When Less is More

We have officially crossed into our second month of the new year. Those of you committed to a year of self-improvement through weight loss and better fitness have a month under your belt.

And hopefully, you have a tighter belt!  

No need to worry if you have not committed to your healthy journey of transformation yet. Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve already fallen short of your new year’s resolutions.

There is still plenty of time before swimsuit season if you start now.

Winter is one of the most challenging seasons to take off pounds and inches. It is much easier to stay inside and cuddle up under a cozy blanket in front of the television with a plate of food on your lap.

How is that working for you? Can you find your lap? Are you satisfied with one plate of food, or are you going back for more? Are you making good choices when you choose your seasonal comfort foods?

Perhaps you should be choosing baked over fried. Prepare steamed veggies instead of starchy ones bathed in butter. Make sure you are eating whole grains instead of those processed with bleached white flour.

What about your portion sizes? A good way to judge the amount of your servings is to use your fist as a guideline. In other words, don’t serve up portions on your plate larger than your fist.

If your portions don’t seem large enough, try using a smaller plate. You can also drink a full glass of water or eat clear soup broth before each meal.

We are blessed with the availability of food in our society. Most of us have never had to struggle for sustenance or gone for days without nourishment.

Unfortunately, we are also conditioned by our society to indulge ourselves. We want more, even though our stomachs are full and satisfied.

When was the last time you ever turned away a second helping of your favorite dish? We need to develop the willpower to say one serving is enough and reconcile to be satisfied.

When you look at food as a privilege rather than an outlet to satisfy your cravings, you will begin to think in a whole new way. Think about eating for nutrition and sustenance rather than filling a void.

As a society, we gather around the dining table as our communal time with family and friends. Eating is largely a part of our social culture. We plan entire celebrations around food.

For me, growing up in a southern household with a mama who could cook was a daily pleasure. When my mom hollered, “Who wants seconds?” we didn’t hesitate, especially when there was fried okra involved.

When my mom said, “Clean your plate before you eat dessert,” that’s exactly what we did. And generally, dessert involved more than one helping as well.

I never seemed to notice my weight back then. I was too busy running track, swimming laps and dancing on the drill team. I was active growing up.

Nobody ever told me my metabolism was going to change. Nor did they warn that if I continued eating the way I did, I would wind up in the plus section of Wal-Mart doing battle with a woman dressed in gaudy floral print, vying for the same pair of elastic-waist jeans.

People never talked about food, nutrition and fitness back then. Before Home Economics was domestic engineering, we actually used to intentionally add extra fat to our food for flavor. My mother kept a can of bacon grease sitting by the stove.

Today, we’re better educated and have obvious resources for better choices. We have nutrition facts printed on every label. And, we’re all too aware of what saturated fats, trans fats, and sugar can do to our bodies.

When it comes to too much of the wrong foods, just say no. Yes, it's easier said than done, so I invite you to e-mail me and join our Community of Losers so we can face this challenge together.