Portions

Here we are in the midst of New Year's resolution time which usually includes fat loss goals and I want to write a little bit about food intake.

Don't let other people dictate how much you eat. You wouldn't let someone in a clothing store tell you how much to buy, right? Sales people love to try though because it increases their sales and sometimes it is very hard to say no. The same thing applies when you go out to eat or buy food. Just because a restaurant sells an amount of food to you doesn't mean you have to eat that amount. They chose that specific amount, you didn't. A manufacturer makes a product that's '20% larger' because it increases their sales. You do not need to eat all of it just because it is served (or sold) to you that particular way. You don't need to eat a whole candy bar or muffin or even an apple because that's the way it comes. There is no law against eating whatever is left over at a later time. It's your body. You decide how much, and what, goes into it.

I really believe that you can eat what you want as long as you eat only the amount that will satisfy you. That takes practice, focus and awareness - things we aren't used to when it comes to eating. We usually eat without thinking about it at all. We snack on what's around, eat what's served to us and grab whatever is handy. When something tastes really good it's hard to stop eating it. I understand that. But who says you can't have it again later in the day or tomorrow? I can almost guarantee that it is not the last chance you will ever have to eat chocolate. Or french fries. Or a donut.

Think before you eat. Think WHILE you eat. Don't let someone else think for you.

Country Captain Chicken

Here is a great recipe that's a little bit different. It's really tasty during the winter months.

Here's what you'll need:

1 pound boneless chicken breast
1.5 teaspoons curry powder
2.5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 can (14-16 ounces) stewed tomatoes, with juice
.5 cup raisins
.5 teaspoon salt
.25 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Cut each piece of chicken crosswise in half. Sprinkle the curry powder over both sides. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the chicken and cook over medium heat, turning once, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side.

Add the stewed tomatoes, raisins, salt, pepper and 1/3 cup of water. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to med-low and cook until the chicken is white throughout, 3-5 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a serving dish. Boil the sauce until slightly reduced, 1-2 minutes. Pour over the chicken and serve.


This dish goes really well with arugula salad.

Drink your water!

I know. You've heard it a million times. Drink more water. Drink 8 glasses a day. Replace other fluids with water. Blah, blah, blah.

I don't really care if you are sick of hearing it, you need to drink more water. Period. Essentially, water is about as much of a cure-all as is exercise. Dehydration is the NUMBER ONE cause of fatigue. So if your energy is low, drink more water. Don't drink more energy drinks. Your body does not need more sugar and caffeine, trust me.

Here are other symptoms of MINOR dehydration or, simply not drinking enough water:

Extra body weight. People tend to confuse thirst for hunger and eat instead of drink.

Constipation. Without enough fluid you can't get the toxic stuff out of your body.

Low and high blood pressure. Without water blood volume is insufficient to fill all your arteries, veins and capillaries.

Problems with respiratory system. Without enough moisture your mucous membranes cannot filter out the bad stuff from the air you inhale.

High cholesterol. When you cells lose too much moisture your body tries to stop the loss by producing cholesterol.

Headaches and dizziness. Lack of water constricts the blood vessels impeding blood flow to the brain. This also makes blood more likely to pool in your lower extremities and that can cause dizziness and fainting.

The general rule is that you need to drink enough water that your pee should be almost clear or a very pale yellow.

I know it's a pain in the ass but buy a couple cool stainless steel or aluminum water bottles. Fill them up in the morning and vow to finish BOTH of them by the time you leave work. Fill one up again and drink it before you go to bed. If they are 24 oz bottles then that will get you just about enough of what you need. Any other water you happen to drink will just be a bonus. Pop, juice, coffee, tea, wine, beer, etc. Those do not count. If you choose to flavor your water with any lo-cal drink mix that's fine for one of your daily bottles. Your kidneys process flavored water differently then they do regular water. You need to drink plain water. Learn to love it. Don't complain to me that it's boring or that you hate the taste. Water has no taste. Deal with it. You know the benefits of exercise and the reasons you have to get uncomfortable in order to meet your goals. Apply those principles here and just like exercise, drinking water will be a habit.

When I leave the house it's keys, phone and water bottle. If I don't have one of those things with me I don't go anywhere.

PS - Here is a good trick to get yourself to drink more water, if you use it wisely. Take small bites off of a nutrition bar throughout the day. Those bars always make you want to drink water so if you snack on ONE bar throughout the day and drink water after every little bite you will probably drink your daily allotment without even realizing it. Uh, just don't eat bar after bar. One will suffice.