A New Way of Eating: PORTION MANAGMENT

My Aunt Velma was never skinny.  Even when she was a teenager she had the kind of figure we used to call "big-boned."  Later in life, when she was in her 70's, I noticed that she had lost weight and asked how she had done it.  "I just started eating half the amount I used to eat," she told me.  She enjoyed substantial and permanent weight loss simply by cutting her portions in half.  

Since the first of this year I have been very unhappy with my weight, which has slowly crept up over the years. I had to make a trip to Portland Oregon last Christmas, and it put me in some uncomfortable situations such as cramming myself into the airline seat and holding my arms in so as not to touch my seatmate.  Also walking from one end of the airport to the other really got me out of breath.  

I really needed to lose weight, but I have tried and failed at so many different approaches that I had become stuck in an attitude of not really believing I could ever be successful.   

And then it hit me.  In our society, the portions out of control.   Think of the huge platter you get served at most restaurants.  Or how about regular family meals that serve 6 and we make it for 2 people.  That tiny container of Haagen Dazs that you gobble in one sitting is actually 4 servings...but do they package each serving separately?  No.  Because they know you are going to eat the whole container.  Don't even get me started on Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, where the amount of food would sustain a third-world family for a month.  

If someone would just serve me my meals like they do in hospitals.  Or like the very rich, if I could just have a cook who would prepare the correct foods in the proper amounts.   Lots of people seem to do well with Nutrisystem and similar programs because they get their foods in a box and it takes all the margins for error out of the equation.  Your calories are decided for you in advance.  No cooking, no deciding what to fix for dinner, no having to slim down your favorite dishes.  

And then I realized that there is a wealth of low calorie food at my local  grocery store, prepacked  in portion-sized servings.  Individual meals, prepackaged bags of vegetables,  100 calorie snacks and more.

So last Sunday I went to the grocery store.  And came home with this:

28 entrees, 16 Individual  Frozen Yogurt, plus Laughing Cow and WW String Cheese Snacks

 I came home and planned out menus for the next two weeks, keeping my calorie count around 1100 for each day.  That way, I decided, I would have saved enough calories for a few rewarding Crystal Light Margaritas come the weekend.

Week One Menu

Now, I know what everyone is thinking.  "But the sodium count on those frozen meals is sky high!"  Well I checked and it is not too bad.  But to offset the extra sodium, I decided I needed to make sure I got in my 8 glasses of water each and every day without fail.   So I made these:

Found this idea on the internet.  This makes it really easy to drink all your water for the day.

I am so excited to be starting this new WOE.   On my first day (Monday), I woke up feeling happy to know I had three good meals and two snacks on my plate for the day and was on my way to safe permanent weight loss...FINALLY!!!   

Day One (Monday):  The first day went well.  Was very full at times.  Only weak moment was after work on the computer, the familiar urge to grab some sort of snack.  Will definitely save my p.m. snack for this time of the evening.  Avoided temptation but did take one bite of Dale’s lemon meringue pie.   Otherwise stuck to plan. 

Day Two (Today):   I plan to weigh on Mondays and Thursdays.  I should not have weighed today but I did (and was down one pound).  And I totally stuck to the plan today.  Decided to start blogging about this experience.  That’s how sure I am that it is going to work.  The science says I should lose about a pound a week, about 50 pounds a year.  So I am going to give it my all...and to try  to stay on some sort of Portion Management for the rest of my life, so there is no set date to “end” this WOE.