Portion control

Loganmmontgomery
Loganmmontgomery Posts: 47 Member
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
So I've gotten a lot better about what I eat, now I need help with how much. I think this is why I'm not losing weight. I eat large dinners.

Any suggestions or tips?

Replies

  • oct131920
    oct131920 Posts: 13 Member
    I have the same issue but the last couple days I've been using my food scale and get the correct amount of food so I don't over eat.
  • rks581
    rks581 Posts: 99 Member
    Using a food scale to measure out your portions by weight is probably your best bet. For myself, I eat a lot of prepared and packaged food as well as a lot of whey protein so the barcode scanner and recent foods works well for me, but if you cook for yourself you will need a scale to be sure of getting the right portions. If you go premium you can budget specific amounts for each meal, so you can have large dinners but smaller breakfast and lunch, or you can just track what you eat as you go through the day.
  • cruisin99
    cruisin99 Posts: 31 Member
    Yes you have to accurately log all your food so you can see where the problem areas are. A small scale that cost me 15 bucks tells so much on portions and such.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    I like a large dinner as well. I get a large dinner by having an entire steam-in-bag of veggies to go with whatever else I'm eating. My favorites are broccoli and green beans.
  • chabr38
    chabr38 Posts: 24 Member
    Yes, i pre planned my meals today and I counted my calories so I have 56 calories left over after dinner. I was able to see what I could eat so that way I know i wont go over my calorie count and problem areas.
  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
    edited January 2017
    Besides the food scale, it helps to pre-portion foods. For instance, if I take home calorie-dense leftovers from a party, I'll portion it into bags/containers and have a serving whenever I feel like it. It's harder to overeat with everything portioned out.
  • lulalacroix
    lulalacroix Posts: 1,082 Member
    You could eat a large dinner, and still lose weight, if it fit in your daily calorie allotment. Are you weighing and logging your food?
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,227 Member
    I'm a volume eater so I bulk my meals out with vegetables or salad. Definitely use a food scale, even for veggies.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    MFP tells you how much to eat. Weigh out everything and log it, and hit your calorie goal. Prelogging is usually a good strategy.

    Is your problem stopping after you have had appropriate portions? That's trickier. I have found trusting MFP a great help. Seeing the numbers and knowing I have had what I needed, is comforting. Having to log everything also gives me time to think, am I really hungry, is this worth the calories, etc.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    I eat large dinners, so big that i eat off a serving plate.... Im achieving my goals (fat loss) because I plan and log everything to make it fit.

  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    MFP tells you how much to eat. Weigh out everything and log it, and hit your calorie goal.

    Quoting so the OP re-reads this.
  • mbanks123
    mbanks123 Posts: 117 Member
    Try drinking more water to fill you up more and just stop eating when you no longer feel hungry!

    Don't feel bad about not finishing your food and binning it, even if you're in a restaurant! You will feel better after.
  • chrismellor01
    chrismellor01 Posts: 77 Member
    Use smaller plates and make less.
  • Loganmmontgomery
    Loganmmontgomery Posts: 47 Member
    Loganmmontgomery wrote: »
    So I've gotten a lot better about what I eat, now I need help with how much. I think this is why I'm not losing weight. I eat large dinners.

    Any suggestions or tips?
    Loganmmontgomery wrote: »
    So I've gotten a lot better about what I eat, now I need help with how much. I think this is why I'm not losing weight. I eat large dinners.

    Any suggestions or tips?
    Loganmmontgomery wrote: »
    So I've gotten a lot better about what I eat, now I need help with how much. I think this is why I'm not losing weight. I eat large dinners.

    Any suggestions or tips?
    Loganmmontgomery wrote: »
    So I've gotten a lot better about what I eat, now I need help with how much. I think this is why I'm not losing weight. I eat large dinners.

    Any suggestions or tips?
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    MFP tells you how much to eat. Weigh out everything and log it, and hit your calorie goal. Prelogging is usually a good strategy.

    Is your problem stopping after you have had appropriate portions? That's trickier. I have found trusting MFP a great help. Seeing the numbers and knowing I have had what I needed, is comforting. Having to log everything also gives me time to think, am I really hungry, is this worth the calories, etc.

