Do you know your portion sizes?

I imagine you're looking at this photo and thinking, god she is restricting herself.

What about this one?

Looks like a good plateful of food, doesn't it?

Well, there is exactly the same amount on that plate as the first one. The point I am trying to get to is that a lot of people often can't understand why they aren't losing or have put weight on.

Did you know that since the 1960s plate sizes have increased by 36%. An average plate used to be between 7-9 inches and now they are up to 12inches. I guess that doesn't sound like much but if that means the size is now over 30% bigger than what it was, chances are you're eating a third more food than necessary.

Food is very visual. The average person would look at the first plate and think, I am still going to be hungry after this. But the second one might leave you feeling over faced. Ever heard the expression your eyes are bigger than your belly? It has some merit.

It takes about 20 minutes for you to start feeling full. So, if you had a big plate like the first one and filled it, you could keep on eating not realising you have eaten enough until it's too late. We have all had that feeling where it hits us suddenly and we are uncomfortably full but we don't know why because we didn't think we ate that much. You might have eaten more than you realised if the plate was big.

However, if you eat from the small plate, you may think you're still hungry when you've finished. Just wait for half an hour and see how you feel then.

By all means, if you are still hungry, listen to your body and eat some more. Go for seconds but try to make it a celebration of veggies, salad or fruit as the main body of the plate. The fibre should fill you right up then, with fewer calories.

I'm not saying you should bin your lovely expensive plates, but just be more aware the next time you dish up that it doesn't need to be full to the rim.

A good rule of thumb is that the protein should be about the size of your fist and the carbohydrate should match. Then the veggies should be twice that amount. See what that looks like on your plate and it might surprise you.

Just have a little more awareness about portion sizes and you should see a reduction in dress sizes.

Walkies for Weight loss

I have received a few compliments about my weight of late. However, my gym time has significantly
reduced as a lot has changed in the last couple of months.

The big changes being we have a dog! We have also moved house which is, as everyone knows, quite stressful.

Kendal, the six-month-old black labrador joined us two months ago and now our lives revolve around her. We walk for half an hour in the morning and for 45 minutes to an hour on an evening.

This is the only thing I can attribute to any type of weight loss as I am doing nothing different other than reducing my hours in the gym.

The point to this is, if you are struggling with your weight and you find it tiresome spending time in the gym, perhaps you should start putting the miles in? Is that something you had ever considered?

I'm not suggesting everyone goes and gets a dog, they are exhausting but find yourself a walking buddy, or you can even sign up to walk someone else's dog if you think that would motivate you more.

It is such a sociable activity and there is nothing like a bit of fresh air to perk you up. As mentioned before, I am an avid Fitbit user and mine sings me praises every day now, I tend to reach all my goals which even on gym days was something I didn't always meet.

So if you are struggling, and you don't want to spend days on end in the gym, give walking a go and see if you notice a difference.

Kendal loves to play, it's such a joy being in the fresh air watching her play