Setting a Goal for Portion Control

My life has been such a blur of activity that I didn’t even get around to posting last week. How did the time get away from me? Anyway, a lot has been happening with me on the Vtrim program, so let me fill you in.

A week ago, I finished my third week of calorie reduction and had already lost 6.6 pounds – yeah! That’s more than 2 pounds a week! The week’s lesson was on goal setting – figuring out what small steps you need to take to get where you want to go. One of my goals, foodie that I am, has been to try at least one new recipe a week. That way I get to add some new foods to my healthy repertoire and get to play in the kitchen – one of my favorite things to do!

Even though I have a gazillion cookbooks, I still love to try new ones. That could get to be an expensive habit if I didn’t have a great library here in my hometown. It’s a well-kept secret that most public libraries have a huge collection of great cookbooks that you can check out and try without spending any money. Ours has so many great ones that I have to limit how many I bring home each trip!

My find of the week was The Eating Well Diabetes Cookbook. While I don’t have diabetes, the recipes are just delicious healthy recipes so I decided to try one out. After checking to see what ingredients I had on hand, I opted for Lemony Sugar Snap and Chicken Stir-Fry. It was fabulous! I’ll give you the recipe at the end of this entry so you can try it too.

Over this past week, the Vtrim lesson was on portion control – learning how much a real serving is so you can eyeball how much food you are really eating and not underestimate calories. Because I have a tendency to overeat particular kinds of foods, I decided to do an experiment and see if I could eat and drink some of the things I really love in moderation by using the guidelines of portion control. And you know what? It worked!

I was able to measure out the ingredients for my special margaritas, put one in the freezer for later, and then drink one (yes, just one!) while sitting out on the deck in the sunshine. The same strategy worked with the strawberry ice cream that was still in the back of the freezer from before I began the Vtrim program. I measured out a ½ cup and then added a ½ cup of my favorite frozen yogurt to the bowl. YUM! In both instances, I got to enjoy something I really like while still staying within my calorie goal for the day.

One of the reasons this idea of portion control is so key for me is that I tend to think of food in all or nothing terms – I can’t have any or I can have as much as I want. Needless to say, that mentality has not served me well and has contributed not only to my weight gain, but also to my inability to stay with any kind of diet. I just don’t do well with deprivation, but unlimited indulgence hasn’t worked either.

So the idea that I can lose weight while enjoying any kind of food and drink as long as I use portion control is revolutionary for me. It’s true that there are limits, but when I don’t feel deprived, staying within those limits seems completely doable. In fact, during this week where I had strawberry ice cream AND margaritas (I drank the other one a couple of nights later), I lost 3.2 more pounds, bringing the grand total up to 9.8 pounds in four weeks!

All I can say is these Vtrim folks are onto something good. I am enjoying my food, eating what I like, and not feeling hungry – all while losing weight. What more could I ask for in a weight-loss program?

So, are you ready for a healthy, yummy recipe? Try out this Lemony Sugar Snap and Chicken Stir-Fry from The Eating Well Diabetes Cookbook. It’s simple and very tasty!

Lemony Sugar Snap and Chicken Stir-Fry

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat
¼ teaspoon of salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
12 ounces sugar snap peas or snow peas (4 cups), trimmed of stem ends and strings
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Cut chicken into 1-by-2-inch strips; season with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow pan and dredge chicken strips in it, shaking off excess. Discard remaining flour.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add peas and stir-fry until bright green, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the pan and heat on medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and opaque in the center, 4-5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the peas.

Add broth and garlic to the pan; cook until reduced to 1 cup, 6-8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and return the chicken and the peas to the pan. Cook until heated through. Add parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Serve immediately.


Makes 4 hearty servings; 263 calories, 6 grams fat, 31 grams protein.