overestimating?

Cheeky_0102
Cheeky_0102 Posts: 408 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I find it really hard to guess what I ate when i'm not serving myself, so I tend to take the bigger portion... like today I had rice, butter chicken and spaghetti squash. I have no idea how much I put in there, so I guessed a cup of rice, a cup of butter chicken (I server everything at home in a half cup measure)

I find that the hardest part of eating outside of the house... I made a low cal dinner (portobella mushroom with pizza toppings) so I can have an ice cream at the movie theatre, but I still feel like i'm doing something wrong by overestimating my foods and might be under eating.

Replies

  • IIISpartacusIII
    IIISpartacusIII Posts: 252 Member
    I find it really hard to guess what I ate when i'm not serving myself, so I tend to take the bigger portion... like today I had rice, butter chicken and spaghetti squash. I have no idea how much I put in there, so I guessed a cup of rice, a cup of butter chicken (I server everything at home in a half cup measure)

    I find that the hardest part of eating outside of the house... I made a low cal dinner (portobella mushroom with pizza toppings) so I can have an ice cream at the movie theatre, but I still feel like i'm doing something wrong by overestimating my foods and might be under eating.

    This is what food scales are for. You can get some very exact numbers. If you truly care about accuracy then there are clear cut ways to achieve this.
  • EHisCDN
    EHisCDN Posts: 480 Member
    I think I do the same thing. I have a fear that it's just as bad to overestimate as to underestimate. I might have to invest in a food scale. It gets complicated when you're not serving yourself or if you're out to eat. I can guess at what my portion is but unless I'm at home and using a measuring cup how accurate can I be?
  • sbrownallison
    sbrownallison Posts: 314 Member
    Restaurant eating is super-difficult for someone trying to lose weight, but you must first assume that they are giving you 3 to 4 times a "normal" portion of food. You can ask for a take-home container and divide it out before you start to eat. Then you have tomorrow's lunch. And perhaps the day after. (One of my techniques for weight loss is to control my environment, one element of which is to almost never eat at a restaurant.)
  • Cheeky_0102
    Cheeky_0102 Posts: 408 Member
    I was at my mom's house, not a restaurant (yea the butter chicken was takeout)... but it wasn't my food, I didn't feel like looking like a goober measuring. I'm fo sho not lugging a food scale with me. lol

    My job might be taking me on the road sometimes and eating out will not be a choice, but a necessity... I don't want to be stuck eating subway because I know their menu.

    Sometimes you have to wing it, and eventually in life, you have to let go of the measuring cups (at least sometimes)

    nothing is a perfect science, even two matching steaks have different nutritional makeup. No two eggs are the exact same size...

    I guess I'm just whining about how difficult it can be to log accurately when you are outside your comfort zone.
  • IIISpartacusIII
    IIISpartacusIII Posts: 252 Member
    I was at my mom's house, not a restaurant (yea the butter chicken was takeout)... but it wasn't my food, I didn't feel like looking like a goober measuring. I'm fo sho not lugging a food scale with me. lol

    My job might be taking me on the road sometimes and eating out will not be a choice, but a necessity... I don't want to be stuck eating subway because I know their menu.

    Sometimes you have to wing it, and eventually in life, you have to let go of the measuring cups (at least sometimes)

    nothing is a perfect science, even two matching steaks have different nutritional makeup. No two eggs are the exact same size...

    I guess I'm just whining about how difficult it can be to log accurately when you are outside your comfort zone.

    Ah... plenty of "good" excuses and a bit of philosophy on life. Yeah... you're on the right track.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I find it really hard to guess what I ate when i'm not serving myself, so I tend to take the bigger portion... like today I had rice, butter chicken and spaghetti squash. I have no idea how much I put in there, so I guessed a cup of rice, a cup of butter chicken (I server everything at home in a half cup measure)

    I find that the hardest part of eating outside of the house... I made a low cal dinner (portobella mushroom with pizza toppings) so I can have an ice cream at the movie theatre, but I still feel like i'm doing something wrong by overestimating my foods and might be under eating.

    This is what food scales are for. You can get some very exact numbers. If you truly care about accuracy then there are clear cut ways to achieve this.

