Portion Control
Portion Control:
It’s no secret that a large percentage of America is obese and I feel one of the contributing factors is over eating. One of the reasons we over eat is because we eat too fast. Our body’s produce a hormone called “Leptin” which comes from the Greek word “Leptos” meaning thin. Leptin is our bodies natural appetite suppressant and is released into our bloodstream about 20 min after we start eating. I think it’s awesome to have a built in appetite suppressant…don’t you? The problem is we tend to eat our whole meal in about 5-10 min. At this point the Leptin has not yet been released so chances are we still feel hungry and will be more likely to go back for a second helping. Aside from eating our meals too fast, our food portions are generally double the size of what they should be. When you think about it, there are some meals you possibly consume 4x the amount of food you should eat.
Do you feel like you might be an over eater? Start today by following these tips and I think you’ll be able to walk away from the dinner table completely satisfied after eating LESS food!
Drink an 8 oz glass of water BEFORE you sit down to eat
Your protein should be no larger than the size of ONE of YOUR closed fists
Your starch carbohydrate (pasta, potatoes etc) should be no larger than the size of ONE of YOUR closed fists
Your veggies can be the size of your open palm (easy on the butter and salt)
Your bread should be no larger than the size of one of your closed fists
MOST IMPORTANTLY take your time at every meal! Chew each bite of food 10x, taste and enjoy your food so you can take advantage of your body’s natural appetite suppressant Remember, it takes about 20 min before Leptin is released SO if your finished before the 20 min is up, drink some more water before you go for seconds!