Middle Age Weight

Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake. ~Author Unknown

As a teenager I was skinny. In college my weight was stable although I ate a lot. But when middle age hit, it seems everything went to the waistline regardless of how carefully I ate. My appetite now is less than college - I can no longer eat half a pizza, BUT I'm still gaining weight with the lesser amount of food.

With every calorie sticking to my stomach, it becomes more important to choose wisely what I eat. My wife has a great expression that helps, "It's not worth the calories". For example, at work today someone left a plate of home baked cookies. I picked a small one and ate it slowly while making some herbal tea. Then I was tempted to get a second cookie and my wife's words came to mind. The cookie was OK but not great. It just wasn't worth the calories to eat a second one.

I love to sample foods. To try as many new flavors as possible. The trick is keeping the portions small. Fortunately I've learned that the thrill of a new food taste is rarely as good when I go back for seconds. So at a buffet, the first few bites of Item X are WOW! But if I refill my plate with more, the experience just isn't the same. Hence I try to limit myself to one small serving of items that look interesting and no repeats.

Bottom Line

Portion control is very important. We fill large plates and are served giant multi-serving servings. One effective diet I read about was the 1/2 diet. Eat only 1/2 of your plate or just 1/2 of anything you order. Save the other half for another meal. For some people this makes a big difference.