Don't Bite Off More than You Can Chew

The thing about getting healthy is doing a good job balancing both healthy eating and exercise. Nutrition plays a huge role in the equation and eating too much is off the charts for a large percentage of the populous. Portions are out of control and people are literally biting off more than they can chew. Super-sized plates draped with enough food to feed an army are common in restaurants and don't get me started on the "all you can eat" buffet.

I love the famous quote "eat to live, don't live to eat" because this gold nugget of information is absolutely true. This is not saying to not indulge occasionally and doing so in proper portion size is not going to break our fitness banks. However, stuffing our faces to the point of having to roll to the sofa in a food coma is an upsetting example of living to eat.

Calories people! What it comes down to is the basic science of chemistry and calories. When we eat too much, fat is stored. Eat too little, weight is lost. Eat just right and we maintain. Sounds like the "Three Little Bears" but you get the drift. The quality of calories are also important. We may eat "junk food" in very small portions and within the calories great for our body, but our inside would look like crap. Further, we would feel like crap. This is called being "skinny fat".

When calories from quality "real" food are consumed at the right portions for our body, then health is realized from the inside out. However, eating too many calories from healthy foods will result in weight gain if we are taking in more than we are burning off. It would be more difficult of course if most of our carbs came from veggies, but let's say we are chomping down tons of oats, wheat pasta, brown rice and yams...well now that's a whole different thing.

Size does matter when it comes to any food we eat and biting off more than we can chew is not good regardless if the calories are coming from healthy or unhealthy sources. Portion control is one of the old new secrets to achieving a healthy body. Nothing magic to shutting our mouths at the "food trough" when we feel satisfied. Start paying attention to portion size, don't go back for seconds, and listen to body signals of satiety.

Great reads on my about.com site! I have just published an article on how "Preventing Insulin Resistance is the New Trend in Health and Fitness" even over weight loss. It is a growing concern affecting people of all ages and until insulin levels are mastered, fat and weight loss will continue to be a struggle.