Measuring and Weighing

Geeze, if I had known that 'going on a diet' was going to be this easy, fun, delicious, and effective I would have done it months ago.

No, I'm not being sarcastic!

One thing that I learned is crucial is to measure and weigh just about everything I eat to make sure I'm getting the proper portion size. That was fine for cups and measuring spoons, but I didn't have a kitchen scale. I dillied and dallied and finally bought a very effective and cheap one (under 6$) at Walmart (where, incidentally, I've been spending way too much time lately).

Until I got the scale, I 'guesstimated' the portion sizes (1 oz) for things like cheese and pecans based on standards. I sure was in for a shock when I actually weighed an oz of each. What I thought was about an oz of cheese turned out to be a little under half an oz, and pecans were around the .75 oz mark! Underestimating is definitely better than over estimating, but it taught me that 'proper portion size' can be a very reasonable amount. Grate an ounce of cheddar and you'll see what I mean.

Last night's dinner (not counting the salad entrée nor the fruit I had for dessert) came in at a grand total of 440 calories. Want to know what I had? A huge plate of pasta topped with rosée sauce. The pasta was 85g of multigrain spaghetti, and the sauce was 1 cup of stewed tomatoes puréed with one small sautéd onion, herbs, and two tablespoons of cottage cheese. I then sprinkled one tablespoon of parmesan cheese over the top. Those healthy carbs fueled my run a couple of hours later. :-)

Using Fitday, I've been tracking the nutritional aspect of my diet and find it interesting that, in the course of a week, my diet averages out to the 'appropriate' proportions of good carbs and fats, as well as protein.

I haven't cooked, nor been this creative in the kitchen, in years. It feels great.