WEIGHT-LOSS TIPS

Portion control guidelines
By Gail Johnson

So many moms are desperate to lose weight. There’s no denying that running after little ones and carrying babies around is a serious workout, but sometimes we all need a few extra reminders. Here are some suggestions for time-strapped moms to help shed or maintain their weight.

Watch Your Portions
We hear about portion sizes all the time, but what do they actually mean? Most people overdo it in all food groups.

Here are some practical examples of what makes up a single serving:

- Half a cup of yam
- 20 cherries or grapes
- Half a mango
- Six spears of asparagus
- Half a cup of beef, chicken, lamb, or turkey (about the size of a deck of cards)
- Two eggs
- Two tablespoons peanut butter
- Half a bagel
- Half a cup of cooked pasta (that’s about how much can fit in a cupped hand).

Here are some other tips to reduce portion sizes:

- Skip the all-you-can-eat pasta specials.
- Eat at home more often than at restaurants, which use far more butter, oil, cream, sugar, and cheese than you’re likely to.
- Use smaller dinner plates to make your meal look bigger.
- Order regular coffee or an Americano instead of a latte or a blended, flavoured coffee drink.

Move That Body
It’s recommended that people get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week. Sounds like a dream to most busy moms. But remember that those 30 minutes can be broken up into smaller chunks and you’ll still get all the physical and mental benefits. (Besides improved cardiovascular and respiratory function, regular exercise reduces stress and anxiety and increases energy).

In other words, you can do two 15-minute walks or three 10-minute walks a day, all the more demanding if you’re pushing a stroller or holding your baby in a carrier.
Another idea is to plan active play dates; plan to walk to and from the park together with your friends instead of driving to someone’s house.

Use Your Nose
When you’ve got the urge to snack, take a whiff of banana, green apple, or peppermint. The Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago conducted a study of nearly 3,200 overweight people who were given vials of pleasing food aromas to sniff when they felt hungry. The more people smelled the scents, the less hungry they were and the more weight they lost.
The theory is that smell can fool the brain into thinking the appetite has been satisfied.

Do Your Math
Some dietitians suggest the 80/20 rule. Since it’s unlikely anyone’s going to eat healthily 100 percent of the time, aim for 80 percent. It works like this:

- Say you consume 2,000 calories per day. This formula means that 1,600 calories should come from foods that are low in saturated fat and salt, high in vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Treat yourself for the other 400 calories.
- Or, you could eat healthily five or six days a week and splurge (within reason!) the other one or two.
- When you do indulge, choose high-quality treats instead of junk food (dark chocolate over dollar-store candy, for instance).

Know Your Triggers
If you eat when you’re stressed, anxious, heartbroken, depressed, or lonely, it’s important to find other coping mechanisms.

- Learn about stress-management techniques like yoga or meditation.
- Get your spouse, parent, in-law, or babysitter to give you even half an hour to do what relaxes you, whether it’s reading, having a bath, or being outside.
- Distract yourself. The second you find yourself going to the fridge for a round of emotional eating, do a task as simple as checking your e-mail, emptying the diaper bin, or folding your laundry for distraction.
 

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