Portions help please

lexon5 · July 2012

Coming to the end of my first week so not sure what the scales will say on monday morning. Been looking through my food diary and wondering if there was anywhere that i could tweak what ive eaten. my main thing as that i dont understand portions and calories. i think this is because ive tended to follow slimming world which says you can eat as much x, y, z as you want as long as you follow the diet. Because of this its hard to work out what i should now eat trying a low fat calorie controlled diet. my target is 1730 cals a day which is a 500 decifit a day which should hopefully equal a 1 lb loss a week. For example to night i had lean mince beef with veggies and pasta but im not sure how much mince and pasta i should of had. whats a healthy portion:? my scales are in grams. Any ideas? please help. same with other measurable things like cereal etc.

cmriverside · July 2012

Buy a digital food scale.

Use measuring cups and spoons.

Sounds like you are living in Europe? I don't know what mince beef is. Pasta, a general size in the U.S. is 56g uncooked.....or about the size of a baseball when cooked. Meat, a portion is the size of a deck of cards. Veggies, you can eat quite a lot (except beans, squash, potatoes, and corn and carrots and peas - they are quite starchy) - so it depends on what veggie you are eating and hopefully you aren't adding anything like cheese or butter or sauces to the vegetable.

xarge · July 2012

I don't know what mince beef is.

Ground beef

And pretty much everything cmriverside said. Best is to get yourself a food scale. It's as precise as it can get.

lexon5 · July 2012

Yes am in the uk. have digital scales which i always measure my cereal with and measuring cups and spoons which im yet to figure out. Once if figured out how much im meant to be having then i think they will be indisposable.

kathyms13 · July 2012

i was givern a booklet by a friend who is a personal trainer. there are 7 pages but i could give you a few ideas, the main thing it to use a smaller plate ,

cmriverside · July 2012

Don't your boxes and bags have the portion size written on them?

Try Google for standard UK portion sizes. I'm sure you'll find your answer.

paulaviki · July 2012

Most packets of pasta I've seen give a serving as 40-50g dry which is about 100g cooked so that's the portion size I use. As for mince, normal size packs are 500g so if you have half a pack then log it as 250g. I just use the nutritional information on the packs, but read the portion/serving sizes carefully! My husband had a bottle of Yop the other day which was 500ml and the bottle said a serving was 75ml! So each bottle has nearly 6 servings.

RealWomenLovePitbulls · July 2012

This is from the Food Lovers program...

What you need on your plate is : protein, a fast carb, and a slow carb

1.Protein: meat, soy, protein powder, or cottage cheese
portions: lean meats should be the size of your open palm, including up to your first knuckle
dark meats or fatty meats should just be the size of your palm, not inlcuding the knuckle
either one should be about the same width as your palm as well
if you choose cottage cheese as your protein, it should be about the size of your closed fist

2. fast carb is gonna be bread, pasta, oats, rice, potatoes, corn, winter squash, melons, high sugar fruits (cherries, grapes, pinapples) apples, bananas, oranges, peach, pear, plums, kiwi - your serving should be about the size of your fist, except for rice, corn, and sweets, which would be about half that.

3, slow carbs include - veggies, leafy greens, tomatoes, berries, lemons, limes, beans, peas, and cooked greens - your serving should be about the size of your fist, except for beans and peas, which should be about half.

make sure for your meal you eat one thing from each category

try to keep your fats (butter and oil) down to about a tablespoon per meal!!

lexon5 · July 2012

All the portions are for a woman having 2000 calories or just states per 100g but i have no idea how many grams of things im meant to have. Any guidance on this is welcome as ive googled portions, pasta sizes, food in grams and theres no consistant answer. I checked on the NHS site (our medical care) and again its quite general. I need someone to say you can have x amount of this that and the other and thats what ill try to stick to.

paulaviki · July 2012

I don't think there is just a generic list of how much of what to have, you have to learn to read the packets and weigh and measure and figure out your own portions using packets as a guide.I log everything before I eat, days in advance if I can and then I can adjust my portion sizes depending on what I am eating and if I am working out.

47Jacqueline · July 2012

Coming to the end of my first week so not sure what the scales will say on monday morning. Been looking through my food diary and wondering if there was anywhere that i could tweak what ive eaten. my main thing as that i dont understand portions and calories. i think this is because ive tended to follow slimming world which says you can eat as much x, y, z as you want as long as you follow the diet. Because of this its hard to work out what i should now eat trying a low fat calorie controlled diet. my target is 1730 cals a day which is a 500 decifit a day which should hopefully equal a 1 lb loss a week. For example to night i had lean mince beef with veggies and pasta but im not sure how much mince and pasta i should of had. whats a healthy portion:? my scales are in grams. Any ideas? please help. same with other measurable things like cereal etc.

buy a food scale. Also there are 28 grams in an ounce.

cmriverside · July 2012

All the portions are for a woman having 2000 calories or just states per 100g but i have no idea how many grams of things im meant to have. Any guidance on this is welcome as ive googled portions, pasta sizes, food in grams and theres no consistant answer. I checked on the NHS site (our medical care) and again its quite general. I need someone to say you can have x amount of this that and the other and thats what ill try to stick to.

