Let's talk about portion control

I'm going to make a HUGE effort to pay attention to my portion sizes at meals. I'm not going to try and trick myself into eating less, I'm actually going to weigh my food and not pile it on as I normally would. Hubby bought me a food scale for xmas ( I asked for it!) and I used it last night for the first time.

Naturally, this will affect the husband as well, so I can imagine he'll be sneaking into the fridge for the leftovers after I've gone to bed. That's 100% okay with me....because I'd probably do it if he didn't:D

I've read sooooooooooo many books, magazines and web articles on this subject...but never felt the motivation to take charge of it. If something tastes yummy, I just want to eat A LOT of it...but no more. No way.

I have taken on a 12 week challenge to drop 15 pounds and I know I can do the work. The food is what's next:
* Woman's fist or baseball - a serving of vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist
* A rounded handful - about one half cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta - this is a good measure for a snack serving, such as chips or pretzels
* Deck of cards - a serving of meat, fish or poultry or the palm of your hand (don't count your fingers!) - for example, one chicken breast, ¼ pound hamburger patty or a medium pork chop
* Golf ball or large egg - one quarter cup of dried fruit or nuts
* Tennis ball - about one half cup of ice cream
* Computer mouse - about the size of a small baked potato
* Compact disc - about the size of one serving of pancake or small waffle
* Thumb tip - about one teaspoon of peanut butter
* Six dice - a serving of cheese
* Check book - a serving of fish (approximately 3 oz.)
* Eyeball it! - Take a look at the recommended serving sizes on the new USDA MyPyramid Food Guidance System. Get out a measuring cup or a food scale and practice measuring some of your favorite foods onto a plate, so that you can see how much (or how little!) a ½ cup or 3-ounce serving is. This will help you "eyeball" a reasonable serving!

This was our dinner last night - perfect portion sizes and it looks like so much food! It was 4 oz baked sweet potato, 3 oz lean pork tenderloin, 1 cup of spinach and 1/4 cup each of tomatoes and mushrooms. I drizzled just a *touch* of olive oil and white balsamic vinegar over the top. It was enough and it was yummy:)