I usually am pretty hard on journalists when it comes to health and nutrition due to conflicts of interest or just plain lack of knowledge in the field but I was heartily impressed by an article on weight loss written by Karen Collins, R.D. on the MSNBC website. Most R.D.’s and I do not see eye-to-eye but here, I whole heartedly agree with her.

Portion size is a true American problem. We think more is always better, especially when it comes to our eating habits. What Ms. Collins rightly points out is how we can easily cut hundreds of calories a day simply and without stress just by cutting down our portions. One tip I especially liked was the one about french fries and how you should leave 1/2 on the plate (when eating at a restaurant) and not eat it to cut out 100-170 calories. If you are able to cut 500 calories a week, you will lose 1 pound. Do that for one year and you’ve trimmed 52 pounds off. Not bad for a one year trial.

Of course, it will require a pickup in physical activity but that shouldn’t be too hard either. How about trying to park farther away from the store front when you go shopping?  Don’t find the closest spot, find one way out there and walk a little more. Do that everyday and you can burn off a 100 calories or so every week.

Sensible eating patterns can be had with just a little work and effort and you can still enjoy all of those great foods you love. Next week, I’ll be reviewing a book that smashes all those low calorie myths and how everything you know about eating isn’t the truth.