Portion control: Why it won't work

And as much as we've abused the vegetables in this country for years and years, pouring our toxic chemicals all over them, they may yet help to save us from ourselves. Eating fibre, a carbohydrate that can come only from plant sources, is one of the few ways we can help our bodies flush out the toxins that have built up in our tissues and messed with our endocrine systems for years.

Remember, the key here is GOOD CARBS! Vegetables, fruits, whole grains. You've been paying attention, right? If so, I shouldn't have to reiterate this point, but I did... just in case.

So, yes, we need carbs. Carbs are good. Check.

Hormone homework: A 40 per cent carbs, 30 per cent protein, 30 per cent fat balance is a safe solution. Now, you can play with this ratio a little bit. Some people will find they do better with a little more carbohydrate, and some people do better with a little less. The final precise ratio for you has to do with the rate at which your body breaks down your food into energy. Fine-tuning your macronutrients can help give you more energy and keep you feeling fuller longer. I wrote entire volumes on this point in my two previous books, so I won't go into great depth here. The bottom line: You must have fat, protein, and carbs in each meal. Period.

Ballpark your daily caloric requirement
I repeat: This program is not about calorie counting, it's about health—weight loss will come automatically. But it's still helpful to know what range you should be operating within, so check out these recommendations based on guidelines from the Canadian Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.ca).

If you are:	This many calories/day:
An average-sized woman who wants to lose weight	1,200-1,400
A petite woman at your desired body weight	1,200-1,400
An average-sized, sedentary woman at your desired body weight	1,200-1,400
A larger woman who wants to lose weight	1,400-1,600
A larger, sedentary woman at desired body weight	1,400-1,600
A moderate-to-large, somewhat active woman at your desired body weight	1,600-1,900
A larger, active woman at your desired body weight	1,900–2,300
A teen girl	1,900–2,300
An older man at your desired body weight	1,600-1,900
A small-to-moderate-sized man who wants to lose weight	1,600-1,900
A small-to-moderate-sized man at your desired body weight	1,900–2,300
A teen boy	2,300–2,800
A moderate-to-large, active man at your desired body weight	2,300–2,800

  
Using the rule of thumb
One survey found that only 1 per cent of us can gauge serving sizes correctly. Play around with measuring cups and get a feel for portion sizes. It won't take long to learn what a cup of milk looks like or how many ounces of chicken are in a small breast.

Portion:	Looks like:
3 oz chicken breast	A child's palm or deck of cards
5 oz meat	An adult's palm or 2 decks of cards
1/2 cup pasta or grains	1/2 baseball (not a softball!)
1 tsp butter	Tip of your finger (or one die)
1 tsp oil	Tip of your finger (or one die)
1 tbsp peanut butter	1/2 Ping-Pong ball
1 medium fruit	A fist or baseball
1 oz cheese	Four dice
1 tbsp dressing	1/2 your thumb
1 cup veggies	A fist or baseball
1 bagel	A hockey puck
1 slice bread	A cassette tape
1 cup cereal	A fist or baseball
1 pancake	A compact disc

Page 3 of 3 -- On page 1, Jillian explains why eating fat can help your body burn calories.

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Excerpted from Master Your Metabolism, copyright 2009 by Jillian Michaels and Mariska van Aalst. Used by permission of Random House. All Rights Reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced except with permission in writing from the publisher.