teach?

christa96

Food scale (got a digital one at Wal-mart for $20), measuring cups, small plates and bowls trick the mind to think you have more. These are my friends daily! Read the serving sizes on the food labels. I start with that then if I want more and I have calories to use, I will allow myself more.

Celeigh12

Hey, Joseph, would you ever consider working with a nutritionist? I think that would be so beneficial for you to help you learn about portions, the right foods for you, and to help you learn how to avoid the binging as well. It can be covered by some insurance too. It's worth looking into!

Guamybear

I like eating a banana before dinner..really helps you feel up. I also gave up eating rice with every meal which kills me and make sure to have veggies.. cauliflower will feel you up before you know it. And DON'T eat seconds..

VelociMama

Hey, Joseph, would you ever consider working with a nutritionist? I think that would be so beneficial for you to help you learn about portions, the right foods for you, and to help you learn how to avoid the binging as well. It can be covered by some insurance too. It's worth looking into!

I second this notion, but recommend seeing a registered dietician instead. Almost anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, but a dietician actually has formal training and certification and will give you better information.

Celeigh12

Hey, Joseph, would you ever consider working with a nutritionist? I think that would be so beneficial for you to help you learn about portions, the right foods for you, and to help you learn how to avoid the binging as well. It can be covered by some insurance too. It's worth looking into!

I second this notion, but recommend seeing a registered dietician instead. Almost anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, but a dietician actually has formal training and certification and will give you better information.

Great point!

maricash

As others have said, a food scale is key. Start off by weighing and logging the portions that you would usually eat. Then you can see where you need to cut back. For example, I started out weighing what for me was a normal portion of cheese, it turned out that it was about 3-4 times what an actual portion should be, so the next time, I weighed out less. It's all a matter of fitting what you're eating into the calories you have allotted, but there is definitely some trial and error involved. I actually found that I was eating smaller portions than i thought of some things and too large of a portion of others.

macx2mommy

Food scale is the best way to learn about portions. I don't use mine often, but I do use it to help 'check in'.

I am out alot when I am eating, so I have found other guides for portions.

An ounce of something solid is about the size of a nine volt battery. Good to know for hard cheeses, meat, etc
Deck cards or the palm of your hand (just the flesh part) is about 3-4 oz of meat, or one serving size
I don't measure veggies, and try to eat them liberally, but 1/2 cup will fit in the 'cup' of ones hand.
Grains a portion is a about the size of tennis ball

I know the Canada food guide has these equivalents, I assume the US has something similar.

dena789

I have not read all of the replies yet but thought that, what may be really helpful to you, is to check out the information provided in the food pyramid - the guide to eating put out by the government. Here is a link http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pmap.htm This page also lists what each serving size is of each typical food group. It's also good information for what you really should be eating.

I must admit that I have never been much of a breakfast eater. Perhaps that is part of the reason I became overweight? I still don't eat a lot for breakfast but I do have something. Generally, (besides my coffee) I try to have a piece of fruit, a single serving container of yogurt and maybe a piece of toast or a breakfast bar. Or, fruit and cereal with milk. Keep in mind though that I am also not an early riser so the time between breakfast and lunch for me is sometimes only a couple of hours.

kellykaz79

The following is from the Weight Watchers website.
•Your fist is about the same size as one cup of fruit or pasta.
•Your thumb (tip to base) is the size of one ounce of meat or cheese.
•Your palm (minus fingers) equals three ounces of meat, fish, or poultry.
•Your cupped hand equals one to two ounces of nuts or pretzels.

Just a good springboard for getting your brain around portion control. I also agree with a food scale/measuring cups. Using smaller plates/bowls is also a great idea. If you're out, go ahead and put half of your meal in a "to go" box to help you stick to portion sizes.

It's a learned skill, but you can do it!

MinnieInMaine

Start reading nutrition labels on foods and pairing that with your food scale and both wet and dry measuring cups. When portion sizes are listed by gram (g) or ounce (oz), that's a weighted portion. When they say cup, 1/2 cup, etc, that's a wet or dry measurement depending on the food (broth would be wet, cereal would be dry). There's not a huge difference between wet and dry cups but it's best to be as accurate as you can be. And then obviously things measured in Tbsp, like peanut butter or mayo, would require measuring spoons.

I love the recipe function on here because you can add everything together and then approximate how many servings! More liquid things like soups and chilis are a bit harder but a lot of recipes you find in cookbooks or online will give you an actual potion size like 1 cup.

Here's a good link with more info from the AHA:
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Caregiver/Replenish/WhatisaServing/What-is-a-Serving_UCM_301838_Article.jsp

icimani

The following is from the Weight Watchers website.
•Your fist is about the same size as one cup of fruit or pasta.
•Your thumb (tip to base) is the size of one ounce of meat or cheese.
•Your palm (minus fingers) equals three ounces of meat, fish, or poultry.
•Your cupped hand equals one to two ounces of nuts or pretzels.

The Weight Watchers equivalents are great, but what happens when people's hands are different sizes?

I found this website from WebMD that gives equivalents like 1 serving of a baked potato is about the size of a computer mouse, 1 serving size of brocolli is about the size of a baseball, etc.

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


But - I definitely recommend a digital scale and start paying attention to the serving sizes on the labels.

cebreisch

Food scale is the most accurate way. I've found that most estimated measurements are easiest by the handful. A handful of mini pretzels is about 1/2 a serving - about 50-60 calories.

I liked icimani's post.