We all have heard it, diet is not enough, one should also know the basics of portion control.

Your stomach is about the size of your fist. Use the palm of your hand to get a good sense of how much protein you should eat at any given meal. Make the rest of the plate full of vegetables.

Don’t forget to take a daily multivitamin too. Here is a quick reference list of popular food:

• 1 cup of cereal = a baseball. For example, a cup Cheerios has about a 110 calories.
• 2 Tbsp of salad dressing = a shot glass. Most salads in restaurants have 2 ladles of dressing on them; 2 Tbsp is a relatively small amount and will average about 240 calories. Adding lemon or mustard or something like balsamic vinegar can make your salad "moist" without adding extra fat and calories.
• 1 Oz of Nuts = a cupped palm. For example, an ounce of cashews has 163 calories. 
• 1 Oz of Cheese = a ping-pong ball. An ounce of Cheddar has about 110 calories.
• 3 Oz of Hamburger = a mayonnaise jar lid. To get a good idea of how big that lid is, move your fingers into a "grab and open a lid" position. It’s a full one ounce smaller than a quarter pounder. Some higher end restaurants serve 1/2 pound hamburgers.
• 1 Tbsp of Peanut Butter = three dice. Most peanut butter labels have 2 Tbsp as a serving, which is 200 calories. You can make a decent sandwich with 1 Tablespoon. Peanut butter is also delicious with bananas and celery.
• 1/2 a Cup of Rice = an ice cream scoop. A 1/2 cup of white rice has about 205 calories.
• 1 Potato = a computer mouse. A potato only has a 100 calories. It’s the stuff you put on the potato that makes the "portion" get out of control. 
• 1 Dinner Roll = a yo-yo. A dinner roll has about 66 calories.
• 1 Tsp of Butter = a Scrabble tile. Usually about a Tablespoon of butter is used at about a 100 calories. It’s virtually all fat. Better alternative to butter is olive oil.
• 1/2 a Cup of Cooked Pasta = a golf ball. There are roughly 200 calories, depends on what kind of pasta.
• 3 Oz of Fish = a checkbook. A serving of cooked salmon has about 175 calories.
• 3 Oz of Beef = a bar of soap. There are roughly 200 calories (no marinade or other flavorings)

Down four pounds. Not that much but I will take anything I can get.

• I need to drink a lot of water again. Juices take in so many empty calories.
• If I cannot exercise (I do 45 mins of elliptical training daily) I need to slow down eating at night. I do so well during the mornings but at night cravings start. I cannot have an empty pantry with two schooling kids. Helloooo cookies!
• Portion control.
• Healthier food choices.

Let’s aim for another four until the end of the month. I can do this!

(April 15-May 15)

I am officially down 10lbs. I never thought that simple portion control and MOVING as much as you can contribute to it. I am pretty strict with my diet four days a week but take 3 days off and eat as much as I want. Really. I am not taking any pills like apidexin or tea, just really putting effort to move, exercise and sweat. With the current heat, sweating doesn’t really take much of an effort. I have slacked so much this week but I am psyching myself up to go back to my regimen tomorrow. I still have one month to lose around 20lbs before I reward myself with something big! It’s enough for me to work it!