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September 2006 :
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How Much is Enough?
How Much is Enough?
Don't let extra-large servings give you an extra-large waist.
From super-sized french fries to giant pasta dishes, food portions keep getting bigger. "To a large extent, we've allowed the food industry to tell us how much we should consume," says Suzanne Powell, R.D., coordinator of the Diabetes Center at Baylor Medical Center at Garland and a certified diabetes educator. "It's been a slow enough process that we just don't realize we're eating more."
To figure out if your serving sizes are under control, follow these recommendations from the USDA and backed by Powell and Elizabeth Schaub, R.D., CDE, a dietitian at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. Appropriate numbers of servings vary by activity level, age and weight, but for most adults these are good daily estimates (visit a dietitian for a personal analysis).
- Vegetables and fruits: 5 to 9 servings equal to about 1 cup salad greens or cut-up veggies, or a baseball size orange
- Grains: 6 servings (at least half from whole grains) equal to 1 cup cereal flakes or ½ cup cooked pasta
- Lean meats and alternatives: 2 servings equal to 3 oz. chicken or fish or 2 Tbsp. peanut butter
- Dairy: 2 to 3 servings equal to 8 oz. milk or 1 oz. cheese
Also keep these tips in mind:
- If a restaurant's entrées are large, choose a side dish or appetizer for your main course.
- Serve meals at home on individual plates, rather than "family style." You can better control portions and reduce the chances you'll take seconds.
- It takes the brain about 10 minutes after you begin a meal to sense fullness. "Take breaks during the meal and eat more slowly so that you consume a smaller amount of food during that time," Powell says.
- Understand what's motivating you to lose weight, Schaub advises. "I tell my patients to write their motivators on a sticky note," she says. "If there's a cabinet that holds snack foods or your temptation foods, put the note there."
By Tom Weede
The Surgical Option
For some of the nearly 60 million Americans who are obese, diet and exercise do not work to help them lose weight. Gastric bypass surgery may be an option for patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher, or a BMI of 35 to 39.9 with a serious weight-related health problem, such as diabetes or high blood pressure."A successful gastric bypass operation can result in a loss of up to 95 percent of excess weight," says Sina Matin, M.D., chief of surgery on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Irving. "An important component of Baylor's weight loss surgery program," he adds, "is the emphasis on dietary counseling, exercise and peer support." Dr. Matin's patient Julie Campbell, a registered nurse and director of medical surgery services at Baylor Irving, lost 60 pounds within five months after her operation. "You'll lose weight with the surgery," she says, "but you may not maintain it if you don't change your lifestyle."
To find a bariatric surgeon on the medical staff at a Baylor facility near you, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or use our on-line physician directory.