Portion Control ..

squatiebody
squatiebody Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Any advice on portion control I always tend to end up eating a lot more than I should have..

Replies

  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
    Pre-measure items at home before cooking and don't make more than you want to eat, if you go out to eat, cut everything in half and put it on another plate or push it to the side
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Just start logging. After a week, you'll already be able to see areas where you could improve.

    If you want large meals, just eat two or three a day and skip the snacks.

    Everyone is different, so there really isn't any one thing to do. You have to figure out what you like best. :)
  • GeemaLeema
    GeemaLeema Posts: 7 Member
    Measure things out is the simplest way to portion control. I always measure out rice and pasta at about 60g per portion.

    Sometimes I follow a recipe which is really good for portion control as well. The recipe part to myfitnesspal is great so it will work all the calories for you. You can also change ingredients. For me, I change olive/veg oil to frylite.
  • swbenbow
    swbenbow Posts: 87 Member
    A tip / bit of common sense I picked up from my wife's Slimming World classes - make sure that on your plate there is at least a third non-starchy veg (maybe towards a half if you can get it.

    This gives you a "full" feeling for not many calories (eg Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, etc).

    This way, you can have a full looking plate and it shouldn't be too high in calories. And if you do overeat - it is better to do it on low calorie veg than high calorie protein or sauces, etc.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    I weigh out my food. When the scale hits that magical number, be it 40 grams of oatmeal, or 56 grams of dry pasta, I stop putting food in my bowl.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    weigh and log it - if you can't afford the calories change the proportions of food on your plate up - less high calorie stuff (like proteins) and more low calorie stuff (like vegetables)
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,462 Member
    I have a portion control plate, which gives a good visual guide. I also have portion control serving spoons. I'm not weighing everything at the moment, and I find these are quite helpful, but you could also use them alongside weighing.

    Before I got the plate and servers, I just used the recommended visuals like a portion of meat should be the size of a pack of cards.
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
    I agree with weighing and measuring everything out. It helps you learn what a proper portion size actually looks like and it will make your calorie counting more accurate. The other part of that is eating a variety. If you are weighing out your portions and you are still hungry… then eat something else rather than just adding more of what you already had. Not only is variety good for you… it helps keep those portions in your mind. I'm not saying you can never have 2 servings of something… but it's just an idea to start until you learn what proper portion sizes looks like.
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
    I agree with weighing and measuring everything out. It helps you learn what a proper portion size actually looks like and it will make your calorie counting more accurate. The other part of that is eating a variety. If you are weighing out your portions and you are still hungry… then eat something else rather than just adding more of what you already had. Not only is variety good for you… it helps keep those portions in your mind. I'm not saying you can never have 2 servings of something… but it's just an idea to start until you learn what proper portion sizes looks like.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Put a controlled amount on your plate (and let whoever else you are eating with dish up) and then put whatever is left away. Train yourself not to see seconds as an option. It might take awhile to get the portion sizes right (log in advance and go by the calories you are aiming for at first), but remember that if you eat it and wait a few minutes smaller sizes that you thought will often be filling--its easy to think a particular portion is what you want and have that be really inflated given the kinds of portion sizes that are common these days.

    At restaurants (many of them anyway) just assume a portion is about half and plan to save the rest for later.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    Laurend224 wrote: »
    I weigh out my food. When the scale hits that magical number, be it 40 grams of oatmeal, or 56 grams of dry pasta, I stop putting food in my bowl.

    I avoided the food scale for a long time, but seriously, they are worth the investment!
  • af_wife2004
    af_wife2004 Posts: 149 Member
    I spent the first week filling my plate like I normally would and then took everything off, measured it (cups, weight, etc), ate it, and tracked it. I couldn't believe how many calories I was eating! Now, I divide my plate into four quarters. One quarter meat, one quarter cottage cheese, one have fruits and/or veggies. I weigh/measure everything and log it. If I go over once in a while it isn't a huge deal to me as long as I've tracked it and know where my calories/fat are coming from so I know where to make changes when I need to.

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