Portion Sizes

jpowers416

I'm new to this life style change that I have just started. I know that one of the biggest things to pay attention to is portion sizes, but I need to go get scales to weigh portions?! That seems a bit extreme, but it also seems like it may be the most effective way to keep track of things.

How do ya'll keep your portions to the right size?

Sauchie

I go by cups rice chicken and quarter cups of several veggies..

egbkid

If it is packaged, i usually go by what is written on it. I count Goldfish and cereal pieces into smaller containers for snacks.

If i make a meal, like a soup or casserole, i divide it into about 3/4 to 1 cup portions. Anything like yogurt, ice cream, etc, i use a ramekin, it is about a cup and i fill it half way, so about 1/2 cup.

For everything else, like chopped veggies, mashed potatoes, etc, i go with about a handful sized portion.

trgobble

I don't actually WEIGH things. For the most part, things that come in a package tell you how much is in the package. For things I make myself, like if I cook vegetables or something, I just kind of eyeball it. Otherwise, I'd go crazy with trying to figure out how much of what I'm eating. I'm sure sometimes I go over what I actually ate, and sometimes I size it at under what I actually ate, but as long as I don't say I ate 1 slice of pizza when I ate 12, I think I'm doing ok.

melizerd

I use a measuring cup and I bought some of the Tyson chicken breasts frozen individually so I could SEE what 4 oz of chicken looked like. Honestly I'm not overly concerned if I under/over estimate by 2oz on something. So shelling out for a food scale it too much for me.

RaeN81

A food scale isn't expensive (like 10 bucks) and it especially helpful for meat and cheese. I was surprised by what an actual ounce of cheese looks like! I don't use mine all the time, but it was important in my journey to discover what actual portions resemble.

ChubbieTubbie

I weighed everything at first, and now I can judge by feeling how much I'm getting. For instance, a cup of shredded chicken weighs about 4 oz if you don't pack it down. By shredding the chicken and weighing it, I know the chicken breasts I usually buy are about 4 oz each. Half a handful of shredded cheese is 1/4 cup, and a cap of peanuts is 1 serving. But to be able to learn it, I got a food scale--$5 at Wal-Mart.

jpowers416

Thanks guys! I appreciate the feedback. I just get nervous about meats and things when you're only supposed to eat a certain amount of ounces. My aunt went to some seminar where they had her buy a plastic plate that has the 3 different sections in it. The smaller sections were to be used for the meat and say potato, and then the bigger section for veggies. I'm thinking of buying one too to help keep me on track even more

Amarillo_NDN

for me, I have some cheap scales I use for the foods that are not in a package. But the main trick I use is use the same container for my meals. a 4 coup pyrex bowl. I can tell how much I put in it with out mesuring all the time.


Welcome to MFP, it is a great tool to help you.

jbootman

this is a very important idea--portion size---

for now I am weighing EVERYTHING, and I have been doing so for over 2 months, but then my portion control brain thing is out of whack,

I just picked up a book called The Portion Plan by Gassenheimer, lots of pictures,

but I expect to still weigh EVERYTHING for months to come, it is the sure way I will know I am within my calorie limits,

for example I had been using the apple 50 calorie average and after weighing my apple the other day I found out that it was 123 calories, my average apple is clearly bigger than the charts, so until I am able to reset my brain I will WEIGH, WEIGH, WEIGH,

saychzzz

Something that I use often is the guidelines used by Lilly ( a company that makes insulin and has a really good exchange diet). They say your fist is approximately one cup, the palm of your hand is approximately 4 oz of meat, your thumb is about 1oz ( like of cheese), then end of your thumb is approximately 1 tbsp and the end of your index finger is approximately a tsp. If you measure for a while in a measuring cup and compare the amounts to something you are familiar with, you can eyeball it. I still go back every now and again and measure to be sure I'm not over approximating. Hope that helps. You can look up the Lilly diabetic exchange diet online for more information of that sort. Good luck!

miqisha

I do both. I weigh and I measure. When eating potatoes and chicken etc, those you usually get the best serving by weighing them.

So it all depends on what I am eating.

I bought my scale on Amazon.

Goodluck

AmandaR910

I use measuring cups or count out crackers, etc.

Kate_UK

weigh everything thats not packaged. My scale is only a cheap one (£9 whats that about $6?) , but it works just fine and I know exactly what I'm eating.

glassyo

I weigh everything if it has a weight on it to go by. Especially cereal. Once I weighed oatmeal vs using a measuring cup and it was half the portion size!

