Go Bears!!!!!!!!...or not :-(

Ok, so the Bears failed Chicago, and I definitely failed my diet. Superbowl Sunday was not a good day for many of us trying to eat right. The alcohol and snacks were flowing very very freely this weekend. I most definitely over did it, and I am too ashamed to even recount to you all that I ate. However, I was successful in getting to the gym 3 times last week, and I even did about 30 mins of light yoga on my own Sat. night. I am also heading straight to the gym this evening for 30 mins of cardio and an hour of yoga. That feels like a good start to the week.

My conscience has decided to put together an exercise schedule that runs Sat - Thurs. This helps keep him on track regarding what he needs to work on as well as focused on getting into the gym 6 days a week. This has, of course, motivated me to do the same. Mine is set around a Sat - Thurs schedule, however, given the mid-week work commitments that tend to pop up out of nowhere, I am fully prepared to exercise on Friday to make up the day. Essentially I am planning to do yoga four times a week, Pilate's twice a week, and cardio + weight lifting twice a week. As you can tell, this means that I will be doubling up on some days...either combining yoga with Pilate's or yoga with cardio. It certainly looks and feels ambitious. However, I'm hoping to have a 'shoot for the moon and land among the stars' kind of effect.

My diet has been...ok. Clearly Superbowl Sunday was a flop, but I am on target most meals. I have identified a couple of 'cheats' that I have been allowing myself, so I will have to be more strict. What I would really like to do is be very good/diligent throughout the week w/no cheats, and then allow myself 1 treat over the weekend. This could be 1 small bag of candy once a week or 1 larger cheat like ice cream every other week. I'm going to test myself this week to see if I can eat right and earn a snack by the weekend.

I've also decided that my blog should be about more than just my ramblings. I certainly hope that it motivates you to eat right and exercise, but I also want it to inform and empower you to do so. Therefore, I'm gonna start trying to add in facts, tips, and other general info that I find about healthy living. I'll try to make the info unisex, though there is a chance that it may lean more towards women. I'll do my best, though, to keep it neutral.

Today I'm going to post 5 tips for controlling portion size.

"1. Scoop out the calories. Use two-ounce (1/4 cup) serving spoons for casseroles, rice, potatoes and scooped desserts such as ice cream and pudding. Wansink found that even nutrition professionals served themselves 14.5 percent more ice cream when using a four-ounce scoop versus a two-ounce scoop.
2. Sip from tall, narrow glasses. There's something about height that makes us think we're getting a larger portion. In a recent study, bartenders were asked to pour the same amount of liquid into short, wide glasses and tall, narrow glasses. Sure enough, they poured 20.5 percent more liquid into the short, wide glasses.
3. Use small serving bowls. In another study, graduate students were asked to serve themselves Chex Mix or roasted nuts from large or small serving bowls. Results showed that participants ate 56 percent more from the large bowls. This may be due to the fact that a handful from a small bowl "looks" like an appropriate portion size but a handful from a larger bowl may seem too small. Pair a smaller serving bowl with a smaller serving spoon, and you'll have a double winner.
4. Choose small plates. If you serve a half cup of mashed potatoes on an 11-inch plate, it will look like a very small portion. Serve that same half cup of mashed potatoes on a nine-inch plate, though, and it'll look just right. Switch to smaller plates to eliminate overeating for good.
5. Use specially designed plates and bowls. Want to trim down the calorie content of your next meal? Check out these tools to help you reinforce realistic portion sizes.
The Perfect Portions Weight Loss System (http://www.perfectportions.com/) contains a plastic plate with visual guidelines to divide foods into ideal portion sizes for different meals.
The Portion Doctor (http://www.healthportions.com/index.html) offers a variety of plates, bowls and drinking glasses clearly marked for recommended portion sizes.
Fit & Fresh (http://www.fit-fresh.com/) offers a food scale for measuring correct portion sizes. The company also offers high-tech plastic containers perfect for taking breakfast, lunch or dinner on the go. Detachable ice packs keep food cold, and compartments within the containers help keep foods separate.

Info found at ivillage.com - http://diet.ivillage.com/issues/iportions/0,,grieger_9z9dss4l,00.html

Now those who know me are well aware that I'm not trying to spend any extra money right now. However, I definitely like the suggestions regarding using smaller plates/bowls. This is esp. good when I'm eating food that is just 1 dish (like pasta). I'm going to give this a try this week, and see how it works.