Category: Uncategorized

  • Using Your Hand as a Guide Here is a nice graphic that relates portion sizes to your hand. I really like this one, because it relates the parts of your hand to specific measures rather than just associating them with foods that should be eaten in smaller or larger portions. Obviously hands vary (and the…

  • Conventional Wisdom and Its Discontents The fitness and weight-loss worlds are full to the brim of “do this! not that!” advice, “one true way"s, and weirdly counterintuitive claims. Here are some closer looks, a little math, and some ways to separate the general strategies (like "eat less, move more”) from the day-to-day tactics that make…

  • What 2000 Calories Looks Like This New York Times article shows photos of food from popular restaurants with calorie counts, and shows how easy it is to get a full day’s calories in a single meal. It’s frustrating, because in some cases, we’re choosing items that are higher-quality food choices than typical fast food, but…

  • Shed Your Weight Problem This campaign, by Canada’s National Eating Disorder Information Centre, takes aim at the unrealistic image-making to which women’s magazines devote so much time, labor, and money. From photoshopping cover photos far beyond the appearance of the model — even when the model is a high-visibility celebrity — to a constant march…

  • Give me a minute… Cartoon by Drew Dernavich, published by the New Yorker in April 2014.

  • Artisanal Home-Made Cup-o-Noodles J. Kenji López-Alt offers this beautiful step-by-step guide to a bring-from-home lunch that will soothe and delight you, “Your Own Just-Add-Hot-Water Instant Noodles (and Make Your Coworkers Jealous).” All you need is a nice, heavy glass jar (you’ll be pouring hot water into it), and foods you love. This is a great…

  • Non-scale victories

    I think we all know someone (or are someone) who has an idea in their head of “the perfect weight,” this notional thing that can loom large enough in our minds to make our lives miserable. If the bathroom scale is your enemy, think outside the can! Most of us have other, more meaningful goals…

  • Starter Steps isn’t really an exercise how-to or training blog, but occasionally I mention equipment — especially if I think it’s compact and versatile enough to consider having at home or work. How to Use Your Baby as Exercise Equipment — check with the other parent first (you may want to train together!) Should I…

  • 5-Minute Meals Without Processed Food Well, OK, deli meats and peanut butter can be pretty processed, but mostly these are simple, whole foods. Women’s Health published this nice collection of simple meals, either just sliced together or cooked in one pan. The key to making this work is already having the ingredients on hand, so…