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Weight Loss - The Secret Is In Serving Sizes

Good news dieters! You can whatever you like and still lose weight. How could this be true? The secret lies in serving sizes. As http://www.alfitness.com.au shows, losing weight is a determined by “energy in” versus “energy out”- this is a well established fact. If you are eating energy rich foods (chocolate, energy drinks, etc.), then for a given amount of exercise, you must eat less of that food to have the same energy intake.

Does it surprise you that French people are quite thin even though they constantly seem be eating rich foods and drinking lots of wine? Well the answer lies in how much of those rich foods they are eating! Because the food is so tasty (meaning you chew it more), their serving sizes are much smaller and they still feel satisfied. So you too can do the same!

However, it is important that you need to maintain a good cross section of foods to ensure you are getting the correct nutrients. The Institute of Medicine released dietary recommendations in 2002 that provide a broader range of values for carbohydrate, fat and protein to meet your nutritional needs. The recommendations for adults are:
Your calorie intake (energy) should be roughly:
40%-65% from carbohydrates
20%-35% from fat
10%-35% from protein

To ensure that you get the above cross section, if you follow the following serving sizes daily, you will meet your requirements and be on your way to losing weight in a healthy way!
1. Carbohydrates: 6 – 8 serves
2. Protein: 4 – 6 serves
3. Fats: 1 serve
4. Dairy: 2 - 3 serves
5. Fruit: 2 serves
6. Vegetables: 5 serves
7. Water: 6 serves
The next question is then, what constitutes a serving of each food group? The best way to get a feel for this is to look at various examples that constitute a serving.

1. Carbohydrates (6-8 serves daily)
One serving should contain about 0.5oz (15g) of carbohydrates. Examples of this include:
Bread 1 slice
Tortilla, roll, or muffin 1
Bagel, English muffin or hamburger bun 1/2
Rice, pasta, cooked cereal, grits 1/2 cup
Ready-to-eat cereal 3/4 cup (flakes or round)
Pancake, waffle 1 (4.5in diameter)

2. Protein (4-6 serves daily)
One serving of protein should contain about 0.5oz (15g) of protein. Examples of this include:
Cooked lean meat, fish or poultry 2oz- 3oz (60g - 90g)
Egg 1
Peanut Butter 2 tablespoons, 1oz (30g)
Cooked dried peas or beans 1/2 cup
Cooked dried beans 1/2cup
Nuts, seeds 1/3 cup

3. Fat (1 serve daily)
One serving of fat should contain about 0.2oz (5g) of fat. Examples of this include:
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp butter
1 tsp peanut butter
8 ripe olives
1 tbsp salad dressing

4. Dairy (2-3 serves daily)
One serving of dairy should contain about 0.01oz (300mg) of calcium. Examples of this include:
Milk 1 cup
Yogurt 1 cup
Cheese 1 slice, 1oz (30g) (1.5oz cheese is about equal to 1 cup milk)
Cottage cheese 1/2 cup
Pudding 1/2 cup
Ice cream 1/2 cup

5. Fruit (2 serves daily)
One serving of fruit should contain about 0.5oz (15g) of carbohydrates. Examples of this include:
Chopped, fresh fruit 1/2 cup
Grapefruit 1/2
Cantaloupe 1/4
Canned fruit 1/2 cup
100% fruit juice 3/4 cup
Raisins or dried fruit 1/4 cup

6. Vegetables (5 serves daily)
One serving of vegetables should contain about 0.2oz (5g) of carbohydrates. Examples of this include:
Cooked vegetables 1/2 cup
Chopped, raw vegetables 1/2 cup
Raw, leafy vegetables 1 cup
Vegetable juice 3/4 cup

7. Water (6 serves daily)
Glass of water (10fl oz)
Water can also be gained from juices (low sugar) or tea (decaffeinated)

About the Author

Australian Lifestyle & Fitness (http://www.alfitness.com.au)is an online weight loss program and calorie counter.Australian Lifestyle & Fitness provides a complete range of weight loss articles focussing on weight loss tips, nutrition, exercise and recipes. Our Weight Loss Program helps take the guess work out of weight loss. http://www.alfitness.com.au

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