The Food Guide Pyramid lists servings, so it is important for you to know how much of a food is equal to a serving. Examples of amounts of food that count as 1 serving are listed below:

Food Group	Examples of 1 Serving
Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta	1 slice of bread 1/2 of a hamburger/hot dog bun 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice or pasta
Fruit	1 medium piece of fresh fruit (the size of a tennis ball) 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked or canned fruit 3/4 cup of vegetable juice
Vegetable	1 cup of raw leafy vegetables 1/2 cup of cooked or chopped raw vegetables (the size of a light bulb) 3/4 cup of vegetable juice
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts	2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish (the size of a deck of cards) 1/2-1 cup of cooked dried beans 1-2 eggs (or 2-4 egg whites) 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

When you determine your individual nutritional needs and eat the recommended portions from each food group, you will have more energy and your speed and endurance will improve. As you increase your physical activity, your body will demand more calories and you may feel hungry. If you are finding that you are frequently hungry and losing weight, you may need to increase your consumption of carbohydrates. To achieve this, just eat more servings from the carbohydrate rich food groups. If the weight loss is desired, you have discovered the key to smart weight loss - increase activity and decrease calorie intake.

Healthy Weight Control

Weight control for many simply means watching the numbers move on the scale. Weight control is not just about numbers on a scale, it is also about body composition. Do you have the correct proportions of enough fat, muscle and bone that are required for optimal strength, stamina, and overall good health for optimal performance? Changing body composition is really about changing habits. If you want to look or be fitter, you have to change some eating and activity patterns.

Being a part of the military means you have to be ready for the challenges of combat at any time. One element of being ready is being physically able and healthy enough to perform the required Soldier skills.

Excess body fat can hinder performance and compromise your readiness. For tasks in which maximal power, endurance or quickness are key, excess fat limits you. Extra body weight also increases the risk of wear-and-tear injuries to your feet, knees, and hips, while extra fat around the middle adds to low back strain.

The bottom line in maintaining, gaining or losing weight or body fat is energy balance. Energy, whether in food or what the body burns, is measured in calories.

• If you take in more calories than your body burns, your body stores the extra calories as fat, and you gain weight.
• If you take in fewer calories than you use, your body burns stored calories and you lose weight.
• When you consume the same amount of calories as your body uses, your weight stays the same.

Although you can lose weight quickly through fad diets like the popular high protein, low carbohydrate diet, you will not generally be successful in maintaining this weight loss. The fast weight loss that occurs with these types of programs is actually water loss. If you desire to lose weight, remember it is body fat that you want to lose not water. In order to achieve loss of body fat, follow the food consumption guidance previously provided and continue or increase your physical activity.

There are many dietary supplements that claim they will help you lose weight. The government does not regulate dietary supplements so buyers beware. The dietary supplements that contain ephedra or ephedrine are often advertised for weight loss. Products containing ephedra are dangerous, especially when combined with other supplements, medication or even with vigorous physical activity. If the label on the package sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.

If you follow the guidance in this chapter, you will achieve your weight loss goals. It may take you just a little longer, but you will be healthier and be able to maintain the weight loss.