portion control??

speechlessmotivation
speechlessmotivation Posts: 62
in Health and Weight Loss
so from what I've read I can eat whatever as long as I use portion control, well my question is how much portion of something should I have, one serving? and is it really the key to weight loss?

Replies

  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    it is total calories

    all the portions you decide to have in any combination should all add up to the calorie number you are trying to reach
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Generally, I stick to one serving of anything. But Dave is right, calories are what is important. If it's really high calorie, I might have just a half a serving, and if it's super low calorie, then I might have 4 or 5 servings.
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
    Just log everything.
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    It's the key to building a healthy relationship with food, in my opinion. I can either declare Doritos evil or have one serving of them when I want them. To me, the latter makes more sense and is more sustainable in the long run. The proper serving of something depends on a lot of things,...your personal goals, the food in question, the overall quality of your food intake on that day. For most "treats", I'll have one serving size. For things that are not unhealthy but are more calorie dense, such as pasta, I usually stick to one serving as well. It's a day to day thing, and kind of requires your own judgement. Noone can decide what is right for you, and there are many people who would disagree with what I've said. But portion control is definitely one of the most important things to me in my weight loss.
  • lesita75
    lesita75 Posts: 379 Member
    In addition to what others have said I would also suggest that you invest in a food scale. You can get a brand new one for less than $8 on ebay. Read the labels on your food so you really get an understanding of what a serving really is. I spent most of last year guessing how much a serving was. Once I got my food scale I realized I wasn't as accurate as I thought I was.
  • crazybookworm
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
    This is how I was successful:

    *Exercise 4-5 days a week(Including strength training 2-3 times a week)

    *Clean Eating- I ate healthy about 85% of the time. I had a serving of fruits and/or veggies with every meal, lean meats, lots of greens, etc.

    *Moderation- That 15% that I wasn't eating the best foods, I had in moderation. Like Chocolate, or ice cream or any of those guilty pleasures.

    *Portion Control- Watching my portions all the time, but especially when I was having the not-so-good for me foods.

    Most importantly, find what works best for YOU! I am a snacker, I always have been. Why change that? I just made my snacks healthier! I still snack throughout the day, but I just moderate the bad snacks, and most of the time find a healthier substitution for them!

    Now to answer your question about servings, maybe this will help you!

    287808232406453829_WlG4Ag4B_c_zpsc2ca3787.jpg

    Good luck!
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    a long time ago, I used to believe that breakfast was SO important and so I ate cereal every day. I used to think that my cereal bowl was one serving.

    OMG...when I started measuring my foods, I learned that my cereal bowl was about 5 servings!

    measuring and weighing your food will shock the crap out of you.

    It really is amazing how many calories I must have been eating when I thought I knew what I was doing.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It is important to understand serving sizes...it really depends on what I'm having whether I end up with one or two servings, et...but I measure and understand what that is and I log it. Portion control is definitely important, but you really need to account for your calories as well so that you don't go over or under eat.
  • MissJanet55
    MissJanet55 Posts: 457 Member
    I measure, and have recently started weighing my proteins.

    I generally feel free to eat multiple servings of green veg, but try to limit my servings of more calorie dense foods (it also helps keep my fats and carbs under control).

    But I have learned that there are some foods where I really struggle to keep my portions under control, and I don't eat these foods at home. It's not a good idea for me to have them in the house. (I also try not to order them in restaurants, where you always get served huge portions. A restaurant serving is never, ever "one serving.")
  • lamby284
    lamby284 Posts: 167 Member
    I used to be really confused about how serving sizes could add up to your daily caloric need. The first time I took a half cup out and measured a true serving, I was shocked and didn't believe I could eat that little of something. You get used to it in time as you change mentally. Typically a serving is a half cup of fruit/veggies. You can google the rules for whole foods. I follow serving size suggestions and usually get to around my daily 1500 cals, so it works out :)

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