Yeah, there is no way for any of us to tell you that. The portion size is written on the pack. Eat that, and log it. Adjust if necessary next time. OR - prelog your food before you eat it and see if the calories amounts fit into your needs.

This below answers you very well, too.

I don't think there is just a generic list of how much of what to have, you have to learn to read the packets and weigh and measure and figure out your own portions using packets as a guide.I log everything before I eat, days in advance if I can and then I can adjust my portion sizes depending on what I am eating and if I am working out.

RealWomenLovePitbulls · July 2012

p.s. make ur diary public

Witchmoo · July 2012

I've done Slimming World for years and I would suggest if you've made for example a bolognese which is a sw recipe....a 300g portion of this would be a decent portion and then you should add your superfree, I personally have 200g of green beans and if I'm hungry 200g of cauli/brocoli too. If I have pasta I have 75g dry weight and rice I have 62.5g dry weight....this way I measure and calorie count but apply the sw principles which I find makes life easier in terms of recipes I know....

xarge · July 2012

Sorry I'm a bit confused about this.

Under Food > Recipes you can enter your recipe.

You can add how many grams of pasta, mince, veggies, oil etc you used and divide it for the number of serving you had from that cooked pasta and you'll have your portion for the night.

It's a bit hard for us to guess how much pasta you had. If you had dinner out then that pasta can be anywhere between 100 grams to 200 grams cooked. Serving size differs from one restaurant to another.

Witchmoo · July 2012

Should also add that doing mfp and calorie counting will drive home why sw bang on and on about superfree should be a third of your plate......as a result I now actually do it!

tlblood · July 2012

For me, I generally go with the serving size that is on the package...most meats are labeled as 4 oz, cheese is 1 oz...

But more important that what is a serving size of xyz. is how much are you eating. I'll cut off a chunk of watermelon, weigh it, log it with the acurate weight, and eat it. I don't worry as much about cutting it down to the right size, I just worry that I logged how much I did eat.

sharleengc · July 2012

I bought a food scale. I measure everything (pre cooked) then from there I decide how much of a serving I can have or want and weigh it based on the serving size portion. So, measuring cup and scale are my best cooking friends. I follow the serving suggestions and weigh/measure according to my calories.

For example, a serving of ground turkey is 4oz. I weigh it then cook it. Same with noodles, a serving is 2oz, I usually weigh out 3 oz.

krumpli · July 2012

If you have a "normal-sized" coffee cup (not espresso, not huge, just normal) then this is usually about the same as what we Americans call "one cup."

Or this is handy: http://www.google.hu/imgres?imgurl=http://topsytasty.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/portion_control_chartFULL1.gif&imgrefurl=http://topsytasty.com/blog/estimate-serving-sizes-with-household-objects-or-your-hands/&h=1284&w=888&sz=94&tbnid=a7aSASxznoRKQM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=62&prev=/search?q=portion+sizes&tbm=isch&tbo=u&zoom=1&q=portion+sizes&usg=__FPhQ7NT5j3wTLui21m8JV3iEuIo=&docid=xi-nwFBCr2GfzM&sa=X&ei=mJQVUJGhEYyWswbtnIGwDQ&ved=0CGoQ9QEwBA&dur=10342

lexon5 · July 2012

thanks for the comments. Like the idea of keeping the meals slimming world friendly and may have to use the reciepe function also. x

krumpli · July 2012

I think it's worth mentioning that over here in Europe, serving sizes are NOT labeled on packaging except in about 10% of the cases (and these are usually more "fitness" type items such as healthy cereals, yogurts, etc.). Rather, the nutrition facts are given in 100 g or 100 ml increments. For some items, 100g is a huge amount while for others 100g is a tiny amount... needless to say, it leads to a lot of math to figure out how many calories etc. are in the amount of food you are actually eating, and a lot of googling "30 g beans oz" and such!

cmriverside · July 2012

I think it's worth mentioning that over here in Europe, serving sizes are NOT labeled on packaging except in about 10% of the cases (and these are usually more "fitness" type items such as healthy cereals, yogurts, etc.). Rather, the nutrition facts are given in 100 g or 100 ml increments. For some items, 100g is a huge amount while for others 100g is a tiny amount... needless to say, it leads to a lot of math to figure out how many calories etc. are in the amount of food you are actually eating, and a lot of googling "30 g beans oz" and such!

Thanks so much for pointing that out. I didn't know that - and that's why I suggested to google UK portion sizes.

I also didn't understand that "Slimming World" was some sort of weight loss program. The more we know....

