What do I eat?

It should be no surprise that Americans are reaching unheard of levels of obesity or that our billboards are decorating the highways warning of childhood obesity. It is what should be expected. Unhealthy amounts of foods are pushed on the public on every newstand and every television commercial. Ever tried to stay on a treadmill and watch TV for an hour? By the time you finish running,  you are sure that you should stop by some fast food joint and get a burger and a super size of fries. Evening programming is saturated with advertisements for scale tilting soft drinks, sodium dripped snacks, and jean busting desserts. The thing is that all of this food is legal. It is relatively cheap, and it is easily available. To top it off a  good friend or family member will go with you! We have created relationships that depend solely on gathering for shared food. Why sometimes we will even sit down with people we would rather avoid, just to eat with someone.
It is the side effects of all this eating  that are so expensive. It is very hard to live a full life when you are strapped for medical expenses that pertain to diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. But you could really say, “The devil (media) made me do it.”  High amounts of food are pushed on you until you are not sure what or how much to eat of anything. Then you go to a restaurant and they bring you a single plate. They forget to tell you that plate should serve your entire family of four. By the time that you leave the restaurant you are feeling sluggish, guilty and your pancreas is in over drive. (Your skinny jeans are still at home wanting to come out and play.)
But how much should you eat? Is there a way to figure out how much is okay without walking into Longhorn’s with a food scale and science beaker? Here are some ways to manage your food consumption to make it not quite so obtrusive.
Three oz of meat or poultry is equal to the size of a deck of cards. If you are trying to count calories, then you should only be eating meat the size of a deck of cards. Your days of eating a 22 oz steak are over. Your skinny jeans will thank you. You can measure your fish by comparing it to the size of a checkbook. How about when you are invited out to watch a $15.00 movie and popcorn is offered? Well, realize that 3 baseball handfuls is all you will get to add up to 1 serving. Eat slow and make it last. Remember that movie popcorn is loaded with salt and butter. That adds to the calorie count. Just wait until after the movie and go get a steak the size of a deck of cards! But when you order the steak, if you have to eat the baked potato, remember that a baked potato should be the size of a computer mouse, not the size of Texas.  Most people hear all the great things about almonds. Almonds are very good for your body, but you have to measure these too! One serving of almonds is equal to about 12 almonds, that is right. Not a bag of almonds, even if they are crunchy and a better choice than potato chips. All of those calories add up!
Take charge of your eating. Think about a deck of cards, a checkbook, a baseball and get back in those skinny jeans! You know the secret now!   You are worth it! Your skinny jeans are waiting!