Live-it, Don’t Die-it!

Managing portions and understanding true serving sizes can help you live-it, rather than die-it.

As a nation we have super-sized everything to the point where car manufacturers are making seats and cup holders larger to accommodate our growing bodies and beverages. If you are overweight, you can stop gaining weight first by understanding and cutting down the portions of your foods.

Recognizing a Serving Size
Portions and foods have become super-sized over the past few decades. For example, the Food Guide Pyramid recommends that a bagel serving is ½ of a bagel and 90 calories. In 1977 a bagel was two to three ounces and 230 calories. Today’s bagel is five to seven ounces and comes in at a whopping 550 calories – that’s before you add cinnamon, raisins and walnuts into the batter. A bagel without cream cheese or butter can add up to a quarter of someone’s energy needs for the day.

To regain control of your food portions, put one serving size (according to the chart below) on your plate and eat slowly. Your stomach is only the size of your fist (although it can become enlarged by overeating) so a serving size of lean protein, a starchy carb and a fibrous carb is enough to fill your stomach. Eat slowly to give your body a chance to notice that you are full, which can take up to 15 minutes. Then in three to four hours you should repeat eating a serving of a lean protein, a starchy carb and a fibrous carb.

The following table gives you a guideline for a serving size for each food group. The visual cues will allow you to eyeball serving sizes without needing to measure.

Food Group	What Counts as a Serving	Visual Cue
Whole Grain Bread, Cereal, Rice	½ cup cooked cereal or rice 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal medium potato	½ tennis ball Baseball Computer mouse
Fruits	whole fruit such as medium apple grapefruit half melon wedge ¾ cup juice ½ cup berries ½ cup chopped, cooked or canned fruit ¼ cup dried fruit	Tennis ball Standard light bulb Computer mouse
Vegetables Dark green leafy Deep yellow Dry beans and peas (legumes) Starchy Other vegetables	½ cup cooked vegetables ½ cup chopped raw vegetables 1 cup leafy raw vegetables such as spinach ¾ cup vegetable juice	Computer mouse Salad bowl Standard light bulb
Meats, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts	1 ounce of meat 1 egg ½ cup cooked beans 2 tablespoons peanut butter	Deck of cards or the palm of your hand Baseball Ping pong ball
Milk, yogurt and cheese	1 cup milk 8 ounces yogurt 1.5 ounces natural cheese 2 ounces processed cheese	Standard yogurt cup 6 dice Your thumb
Fats, sweets and alcoholic beverages	Use fats and sweets sparingly. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.	1 teaspoon oil or salad dressing = matchbook 1 teaspoon butter = tip of your thumb

Pass Up Fad Diets
If you consider yourself to be a “dieter” and have tried every no-calorie, fat-free food yet wonder why you still haven’t reached your fat-loss goals, the information below will give you some insight into the flaws of some popular eating plans.

Low Carb
If you fuel up on protein and fat but hardly eat carbs at all, you are missing out on vegetables and fruit and important fiber – food groups that are heart-healthy and protect us from aging and disease. You are also likely taking in twice the protein you need in a day. This type of eating sets you up for low energy, cravings and binges… at best.

Protein is necessary for rebuilding and repairing cells. However, high-protein diets can be dangerous. At worst, over-consumption of meat is associated with heart disease and cancer and is risky for those with diabetes. When eaten in excess, protein makes digestion tougher on the body and is ultimately stored as fat. Too much protein can also result in ketosis and dehydration, which means that fat is being burned incompletely. In addition, high-protein diets can potentially strain kidney and liver function and cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, glycogen depletion and lean-tissue loss.

Weight loss from high-protein diets results from the diuretic (loss of water) effect of restricting carbohydrates, reducing caloric intake, and ketosis-induced appetite suppression. The likelihood of regaining the weight, plus more, is high. And most of that weight gain will be pure fat.

Low Calorie
A reduced-calorie diet (1,000 calories or less) is guaranteed to slow your metabolism. The minute you start to consume fewer calories, your body adjusts itself to hold on to every calorie it can, which translates into holding onto fat. Quick weight loss will also slow your metabolism because muscle is lost, in addition to fat and water. When you increase your calories, you will gain weight, but you will not regain the muscle lost (unless you are exercising with resistance.) The pounds you gain will come from fat.

Sure, you can restrict food and fluids and sweat excessively to drop pounds, but the loss is mainly from water and depletion of glycogen reserves. It will make continued weight loss more difficult, put you at risk for heat injuries, reduce your strength, eat away at your muscle and put you in a state of dehydration. This is a flawed diet plan with a capital ‘F’ and one that you cannot maintain for very long.

Very Low Fat
If you keep track of your grams of fat better than your retirement investments, it’s likely that your diet is very boring, you never feel satisfied, and are constantly consuming way more calories than needed. Fat needs to be eaten sparingly, as it naturally occurs in the foods of a balanced diet. Fat helps to control hunger and is important in normal bodily regulations. When fats are too low, it compromises your immune system, leaves you with dry brittle nails, dull hair, hair loss, depression and pronounced PMS. In addition, fat-free cookies have very little nutritional value compared to real foods.

If you have tried diets and failed, I am asking you to live-it rather than die-it. Make the healthiest, most wholesome choices of food from the freshest ingredients available to you. If the food is natural and at one point was alive (grew, breathed, walked, swam, etc.) it’s probably good for you. If it’s man-made, there is a better chance it’s not your best option.

About Kelli Calabrese
Kelli Calabrese, MS, is a national fitness, nutrition and lifestyle expert committed to helping people live longer, stronger and more vibrantly. She is the author of Feminine, Firm & Fit!—Building a Lean Strong Body in 12 Weeks and has been voted Personal Trainer of the Year twice. www.KelliCalabrese.com

Additional Reading

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• 10 Holiday Health Tips