    Are you suggesting she carry a scale with her when she is eating out? That seems ridiculous.

    OP, I'd suggest measuring at home until you get good at "eyeballing" portions. Then you will feel better about guesstimating when you are not at home. Of course, it's still often difficult to know exactly what the ingredients were.
  • Anthonydaman
    Anthonydaman Posts: 854 Member
    Restaurant eating is super-difficult for someone trying to lose weight, but you must first assume that they are giving you 3 to 4 times a "normal" portion of food. You can ask for a take-home container and divide it out before you start to eat. Then you have tomorrow's lunch. And perhaps the day after. (One of my techniques for weight loss is to control my environment, one element of which is to almost never eat at a restaurant.)
    very well put, control your enviornment
  • gatorginger
    gatorginger Posts: 947 Member
    When I go to my sister in laws house if I know whats on the menu before I go I can get an estimate of what it would be to eat what she is serving and an estimate is better than not knowing at all. If I don't know what I am gonna have then I just let loose that day and just enjoy a meal like a normal person. The days I do this I don't log it in.

    Life will be full of ups and downs so try to enjoy the curves when they are thrown at you.
  • theycallyoumister
    theycallyoumister Posts: 222 Member
    I believe I overestimate on some things...and go under on others. I think it all balances out if you try be as honest as you can. In the end, if you are losing (at whatever rate) it's all good! :smile:
  • Gordo1981
    Gordo1981 Posts: 59 Member
    Being on the road doesn't always mean you have to eat out. I have been on the road a few times for work and often there is a foodstore somewhere. It may not be exactly what you eat at home but you could get a fruits and veggies there, pick up some milk and cereal if you want. There are even some prepackaged things that at least you can be sure they are in the MFP database and portioned for it as well.

    Remember you DO NOT have to eat out on the road.
  • krickeyuu
    krickeyuu Posts: 344 Member
    When I am eating restaurant or take-out food, I usually try and find another restaurant or take-out place that has similar food and use that for my log. I do this because most restaurant and take-out food has a lot more sodium and fat than what you would make at home. But if I eat at someone's home, I assume they would cook similarly to the way I cook and I use my own home recipes as a guide.

    I agree with an earlier reply that the more you weigh and measure your food at home, the more you can recognize a serving of said food in a restaurant or at someone's house.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Learning to estimate portion size is very important unless you really want to weigh and measure and log every single thing for the rest of your life (I don't).

    I've been doing this awhile, and I have it down pretty good now just from routinely seeing those portions on my plate. Also, you want to be mindful of what your body is telling you...stop when you're satiated. Feeling full is your bodies way of telling you that you over did it.

    Also, this might help...

    http://www.ncpad.org/81/595/Estimating~Serving~Sizes
  • schondell
    schondell Posts: 556 Member
    Nobody's perfect but I'm gonna work it - HANNAH MONTANNAH
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Being on the road doesn't always mean you have to eat out. I have been on the road a few times for work and often there is a foodstore somewhere. It may not be exactly what you eat at home but you could get a fruits and veggies there, pick up some milk and cereal if you want. There are even some prepackaged things that at least you can be sure they are in the MFP database and portioned for it as well.

    Remember you DO NOT have to eat out on the road.

    Nooooo. Prepackaged stuff is just as bad. You got to measure it. Some lie about portions (it says there are 2 servings, but there are really 2.5), or flat out lie about nutrition info.

    Load up on veggies, it won't matter if you're underestimating or not. Compare the protein to the size of your palm and that's about one serving. Just avoid fried things, burgers (or eat half of one) and sauces. Get a salad with healthy things in and get dressing on the side. Most places will have grilled chicken with veggies or salads.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    All of this is just an estimation really so youre doing fine.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    When I'm not making the food I typically find what's close in the MFP database and estimate high.

    When I am making the food I weigh and measure everything.
  • Laurelthequeen
    Laurelthequeen Posts: 78
    If you get a scale at home and begin weighing your portion sizes, eventually it gets quite easy to guestimate about how much of any particular thing your'e eating.

