Portion size vs 1200 calories
RicochetRabbit
Posts: 43
Which is more important, portion size of 1200 calories?
I just had a baked 5oz chicken breast with 1/2 cup cream of mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cup turnip greens/turnips, 1 cup califlower. It was a plate full. It was not portion sized and I am still under 1200 for the day.
I just had a baked 5oz chicken breast with 1/2 cup cream of mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cup turnip greens/turnips, 1 cup califlower. It was a plate full. It was not portion sized and I am still under 1200 for the day.
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Replies
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Which is more important, portion size of 1200 calories?
I just had a baked 5oz chicken breast with 1/2 cup cream of mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cup turnip greens/turnips, 1 cup califlower. It was a plate full. It was not portion sized and I am still under 1200 for the day.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm assuming that you are not finished eating for the day. Here are my newly established rules:
- Don't force yourself to eat if you aren't hungry - don't force your liver to overwork when it doesn't need to.
- Portion size/ your stomach telling you it's full when it's full is more important than getting in all your calories
- Limited, healthy fats are good and if you are under your calorie limit, you might not be eating enough of them
- Eat healthy carbs (fruits and veggies) as much as you please
This is what works for me. May not work for others. I prefer to live by what my stomach tells me than what fad diets do...0 -
I could careless about portion size. My rant for the day is who eats 4oz of chicken? I always have enough calories to eat 8oz+ so who cares.0
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Which is more important, portion size of 1200 calories?
I just had a baked 5oz chicken breast with 1/2 cup cream of mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cup turnip greens/turnips, 1 cup califlower. It was a plate full. It was not portion sized and I am still under 1200 for the day.
that's sounds like a normal plate for me. protein and veg. i log the amounts, but i don't limit myself to only a certain serving size.
minus the gross cream of canned crap.0 -
Which is more important, portion size of 1200 calories?
I just had a baked 5oz chicken breast with 1/2 cup cream of mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cup turnip greens/turnips, 1 cup califlower. It was a plate full. It was not portion sized and I am still under 1200 for the day.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm assuming that you are not finished eating for the day. Here are my newly established rules:
- Don't force yourself to eat if you aren't hungry - don't force your liver to overwork when it doesn't need to.
- Portion size/ your stomach telling you it's full when it's full is more important than getting in all your calories
- Limited, healthy fats are good and if you are under your calorie limit, you might not be eating enough of them
- Eat healthy carbs (fruits and veggies) as much as you please
This is what works for me. May not work for others. I prefer to live by what my stomach tells me than what fad diets do...
On a flip side to this post, I come from an endurance sport background, and a few things I have learned are:
- Eat regardless of if you're hungry. When your body is *telling* you you're hungry, it's because it's sufficiently low on energy, it's efficiency is dropping. However, there is no need to stuff your face until you're full.
- It's ok to have low days and high days. Your weekly calorie intake is more important than what happens day-to-day. Also, what you do on this day/week will have little impact on your results in a month/year from now. Consistency is key.
I'll completely agree with frenchy's two other statements.0 -
Huh?0
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Portion sizes are only important because they help you measure out and track the calories you are consuming. Your portions can be as big or small as your calorie count for the day allows. The most important thing is net calories. And the appropriate amount of calories is different for everyone - based on individual size and activity levels. It's not always going to be 1200.0
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I prefer to live by what my stomach tells me than what fad diets do...
^This always makes me laugh. I see it a lot on here. People living by what their stomach tells them to do is how they got fat in the first place. Controlling your calorie intake is a proven scientific method, not a fad diet. :laugh:0 -
I prefer to live by what my stomach tells me than what fad diets do...
^This always makes me laugh. I see it a lot on here. People living by what their stomach tells them to do is how they got fat in the first place. Controlling your calorie intake is a proven scientific method, not a fad diet. :laugh:
Right... Maybe if you live a sedentary life and have a bad hand-to-mouth habit. If we are making points merely based on observation, then I can say after living in Europe for 4 years, I don't think I knew one person who counted calories. And they all were much thinner than any American counterparts I knew. Big roads, bready and preservative-laden carbs, and limited person-to-person interaction is just a starter for the obesity epidemic, in my opinion. Then maybe counting calories can help. I'm not fat, nor have I ever been. And I don't count carbs. Oh, and please include your sources when you claim that counting calories is the scientifically preferred road to preventing obesity.0 -
I used to overeat not because I wasn't physically full but because I felt hungry all of the time even when I knew I was full. In the last few months eating a low carb diet seems to have corrected that problem -- whether it was the food or some kind of hormone imbalance or a combination of both I don't know but that constant hunger is gone -- so now I absolutely can eat when I'm hungry. Some days that's under 1,200 and other days it might be 1,900.I prefer to live by what my stomach tells me than what fad diets do...
