Too Much On My Plate

Fall has finally arrived! The temperature is dropping and the activity level is rising. Holiday time will be here before we know it, and we’ll all feel the stress of having too many activities on our plates and the feeling that something’s gotta give.

When I began to realize my dinner plate was too full and that something needed to be done about my food portions, I thought about how we like to say that our plates are too full of activities, but we rarely say our dinner plates are too full. We’ve all been taught that we should eat whatever is on our plates. “Clean your plate” was my mother’s favorite saying.

In order for me to lose weight, I needed to rethink my plate. I began with the half cup rule I shared with you in a previous post. I put a half cup of each food being served on my plate and then evaluate whether or not I am still hungry. This rule works for me, but I needed a way to make sure I was getting foods that would be most beneficial to my body, so here is what I decided to do.

I divided my plate into quarters. In one quarter, I put a protein-rich food; for example, a chicken breast.

In the second quarter of my plate, I put a carbohydrate such as a sweet potato or some brown rice. In the final two quarters, I put two different colored vegetables with one of them being a green vegetable. If the meal is an all-in-one type of meal such as beef stew, I simply put two cups on my plate. This way, I am getting a well-balanced diet and keeping portions to a healthy level. I have been doing this for over a year now, and it works well for me. Give it a try and see if it doesn’t help you too.