Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Measuring Up

I did something so shocking this evening I didn't even realize what I was doing until I was done.  I measured gravy for my dinner.  We had a delicious roast that stewed in the crockpot all day long with its vegetable friends including potatoes (yes carb alert!), onions, and mushrooms.  (Oh how I love mushrooms and thankfully they are low in carbs.)  The house smelled delicious and welcoming on a cool rainy autumn day.  My hubby whipped up a gravy and I turned to my trusty carb counter book to best calculate my carbs for supper.  I double-checke with my hubby that he quartered the potatoes to estimate my best count there.  I began loading my plate counting my potatoes and then reached into a drawer to measure out not quite two tablespoons of gravy.  First that more than was enough gravy.  Had I not grabbed the tablespoon I easily would have slathered double if not triple the amount of gravy. I do enjoy dips, sauces, and spreads that's why I need the spoon because my eyes like  to up the ante.  Also, did you hear how easy it was to measure something?  When people start to feel defensive about their eating choices, many bring up they can't be hassled with scales, counts, and measuring devices.  Is it really the equipment; the numbers?  Or is it the relinquish of control?  Or that fantasy plays better than reality?  Real measurements rarely match our eyeball estimates.  A teaspoon easily becomes a tablespoon, a quarter cup easily grows to a cup, a pint of ice cream becomes 1 - 2 servings maximum, but if you read the label it was designed for four servings. 

Do I plan to measure every meal I eat? No.  But it doesn't hurt to re-train my eye estimates.  And the hassle? Ten seconds to retrieve the measuring spoon from the drawer, dip into the gravy (I had to somehow move the gravy from the pan to my plate anyway) and then rinse spoon and place in dishwasher.  It really didn't take time out of my day.  It didn't burden me with obstacles and riddles. It was an action that barely registered a thought. 

If I want different results than what I have already attained, I have to do different things; not just think about different things, not just try different things, but actually commit to new actions to create changed results.  Not every action will be stellar.  But it will help me move forward in this HealthFULL Journey.

May your own HealthFULL Journey measure up to all of your expectations. 'Til we meet again. . .

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