Portion size critical to losing weight Published Jan. 23, 2006 By James Baker 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- The health and wellness center, or HAWC, here has now initiated a new program that emphasizes healthier eating habits and weight control called Portion Off the Pounds. The 10-week program offers weekly weigh-ins, nutrition education and an ongoing support group. "The concept of the class is to show how to use portion control instead of always counting their calories," said Nancy Gouveia, HAWC nutrition manager. "Done sensibly, 2,000 calories could be someone's daily intake or just a meal-and-a-half for someone who makes numerous trips to fast-food restaurants." The idea of portion control is to divide your plate into four parts, Ms. Gouveia said. An example is one quarter for a healthy meat, one quarter for a whole-grain dish and the remaining half for two servings of vegetables. That healthy combination is only around 300 calories. Ms. Gouveia said a video is shown in class of a man frequenting a popular fast-food restaurant for 30 days. Within a week his body fat increased by 5 percent and after 30 days he had gained 25 pounds. "If people can lose 5 to 7 percent of their body weight, they can lessen the risk of diabetes by 58 percent," she said. "This gentleman was literally killing himself with very unhealthy food choices." "Our diets have such an impact on weight control," Ms. Gouveia said. "We show them they can practice calorie control that will incorporate less salt and sugar in their diet, which eventually leads to being less hungry." Some of the topics covered during the duration of the 10-week class include portion control, healthy cooking, shopping sensibly and eating healthy food on the run. "We are trying to give everyone a lot of different options to help them control their weight," Ms. Gouveia said. "The classes are both fun and interactive. " (Courtesy of Air Force Materiel Command News Service)