In the last twenty years, obesity trends have sky rocketed in America. Directly correlated to this increasing epidemic is the rise in portion sizes of the food we eat and the beverages we consume. What is normal today can easily be seen as three and four times as many calories, than what we consumed just two decades ago. It is no wonder more than one third of American adults are considered obese. This trend is catching up quickly to our children as well, with one out of four kids in the obsess category. While it's difficult to reverse, it is not impossible, and it starts with portion control.

It's not just in what you eat, but in how much of it as well. Some simple guidelines to help you determine one portion size of types of food are listed here for your convenience.

• Fruit or veggie - size of your fist
• Meat - the size of the palm of your hand (minus your fingers)
• Potato - the size of a computer mouse
• Pasta - the size of one ice cream scoop
• Bread - one slice (not two!)
• Apple - the size of a baseball
• Pancake - the size of a CD
• Rice - the size of a cupcake wrapper
• Cheese - the size of your thumb

It is suggested to begin by tracking the amount of food you are eating to get a good idea of what you are actually consuming in a day. Begin to clean it up and go from there.

If you made goals this year on losing weight or exercising more, it's time to revisit the question, "How are you progressing towards this goal?" Do you continue week after week in the same routine, and begin dreading that treadmill? The boredom of the same old workout routine can derail the greatest of intentions. Increasing the variety of activity you are involved in keeps your mind interested, and your body guessing, helping maintain motivation, muscle stimulus and weight loss. The greater your enjoyment of physical exercise, the greater time you will stick with it resulting in pounds lost and new levels of fitness found! Instead of looking at exercise as a chore, or an obligation, begin to think of it in terms of activity. To brainstorm ideas to add variety to your routine, make a list. Think back to a time in your life where you were active, maybe you enjoyed riding your bike, hiking, going for walks, playing basketball, etc. When you are at the gym, give something new a try. Set a goal to try a new weight machine once per week. Take a new fitness class once a month and go every week. Studies show that by mixing up the types of activities you do, you'll find more enjoyment, spontaneous motivation and discover things about yourself that may surprise you!

I have heard:

In the beginning God used to live on M.G. Road in Poona, but then people started troubling him too much. Day and night they would knock on his door -- complaints and complaints: "Do this, do that. Tomorrow we need rains," somebody would say. And then somebody else would come; he would say, "Tomorrow no rains, because I am doing my laundry tomorrow."

He started feeling that he would go crazy! He asked his advisors. They said, "You can move to the Himalayas."

He said, "That is not going to help very much, because I can see into the future: soon..." because in the world of God time goes fast. For us it is centuries, for God it is moments.

God said, "You don't know -- soon a man named Hillary, helped by another man, Tenzing, will reach Everest. And once one man reaches there, then it is finished! Then buses will soon be coming and helicopters and airplanes, and hotels will open up and restaurants and I will again be on M.G. Road! That won't help."

Somebody suggested, "Then why don't you move to the moon?"

He said, "That is not going to help either. Just a few years more" -- that means a few moments more -- "and another man will walk on the moon. And if they find any trace of me anywhere, the whole world will rush towards me."

Then one advisor came close to him, whispered something in his ear, and God became really happy and said, "This is right!" The man whispered, "Then why don't you hide in man himself?"

God said, "That's right! There, it is very very rare that people look. Once in a while, few and far between -- a Buddha, a Jesus will look in. Otherwise nobody looks in. And the people who look in are not dangerous. The deeper they go inwards, the more peaceful they become. By the time they reach to the center they have lost all language, so they can't complain and they can't pray! By the time they reach me they will melt into me and I will melt into them."

And since then God has been residing in man. This is a secret I should not have told you. At least do me one favor -- don't tell it to anybody else! ~ Osho