MY STORY… BEYOND THE SCALE & REAL LIFE TOO

PORTION CONTROL IS ABOUT EATING JUST ENOUGH TO STAY FUELED & FULL - cnn

This week I don’t have a personal anecdote.  It was hard to find humor in the fact that our culture is making food decisions based on anything but our health.  Sometimes we are eating for emotion or in the moment but go past that & you’ll find we are eating more then we calorically need due to advertising, marketing and a portion distortion mindset.  I studied the topic for this week’s Perfect Portions meeting & realized that this topic was more than reading nutrition labels or pulling out our food scales. Here’s a little of the psychology behind our decision making.

Do you remember when there was only one size drink at fast food restaurants?  No?  Me either.  But apparently it’s true!  The child size kid’s meal drink was THE drink.  There was no Super-size, Big Joe, Super Big Gulps, King Sized or the term FREE Refills.  Why? Because, food was meant to fuel our bodies and to keep us full between meals.  Nowadays everything from the size of bagels & pizza have grown in size – and our waistlines followed suit.  We weight watchers know that, in our heads, but the reality is we also want a good deal.  And just like any sale, we see the size of our meal as a bargain and we want one!  Especially if we go out to dinner.  When we are paying away from home for a meal then darn it we want that plate big and full!   We have so many choices now that it is easy to convince ourselves that the heaping plate of pasta is a healthy serving.  Or that since that movie popcorn bucket has a free refill it would be silly if we didn’t refill it!  The University of Illinois even ran a study of this on random movie goers one afternoon.  Everyone that attended a particular movie were given FREE popcorn.  Big and Bigger buckets were distributed without explaining why.  Both groups of people ate what was given to them.  Both buckets were well above what a Portion of Popcorn should be, but those with the bigger bucket ate more than those with the big bucket.  Why does bigger portion size equate to more consumption?  This is what the U of I study showed; “Because if you have it, you’ll eat it.”   Sounds about right, doesn’t it?

Government guidelines show that a muffin should weigh 2 ounces and be 200 calories.  What is being sold in stores are muffins weighing 7 ounces and about 700 calories!  That’s like eating 7 slices of bread at one sitting!  So it’s not our fault!  Right?  We have been tricked into a portion distortion mindset.  Before you get off the hook let me tell you that the marketers will put the blame back on us.  They say they know they are “over serving” but that they are just giving us what we want. 

No matter where the blame lies I want to know is it possible to live our healthiest life without keeping our portions in check? Are we out of control or can we retrain our brains to see food as fuel?  Can we savor each bite, eat with our non-dominant hand, use small plates and just not care if I can get a large for the same price as a small?  Yikes!  I’m not sure!  I want my $1.08 to be a good value.  But if a Large & Small Diet Coke are both 0 points then the deal is the same isn’t it?  Oh boy, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this subject!   What we can all agree on is that we are living in a super-sized world and it is resulting in supersized people.  But don’t get too discouraged; I see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.  A light that shows us Weight Watchers have each other’s backs.  And together we are on our way to smaller backsides too!  J   

JULY Theme:  FIND YOUR FOCUS!

As we find our focus this month we look at ways to take care of ourselves holistically during the weight loss journey.  This week we direct our focus to sharing tips, tricks and tools that help us leverage portioning toward success!

 

Last Week:     ”WHAT’S YOUR PLEASURE?”

Taking the time and actions to take care of ourselves is not selfish, it’s vital!  And leads us to long lasting weight loss.  In the meeting last week you were asked to focus on one self-care goal to work on.  How has that been going?  What challenges did you face?  Have you been able to unlink the words “guilty” and “pleasure”?  I’m looking forward to hearing all about your pleasure filled moments when I see you this week!

This Week:  “PERFECT PORTIONS”

For a lot of us members, portioning is a tool that gives us a greater sense of control over how much we eat.  It also helps us enjoy indulgences without feeling guilty.  When it comes to portioning it is all about being mindful – being aware of how much we eat in order to get the results we want.

While a great tool, portioning may seem hard and labor intensive or even unnecessary.  This meeting we will discover tools and tips that make it easier and actually takes the stress off of meal planning to help you stay on track to reach your goals. 

How do you incorporate portioning into your daily routine?  What is holding you back from using portioning tools?  All these will be covered in the meeting room.  See you there!

What’s Happening This Week!

GET HAPPY CHALLENGE:

You’ve made it half way!  Keep on attending your meetings during the summer challenge.  Attend 10 of 12 weeks & earn the Happy Charm!

ON SALE THIS WEEK: 

ALL MEASURING TOOLS!  Steamer, measuring spoons, scale, cups, bowls, tumbler, fruit & salad bowls & more!…If it measures it is on sale this week!  Not sure how something works? Let us show you!

Prices from  $3.95- $24.95

Mini Bars:  $4.95

Oatmeal:  $4.95

 

STRUGGLING MEMBER WORKSHOPS:

Do you feel unmotivated?  Struggling with staying on plan? You're not alone!  This month we focus on how our thoughts get in our way!  Join us as we correct the negative thoughts. 

·         Aug 5,  9-10am ~ Geneva Store

TASTY TUESDAY:

Recipe Genie

Have you ever stood in your kitchen wondering what to make for dinner with what you have on hand?  Then our Recipe Genie is just the tool you are looking for!  This week instead of giving you a recipe I thought I would walk you through a tool on the website.  (For monthly pass & Free Lifetime members only) 

Log into your WW website, select the downward arrow on the ‘FOOD & RECIPES’ tab.  On the left hand side of your screen, just under ‘RECIPES’ you will see ‘SEE ALL RECIPES’, select * on the new page that opens up you will see the ‘RECIPE GENIE’ on the right hand side.  Type in what you have on hand (up to 3 ingredients) and search away! 

Let’s Clap the Big Hands!

Celebrate the Scale & those Non Scale Victories too!

Erin E. - Non Scale Victory!

BIG  SHOUT OUT  TO Erin!  She sent me this note over the weekend & didn’t realize that in the midst of her “bad week” a behavior change occurred.  This is the definition of a BRAVO moment!  Whether she sees the effects of this behavior on the scale this week is secondary to the fact that she took care of herself – which leads to long term happiness and success!  Here’s a little of what she shared with me; 

“I was having a bad day, which was a continuation of a bad week.  I planned on working out but had to meet my boss instead.  I came home in a mood!  I got out my tablet and wrote down all the things that made me happy & all the things that made me mad.  I decided to stop making excuses & went for a 15 minute walk in the rain.  I came back feeling much better!” 

Way to go Erin!  I’m thrilled that you were able to look past the situation and take care of YOU!  WOO – HOOO! 

(if you’d like to share your success, post under comments or let me know you’d like to be added in the blog)

Quote of the Week:

by Lucille Ball

This newsletter is and the views shared are not affiliated with weight watchers international, inc.  It is meant to be a motivational tool.