Using Your Hands for Easy Portion Control!

You hear it all the time. Watch your portion size when looking to eat healthier and manage weight. It seems so simple, but like most "easy" things, is easier said than done for most. To make portion control work, I feel its best to get to the most elementary level possible. How much more elementary can you get than your hands? My hands you ask? Yes your hands, and this time it really is as easy as it looks.

Check out this hand portion control chart to learn more. For instance the chart states one "cupped" hand is equivalent to half a cup of cooked vegetables, pastas, icecream, pudding etc. This tool is not about using your hands as utensils, but it's certainly an easy place to start. It's really all about having a visual in your head of everyday portion sizes so that it becomes second nature. Then you can truly become portion savvy.


To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences,

Getting Into Results and Out of Stagnation-Part 2

If you've tried to take action towards sustained weight management only to always feel as if you're not getting anywhere, then you're not alone. Real, measurable action is hard to initiate let alone sustain. But as already discussed in the previous Part 1 installation of Getting Into Results and Out of Stagnation, taking action to bring about results is possible. We've already discussed some of the ways taking action can become less daunting, and more doable. Here are a few more suggestions:

-Regardless of what you want to change, focus first on Self-Care and always be kind to yourself though the process.

-Ask for help. Too often we think we can do things alone. When change is scary you must seek and embrace any help you can find from trusted individuals. Know that although action will be required of you to make change happen, focus most on what you want the end result to be ultimately rather than each stage along the way.

-Start making task lists to get you organized on all the things you need. I've found that a simple chalk board placed at a spot which is frequently visited and seen, like near the microwave or next to your bedroom or bathroom mirror or an office desk, works well. A chalk board forces you to get through the tasks because you really need to make more room on the board and the only way to do that is to erase “completed” tasks.

-Focus on holistic approaches to change. If you want to change your body incorporate things which grow your mind and soul.


To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences,

A Case For Taking Small Steps in Your Weight Management Efforts

Often many types of changes associated with weight management and nutrition are expected to be extreme in order to bring about any meaningful results. This can make any efforts to achieve and maintain these changes quite stressful and daunting.

However, recently I was reminded how uncomplicated weight management can be if we just allow ourselves to just start with small steps. When a woman from Australia who lost 150 pounds after deciding to walk around the clothes line in her backyard, she proved how simple fitness can be.

It just shows that any exercise plan is only as good as the internal drive and motivation you have to get results. Many factors off course can impact the latter, but the important thing is that you begin somewhere, and a small first step is often a good place to start.

Find out about how the woman I spoke of earlier made long-term weight loss a reality for her.



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences

Two Healthier Ways to Cut Calories via a Balanced Metabolism

The long accepted 'starvation' and food restriction approach to weight management have defined the weight loss industry.

How easy it is to forget that you have your own efficient, energy/calorie burning system fueled by a well energized body with a healthy metabolism. Metabolism is the process by which the body breaks down food so that its components can be utilized by the body for various functions.

It is therefore very important to pay attention to your metabolism and ensure that it is working at its best to keep your body well energized so that it can burn calories more efficiently.


Two simple practices to jump start your metabolism include:

Eating a Balance Breakfast: A good breakfast to start off the day has been shown to impact metabolism in a positive way and curb overeating latter down in the day. A simple low-sugar cereal with high fiber content with some form of lean protein, whole grain bread and fruit is a good, balanced breakfast choice.

Paying Attention to Hunger Cues: Hunger cues are the body’s way of letting you know what it needs nutritionally. Ignoring your natural hunger cues and skipping meals lead to undereating which lowers your body’s metabolism as it attempts to conserve energy. The result is unwanted weight gain.

Maintaining a balanced metabolism is one of the best ways to manage energy and calories efficiently. Therefore it pays to ensure that your body's metabolism is functioning at its best.


To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences,

Eat In Moderation Effortlessly

Here's a tool to help you to improve your "portion savviness", if you need greater visuals of food portions to aid you in weight management. Perhaps you feel that portioning food into measured amounts works best for you, but you can't be bothered with scales and measuring cups.

I think that weight management should be simple, straight forward, non-imposing, and accommodating to your lifestyle. Meal Measure, advertised as a "portion control on your plate" solution to weight management, meets all these criteria.

It also meets recommended amounts for starch, veggies, and protein containing separate sections for each. The good thing about this tool is that it allows you to spoon out controlled portions right on the plate. However, I feel that no one should measure food indefinitely regardless of how simple it is.

The best approach I think is to utilize Meal Measure as a teaching tool to provide skills which you can use for the rest of your life. Then once you get used to the food portions, you can go on to make portion control decisions without the aid of any tools.

