If you have tried to lose weight, more than likely, you have either tried by

...calorie counting - restricting yourself to a set amount of calories every day.

Or 

...macro counting - trying to eat a certain percentage of protein, fat, and carbs daily.

For most people, calories and macro counting aren't successful in the long term. This generally results in people quickly and easily returning to their former way of eating.

Fortunately, there is a better and more sustainable option for getting the right amount of protein, veggies, fat, and carbs. And that is using hand portions.

Hand portions are an excellent method because: 

1. Your hands are always with you. No need for a scale.
2. It is a much more straightforward method. No need for a calculator. 
3. Your hand size fits your body size. Your portions would be appropriate for your body. 

The majority of individuals don’t need to be concerned with consuming a certain amount of calories or macros. Having a healthy eating lifestyle is not meant to be so complex or difficult. 

Instead, most people need to switch eating artificial, pre-made, processed foods to whole real foods. That will be life-changing for almost anyone. 

Using hand portions has several benefits:

• Make sure you are getting the right daily balance of each food group.
• Increase the quality of what you eat to whole real foods.
• Cause you consume fewer calories

For a visual of what I mean by using hand portions, check out the hand portion guide below. Click the image for a printable version. 

This guide shows you:

• how to use your hand for portions
• examples of foods for each food group 
• recommendations on daily hand portion amount for both men and women
• what a complete meal consists of

When trying to make changes in your eating using this hand portion method, start small. For example, focus on just quality protein intake at first rather than trying to fix everything at once. You can build off the consistency of doing one piece of it really well. 

If you need help on how to implement hand portions in your eating routine, schedule a time to chat with me.

To your best health and wellness,

Jen

For a larger and printable version, click on the image below.

Simpler and more sustainable ways to improve your health, fitness, and nutrition.

To see the clickable links and for a PDF/larger version, click on the image below.

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How to make Super Simple Prepared Salads Infographic below.

One of the quickest and easiest lunches to prep ahead at the start of the week are salads. In less than 30 minutes you can prepare salads to grab and eat whether you work in an office, from home, attend school, or spend your day on the go.

As convenient as salad from a fast food restaurant (such as McDonald’s) or fast-casual restaurant (such as Sweetgreen) may seem, these salads can contain ingredients high in sugar, come with poor quality dressing, and be a couple of serving sizes too big. They can also be surprisingly high in calories. 

For a lot less money, better control of your ingredients, and more aligned with your health goals, taking the time to make salads for yourself will benefit you in many ways. It can save you money, give you back time in your week, and get you closer to your health goals.

These salads can be simple and quick to make. There is no need to overcomplicate them. Pick a few of your favorite ingredients, get your supplies, and schedule a small amount of time at the start of the week to set yourself up for success. 

My favorite go-to salad is a bunch of curly kale with three sliced baby carrots, a couple of small beets already cooked (find in the cold produce section), and half a chopped chicken breast grilled on a grill pan. When it is time to eat, I season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I’ll end my lunch with one or two clementines. 

My Super Simple Prepared Salad.

This infographic is associated with our article How Accountability Makes Healthy Habits Happen.

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