Witchmoo · July 2012

Yep, Slimming World is a very successful weight loss programme.....they've just hit the US but in Texas only so far.....it works if you follow the rules, if you 'tweak' it doesn't and many say 'but I've been 100%' but they haven't and that's why they don't lose.....I try and combine their plan with the calorie counting to bring some balance.

juliekaiser1988 · July 2012

Especially at the beginning, and for a good long time- nothing went in my chops that wasn't measured. Digital scale, measuring cups/ spoons (especially peanut butter- good Lord!!) Best nutritional weapons on earth is a well prepared kitchen.

juliekaiser1988 · July 2012

I think it's worth mentioning that over here in Europe, serving sizes are NOT labeled on packaging except in about 10% of the cases (and these are usually more "fitness" type items such as healthy cereals, yogurts, etc.). Rather, the nutrition facts are given in 100 g or 100 ml increments. For some items, 100g is a huge amount while for others 100g is a tiny amount... needless to say, it leads to a lot of math to figure out how many calories etc. are in the amount of food you are actually eating, and a lot of googling "30 g beans oz" and such!

Now there's something I didn't know! Us unhealthy, overweight Americans put serving sizes and y'all don't? WOW...

I'd freak out without that info on everything I eat!!

ayshamc · July 2012

I am in the UK and although I don't follow her diet, I bought some of the Rosemary Conley Portion Pots online.

I really like them for measuring out Pasta and Cereal and all sorts of stuff. They come in 4 different sizes for cooked and uncooked items and a card showing you the most commonly used foods and which colour to use....they weren't expensive either.

Not for everyone, but I found they have helped me!

paulaviki · July 2012

I think it's worth mentioning that over here in Europe, serving sizes are NOT labeled on packaging except in about 10% of the cases (and these are usually more "fitness" type items such as healthy cereals, yogurts, etc.). Rather, the nutrition facts are given in 100 g or 100 ml increments. For some items, 100g is a huge amount while for others 100g is a tiny amount... needless to say, it leads to a lot of math to figure out how many calories etc. are in the amount of food you are actually eating, and a lot of googling "30 g beans oz" and such!

I'm in the uk and most of the food I buy has portion sizes on it, and I don't just buy healthy food.

But if the packaging only gives you nutrition per 100g then weigh out what you would normally have and work out the numbers - it really isn't that hard to do! If you can't find the right portion size in the MFP database then add it, if it's food you eat regularly then you only have to work it out once.

PNJB796 · July 2012

Hi Lexon, Your scales are fine for your need, but careful reading of the nutition on the side of all packets will identify the calories etc you need. e.g Flavahans Porridge quotes per 100gms 374 Cals (kcal) with a breakdown of carbs / fibre/protein etc and then does the same for a single 40gm portion150 Cal (kcal).

Put your bowl on the scale and zero it, add 40 gm of porridge, and as the instructions say, add 250 ml of water then heat till cooked.

This same priciple works for all food products in the UK.

Hope this helps?

SmallMimi · July 2012

Can you do an online search for nutritional information on the products you use? You might be able to use USDA nutritional info for fresh fruits, vegetable and meat. http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8964

mightyminerva · July 2012

I agree with much of what has already been suggested: measuring cups/spoons, digital scale, read nutrition and serving size information on packets.

I estimate what a restaurant portion is while I'm there, before I touch a spoonful of food. For example, yesterday I ate out and ordered a glass of wine and a pasta dish with sea bass and tomato sauce. I noted that a small glass of wine was 175 ml (printed on the menu), and that the sea bass looked to be about half a fillet. There were 4 cherry tomatoes, about 1 cup of sauce, and about 2 cups of cooked pasta. That's what I plugged into my diary.

You can get familiar with serving sizes with something like this: http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/01/know-your-portion-sizes/ For example, a serving of protein (steak, chicken, fish) is about the size of a deck of playing cards. That is the suggested serving size, NOT an entire 100 g of mince.

NB: I'm an American living in the UK, and so I live by cups for measurements. I know that packages often have the nutrition content for 100 g instead of one serving or one bag of crisps. The packages will have the weights on them (35 g, for example), so you will have to do a bit of math to estimate how many calories you're actually eating. For example, the package and MFP may have cheese as being 500 calories per 100 g. However, a serving is more like 20 g.

Remember that restaurants often give you about twice of a serving, and if you get to know portion sizes and become familiar with a scale, everything should become easy!

fatmom51 · July 2012

Most of the pastas I use (spaghetti, macaroni, even rice, etc.) run about 200-220 calories for a cooked cup, so if you've made a whole family sized meal you can still measure out your serving and have a roughly accurate count.
As for the meat, I would weigh it and then check the database on here to record it. (Many of the meats have grams as well as ounces, but if they don't, use the ounces and figure out the math. For example, if you've had 100 grams, record it as 3.5 ounces if you can't a metric listing for that meat.) Some of the counts may be approximations, but they shouldn't be far enough off to make a significant difference since in the grand scheme of things the amounts are never going to be precise because we're not living in a lab somewhere. For example, one day it might be 3.4 ounces, the next 3.7, the next 3.3, the next, 3.5, and so on...OR one day our cup will hold fewer pieces of pasta because we let them boil longer and they're bigger, another day there will be more because it's been squashed down a little more, or they're a little more al dente, and so on.
I think if you follow general nutritional guidelines, try to hit your macros and calories, and get good variety, you should be fine.

Portions help please

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