Portions

When you think of dieting, what is the one consistent theme? Regardless of the plan or program, research or science, portion control is always near the top of weight loss strategies. Plates have gotten larger over the past 50 years and so we've continued to fill our plate when eating dinner. This has only added to the excess calorie intake.

WW meetings are so helpful because you get to hear all the tricks and tips that other people have learned. Sometimes I use them, sometimes I don't. One of the best ones is around Thanksgiving, they hand everyone a paper plate and you get to draw on your plate the foods you anticipate eating. My plate is always filled with special Thanksgiving foods that I only get once or twice a year. Am I really going to waste space on carrots? I get carrots all the time. Grandmas rolls on the other hand....! I always save space for those!

It comes down to portions and choices. I'm choosing the roll over the carrots. Yes, carrots are the better option, right? But, I only get the rolls once or twice a year so they win!

In the past week I've been very conscious of my portions. Measuring, weighing, counting. I love food so much that I will eat 2 or 3 portions rather than one, so I have to portion it out correctly. My coffee in the morning gets FF creamer but the serving size is one tablespoon. Not 3. I keep the tablespoon and the 1/2 cup measuring cup handy each morning. Since I'm using them for the same things (creamer, oats and soy milk), I just rinse and let it air dry and they're ready for the next morning. It sounds so OCD and Type A, but really, I have to do this. If I don't, my 1 Tb, becomes 3 and my 1/2 cup becomes 1 1/4 cups. I also feel more empowered. I know exactly how many Points+ I'm consuming. For this OCD, Type A girl, the control over my food and me is what I need to stay on track.

Cook vs. Baker

I'm definitely the former as opposed to the latter. Baking terrifies me. There's chemistry involved. Your measurements have to be a lot more exact and precise than in cooking. You can't 'ad-lib' as much in baking as cooking. If I don't have a shallot, I can add an onion; but in baking, if I only have 1/4 cup of flour, I can't sub baking powder. When I try a recipe for the first time, I try to stick to it and not interject my own opinions, however, once the trial run is complete, I'm off and running! One of my favorite recipes doesn't call for a red onion, but hello? It totally needs it. I've added it since day one.

There's a popular WW substitution in baking that involves a can of pumpkin instead of oil and eggs. I like the cookies, other people aren't such a big fan. But if I can have 3 WW cookies over 1 normal cookie, I'll take the 3, thank you very much. The cookies don't taste like pumpkin at all. I've used a spice cake mix as well as a chocolate and no pumpkin flavor. They're of a more cake-y consistency than a crispy cookie which suits my chewy preferences.

Anyway, baking. Today, I applied the pumpkin substitution theory to an Apple Bread mix from Trader Joe's (which is my fav store, btw). The first time I made it a few months ago I totally spaced on putting the eggs in! I don't bake, I'm trying to tell you this. The bread was fine though. I was a bit apprehensive today, but then I figured I couldn't mess it up more than not putting eggs in it, so what the heck? The verdict? It's delicious! The sub was pumpkin minus the butter, eggs and milk! Very moist and full of flavor. I like pumpkin, so if it did taste pumpkin-y, I didn't mind, but some people may be hesitant. Don't be!

Applesauce is another popular sub for oil or eggs. There's a great slow-cooker chocolate cake recipe that uses applesauce. As far as baking goes, those are the only tricks I know. Cooking, I can hook you up! My most popular subs are ground turkey for beef, low sodium sauces/soups, FF soups (unless you're making a casserole, in which case, you do need some of the fat to hold it together), a butter flavored yogurt instead of actual butter, PAM as opposed to coating the pan with olive oil. One sub that I refuse is turkey bacon for real bacon. I read or heard somewhere that turkey bacon actually has more sodium because they have to add it to the turkey to preserve it whereas real bacon has salt naturally. If I'm going to splurge on bacon, give me the real stuff!