portion-related stories
Lose Inches From Your Hips, Portion-Control Trick: Twitter Finds



Overwhelmed by all of the "Follow Friday" recommendations on Twitter? Each week AOL Health's Twitter alias Healthpop and That's_Fit search the Twittersphere for the greatest diet and fitness Twitterers, and each week, we'll highlight the best-of their best tweets (no Twits here). Got any great advice for our Fit Follow Friday post? Give us a shout on Twitter and let us know all about it!
Portion Distortion - Your Vice is Eating Too Much

Figuring out what your vices are and finding ways to reduce the effect they have on your diet is a surefire way to lose a few pounds. So last week, I asked you what your vices are. Here are your top answers:
- 28 percent of you said you struggle with portions -- you eat healthfully but you eat too much.
- 24 percent of you are sugar fiends -- your vice is dessert.
- 17 percent of you are addicted to snacking.
- 11 percent of you consider liquid calories your vice.
- 9 percent of you are love being lazy -- way more than working out.
Want some portion advice? Click here.

Late Night Snacking - How It Can All Go Wrong
For many people, eating late at night consists of snacking on popcorn, chips or other treats. If these treats are in moderation, that's not such a bad thing. But late-night eating often equals mindless eating, and that's never a good thing. Just think about it -- you're watching the latest episode of Lost and munching on chips straight from the bag. Before you know it, half the bag is gone and you don't even know how it happened.
Just because you have a green light to eat late at night doesn't mean you can eat mindlessly. Opt for healthier snacks such as cut veggies and hummus and always measure out your snacks so you don't eat more than you intend.
Weight Control - How to Know When You're Full
You know that little click you hear when your gas tank is full? Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a little warning like that for our stomachs? Just some subtle little chime that rings in to let us know it's time to stop eating? Unfortunately, our bodies are much more subtle than that. For most people, it takes 20 minutes for our brains to realize our stomachs are full. Today may be the age of lightning fast e-mail, but our bodies are still relying on the pony express. That's why portion control is so important; when you keep your portions reasonable, you know you're not taking in more than you need. It's also important to eat slowly -- relish each bite and enjoy your food. When you take your time eating, you give that pony more time to get the "You're full!" message to your brain.
I just stumbled across this article about a woman who had a condition that caused her to faint when consuming things like sandwiches or soda. It sounds like a horrible condition and she must be relieved to have a diagnosis. However, I did find it humorous that she's not pleased about her post-treatment weight gain.
Slivers vs. Slices
Giada De Laurentiis is Addicted to Chocolate
Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis knows her way around a kitchen -- especially when she's cooking up one of her tempting Italian dishes. But how does she stay as slim as she is when she's eating pasta and other not-so-light foods? De Laurentiis says: "Food is not the enemy." In fact, she readily admits that she's addicted to chocolate and doesn't think she could give it up. De Laurentiis swears by portion control and says, "It's not food; it's how much you eat." De Laurentiis enjoys pastas and other heavier foods in small portions and makes sure she eats more greens than carbs.
De Laurentiis also believes in enjoying food. She says good quality ingredients enhance your enjoyment, and she recommends buying ingredients that are in season for maximum flavor.
Portions - how they size up now
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
We know portion sizes have grown. They've grown a lot -- and many of us have grown right along with them. But DietBlog is providing some fairly shocking comparisons of portions now compared to 20 or so years ago.Consider these four items -- take-away coffees, potato chips, chocolate milk, and soft drinks. A standard bottle of pop used to be 12 oz, containing about 160 calories, but now, a dollar (or more, depending on where you are) in a vending machine will get you 20 oz and 245 calories. Chocolate milk is worse, having doubled in size and calories.
That's not the worst of it, though -- coffee, which once was only available in convenience stores (do you remember the days before Starbucks?), generally came in a 7 oz cup, so even with sugar, you were just getting around 85 calories. Now, a large coffee is more than double the size and with all the extras you can order, you can take in just shy of 500 calories. But chips are the icing on the big, fatty cake -- snack bags used to have just about 150 calories, and now, some snack bags that come with sandwiches have 500 calories!
Think small: Play the portion game
I love the portion size game -- you know, like what's equal to one-fourth cup? Answer: A golf ball. What's one ounce of cheese look like? Answer: Two dominoes or four dice. How about one medium-sized bagel? Answer: A hockey puck. I don't know about you, but these references definitely help me measure serving sizes. Check out this table for more on sizing up your sizes.
Ah sizes. We're eating more calories than ever in this country and our portion sizes, especially those eaten away from home, are making us fat and unhealthy. One fix: Don't lose sight of how much you should be eating -- this video should help.
Thanks to EatingWell.com for the powerful portion advice.Clear up portion confusion with this video
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Ah, portion control. A wise concept. Not always easy to manage, though. Back to the video -- it's a great one for helping to visualize appropriate serving sizes, like the following.
A serving size of cheese is equal to four dice. A baked potato: the size of a computer mouse. Meat, the palm of your hand. Peanut butter, the tip of your thumb. Veggies -- think one fist. Starches and fruits -- half a fist or a cupped hand.
Want a actual look at these suggestions. Click here. In a mere four minutes, you'll be educated on serving sizes, portion control, and you'll walk away with a few great tips for slimming down on snacking -- hint: don't eat from the bag, serve up a small portion in a bowl.
Daily Fit Tip: Order an appy
My point? Restaurant sizes are way too big these days. Avoid overeating by making smarter -- and smaller -- choices. Some suggestions? Order off the kids menu (if they'll let you), ask for a half portion, opt for an appetizer instead of an entree or go for a side salad with some sort of lean meat. You might think it won't be enough, but I bet you'll be surprised -- it doesn't take much to satisfy hunger without feeling too full.
And next time you head out for a meal with the girls? Choose a tapas place where you can choose from a selection of appetizer-sized meals.
Daily Fit Tip: Do your math
Daily Fit Tip, Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
The point here, according to the Publix Greenwise magazine is that everything, from bagels to burgers, is ballooning in size. So are our waistlines. It's more important than ever then to watch ourselves. Watching how we distribute the food on our plates is a good starting point. So start with a nine-inch plate and proceed as follows.
Divide your plate into quarters. In three of your quarters, pile on the whole grains, the veggies, the fruit. Fill the remaining quarter with lean meat, fish, or poultry. That's it. The smaller plate, dominated by plant-based foods, is key for keeping calories in check. Simple stuff, right?
Sizing up servings with just a glance
Healthy Habits, Diet & Weight Loss
Try this on for size -- Well & Fit magazine, published by the Publix grocery chain, offers these tips for estimating serving sizes at a glance.
1 cup = a small fist
1 ounce of cheese = an index finger
1/2 cup of rice or oatmeal = a light bulb
3-ounce serving of fish or meat = a deck of cards
1 serving of fruit = a tennis ball
OK, now I've got a few visuals. How about you?
Hollywood's latest diet secret: Portion plates
- Portion Pals -- $18
- The Diet Plate and Bowl -- $64
- EZ Weight Plate -- $20
- Portion Doctor -- $10
Breast Cancer Nutrition: A survivor weighs in
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Breast cancer survivor and writer PJ Hamel offers on My Breast Cancer Network 10 recommendations related to breast cancer and nutrition. They cover everything from antioxidants to soy to fat to fiber. Check out the whole list here. And then take a peek at this -- a recipe for cookies Hamel developed using each of the 10 tips she provides. She calls them her Take-10 Cookies.
For more from Hamel -- she blogs about all sorts of cancer and health-related topics -- point and click your mouse right here.
























