The Clean Plate Club.......Are You A Card Carrying Member?

People are getting bigger, there is no doubt about it.  There is something that many people are not aware of either, our food is also getting bigger.   A LOT bigger.

Did you know that from 1977 to 1997 hamburgers expanded a whopping 23%,  soft drinks increased by 52%, snacks (chips, pretzels, crackers) grew by 60%.  We are now well on our way with a second generation of over eaters who cannot believe that a fast food soft drink used to be 10 ounces.  There is now a frozen food entre` that boasts a POUND of food in one portion.  As if eating that kind of a portion is of some sort of benefit.  Really?  Come one people where is the common sense that God gave us?

This has gotten so out of control and it is absurd!  

Well, no more we have to gain back our control over what goes on our plates.  We have learned as bandsters that tracking food is a great way to do just that.  To learn what a portion is for some of us is the "true eye opening" experience that we need.  Some of us were eating three to four times a serving of some of our favorite foods easily.  For some reason in today's society, "bigger is better".  This has definitely worked for the fast food industry.  They cator to inexpensive, fat laden, super-sized portions, and it has worked.  It has dramatically increased their bottom lines and OURS as well.

If you get into the habit of checking portion size, sometimes this is all it takes for most to lose weight.  That is right, did you hear me correctly, just by eating single servings of your favorite foods you can actually lose weight.  This is because we are so accustomed to the culinary pile of calories laid before us, that we cannot even comprehend what a REAL serving looks like.  Lets take a look:

One serving is 1 ounce = Small slice or 1/2 bagel or deck of cards

One Serving is = 1/2 cup cooked or Billiard Ball

One Serving is 1/2 cup

Dried Fruit one Serving is = 1/4 cup size of an egg

Fruit Juice one serving is 6 ounces

Raw Vegetables one serving is One Cup

Cooked Vegetables serving size is 1/2 cup

Meat one serving is 2-3 ounces the size of a deck of cards

Nuts or Seeds one serving is 2 TBS

Cheese serving is 1 ounce or 1 thin slice or size of two dice

Milk serving size is One Cup

 As you can see we have no idea what a true serving size should be as we have gotten used to being over fed everywhere in our lives.


Do you ever feel obligated to finish everything on your plate?  Do you hear your mother's voice in the background saying finish that plate of food?  Then you may very well belong to the "clean your plate" Club.  Trust me, it has many. many, many members.   Formed with good intentions this concept can cause more harm than good.  Especially in this day an age of absurd portion size.  The American Cancer Society found that 67% of Americans eat everything on their plates, regardless of size or hunger.  The problem with that is most plates hold three times the serving of the main course.  That is correct 3 times the serving size.


There is good news in all of this however, here are some simple things you can do to help:

• Use smaller plates and bowels. There is a proven link between portion size and perceived hunger or appetite.
• Order an appetizer as the entree.  Remember to stay away from fried foods though.
• Order from the lunch menu at dinner time.
• Ask your server to wrap up half of your dinner before it is brought out to take home.
• Be sure to carefully examine meat, because even a small or petite fillet is around 8 ounces normally.
• Pay attention to eating only, no eating and watching TV or reading or other things.  We always lose track of what we eat when we do.
• Learn to read food labels, but be careful here as well.  Serving sizes can be misleading for example ( a can of soda is two servings not one).

 One last tip when you begin to cut down your portion size, you may feel hungry in the beginning.  To curb this hunger try to:
                  Drink more Water
                  Eat fiber loaded foods
                  Eat Low Calorie Foods first
                  Eat slower, put fork down between bites 

All of these things can help to assist in the process of losing our weight.  Sometimes we just need to be reminded of these things.  I know for me, it is always a good thing to remember what Portion Size means for me a bandster.

I was told never to eat above 4-6 ounces at a meal!