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Does Portion Control Really Matter?

January 25, 2012 By 17 Comments

Since beginning on the journey of Eating Clean this year, I have run across many conversations where the “jist” is that as long as you are eating healthy, clean food – you can just about eat as much as you want.   I understand the concept – putting good stuff in opposed to bad stuff will help your body run better- but I still wasnt seeing the results on the scale that I was hoping for by cutting out all processed food and not drinking any wine (or alcohol of any kind)…. that is until this week.

Last Thursday I went to hang out with my friend Trisha just to get out of town for the day and have some much over due “girl time.”   It was a relaxing day of walking around furniture stores and pet shops – me still trying to convince her that a ferret is a better pet for her daughter than a hamster.

Anyway.

We got on the subject somehow of weight and food that we eat and such and Trisha said – “I cook enough food for two people – and then divide it between the three of us.”   I thought it was crazy since I have been cooking for my family of four for years now.  If it’s chicken – four chicken breasts.  If pork – four pork chops.   I mean… there ARE four of us, right?

Wrong.

There are two adults, one preteen, and one child.  That DOES equal four PEOPLE…. but not four SERVINGS.

So starting the very next day – Friday – I began cooking for three people.   I gave Mike his portion, Sami her portion, and then I split the third portion in half and shared it with Taylor.  I also cooked two sides – but only enough for 2/3 people.  (i.e. one can of corn and one can of green beans)  We divided the vegetables up evenly.

Here are the results -

First off, no one went hungry.    When I changed the portion size I thought for sure we were all (wait – Taylor and I) were going to starve to death.  We havent. In fact I have felt comfortably full, and Taylor has happily finished her whole plate with the family, instead of taking forever.   Mike also hasnt been tempted to “help Taylor out” by finishing off her leftover portions.

Speaking of leftovers – there haven’t been any.  There also hasnt been any waste.   Normally if I cooked and entire bag of chicken, we would have 2-3 breasts left over - IF we did not over eat and stuff ourselves with a second helping at dinner.  Now I only take out three pieces, and put the rest back into the fridge.  This week Mike and I have been having those “leftover” breasts for lunch the next day instead – saving us from eating junk food our going out to a restaurant to eat.

I also also excited that our garbage disposal hasnt gotten a work out this week.  When I was over-cooking, we would have a lot of left over waste.  Which is not only disheartening – but EXPENSIVE!  No wonder I was spending a fortune at the grocery store – I was throwing 30% of it AWAY!

My grocery bill / restaurant bill has been cut nearly in half.  I admit one of the “benefits” to working at home and being your own boss is getting to go out to eat for lunch wherever and whenever you want to.  However eating out for lunch every day is as hurtful to your wallet as it is to your waistline.   We have pretty much eliminated the need to go out to lunch since I can just pop the “leftover” meats on the grill,  and since now one package of meat lasts two meals instead of only one, my grocery bill is lighter.

But here is the biggest part…. I lost five pounds.   In five days.  Five pounds.  That’s like a pound a day.

There are all kinds of tools to help you with portion control – decorative plates that tell you how much to fill with which food group, fancy schmancy food scales, “snack bowls” that are no bigger than the palm of your hand…. and they are all great.   However, if you are like me – feeding a FAMILY with even one young child, and need something just quick and easy that you can begin implementing as early as dinner tonight… just simply make one less serving.

Now that I am doing this, its seems like such a “no-brainer” but it took someone actually saying it out loud for it to click.  Even though I had been feeding my family healthier food, I was still overfeeding us all.   I will never cook four full portions for my family again…. or at least until Taylor is old enough to actually need a full portion… you know, when she is thirty.

Does portion control really matter?

My five pounds in five days says – OH YEAH!


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The Best Dance Party Workout… Has a Sequel

November 25, 2011 By 3 Comments

I can not tell you how excited I am.   I love love love Zumba – it is absolutely my favorite workout ever.  My neighbor and I will get together several times a week in one of our living rooms to Zumba away – laughing and rocking out the whole time.  We absolutely LOVE it.

Zumba Fitness 2 is a multiplayer Dance – Fitness game for Wii that provides an outlet for players to get a great full body workout in a fun dance class environment. Based on the popular Zumba exercise dance craze that has swept the world in recent years, Zumba Fitness 2 is the second game in the Zumba Fitness video game series and is designed for players of all fitness levels. Gameplay incorporates 20 different dance styles and utilizes the included Zumba Fitness belt which holds the Wii Remote, allowing for hands-free action. Additional features include: 20 different dance styles, five different game modes, 32 electrifying new routines and music tracks, a new progress tracker, varied difficulty levels and instructor customization.

I am not sure which part I am more excited about – the fact that Zumba Fitness 2 will have songs I actually know and can sing along with, or that we can now have our own little “Zumba Party” both wearing our Wii Remotes.  With the first Zumba, Christy and I have just taken turns with who wears the belt.  Now we can both get a good reading on how many calories we have burned and just how good we danced off those pounds! Oh, I also love the idea of creating a “playlist” so I can jam out to my favorite songs over and over!

