Portion Control
I often get asked “How did you do it?” And while there are many different reasons, one no more important than the another, I think one of the biggest things I did was to really limit the amount of food I ate. Have you seen the portions that are considered normal these days? It is excessive! And when you consider that if you eat slightly less than 700 more calories a week than you burn, you will gain 10 pounds in one year and 50 in 5 years. That’s exactly what happened to me. I didn’t gain 50 pounds overnight and I didn’t lose it overnight either. For reference 3,500 calories equals about one pound. Now that you know this, grab your favorite snack and check the label. That’s what I did! When I first started this journey I didn’t know anything about anything, but with the help of friends, the internet, and health related classes I feel I have gained a greater understanding of what is going on in my body. Granted everyone is different, and like Julie pointed out in the comments section of my last post, genetics must play a key role in all of this. I know for myself that my genetic makeup is set and no amount of exercise will ever change that, but I do know that I can control what and how much I eat. So for this 3 day weekend I want to challenge you to really dig into the label on the packages in your pantry and refrigerator. How many calories are in a serving and how much makes up a serving? Get out measuring cups figure it out! Let me know in the comments how your favorite snack stack up. Would love to hear it. Also feel free to email me at zakschwank [at] gmail dot com. I also found this article from the New York Times that I thought was worth the attention. Enjoy and have a safe and healthy weekend.
Zak
This is a fantastic thing to think about…since you posted a video a bit ago, I’ve been watching more closely, and it’s amazing how differently portion sizes are compared to how things are packaged. It’s eye opening to realize that my kids were eating almost 2 servings worth of cereal in the morning! Anyway, great post..great thing that you’re doing.
Zak, just stumbled on this site…that pic of you is just sooo strange when compared to your avatar. Great idea for a site.
I’m going through a similiar thing now…I never thought I could even get overweight but alas, I can, and am. Not much, but easily enough that I can see, and my wife can see it which is hard. So I’ve decided to get back in shape, signed up for my first Triathlon this summer and started training. Eating right is a HUGE part of this regimen. We do eat healthy but you can always eat healthier. And then you just have to get off your ass and get moving!
Thanks for the inspiration. Keep it up!
For us, it all started with my youngest son, who had this freakish gag reflex as a baby. Anything of a certain texture that he ate would cause him to toss all over the place. We eventually “learned” not to feed him anything we deemed might trigger the reflex because cleaning up the mess was a pain. Now we have a 10 year old with a gag reflex against anything new, and a weight problem too. SO hard to figure out what to feed him. As a result we ALL are freaked out about food. For us, it’s not just a matter of reading labels and checking calories. It goes so much deeper than that.
The one thing I want more than anything, though, is to do everything I can to teach my son to live a healthy lifestyle.
I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I need help! Thanks again, Zak, for the inspiration to think about this problem with determination to find positive solutions.
I agree Jules. There are many variables that go into this. I’m just trying to give some suggestions that worked for me. Our daughter went through a phase in which she wouldn’t eat certain texture foods and we didn’t really know what to do. We just kept presenting different foods to her. Obviously gag reflexes and food allergies would cause havoc on any family, but my idea behind reading labels is that presenting healthier options is better than junk food.
Great information Zak! I try to burn at least half of the calories I consume a day by step classes and/or running on the treadmill and so far it’s been working out.
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