Serving Sizes

MehiraDeOro

Hi, I was curious if anyone who has successfully lost weight by followed serving sizes word for word, or did you just kind of eye-ball it?

(For an example Cheerios 1 serving = 1 cup)

sthomse5

I measure just about everything! You can definitely eye the measurements if you think you have a realistic view. But higher calorie foods like pasta, chips and candy I would definitely measure. You can buy tiny baggies and make your own servings!

deliak2010

I used to just "eyeball it" in the beginning but a few weeks into it I decided to start measuring everything (and I mean EVERYTHING.. cereal, milk, peanut butter, berries, cheese, etc.) and it has helped me lose almost 30 lbs so far! It takes a little getting used to at first, especially when you're hungry and just wanna sit down and eat lol, but I promise it is definitely worth it! Also, you should look into investing in a food scale because that helps w/measuring meats, fruits, grains, etc. since they vary so much in size. When I'm unable to measure something like if I'm at a restaurant/party/etc. I just estimate via the MFP database or look up nutritional values on restaurant websites BEFORE I go out so I can plan what I'm eating and stay under my cals .

Good luck and feel free to add me for support!!

TheBauhausCure

Eyeballing can be dangerous! An extra 10 calories here, an extra 30 there...they can really add up! I've gotten so used to measuring that I won't even eat food if I can't measure it anymore.

melsinct

Go ahead and eyeball something. Now take it and put it on a scale. You'll be amazed at how wrong you are when you eyeball things. Weigh it if you want accuracy. Eyeball everything if you want to be one of those people coming to the message boards wondering why they can't lose any weight even though they track every bite they eat!

seekingstrengthX2

I measure everything. Nothing goes in my mouth anymore without being measured.

Maximus0005

I measure everything. Nothing goes in my mouth anymore without being measured.

That's what she said...

teacherkatz

I measure everything. Nothing goes in my mouth anymore without being measured.

this! I've been called neurotic!

Ash_76

its a rough aim for me,,,,1 fist size amount of meat same with veg,

SusanMcAvoy

I measure everything. Nothing goes in my mouth anymore without being measured.

I measure everything too. Guessing at calories is not an option for me. I use this site to be accountable to myself and I want to make sure I am as accurate as possible. Good luck!!

Swest01

Food scale!

Nic620

I measure everything now. I think it's really helped me and gave me a good wake up call on what servings look like and he much I was really consuming.

Debbe2

I measure because I need glasses when it comes to portion size I have bad vision.

Char_marcus

I measure everything, it's a habit i picked up from weight watchers years ago it helps as you will be surprised just how much you get for the weight portion recommended !! and you could end up eating more than you intend to

Tropical_Turtle

Go ahead and eyeball something. Now take it and put it on a scale. You'll be amazed at how wrong you are when you eyeball things. Weigh it if you want accuracy. Eyeball everything if you want to be one of those people coming to the message boards wondering why they can't lose any weight even though they track every bite they eat!

This^^^ Eyeballing can be very dangerous and very misleading. MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE

BaconMD

The question doesn't make much sense. The serving size printed on the box is for informational purposes, to give you an idea of what a particular amount of something contains. Eating exactly and only the serving size won't do anything for you in and of itself. It's about your total food intake versus your energy expenditure...

For example, I typically aim for about 500 calories per meal, give or take, with 2400ish for the day, so for breakfast today I had a serving of granola, a serving of fiber cereal, a half-serving of kamut puffs, a serving of almond milk, and a serving of blueberries. I've done OK with losing weight...

That being said, I measure everything unless I'm at someone else's place or a restaurant, then I try hard to estimate as close as possible.

londongirl2012

It's always good to weigh/measure what you eat for the most accurate calorie count..especially high calorie food that yu can overeat without realising. I found that was one of the key's to success when I previously lost 18kg along with eating more healthily especially almost no junk food and plenty or fruit and veg.

sandrinamsilva

I measure EVERYTHING. I use the same bowl/cup and find markers in the design to know where to stop

dls06

Serving size is usually larger then you need. I have a food scale and even cut most serving sizes in half. It's worked for me.

linzirussell

i guesstimate all my food lol i never measure or weigh it. this may not work for everyone, but it works for me:) x

Pashen4fit

I struggle with this as well so I got some measurement cups and I use lil bags to portion my snacks out if they not already in a bag

whasara

I need to measure or my portion sizes must be over because I don't lose unless I measure.

MehiraDeOro

(O.o) Wow, so it seems this was pretty unanimous that I should start weighing and measuring the amounts of food that I'm eating. I will make a much larger effort to do so. Thanks for the input everyone!