A couple of weeks ago Charles Barkley was on Saturday Night Live.

During his opening monologue Sir Charles talks about his Weight Watchers’ success of releasing 38 pounds and then states that he is starving.  You can see the video here.

I am sure he was joking and I also think Weight Watchers‘ has great components that allow people to keep the weight off.

Yet, a vital part of self-care is making sure your body is fueled with high quality foods so you can have the energy to unleash your excellence!

Does portion control have its place?  ABSOLUTELY!

What I am asking:  make sure that your portions are controlled by you and for your body.

Maybe you need 2 fistfuls of protein.

Maybe a half a cup of grains bloats your tummy.

Maybe you can have a little of something but the recommended portion size makes you nauseous.  Kale: the superfood, makes me nauseous if I eat or drink more than a quarter cup.

My point is that our biology can be as unique as our personalities and as a result your portion control may be different as well.

So, let go of what others say IS the correct portion and instead you create YOUR best serving.

How do you determine YOUR best portion control?

Use the HATS Technique:

H =   HUNGER LEVEL: Assess  your level before each meal.  Think of your hunger level as a scale from 1 to 10.  If you are at a 1; you are starving and will eat cardboard and if you are at a 10 you are so stuffed that you have to unbutton your pants.  Ideally, eating when you are at a 3 and stopping when you are at a 7 will allow you to feel satisfied without the need for a nap!

A =  ASSIGN: assign  your plates into thirds with half the plate assigned to vegetables, 1/4 assigned to protein and 1/4 assigned to grains.  Remember this is merely a guideline.

T =   TAKE: Take 5 bites and chew thoroughly.

S =  SET:  Set down  your fork

Continue the HATS technique until your hunger level is at a 7.

Notice your true portion for today!

Yes, even your portions can change from day to day.

When you live in the 3 to 7 range:

your body will respond because you are providing some badly needed self-care.

your body will say thank you with energy and maybe a few pounds leaving town!

Would you like more tips like this?  Then be sure to sign up for my zero cost teleseminar:

FEAST YOUR WAY TO THIN: Eat dessert and be a couch potato while wearing smaller clothes on January 31!

Complete the form on this page and I will send you all the goodies!

So put your HATS on and let me know how it goes by leaving me a comment below!

P.S: I just place a smoothie recipe on this blog: to access it go here.