Welcome to your sixth Simple Strategies for Nutrition Beginners lesson, "Weekend Reminder: Hand Measurements."

Did you know that weekends are 43% of your week?  We tend to forget about portion sizes on the weekends.  Stay mindful this weekend by continuing to practice portion control using the cupped palm and palm measurement strategies from your lessons this week. 

Practicing these Simple Strategies every weekend will help you achieve your goals faster.
 

Lesson 6:  Weekend Reminder

Use Your Hand Measurements

Welcome to the weekend!  It’s easy to take a break from cooking, exercising, and staying mindful of our fitness goals. 
 

Remember that Friday-Sunday
is 43% of your week!

 

It’s the choices you make on the weekends that will 
make or break your fitness goals progress.

This weekend we want you to stay mindful of this week’s 2 simple strategies:

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#1.  In each meal, pay attention to the amount of carbohydrates on your plate.  

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Ladies:  No more than 1-2 cupped palms of carbohydrates
Gentlemen: No more than 2-3 cupped palms of carbohydrates 

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                                             #2.  Build your meals with protein first.

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                                                Ladies:  1 palm size of protein

                                                 Gentlemen:  2 palm sizes of protein

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How to Make Adjustments

You’ve had a few days to experiment with using the hand measurement system for your carbohydrates and proteins.

Do you find yourself feeling hungry often?  Or, when you eat your meals, are you feeling stuffed?

Adjust your serving sizes up or down depending on your sense of fullness.
For those of you who are not feeling full for at least 2 hours after your meal:

• ·     Increase your protein by at least half a palm

• ·     Add a vegetable to the meal

·    
Feeling stuffed?
·     Decrease your carbohydrate amount by half a cupped palm or decrease the protein by half a palm.

Weekend Tip:  Going out for a burger and fries?
Ideally, choose a grilled chicken burger or some type of a grilled chicken salad. If you choose the burger, know this:

Top bun = 1 carbohydrate serving
Bottom bun = 1 carbohydrate serving
10-15 French fries = 1 carbohydrate serving (Does anyone really only eat 10 French fries?  Probably not).

1 + 1 + 1 = 3+ servings of carbohydrates.  
 

Going over our portion sizes on 2 meals

during the weekend can

easily erase the results you created

from your week of exercise and healthy choices.

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Try this instead:

• Take off the top bun and eat the burger open faced.

• Measure out the French fries into a 1 cupped palm serving and put the rest in a to-go box.

• Skip the French fries completely and choose a side of steamed vegetables or a side salad (with the dressing on the side).  

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