Check out the Meal Measure to see if it's something that could work for you.


To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences:

4 Simple Approaches to Getting Off the Yoyo Dieting Ride

Yoyo dieting is often a lifelong issue and generally does not end unless a decision has been made that diets are not an option anymore. Breaking free from the yoyo dieting roller coaster ride is more challenging than just the intention to do so. Giving diets the boot can only be accomplished when we totally open ourselves to do things completely different as far as our weight loss goals are concerned. It certainly requires an open mind.


Four initial approaches to consider are:


1. You are more likely to succeed in both improving your health and attaining permanent weight loss if you recognize that there are no quick fixes and any diet which promises this is deceiving. The main reason why there is the tendency to go from one diet to the next is because the weight loss desired was not achieved or the weight that was loss was regained. Long term weight management requires patience.

2. Distinguish between psychological hunger vs. physical hunger. Psychological hunger is really not hunger at all, but cravings originating from emotions and stress. True hunger stems from our bodies natural hunger cues in response to it’s physiological and definite need for nourishment. It is important to be able to distinguish the two and become fully intuned to when you’re really hunger vs. when you are seeking pacification from food.

3. Stop fighting hunger. Despite what you’ve heard, hunger is not the enemy. It’s your body’s way of communicating with you a basic and primal need-food. Once you fully understand the difference between true hunger and cravings, you know that your hunger is a kind friend rather than a foe. Therefore, honor it and for goodness sake eat something! Ignoring hunger and putting off eating to cut calories will bring about an insistent response from your body that it needs nourishment for its survival. This response could come as cravings and overeating.

4. Open yourself to and find non-diet approaches to weight management. If you were told that you don't have options, then you won't told the whole story. Like everything in life, their are always choices out there. If there weren't there would be no need for advertising. The non-diet weight management options available fill in crucial elements which most diets leave out.

Remember that its never too late to do something differently. Just because you've always done weight loss the dieting way, that doesn't mean you need to continue doing so. Chances are that, like most, you probably haven't been seeing much success anyway. So perhaps it's time to explore your options.



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,

Eight Non-Diet Tips You Can Apply Right Now

When it comes to weight management, so many people get overwhelmed and stressed. It just seems so complicated. When you put diets into the mix, successful weight management may almost seem impossible. So before you even consider yet another diet, consider rethinking this option. Instead, begin with these simple Non-Diet tips which you can utilize right now to help free you from the dieting roller coaster.


When it comes to weight management:

1. Be in it for the long haul. Do not be discouraged by minor shifts of weight in an undesired direction. Be patient.

2. Be Fiber Conscious. Fiber adds bulk and that’s a good thing, because that fills you up faster and longer. Vegetables, fruits, beans etc.

3. Watch your Liquid Calories especially soda calories and some "energy drinks". These really add up because they are so quickly consumed.

4. Avoid Diets which promise Quick Weight Loss

5. Eat several small meals daily because your body will only metabolize a certain amount of food based on it’s needs and the rest is stored as fat. A smaller meal means that more of the food is likely to be burned out and less stored as fat.

6. Take on a daily relaxation practice. Eg. Meditation, going for a walk, reading a good book, playing with a pet, meeting friends etc. or whatever makes you feel uplifted and less stressed.

7. Set your scale to your desired weight and step on it as minimally as possible after that. Place a note on the scale with your desired weight and make that your motivator. Avoid being a prisoner to it daily.

8. Have a support network. Being amongst like-minded people is one of the fastest ways to achieve a goal.



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,

8 Ways to Cut the Fat Without The “Low Fat” Label

Low fat foods have been the rave for quite some time and for many concerned with weight management, including such foods in their daily meal plan has become essential. Whilst fat reduced or low fat substitutes for regular foods such as milk and cheese and normally decadent treats like cakes and cookies, may do the trick, this doesn’t come without a price.

Besides the obvious upside to low fat eating-losing weight -there are 2 main down sides.

1. There is the perception that eating low fat foods overrides the impact of other foods in the diet. We often feel that because a food is low fat, that is an automatic free pass to eat more of it than its regular counterpart. We forget that fats are not the only calorie contributors in our diet and that we have to look at the total carbohydrate, fat, and protein component of the food, not just the fat.