  • Loganmmontgomery
    Loganmmontgomery Posts: 47 Member
    Yes my problem is not knowing when I'm full, mostly. I struggle with how much I put on my plate since I feel very hungry at that moment. I'm used to eating a lot and eating a lot is my emotional filler.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Loganmmontgomery wrote: »
    Yes my problem is not knowing when I'm full, mostly. I struggle with how much I put on my plate since I feel very hungry at that moment. I'm used to eating a lot and eating a lot is my emotional filler.
    To recognize hunger and satiety cues: Google "The Hunger Scale".
    To eat portions more appropriate for you: Google "mindful eating".
    To stop using food as a comfort blanket: Learn to face and handle your emotions. Meditation can also be helpful.
  • lemonychild
    lemonychild Posts: 654 Member
    edited January 2017
    If dinner is your largest meal, then eat less during the day you'll save calories and won't go over your cals with dinner. Don't expect to eat large meals all day and then also expect dinner to be large as well
  • pitegny
    pitegny Posts: 1,006 Member
    I definitely use my food scale to help with portions and also prelog my meals so I can see whether the foods I have planned fit within my daily goals. If I see that I am going to be over in one of the categories, I swap one or more of my planned foods out for something else until it balances. Entering at the beginning of the day (or the night before) makes it easier to control. If I am going out for a meal I plan the other two to be on the really light side to offset any splurges.
  • Ming1951
    Ming1951 Posts: 514 Member
    seska422 wrote: »
    I like a large dinner as well. I get a large dinner by having an entire steam-in-bag of veggies to go with whatever else I'm eating. My favorites are broccoli and green beans.

    I also use the same veggies, has helped me greatly and fills you up.
  • Ming1951
    Ming1951 Posts: 514 Member
    Loganmmontgomery wrote: »
    So I've gotten a lot better about what I eat, now I need help with how much. I think this is why I'm not losing weight. I eat large dinners.

    Any suggestions or tips?


    I fully understand, you have to just " bite the bullet" weigh, measure, log, to stay within your calories. Then walk away from the table. I also take time for myself when I eat, I don't always eat with my husband anymore some days I just need to sit even by the tv and just enjoy whatever I have.
  • GillianSmith2
    GillianSmith2 Posts: 387 Member
    I weigh measure and log everything i eat and drink, but i also use a smaller plate to make it look like a full dinner
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    Weigh everything and don't cook too much thinking you'll "save" some for the next day (I always end up scarfing the lot). I'm also a big portion girl so I basically cut my normal portions by a third and then pad out the plate with nominal cal veg, ie if I have curry I'll shove it on a bed of raw baby spinach, I'll serve pasta or risotto with a big garden salad (obvs be careful of salad dressing), I swap out mash potatoes for swede & carrot mash and swap potato wedges for butternut squash wedges sprayed with oil seasoned and baked in the oven. I also save as many cals as I can for my evening meal so have soup for lunch. Also you can pad out a plate with things like steamed asparagus, brocolli, green beans, carrots etc Just always make sure to weigh everything.

    Also even though I eat meat and things like chicken and fish fit in fine with my cals, I swap out red meat and sausages for vegetarian and vegan alternatives ie quorn and linda mccartney vegetarian sausages. (they're surprisingly good)
  • kendahlj
    kendahlj Posts: 243 Member
    Part of it is psychological. Your mind thinks you need that much food at dinner because that's what you're used to eating to feel full. Recondition your thinking and you'll realize you don't need that much. It's not easy...good luck.
  • alarmed123
    alarmed123 Posts: 87 Member
    I use my kid's baby plates. I have not used a normal sized plate in years
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    IF you look at older dish sets and glassware you'll notice that plates and glasses used to be smaller.
    I got the "Fruit and cereal" bowls that match my dishes, so people weren't eating cereal out of pasta bowls and soup plates.
    I bought a set of 7-ounce juice glasses like my grandma had, and that's a serving of juice (and the kids split a can of pop if we have "fancy drinks" with dinner).
    I have a set of pyrex custard cups and that's what we have ice cream in.

    All those things allow you to have a full plate or cup and yet not have a ridiculous serving. IT makes me realize how much things have changed, that I grew up in a world where these plates and cups were "normal," and now everyone thinks they're "tiny."
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