Tips for portion awareness rather than calorie and macro counting

JeffreyOC

As above posters have said get some containers, I'm going to be doing this myself. Very convenient to take to work too. I'm getting these.

cardiacmommy

For years I kept reading about diets that didn't involve calorie counting. I'm very type a and if I couldn't do it perfectly I didn't want to do it (i.e calories eating out etc) but I finally gave in because it works!

macchiatto

I've done it before successfully but it was ways of eating that really restrict carbs. The first round was generally following the Zone diet (years ago) where I kept carbs fairly limited and ate a serving of protein and about 2 servings of veggies at most meals (some dairy, too, but I was living in Asia where it wasn't as commonly a part of meals). I lost 10 lbs in a month and kept it off.

Then when I was trying to lose the last lbs of pregnancy weight and reverse prediabetes, I followed the Dukan Diet (low carb, low fat, high protein).

Both times it (following eating guidelines w/o weighing or logging food) worked pretty well for me in terms of weight loss, but obviously it was limiting. Not necessarily too different from what you're thinking of, though I might eat more meat. What interfered with maintenance for me several years after my Dukan weight loss was starting a medication that caused a lot of nausea and other GI issues, so I started eating more starchy foods than my normal to deal with the nausea. I gained 20 lbs over the course of a year. Then I started eating LCHF/keto but did track here on MFP. (I have found I tend to do a lot better with a lower carb way of eating but YMMV.)

On another note, my husband has lost 28 lbs without logging or weighing anything. He started working out more regularly and intensely (making workouts a nonnegotiable so they'd happen at least 3x/wk), cut out soda and most sugary treats (he'll usually go for fruit and/or yogurt instead), started eating more vegetables and protein. He would usually have a big salad w/protein for either lunch or dinner. He found his tastes changed and he really doesn't enjoy the sugary stuff as much anymore. He did recently stall for a couple of months but just started losing again. (Six lbs to his goal.)

ritzvin

It would be worth trying out...I would suggest logging for a few weeks while you tweak your portions to ensure you are regularly meeting calories and macros though.

jjpptt2

To be clear... I'm not asking for me. I'm a logger (at least when I care enough to care about such things). I believe in it, and it works well with my need for numbers/data.

But I know a few people who have asked me for tips on getting into better shape. They don't like it when I tell them it's mostly about diet. They HATE IT when I tell them to log/count calories. I was trying to give them some meaningful advice other than "Go away. When you're ready to count cals, then come back and talk to me."

lemurcat12

I've lost weight twice in my life. Once around 2000 and once in 2014. I maintained the first weight loss for quite a while and the reasons I regained had nothing to do with how I lost it. (Disclaimer.)

This time, of course, I logged, but the first time I did not. What I did was write down what I ate in a normal day (you have to be honest), and then figured out what I could cut down/out without missing it. What I realized from that exercise was that I really didn't know exactly, because I did not eat in a structured way, so I decided to do that. I ate: (1) a planned breakfast (at the time I think it was oats and fruit and milk or yogurt, but obviously depends on the person, point was I wasn't running out the door and then grabbing a muffin or bagel later because I was hungry -- people don't have to have breakfast but I was in the habit); (2) a lunch with protein, vegetable, and usually some sort of starch (sometimes I had extra fat or fruit instead); and (3) dinner with protein, veg, and starch. I also started exercising and eventually was doing quite a lot.

Like someone else said I built meals (other than breakfast, although now I would say breakfast too) around protein and veg, and then I used starches and fat to add flavor and round out the meal. To cut calories I cut down on the latter, but didn't cut them out. I mostly cut calories by eliminating snacking other than raw veg. I had one indulgent meal a week, usually at a restaurant, sometimes a favorite delivery/take out place. I used portion size to figure out how much meat to have when I had it (I assumed 4 oz raw), and didn't log, but would buy 16 oz and cut it into 4ths or some such.

If someone asked me for advice, not sure I'd get into all that detail, as it would depend on how interested they were, but I do think for many having structure is really important and then, whether you log or not, you can cut back/adjust based on results.

I know people hate "eat less, move more," but I really do think how to do that is something people have to work out for themselves for it to really work.

jjpptt2

So far I like the ideas to make protein the centerpiece of each meal and to be more intentional with your eating overall (reasonable, balanced meals... no mindless eating/snacking... etc).

nowine4me

amtyrell wrote: »

Why not weigh for a while so you get to know what a portion of the foods you eat is.

This is the best option!!

150poundsofme

Don't forget the healthy fats like avocado and small portion of nuts or EVOO.
I am always trying to do what you want to do. 2 P or 3, D 2, F 2, veg - unlimited etc.

spiffychick85

I have tiny hands and "piano" fingers...long and skinny....based off of this I would starve trying to eat this way

lindymacl

jjpptt2 wrote: »

I get what you ask are saying, and I get that recommendations might vary for a guy looking for 2500 cals vs a woman looking for 1500.

But if someone said they didn't want to count cals, what advise would you offer? What tips or guidelines could they use?

I know that mfp is a calorie counting tool... But there's gotta be something between calorie counting and being sol.

I intend to calorie count until I recognise a sensible portion size, then take it from there. If I start to put on weight I'll go back to weighing and measuring for a while.