Honesty is the Best Policy

Dear Friends and Family,

Not a whole lot to report from yesterday. Work was really slow - it has been for the whole month of July...

So, why today's title?


I bought a kitchen scale a couple of years ago - thinking it would help me with portion control. But, I never really got into the habit of using it. Well, with Weight Watchers, I've become a convert. It keeps me honest.

Plus, it's a lot easier to use than measuring cups. Do you really want to be cleaning measuring cups three times or more daily? For the scale, I put my bowl on it and tare the scale. That's a technical term for setting it to zero. Which is as simple as pressing the button. Then I measure out item #1, say rice. I re-tare the scale and measure out item #2, say vegetables. Tare one more time and measure out item #3, meat. And, I've got a perfectly balanced meal and no extra clean up. It really helped train my eye - so, now, when I'm out, I can guesstimate portions.

The hardest part in all of this is knowing what appropriate portion sizes are. I found them on the FDA website once and abbreviated them for my personal use.

• dairy (milk: 240 ml/8 fl oz, yogurt: 225 g, cheese: 30 g)
• protein (fish/meat: 55 g/2 oz, egg: 50 g, tofu: 85 g, nuts: 30 g/1 oz)
• fruits (dried fruits: 40 g, watermelon: 280 g, all other fruits: 140 g/5 oz)
• vegetables (fresh or frozen: 85 g/3 oz)
• starch (bread: 50 g, rice/pasta: 140 g/5 oz)
• potatoes (french fries/hash browns: 70 g, mashed: 140 g, baked: 110 g)
• oils: 15 ml/1 tbs

I have a couple of other items, so let me know if there's particulars you've got questions about.


Cheers!
mouse