This is my starting blog because this is, I believe,the root cause of why we Americans are getting fatter. No, we are not doing enough exercise. But that's not our main issue: Our main issue is that we eat too much. Period.
We have become a nation accustomed to eating super-sized portions. And we don't even know we are doing it! What used to be a normal size, back 20 years ago and prior, is now considered child size. I remember when a normal cookie was 2 bites, and anything bigger was considered a colossal size. Then Mrs. Fields started serving the big cookies in the malls, and we started making them at home, and pretty soon they were expected. Now, what used to be a normal-sized cookie is considered a mini, and what we consider a normal-sized cookie is really enough for a small family to share!
Look at an ice-cream cone. I love the big, 1/4 pound dips at Braums as much as the next guy. (If you don't know what Braums is, I feel sorry for you!) But when I order a kiddie scoop it more resembles the ice-cream cone size we saw gals with what we now consider impossibly small waists in circle skirts eating in the 1950's.
With a kiddie scoop you still get the ice cream, you just don't get the big gut to go with it.
In the 80's, when I was a teen, a normal hamburger or order of French-fries at a fast-food joint was the size found in a child's meal now. Children's meals were just coming out, and their size wasn't that much smaller than the adults size- they just had a toy and a small drink added. Adult meals weren't sold as meals: You had to order the "parts" separately. If I recall correctly, adult meals started up after children's meals caught on. We didn't have the option of salads back then, but we were thinner and healthier people. Go figure.
It was the portion sizes.
Smaller portions = Smaller people. It's not rocket science.
The bottom line is that to weigh less, we've gotta eat less. Here are a couple of suggestions: Order the child's meal or the kiddie scoop. (Trust me, even though it's clear you are over 12, they won't stop you. They can't MAKE you order more food! And if you are with a kid, you can fake like it's for them). If a kids meal just ain't gonna cut it and you REALLY want that bacon cheese-burger, fine! Go ahead and order it! But get a single patty, ask them to leave the mayo off, skip the fries, and order it with diet coke, water, or unsweetened iced-tea that you put splenda in instead of sugary soda that has absolutely no nutritional value. If you want a side, get the salad with fat-free Italian dressing or light vinaigrette, and for Pete's sake, take those croutons off!
Yeah, I know it doesn't sound like fun, but as the old saying goes: If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. And what do you want more? Momentarily happy taste buds, or a permanant satisfaction with the way you look in the mirror?
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