^This always makes me laugh. I see it a lot on here. People living by what their stomach tells them to do is how they got fat in the first place. Controlling your calorie intake is a proven scientific method, not a fad diet. :laugh:
Laugh and call it what you will but it's working for me and a lot of others.0 -
"eat when hungry" is a totally viable plan. but it sort of begs the question of why you would hang out on a calorie counting web site, doesn't it?0
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I used to overeat not because I wasn't physically full but because I felt hungry all of the time even when I knew I was full. In the last few months eating a low carb diet seems to have corrected that problem -- whether it was the food or some kind of hormone imbalance or a combination of both I don't know but that constant hunger is gone -- so now I absolutely can eat when I'm hungry. Some days that's under 1,200 and other days it might be 1,900.I prefer to live by what my stomach tells me than what fad diets do...
^This always makes me laugh. I see it a lot on here. People living by what their stomach tells them to do is how they got fat in the first place. Controlling your calorie intake is a proven scientific method, not a fad diet. :laugh:
Laugh and call it what you will but it's working for me and a lot of others.
I had the same experience. Although the Paleo Diet didn't work out long-term for me, just 6 months of it must have put my hormones in check. I now eat carbs - fruits, veggies, pasta - but no longer have major hunger pangs and stop when I'm full, which before, as a girl, could be hard at certain times.0 -
"eat when hungry" is a totally viable plan. but it sort of begs the question of why you would hang out on a calorie counting web site, doesn't it?
Good point but I think there's a lot more to this site than just counting calories. I used to count calories with this app three years ago, which is why I have this account. But I've since stopped, and primarily use this site as a means of getting and giving information from other people - experience-wise.0 -
Which is more important, portion size of 1200 calories?
I just had a baked 5oz chicken breast with 1/2 cup cream of mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cup turnip greens/turnips, 1 cup califlower. It was a plate full. It was not portion sized and I am still under 1200 for the day.
Could you possibly clarify your question?0 -
The same as most people I imagine, to track what I'm eating and my progress. The "eat when hungry" thing has just evolved for me -- before it meant eat a **** ton of fruits and vegetables and try like heck to stay below my estimated maintenance calories and now it just means eat like a normal human being."eat when hungry" is a totally viable plan. but it sort of begs the question of why you would hang out on a calorie counting web site, doesn't it?0 -
Well that meal doesn't total 1200. Not sure what you're asking.0
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For me? Neither. Fueling my body is most important.0
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Portion size can't really be compared to calories. Look at it this way. Every person needs a certain number of calories a day to be healthy. People need to eat a variety of foods to reach that number of calories. Different foods contain different types of nutrients - protein, fiber, calcium, carbohydrates, etc, and calories. Portion sizes are simply a way to categorize how much of a specific food a person would eat in combination with other foods at a specific meal to get the best bang for the buck, calories and nutrient wise.
Ok, I admit this is really over simplified.
Like others have said, don't worry if you're under calories one day or two. Chances are you'll be slightly over a day or two to make it up. We look at calories on a daily basis, but it's the ongoing average number of calories that we eat consistently each day that's the problem. Average your calories out over a week and I'm guessing you'll be fine.0 -
I could careless about portion size. My rant for the day is who eats 4oz of chicken? I always have enough calories to eat 8oz+ so who cares.
.....................I eat 4 ounces of chicken, that's who.
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Knowing portion sizes is important for knowing the calories and macro/micro balance.
Now, just a guess here, but are you asking if feeling full is more important than meeting your calorie goal or being over 1200 calories per day?
My opinion, and it's just MY personal opinion and nothing more than that, is that you need to make sure you are properly fueling your body. That means getting enough calories, with the right macro balance, so that your body can function and be healthy while maintaining a sane deficit to reach your weight loss, gain, or maintenance goal.
I have found, FOR ME, that the MFP numbers work quite well if followed.0 -
me tooI could careless about portion size. My rant for the day is who eats 4oz of chicken? I always have enough calories to eat 8oz+ so who cares.
.....................I eat 4 ounces of chicken, that's who.0 -
I prefer to live by what my stomach tells me than what fad diets do...
^This always makes me laugh. I see it a lot on here. People living by what their stomach tells them to do is how they got fat in the first place. Controlling your calorie intake is a proven scientific method, not a fad diet. :laugh:
Actually my problem was not listening to my stomach, it was my taste-buds/used to eating to much brain. When I actually pay attention to what my stomach tells me, and do it in a healthy way, I lose more weight. I know the difference between being hungry(stomach) and having the munchies(brain) its the munchies that get me into trouble. When I eat more slowly, I know when I am full, and can stop eating.0 -
To answer your question, portion size is EXTREMELY important.
Your stomach is ONLY the size of your fist. Yes, your fist.
Your stomach, however, is to some degree elastic and can take more food than it needs. I think it was created this way because our ancestors would go days without food and the stomach adopted a way to OVEREAT so we wouldn't starve to death.