Game Features

  • Get a total body workout with 32 electrifying new routines and music tracks, including hits from today’s hottest artists including Pitbull, Nicole Scherzinger and Yolanda Be Cool and DCup.
  • Follow along as celebrity Zumba instructors Tanya Beardsley, Gina Grant and Beto guide you through each routine. New 3D models of each instructor make playing the game feel like taking a real class with Zumba’s elite celebrity trio.
  • Learn 20 different dance styles across routines, from fan favorites like Merengue, Samba and Cumbia to new additions like Axe, Indian, Latin Pop, Bellydance and Pasodoble.
  • Get in shape with 5 different game modes:
    • Single Song – Dance a single routine of your choice. The new song preview feature gives you a feel for a track before you dive in and lose yourself in the music.
    • Zumba Class – A workout block of routines in 20, 45 or 60 minute formats. You can now create your own custom routines by saving a playlist of your favorite songs.
    • Zumba Party – Up to 4 players can join the party in your living room with cooperative gameplay.
    • Learn the Steps – Revamped tutorial mode lets you learn at your own pace by breaking down the core dance styles into the basics.
  • Get your party on in 5 stunning, dynamic environments, from a Miami Yacht to a LA nightclub. Watch the party grow as you match moves throughout each area.
  • Choose each instructor’s outfit and personalize clothing with the new Zumba apparel customization feature.
  • New video cueing system makes the choreography easier to follow for new players.
  • New Progress Tracker lets you follow every stat relating to your gameplay, including: calories burned, trophies earned, overall rank, technique score based on how many moves matched overall, and more.
  • Approachable gameplay offers a full tutorial mode with Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced routines tiered for all skill levels.
  • Affix the exclusive Zumba Fitness belt (included free in the game box) to your waist and slide the Wii Remote into the holster to dance hands-free.

I was also excited to read one Amazon Review on the Fitness Tracker -

Once you’ve completed a routine, your performance stats come up, Calories Burned, Technique, Score. You can also view cumulative totals of these in the Progress Tracker options from the Main Menu. Progress Tracker lists Weight, Time played, Technique (%) and Total Calories burned. You can choose that in a graph of Days, Weeks, Months. In the Progress Tracker there are also Awards that you get for completing certain goals during play.

I am really someone who has to track my progress, and know that even if I am not seeing results right away on the OUTside, that I know stuff is happening on the inside.  And yes, I get happy over cheesy little trophies and awards..hey, who doesnt like to be told they rock, right?

I have ordered the Zumba Fitness 2 from Amazon and I am eagerly awaiting its arrival.  As much as I love my original Zumba Fitness, I am excited to do some new workouts and learn new routines.

You can order Zumba Fitness 2 from Amazon or at local retailers.


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Living Well Wednesday – March 2, 2011

March 2, 2011 By 2 Comments

Thanks for stopping by!  Today I did my update from the car as it was the only 5 minutes I had to spare today!  Join us each week at www.NatalieCollinson.com for Living Well Wednesday and stay on track with your goals for 2011!

See you next week!


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Shedding For The Wedding

March 2, 2011 By 3 Comments

Tonight after getting my fix of Steven Tyler, I began channel surfing and stumbled across CW’s Shedding For The Wedding. The show is hosted by Sara Rue, who began with a spot on the short-lived show Eastwick, and then became the new face of Jenny Craig.  She reminds me so much of my former best friend that I love her and hate her at the same time, but I have to admit she does a great job at hosting the show.

Now, the theory behind Shedding For The Wedding is awesome – couples competing “Biggest Loser Style” to earn the items for a dream wedding.  The couples are staying in “the house” and working out together, learning how to eat right, participating in challenges, all together as a team.  Each week (or show, I didn’t catch how often) they weigh in – TOGETHER – to see their overall weight loss.

The build up was great – as someone who has watched Biggest Loser just about every season, I loved how Shedding For The Wedding brought even more of a “team work” feel with awesome incentives and rewards for their good work.  The teams seemed fired up and excited – ready to not only get healthy, but have the wedding of their dreams.  They sweat, they cried, they agonized over donuts… all the making of a great diet show.

Then came the weigh in.

I have to admit I stood there with my mouth hanging open as relatively LARGE couples showed little to no weight loss.  Couple after couple shed their Tshirts and stepped on the scales – losing as little as 0.67% of their weight.  I was dumbfounded.  How can you work out that hard, and eat that well, and not lose weight?

I thought about the time I went running with Mike, and how that is still the day that I went the farthest – the fastest – because I had him rooting for me by my side.  I thought about his love for hockey, and how he will go and “give it his all” when I am in the stands cheering for him.  We are each others biggest supporters, biggest cheerleaders, and biggest fans.

But – we also let each other slide.  We decide “together” to go to those fattening restaurants.  We decide “together” that we do not have time to exercise.   We do not push each other DAILY to do the things we know we need to do – as both of us would like to shed a few pounds.  I know I am much more concerned about it than he is – though lately I have begun to think I am just more vocal about it than he is.   We have fallen into that “comfort zone” where being “a little fluffy” is accepted and put off until “later.”

Shedding For The Wedding brought up a great point -

CAN you really lose weight with a “partner” who loves you unconditionally?

Can you get healthy with your “cheerleader” being someone who thinks you look great just the way you are?  Can you stay on track for changing your life with someone who is not invested in your results?

It will be interesting to see how Shedding For The Wedding turns out.  For the couples, I hope they are able to support each other in the way that is needed in order to succeed in their weight loss efforts.  As for Mike and I… I think we will be hiring a personal trainer.

 

 


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Living Well Wednesday – February 9, 2011

February 9, 2011 By 1 Comment

Hey! Welcome to another Living Well Wednesday here on MoscatoMom!  This meme is hosted by Natalie over at www.NatalieCollinson.com!  Each week we come together to “check in” on how our goals are going for 2011!  If you want some help staying accountable to YOUR goals, head over and link up!