I've been doing a lot of reading over on sparkpeople.com, and I've been exposed to an idea there called "Portion Distortion." That's when you have no idea what a proper serving size is. I am sure that I fit this category very much. I eat way too much each time, even if it is healthy stuff I still have portions that are too large. I hate being hungry, though, and I fear that with learning portion control and having to get used to smaller (normal-sized) portions that I will be hungry and uncomfortable.
I guess what I could do is make a deal with myself. Spend some of the $150 that I got for selling my computer on some measuring cups, weigh and measure all the food that I eat, and track all of it, then I can eat whatever I want to for a while. All I have to do is measure and record it accurately. I won't be going hungry, but I will be learning just how much I am eating. It is possible that after a little bit I will want to start eating smaller portions. That will have to happen naturally, but at least I can learn about what a proper portion of each kind of food looks like. I guess I should also buy some smaller bowls to replace the big honking ones we are using now. They are more like what should be used as serving bowls rather than eating bowls! I have a really nice food scale, and I do use that to weigh my meat, but I eat way more than the recommended 3 oz of meat at a time. I think nothing of eating 10 oz of meat at a sitting.
So I need to get a handle on serving sizes. I'm used to associating mealtime with big scoops of farm food, which is all well and good when you live a farm lifestyle, but I'm a sedentary city-dweller and I don't need it. I'm not a growing body, so I don't need to eat like an adolescent. I need to learn little-old-lady-size servings, because that is what will serve me best for the best health I can have. I will get there, it will just take time.
Unless I come up with some deep thoughts of some kind later, this is my last entry for the day. I walked 1.75 miles today, and for some reason I am more tired and my muscles are more achy than they were the day I walked 2.68! So I'm going to dedicate my evening to reading inspirational literature like C.S. Lewis and doing some online shopping for the tools to help me be healthier. I'm going to look for measuring utensils and Leslie Sansone DVDs. Eventually I want to have the intellectual resources to participate in the Library Thing community and post on the message boards at Sparkpeople.com, but right now I just don't have the drive to do it. I hope that I will be getting more energy soon.
Goodnight, world.
Good work on the walk! Yes, sometimes the muscles ache more two or three days after a big workout than the day after.
ReplyDeletePortion sizes have grown, as people want more for their money at restaurants and such, so it's a good idea to learn what serving sizes are. My Sweetie, though, who could stand to lose a few pounds (no complaints from me, love him anyway) says a serving is however much it takes to make him full!