If you only eat enough food that would fill that fist sized stomach, then you are getting the right amount of food for that meal. This is why they say you should eat when you're hungry instead of during scheduled meals; because if your'e eating fist sized meals, and you're hungry 6 times a day, you should know how much food your stomach needs.
The calorie of the food you're stuffing in your face is important to know because the secret to losing weight is putting in less calories than you're burning. So if you're eating 5 oz. of chicken (huge piece of protein with high caloric intake), then you should be having low calorie carbs with it. Any diced veggie would do. And the next time you eat (2 - 4 hours later) should NOT have protein unless you did a work out; so a bowl of fruit or some carrot sticks and humus would suffice.
I have lost 12 lbs just this month alone in dieting this way. 1200 calories doesn't "seem" like much; but it's a lot when you're eating the right foods.0 -
I enjoyed reading all these posts. I was worried today because I went way over (760) worth of calories. However, this week had under 1200 calorie days, most all of them. I was hungry so I had grapes, more than I should have had and also Ritz crackers. That was bad.
What I don't understand is how they can figure how much I will way by eating the way I ate for the day.
I alo feel that hi and low days are good for boosting of matabolisim. Anyway good luck everyone and I hope I can lose0 -
Well the chicken was larger than the size of my palm, the campbells cream of mushroom soup was not low cal, huge amount of t-greens/turnips and califlower. I haven't been loosing as fast as I would like and wondered if I was eating too much at dinner instead of a larger lunch? Maybe my portion sizes were too large no matter what the number of calories.
I don't know. All I know is that plate was large, good and I am full. I hope I will still be happy about it in the morning when I step on the scales.:happy:
Thanks for the comments.0 -
the reason people say to watch your portion sizes is only to reduce your calorie intake. ex - if you eat a bowl of cheerios for breakfast you could be eating 2 serving and not knowing it, but if you measure out the cereal you only eat one serving, and are only having half the calories you normaly do. i stick with counting my calories and its worked great for me:) its much more acurate than just watching your portion sizes. i used to do that and lost weight very slowly because i would look at a granola bar, or a yogurt and think "its only 100 calories so its okay" and i would think i was doing great, but 100 calories here and there adds up fast, i was doing that way to offten and i was going over my calories alot, but i would recomend that you count your calories, and watch your portion sizes. then you can eat more often through out the day and still fit within your calorie goal
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I prefer to live by what my stomach tells me than what fad diets do...
^This always makes me laugh. I see it a lot on here. People living by what their stomach tells them to do is how they got fat in the first place. Controlling your calorie intake is a proven scientific method, not a fad diet. :laugh:
Actually my problem was not listening to my stomach, it was my taste-buds/used to eating to much brain. When I actually pay attention to what my stomach tells me, and do it in a healthy way, I lose more weight. I know the difference between being hungry(stomach) and having the munchies(brain) its the munchies that get me into trouble. When I eat more slowly, I know when I am full, and can stop eating.
Good point. There is a big difference between appetite and hunger. I find when I don't look at my diet as restrictive (no this, this, or this) and instead look at it as open (eating as many fruits and veggies as you'd want), mentally I am more inclined to eat healthfully and rarely think about what I'm "not" eating. Restrictions have never worked for me.
And if you are going to eat a piece of cake or pastry, then you might as well savor every single morsel of it.
Interesting that jenilla1 is M.I.A....0 -
the reason people say to watch your portion sizes is only to reduce your calorie intake. ex - if you eat a bowl of cheerios for breakfast you could be eating 2 serving and not knowing it, but if you measure out the cereal you only eat one serving, and are only having half the calories you normaly do. i stick with counting my calories and its worked great for me:) its much more acurate than just watching your portion sizes.
It may be more accurate than estimating, yes. But in my opinion, long-term it can be an obsessive pain in the *kitten* and if you don't have the gadget to do so every single minute of your life, you need to understand what a "portion size" really is for you. I can only handle about a fist-full and a half of food at a time, no more. And it may be different for other people.0 -
1: this site says you will weigh this much in this long based on the math of your calories. It says if you ate like this every day you would weigh this much. It simply calculates your calorie deficit for the day and multiplies it over 5 weeks. As a 3500 deficit equals 1 lb, it calculates how much you would lose. It is a very rough estimate as it doesn't take into account varying degrees of activity levels or caloric intakes. It means just what it says, if every day were like today- and you can't clone your life so don't take it as an absolute.
2: I think the original poster is questioning the timing of her calories during the day and which is a better option. Either spreading cals out evenly through the day or eating less earlier and having a big dinner. For me, I try to spread it out more. I find that eating a big dinner actually spikes my insulin and causes me to be hungry later at night. everyone is different. Differences in metabolism, eating habits and types of food eaten can affect how your body uses food energy and how you
Lose or gain weight. Closely tracking times and ants eaten can help you identify what works best for you. Maybe try a cpl weeks of big dinners then try 5-6 small meals. See how your body reacts and make a decision. Just don't be too rigid about it. Do what works for you. Good luck!0
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