2. The taste of food can often be compromised with having less of its flavor enhancing fat component present


Although purchasing foods with the “low fat” label is valuable, there are some ways to cut the fat without necessitating this “label”. That means there is the sense of controlling the fat content without needing to mostly zap it out. There are several subtle ways you can manage the fat without needing the physical “low fat” label. Some useful food substitutions include:

1. Cheddar Cheese: Substitute with half the amount called for using Extra Sharp cheese and ½ tsp dry mustard for flavor.

2. Whipped Cream: Substitute with evaporated skimmed milk, chilled until almost frozen, then whip

3. ½ cup oil for baking: Substitute with ¼ oil plus 1/4 cup applesauce or ¼ cup oil + 1/8 cup applesauce and 1/8 cup buttermilk

4. Bacon: Substitute with turkey bacon

5. 1 Whole egg: Substitute with 2 egg whites

6. 1 cup Chocolate chips: Substitute with 2/3 cups chocolate chips

7. Nuts: Reduce amount by substituting with ½ or 1/3 of what is called for

8. Fudge sauce: Substitute with chocolate syrup

Substitution Tips adapted from Kingley Health



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,

What the Weight Watchers Hungry Monster Does Not Teach Us About Hunger and Cravings

This is the time of year when people begin holding the intention of a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight or get more fit. At this point it has become a tradition, one which half of the world is initially fired up at the beginning of the year to fulfill. Weight Watchers, like most other weight loss programs, is now happily feeding this enthusiasm with an all out inundation of commercials, some of which depict the infamous “Hungry Monster”. This is a fuzzy, orange, big-eyed character who is suppose to represent the pesky rambling in our tummy called hunger which causes us to eat cookies, ice cream and similar foods, totally sabotaging our weight loss goals.

Upon conducting a quick online research of Mr. Hungry Monster, I found him to be quite popular. The first three pages of Google were filled only with raves and praises for this unique puppet. Most people were asking questions of where they could purchase him. One blog post referred to Hungry Monster as representing a "beast inside of them that was controlling what they eat” and that they need to retrain it so that they can eat healthier. The bottom line is that people love this orange, fur ball monster, and most seem to want to take him home as well.

So any criticism of the Hungry Monster concept would seem quite out of place, and could probably be grounds for an all out barrage of insults. But here goes. Although Hungry Monster is marketed as a playful symbol of hunger, he is portrayed as a mischievous and trouble making character which we certainly need to tame. Therefore hunger is something we need to tame. What is sad is that people actually do believe that something as natural as hunger, real physical hunger, is a bad thing.

The body has devised hunger to indicate to us when it is in a real physiological need for food. However when we make hunger the enemy, what we are really doing is confusing hunger with cravings. Cravings most often have nothing to do with physical hunger and are always focused on a specific food. Two types of cravings are emotional cravings and physical cravings.

Emotional cravings or “psychological hunger” occurs when food is used to escape from an undesired feeling, to deal with stress or provide comfort and ‘good feelings”. Physical cravings are often associated with some sort of deficiency the body is experiencing as often happens with structured diets where there is the tendency to exempt many foods. This lack of balanced eating can lead to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals. The body may crave foods containing the missing carbs and nutrients it is short of.

Dieting is often a major cause of food cravings. When you can’t eat a food, you will want it more. The moment you get the chance "to cheat" and taste that forbidden fruit, you are likely to overdo it, because you know that it may be a long time before you can have that food again.

Other potential sources of food cravings include:

1. Low serotonin levels which may cause cravings for carbohydrates (mostly high sugar choices). Carbohydrates help ensure the body has sufficient tryptophan to allow the brain to produce desirable serotonin levels. Serotonin is a hormone essential for relaxation and sleep.

2. Environmental cues: A fast food commercial on TV or passing near the actual building like McDonald's, Wendy’s etc. could create a craving for fast food items. Certain activities strongly associated with a specific food can trigger a craving for that food, eg. traditional holiday foods during the Christmas season, candy or popcorn and other snack foods while watching television at home.

So if you intend on embarking on a weight management plan for the New Year, a good initial move would be to better understand hunger and cravings, so you can identify them easily when they occur. Ignoring true hunger, as the Weight Watcher’s “Hungry Monster” campaign would suggest, is not necessarily the angle to take.

It is important to take in enough calories and nutrition. It is equally wise to not skip meals or to exempt as many foods as possible as part of a restrictive eating plan, since these practices can cause unnecessary cravings which are the real source of overeating.



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,



P.S: To assist you in managing food cravings you might want to take a look at Am I Hungry, a comprehensive, non-diet alternative program consisting of books, workshops, coaching etc.

What is Your Approach to Permanent Weight Loss?

We've already discussed at length some key principles of the having a Non-diet mindset. However here's a quick and fun way to get a general assessment of your approach to eating and weight management. It only takes a couple minutes and is quite revealing. You need not put in your name, just simply begin with the "start quiz" button.

What is Your Approach to Permanent Weight Los… » Quiz Question Maker

Hope this assessment tool gave you some greater insight.



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,