My daughter was in the WDC high school play "Wonderland" this fall. It was about Alice wanting to become a queen while in Wonderland. On Alice's journey she comes across a sign which reads "You Choose -- Your Choice." The Madhatter explains the concept to Alice. Even if you choose not to choose, that is your choice.
It sounds like accepting personal accountability to me.
On this healthy lifestyle life-changing journey I am on, I choose not to deny myself of any food. Mine is not a diet of "can't haves." It is not a diet. I choose to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. But I focus on serving size and note the calories per serving. I also take in account the nutritional value versus empty calories. And I try to eat more of what I call "God foods." Basically, the less processed by man the better.
I choose my choice.
I am a visual type of person. So I went online to find what a serving looked like. I found an interesting chart. It is divided into four main parts of grains, dairy, vegetables and fruit, and meat and beans.
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One serving of grains looks like: one cup of cereal flakes equals a fist, one pancake is equal to a compact disc, one half a cup of cooked rice, pasta or potatoes is equal to half of a baseball, one slice of bread is equal to a cassette tape and one piece of cornbread is equal to a bar of soap.
One serving of dairy looks like: one and a half ounces of cheese is equal to four stacked dice or two cheese slices, half a cup of ice cream is equal to half a baseball. Fats: one teaspoon of margarine or spread is equal to a one die (dice.)
One serving of vegetables and fruits looks like: one cup of salad greens is equal to a baseball, one baked potato is equal to a fist, one medium fruit is equal to a baseball, half a cup of fresh fruit is equal to half of a baseball and one fourth cup of raisins is equal to one large egg.
One serving of meat and beans looks like: three ounces of meat, fish or poultry is equal to a deck of cards, three ounces of grilled or baked fish is equal to a checkbook and one tablespoon of peanut butter is equal to a ping pong ball.
Servings basically look like the size of your fist, a baseball, deck of cards or dice.
The chart also notes that for a 2,000 calorie diet, eat six ounces of grains. What the heck does six ounces look like? Is that six servings? Two and a half cups of vegetables, two cups of fruit, three cups of dairy and five and a half ounces of protein (meat and beans) each day.
It is also recommended to drink eight servings of eight ounces of water each day.
That is a lot of food and water to consume in one day.
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Before I rarely ate breakfast, we ate out for lunch and then I would consume huge amounts of food for an evening meal, mainly grains, pasta, rice and potatoes -- also known as carbohydrates.
Now I feel like I am constantly eating. When I start to feel hungry I have fruit, yogurt, a cheese stick and a new product called Popcorners available to keep my body fueled.
My husband bought a large bag of Popcorners which is popcorn in a chip form. I read the label. I had no idea how many chips were a serving size so I got out the kitchen scale and sandwich baggies. I individually packaged the large bag into serving size bags. I keep a baggie at my desk and I can nibble all day on one serving.
He also bought almonds. There are about 28 almonds in a serving. I keep a baggie by the can of almonds and when I want almonds I count out a serving. I can nibble all day. I enjoyed a few in the morning with my banana, a few chopped in a salad and the rest as a snack in the evening.
Chocolate, I love chocolate. He buys dark chocolate, a better choice, in the giant bars for me. I am still eating chocolate. My favorite is chocolate, banana and milk. I just choose to eat one or two pieces not half a bar.
My husband said when he saw me weighing out the chips he laughed but when he bought a bag of pretzels for himself, he tried my trick and he's not laughing anymore. It worked for him too. He is content on having a serving of pretzels instead of grazing on a whole bag.
I am not starving myself to lose weight nor am I denying myself of the foods I love. I am making better choices and working on portion control. Remember Alice, you choose -- your choice.
