and an occasional apple or banana, the feaster sticks to proteins, breads, pastas, fats and desserts. Feasters miss out on the vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients of these powerful foods, which are low-calorie to boot.

Mindless Muncher! You are committed to eating three meals a day. However, there is also snacking going on throughout the day and night — whether you’re hungry or not. Some people snack out of fear of getting hungry. Some snack to fight boredom. Others can’t pass up a package of food, a vending machine or a snack shop. Simply the sight or smell of any food triggers their compulsion to eat. The problem is that mindless eating causes you to eat excess calories while not really tasting or enjoying your food.

Hearty Portioner! You may feel that your stomach is a bottomless pit and you eat oversized portions in an effort to fill it. Some hearty portioners overindulge on unhealthy foods, while others eat too many healthy ones. In both cases, they eat quickly, their weight is climbing steadily and they feel powerless to change the pattern. With a food diary generally showing an intake that is two to five times the norm, you were probably raised as a member of the Clean Your Plate Club. You’re usually stuffed after eating, feel ashamed of your gluttony and swear you won’t overeat again. You may also suffer from indigestion, heartburn, or reflux after meals, along with sluggishness and fatigue.

Deprived Sneaker! You eat a diet of “good” foods only to fall off the wagon and overeat “bad” foods. Instead of eating a small slice of chocolate cake, you eat eight fat-free cookies. Then, you still feel deprived. Having what you really wanted from the beginning would have saved you many calories and emotional suffering. For the deprived sneaker, food is always a battle between eating “good” foods in public that you don’t always enjoy and sneaking anything “bad” in private that tastes good but makes you feel guilty. You never feel satisfied.

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Common Signs of a Sleep Disorder

Look over this list of common signs of a sleep disorders, and
talk to your doctor if you have any of them:
-> It takes you more than 30 minutes to fall asleep at night.
-> You awaken frequently in the night and then have trouble
falling back to sleep again.
-> You awaken too early in the morning.
-> You frequently don’t feel well rested despite spending 7–8
hours or more asleep at night.
-> You feel sleepy during the day and fall asleep within 5 minutes
if you have an opportunity to nap, or you fall asleep at
inappropriate times during the day.
-> Your bed partner claims you snore loudly, snort, gasp, or
make choking sounds while you sleep, or your partner
notices your breathing stops for short periods.
-> You have creeping, tingling, or crawling feelings in your legs
that are relieved by moving or massaging them, especially in
the evening and when you try to fall asleep.
-> You have vivid, dreamlike experiences while falling asleep or
dozing.
-> You have episodes of sudden muscle weakness when you
are angry, fearful, or when you laugh.
-> You feel as though you cannot move when you first wake up.
-> Your bed partner notes that your legs or arms jerk often
during sleep.
-> You regularly need to use stimulants to stay awake during
the day.
Also keep in mind that, although children can show some of
these same signs of a sleep disorder, they often do not show
signs of excessive daytime sleepiness. Instead, they may seem
overactive and have difficulty focusing and concentrating. They
also may not do their best in school.

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