Bootcamp Q & A

How Much Is Too Much?

Q: I know you've told me probably a hundred times to watch the amount of food I eat at every meal, but I can't get it straight. Is there an easy way to keep portions in check?

A: Is there an easy way? Well, no; it takes constant vigilance and a strong will. You have the food and restaurant industry to thank for your confusion. Because of ever-growing portions, most of us have no idea what a single serving is supposed to look like. One restaurant entrée is often enough to feed a small army! That means eating that entire plate of veal scaloppine will probably cost you an entire day's worth of calories, and that is unacceptable!

You CAN take back control. Remember how Mom used to make you finish everything on your plate? Well, that may have been necessary when you were seven years old and ate like a sparrow, but the only species you resemble these days is the chunky monkey. You need to learn to rely on your body's cues to tell you when you've had enough food. Eat slowly so you are really savoring your food — you'll feel satisfied more quickly. And when you've satiated your hunger (remember, "full" does NOT equal "stuffed"), put down that fork! It may help to clear your plate from the table right away, so you don't eat more mindlessly.

Also, speaking of those plates — here's another trick I've got up my sleeve. Serve food on six-inch plates, not those oversized ten-inch ones. (Believe me, Grandma will not know how many times you used her china.) The fuller your plate looks, the more satisfied you will feel.

Take portion control one step further by shopping 'til you drop — drop those foods with unhealthy nutritional content, that is. As you cruise the supermarket aisles, carefully read each product's nutrition-facts label. Always check the number of servings in a package and the serving size — many small containers appear to be low-calorie single servings at first but really contain two or more servings.

Finally, when you're puzzled about portion sizes, keep these rules of thumb in mind:

• Three ounces of meat is equal to the size of a deck of cards.
  
• Three ounces of thin cuts of meat, such as fish fillets, is the size of a checkbook.
  
• A cup of raw vegetables or salad greens is the size of a baseball.
  
• A half cup of cooked rice or pasta is the size of a baseball sliced in half.

See, there's nothing to it!