Portion Control - Simplified

One of the key ways to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight is through portion control. According to WebMD, research has shown that Americans often underestimate how many calories they are consuming each day by as much as 25%.

A good guideline to help you understand portion sizes is to translate the abstract information represented by the serving size into something visual that's easily remembered. So instead of trying to memorize lists of ounces, cups and tablespoons, simply compare the service sizes of particular foods to familiar physical objects. For example, a single serving of:

• Fruit and vegetables is about the size of your fist
• Pasta is about the size of one scoop of ice cream
• Meat, fish or poultry is the size of a deck of cards or the size of your palm (minus the fingers)
• Snacks such as pretzels and chips is about the size of a cupped handful
• Potato is the size of a computer mouse
• Bagel is the size of a hockey puck
• Pancake is the size of a compact disc
• Cheese is the size of a pair of dice or the size of your wholethumb (from the tip to the base).

Eat This, Not That

It's already been mentioned that H2O is about making healthy choices. There are too many diets out there that are so restricting, they are almost impossible to follow or stick to. And even more difficult is trying to stick to a diet when you are dining out or making a quick stop at a fast food restaurant. It's enough to make you want to give up on your diet all together!

There's a book called, "Eat This, Not That" that gives readers tips on thousands of simple food swaps that can save you lots of calories every time you eat, even when you eat out. Here's what I mean:

At Chipotle - you can cut 498 calories out of your chicken burrito just by ordering it as a bowl (without the tortilla) and asking them to hold the rice. Same great taste with 83 fewer grams of carbs!

At Cold Stone Creamery - you can save 40 calories and 2 grams of fat by choosing shaved chocolate, not chocolate chips, as your topping. Sure you're indulging, by why not indulge smartly?!

At McDonalds - an Egg McMuffin is actually a healthy choice with just 300 calories. Their hotcakes actually pack more than double that amount of calories!


Be sure to check in on this blog every Wednesday for even more tips from "Eat This, Not That."

The Most Important Meal of the Day

If you came in to work this morning, you probably noticed the 'healthy' back door day. Beginning the day with even a small breakfast can make all the difference when trying to lose weight.

The mistaken view is that consuming fewer calories will mean a slimmer figure. While there is some truth to this, missing breakfast is not the right time to cut down on calories in order to lose weight. The metabolism is slower in people who miss breakfast, which can actually hinder a person from losing weight, rather than help them. The National Weight Loss Registry, which has helped thousands of people successfully lose weight and keep it off strongly encourages people to eat breakfast as part of their weight loss program. Breakfast eaters are also more likely to avoid unhealthy mid-morning snacks if they have eaten a healthy breakfast, which will help them to maintain a healthy weight and keep excess weight off in the long term.

According to the Mayo Clinic, here are some food items that form the core of a healthy breakfast:

• Whole grains. Options include whole-grain rolls, bagels, hot or cold whole-grain cereals, low-fat bran muffins, crackers or melba toast.
• Low-fat protein. Options include hard-boiled eggs, peanut butter, lean slices of meat, poultry or fish (such as water-packed tuna or slices of salmon.)
• Low-fat dairy. Options include skim milk, low-fat yogurt and low-fat cheeses, such as cottage cheese and natural cheeses.
• Fruits and vedgetables. Options include fresh fruits and veggies or 100% juice beverages without added sugar.

An Easy Way to Get Started - Drink More Water

As our weight loss contest's name is H2O, a great way to get started is to acknowledge how beneficial drinking more water can be to your weight loss quest. Make your daily water intake goal half your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150 pounds, be sure that you are consuming at least 75 ounces of water a day.

Drinking water has been proven to rev up your metabolism. German researchers reported that after test subjects drank just two cups of water, their metabolism soared 30% and stayed elevated for 30-40 minutes. What that means in weight loss terms is that drinking water increase the calories you burn while exercising. After your exercise session is completed and you drink more water, you continue to burn more calories. This is good news also for associates in the hotel who sit in front a computer for the majority of their day. The metabolism is still affected in a positive way by drinking water, even while not working out.

Welcome to H2O

Getting in shape and improving your health can be hard. Staying motivated can be even harder. That's where H2O comes in. H20 is a voluntary weight-loss challenge in which associates have the opportunity to use team support, friendly competition and incentives to make postive changes to their lifestyle in hopes of losing some weight.

Every one of us is different when it comes to our choice of exercise, what we like to eat (and what we can't stop ourselves from eating) and what it takes for us to stay on track. Part of H2O's goal is to provide you with many different options of ways to lose that weight. This blog is just one of the ways. It can be helpful to read articles from experts, hear what has worked for your peers and even what your peers are struggling with.

This blog has been set up as a team blog, which means that anyone can create a post. After the H2O sign-up period, all participants will receive the log-in, password and instructions on how to post. It's pretty simple to create a post, even if you are unfamiliar with blogging :)