WW (Weight Watchers) Chat #197: Find Your Perfect Portion

Don’t forget! The extended free Lifetime benefits requirements were (notice I said were) still waived until the end of November BUT…. Middle and East Tennessee has been extended to FEBRUARY 28th! If we do get to return to in person workshops before then they will still honor that date in OUR AREA. Trish reports it’s a different policy in her California workshop region, someone mentioned (sorry I couldn’t see you!) that Arkansas has also changed to the end of February to receive your continued benefits.

If you are in East Tennessee we now have Wellness Check-Ins in Maryville, Oak Ridge, Powell, and at the Cedar Bluff main location. Still no word on in person workshops *wah*

And of course, don’t forget to use our special 10% from Simple Living Products! Go to simplelivingproducts.com, choose the air fryer you’d like, and enter code EGG10 at checkout.

Last week’s Chat #196: What’s Your Why meant searching deep for some, others knew exactly what it was, and for some yet the original Why is something totally different now. As I get older my Why has become more about what I think/feel and less about what others think. Interesting huh?

Your homework for this week was to think fast, dig deep, think again, and give us your best non-politically-correct reason (your “why”) you chose WW! Let’s see how you did:

Sandi’s original why was to not be as big as her mom or sister, but her why has become to get healthy and stay healthy
Lynn wants to be healthy enough to continue living by herself for as long as possible so she doesn’t have to depend on family to take care of her
Stacy’s why is to get back to Lifetime
When asked what her why is, Carol Lou’s was simply – why not? Her why is because there are no excuses NOT to get healthy!

Bravo ladies, you nailed it!

This Week’s Topic: Find Your Perfect Portion

“You eat like a bird”. No one has ever said that to me. I’ve always assumed that meant someone who didn’t eat much, I even looked it up in a source for Idioms (who knew there was a source for Idioms…hmmm?) and apparently the phrase is in fact to remind us that birds don’t appear to eat much because they just peck at their food.

I don’t know about you though, the birds at my feeder are not the ones I conjure visions of when I hear that term. Our baby finches were pecking a sock full of thistle a day, that’s not a small amount! But eating like a bird may mean they peck around until they are satisfied…until they have just the right amount, for them…a baby finch may have a different portion to feel full than another bird the same size. And that’s ok, a portion for me may not be a portion for you. We just have to find our perfect portion. So how do you find it?

Serve it: Without putting too much thought into it go ahead and serve up the normal amount of something you eat into a bowl (or on a plate, etc… NOT just out of the container)
Measure it: Depending on what it is use measuring cups or a scale to figure out how much it is
Track it: Using the measurement you just calculated check to see how many points it is in your WW app
Note it: Now make a note either in your tracker or on the original container of what your perfect portion is and how many points it will be. Fit in your budget? Great, you can use those numbers to enjoy it in the future! Not right for you? Find a way to enjoy a portion that will satisfy your tummy and your tracker!

This Week’s Homework: #perfectportion

Be honest with yourself and with us… do the four steps above for a favorite food, snap a pic, and let us know if it’s your #perfectportion or if you will be finding another amount that satisfies you. Post it and tag me for your homework AND to earn your next super cool badge!

Don’t forget to do your homework #perfectportion and tag me when you share on social media!

Instagram tag @ifyouhaveanegg
Facebook Page tag @ifyouhaveanegg
Facebook Group tag @Kelly Green Milligan
WW Connect tag @scrapnstamp2

Extra Credit: Portion Management!

We are less than 25 days from US Turkey Day!!! Did you just panic? Or do you have a plan?

In the first part of tonight’s chat we talked about perfect portions. That’s going to look different for everyone. If you find your perfect portion for holiday faire before you arrive it will be easier to stick with it, be satisfied, and enjoy your family or friends instead of worrying about wobbling from too much gobbling.

But what if you aren’t in charge of the meal? Here are some quick tips for turkey day trickery that will help with perfect portion management:

Serving Size vs. Portion Size: Know the difference between the portion you want to eat and the serving size listed on the nutrition facts. If your portion is 2 servings, count 2 servings. This even counts for zero point foods! A small apple is a serving size while a large apple might count as multiple servings.
Optical Illusions: Trick your brain into feeling like you are eating more than you actually are.
- Use salad plates instead of dinner plates. Properly measured servings may look lacking on a dinner plate, but they’ll fill a dinner plate and make you feel more satisfied with less food.
- The same goes for bowl sizes – choose a small bowl instead of a large bowl.
- Use low bowls instead of plates with large rims to keep from covering the full surface area of the plate with food.
Use Your Hands: If you’re somewhere that you can’t measure your portions, use your hand as a guide to portion sizes. The palm of your hand roughly represents approximately the size of a 3 oz. portion of meat, the size of your thumb is approximately a tablespoon, your fist is approximately a cup, and so on. Just because you’re away from your food scale isn’t an excuse not to measure!
Weigh It: If you have the opportunity to weigh your food ahead of time, do it! Even if that means weighing foods at home so you know what your perfect portion looks like at a glance rather than guessing.
Secret Weapons: We’re all familiar with measuring cups and spoons. You probably have a set of each in your own kitchen, but you likely aren’t going to bring them with you to your holiday meal. Instead you can:
- Bring a stylised measuring cup like the LivSpoon measuring cups as a serving spoon – no one will ever know!
- Use a portion-control plate or container (like my favorite Meal Prep Haven containers) instead of the plates available on the buffet table.
- For smaller portions, use even smaller containers or ramekins If you’re not sure how much a container holds, fill it with water and pour it into your measuring up to check! As a bonus, these can fit inside your portion-control plate to divide it even further.
- Use a melon baller to measure out 1 tablespoon
- Use an ice cream scoop to measure out ¼ of a cup
- If you’re a southerner, you’ve likely consumed a beverage from a Mason Jar. But did you know that these jars have milliliter and ounce markings on them? You can easily use these to measure out your beverages.