I can't be trusted to eyeball anything. Before I started counting calories, 1/2 a bag of fun sized snickers and/or milky ways was one portion.

KarenBorter

I'm new to this life style change that I have just started. I know that one of the biggest things to pay attention to is portion sizes, but I need to go get scales to weigh portions?! That seems a bit extreme, but it also seems like it may be the most effective way to keep track of things.

How do ya'll keep your portions to the right size?

My food scale is my best friend. I measure everything. Sometimes I will use measuring cups, but mostly I go by weight. The scale I have deducts the container weight so if I put a bowl on the scale it will 0 out and only the weight of the food will be counted. this will be one of the best investments you make (that and a heart rate monitor).

jpowers416

I'm new to this life style change that I have just started. I know that one of the biggest things to pay attention to is portion sizes, but I need to go get scales to weigh portions?! That seems a bit extreme, but it also seems like it may be the most effective way to keep track of things.

How do ya'll keep your portions to the right size?

My food scale is my best friend. I measure everything. Sometimes I will use measuring cups, but mostly I go by weight. The scale I have deducts the container weight so if I put a bowl on the scale it will 0 out and only the weight of the food will be counted. this will be one of the best investments you make (that and a heart rate monitor).

Karen- I'm starting out at almost the same weight as you. How long has it taken you to lose the 15lbs? (Great job by the way!!!) 15 pounds seems sooo far away!

Val_from_OH

I have a food scale that I love. I use it for things like chips, raw potatoes, sometimes fruit, and meats that are difficult to guesstimate. (Who knew my kebob only had 2 oz of chicken!) Mine is digital and can weigh up to 11 lbs, so I can put a mixing bowl on there, zero out the scale, and then toss in whatever I need to weigh. It also works nicely for helping split that 5lb pack of burger into 1 lb freezer packs, and doubles as a postage scale.

KarenBorter

I'm new to this life style change that I have just started. I know that one of the biggest things to pay attention to is portion sizes, but I need to go get scales to weigh portions?! That seems a bit extreme, but it also seems like it may be the most effective way to keep track of things.

How do ya'll keep your portions to the right size?

My food scale is my best friend. I measure everything. Sometimes I will use measuring cups, but mostly I go by weight. The scale I have deducts the container weight so if I put a bowl on the scale it will 0 out and only the weight of the food will be counted. this will be one of the best investments you make (that and a heart rate monitor).

Karen- I'm starting out at almost the same weight as you. How long has it taken you to lose the 15lbs? (Great job by the way!!!) 15 pounds seems sooo far away!

I started on September 1 and last week I had lost 14.6 lbs (this site rounds up). Today is 14.8 lbs (long story on the only 0.2lb loss) but if you keep at it and do the right things, measuring food, drinking your water, watching Sodium, CUTTING OUT OR REDUCING Alcohol intake (in my case I quit drinking) then the weight will come off. Also, you HAVE TO EAT your exercise calories and you should try to not go below 1000 calories/day. Lots of variables and mileage WILL vary but that's how I am doing it

jpowers416

I already drink TONS of water, and drink very little alcohol, maybe a drink or 2 when I am hanging around my family. I've tried to "diet" before, but it only lasts a few weeks. Hopefully this time, the whole life style change, will help me stick to it. Thanks for the feed back. Hopefully I'll be as successful as you have been!

Leigh_D

*bump*

I found this interactive guide on WebMD :happy:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-portion-size-plate

stormieweather

I weigh and measure. When I wasn't as precise, I didn't lose weight.

mlwestlake

Often times, I look at the food that I have weighed on my digital scale and thought..."that looks like way more than 2/3 of a cup" Thoughts? Is it better to measure using a measuring cup, or weigh the food on a scale?

Sezmo83

I weigh almost everything. I'm pretty good at picking out 200g of potato without using a scale now but I still weigh just in case. I didn't realise until I started weighing just how much I was over estimating. I don't worry if I'm a few grams over though, I'm not farting around cutting bits off my chicken breast just to get rid of 5g of meat.

Pandorian

I have to use the scale rather than cups (measuring cups) I find too much variation in how much goes in a "cup" of cereal, I mean if it's rice krispies it'll be close every time in a cup but if it's something like raisin bran where you can end up with different amount of raisin in each bowl... ok well that one sucks as an example anyway :P I make my own raisin bran with all bran flakes and my package of raisins on the counter I know exactly how much of which item goes in.

mlwestlake

:-) .... ya, its just a little confusing. Which is more accurate? I am gonna go with the scale i think.