Size Matters

Or does it? The answer is: sometimes.

I was clothes-shopping with a friend this past weekend and, once again, we were struck by how wildly womens’ clothing sizes vary. One brand’s medium is nothing like another brand’s. Same goes for actual number sizes. And don’t get me started on the difference between one size and the next one up in the same brand. Maybe I’m “in-between”: I found the smaller size was too small and the next size up was far too big.

Same thing happening in my own closet. After our shopping trip, I took a look at the labels of the clothes I already own. It’s like the United Nations of sizes: everything from extra-small to extra-large is represented. And they all fit me!

So does size matter? In this case, I say NO. Here’s why:

For many people, clothing size is part of their identity. Same with the number on the scale. So much so that even when they’re eating all the right foods and doing all the right exercise, they’re absolutely deflated when the scale doesn’t immediately reflect this. Suddenly, all that hard work is for nothing, so why bother? Believe me, I’ve been there and it’s for that very reason that I stopped weighing myself.

Funny thing: once I shunned the scale, people started saying things like “Wow, you look great! How much weight have you lost?” A girl could get used to that.

When I work with my clients, we set aside the weekly weigh-ins and focus on the behavior. Here’s where size matters: understanding how much a portion is. Much of our country’s weight issues can be directly linked to the fact that most people have no idea how much they’re eating.  One client summed it up nicely this week: “Since it fit in my bowl, I thought it was one serving.” (It was 4 servings).

So pull out your measuring cups/spoons and get yourself a food scale. Do a little experiment: assemble your typical breakfast and guess how much of each food is represented. Then measure what’s actually on your plate. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

How’d you do? If you’re like most people, you were probably way, way off on some of the estimates. It’s easy to get on track, just measure and weigh for a week and your eyes will learn what a serving looks like. This is a lifelong skill that will help you wherever, whenever you’re eating.