I was going through my phone and found old photos of food...

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predent
predent Posts: 95
in Food and Nutrition
And they perfectly track my weight gain. I couldn't even believe it. You can SEE my portion sizes increasing as time goes on. I don't even want to think about the amount of calories that are on my plates toward the end.

Here are some of the photos! These are all covering about a two year time period, during which I gained 25lbs.

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My boyfriend made me about THIRTY of these for Valentine's day. I literally had a panda cupcake army.

And finally,
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It's like a MOUNTAIN of pasta, oh god.

Luckily, I am learning to manage portions and it's kind of working. I have a very had time not going back for seconds though. Had anybody else successfully learned to control themselves? Any advice? :p

Replies

  • JennKoz529
    JennKoz529 Posts: 144 Member
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    I so know how you feel! Those were my portion sizes too! That plate of pasta is exactly what I would eat in one sitting. And sometimes I would go back for seconds. I never thought I was full enough and I always wanted more!!!!

    What I have been doing is measuring out portions. I never agreed with doing this before, but it is a great way to gage how much a portion size really is. I've found that when I look at what the serving size is on a item I tend to stay closer to it and that helps with the calories too. I've also used online tools to help figure out what certain portion sizes look like. Like how much pasta is in 1 cup (cooked).

    What amazes me more than anything is how it is such a mind over matter thing for me. I'll have a small portion of something and that will satify me enough. I used to think that I HAD to have the larger portions to satify me. Know I know I was wrong! Use those photos as motivation!!!!!
  • carmie12345
    carmie12345 Posts: 30
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    That cupcake panda is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!!!!
  • predent
    predent Posts: 95
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    I so know how you feel! Those were my portion sizes too! That plate of pasta is exactly what I would eat in one sitting. And sometimes I would go back for seconds. I never thought I was full enough and I always wanted more!!!!

    What I have been doing is measuring out portions. I never agreed with doing this before, but it is a great way to gage how much a portion size really is. I've found that when I look at what the serving size is on a item I tend to stay closer to it and that helps with the calories too. I've also used online tools to help figure out what certain portion sizes look like. Like how much pasta is in 1 cup (cooked).

    What amazes me more than anything is how it is such a mind over matter thing for me. I'll have a small portion of something and that will satify me enough. I used to think that I HAD to have the larger portions to satify me. Know I know I was wrong! Use those photos as motivation!!!!!

    Awesome, thanks! I find myself a lot of times not knowing exactly what one cup of something looks like. I was just making myself a bowl of cereal earlier and broke out the measuring cups. Felt kind of silly, but it definitely made me realize I had no idea what a cup of Cheerios looked like :P I initially poured out two cups and laughed when I saw that the bowl was completely full. Ended up putting half of it back into the bag.

    Another thing that I need to work on is weight, like what 6oz of chicken looks like. I can use the internet to look at pictures like you suggested until I can get a food scale.
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
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    Cucpcake panda = :heart:
  • bethfartman
    bethfartman Posts: 363 Member
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    If I recall correctly, I believe a serving of protein should be about the size of a deck of cards. I find it helpful to have comparsions like that. I think I've also heard a serving of meat should be the size of the palm of your hand, which for me is about a deck of cards, but I have small hands :)
  • leambi
    leambi Posts: 452 Member
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    I love the panda cupcake, so cute.

    I had the same issue, i used to eat the same portions as my 6 foot tall hubby who was about 240lbs at the time. When we both decided to shift the fat we went out and bought some smaller plates, it made it seem like we still ate the same amount of food as the plate looked just as full but there was actually less on it, this worked for us so it may be something that you would like to try to see if it helps.
  • brewinginspiration
    brewinginspiration Posts: 5 Member
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    Try to drink a glass of water after you eat too, it'll usually help to give you more of a full feeling if you're still contemplating going back for seconds. :)

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