    Most restaurants have nutritional information online, so if I know I'm going to be going out (my mother in law doesn't cook, but insists we visit her "for dinner" which generally involves going out....so I am sure to find out where we'll be eating before going there so I can look up the menu). If you don't decide beforehand, most people have smartphones so you should be able to look it up, or look up a similar dish.
  • ameskimous
    ameskimous Posts: 7 Member
    Carry a measuring spoon and miniature scale! Very often, you can measure your food without making a scene. For example, when you are dining with your family, they might joke about it, but they will probably be OK with it. Your health should be very important to your family, especially since losing your health can place them in a caretaker role.

    There are, of course, times such as wedding dinners and very formal dining when measuring would be inappropriate. The question to ask is, "Would this detract from the attention the bride, retiree, client etc. deserves? Would it tend to focus all attention on me and my diet?" If the answer is yes, then abstain from measuring!
  • Cheeky_0102
    Cheeky_0102 Posts: 408 Member
    Carry a measuring spoon and miniature scale! Very often, you can measure your food without making a scene. For example, when you are dining with your family, they might joke about it, but they will probably be OK with it. Your health should be very important to your family, especially since losing your health can place them in a caretaker role.

    There are, of course, times such as wedding dinners and very formal dining when measuring would be inappropriate. The question to ask is, "Would this detract from the attention the bride, retiree, client etc. deserves? Would it tend to focus all attention on me and my diet?" If the answer is yes, then abstain from measuring!

    wow! you are die hard. I don't think that will ever fit into my lifestyle... power to you though!
  • Cheeky_0102
    Cheeky_0102 Posts: 408 Member
    Being on the road doesn't always mean you have to eat out. I have been on the road a few times for work and often there is a foodstore somewhere. It may not be exactly what you eat at home but you could get a fruits and veggies there, pick up some milk and cereal if you want. There are even some prepackaged things that at least you can be sure they are in the MFP database and portioned for it as well.

    Remember you DO NOT have to eat out on the road.

    Nooooo. Prepackaged stuff is just as bad. You got to measure it. Some lie about portions (it says there are 2 servings, but there are really 2.5), or flat out lie about nutrition info.

    Load up on veggies, it won't matter if you're underestimating or not. Compare the protein to the size of your palm and that's about one serving. Just avoid fried things, burgers (or eat half of one) and sauces. Get a salad with healthy things in and get dressing on the side. Most places will have grilled chicken with veggies or salads.

    I'm 100% with you on this thought. prepackaged = bad. That's the hard part about this... it's easy to eat at subway, because almost every sandwich combination is in the database... it's WAY easier to pick 6" turkey on flatbread no cheese light mayo over 2 slices of bread brand x, 30 grams of deli sliced turkey breast, 1/4 avocado, 1/2 large tomato, 1 tbsp. hummus...

    I guess that's why stuff like nutrisystem works, because it takes ALL the guesswork out. BUT you aren't learning for the long run. I just feel like I'm ripping myself off on the days that I call something more than it is. But better over than under!
  • Inshape13
    Inshape13 Posts: 680 Member
    I always overestimate rather than underestimate because it is much better to me to have a surplus rather than not. This is quick reference if you are out and did not know for sure how much you have been given.

    A standard serving of...
    •cereal (1 c.) = a baseball
    •salad dressing (2 Tbsp.) = a shot glass
    •nuts (1 oz.) = a cupped palm
    •cheese (1 oz.) = a ping-pong ball
    •hamburger (3 oz.) = a mayo jar lid
    •peanut butter (1 tsp.) = one die
    •beef (3 oz.) = a bar of soap
    •rice (½ c.) = an ice cream scoop
    •potato = a computer mouse
    •dinner roll = a yo-yo
    •butter (1 tsp.) = a Scrabble tile
    •fruit (1 c.) = a tennis ball
    •cooked pasta (½ c.) = a golf ball
    •fish (3 oz.) = a checkbook
    •poultry (3 oz.) = a deck of playing cards
  • Thor127
    Thor127 Posts: 6 Member
    I personally slightly overestimate on what I eat when I don't prepare my own food, however if you start preparing similar foods to what you eat at restaurants or other people's houses then you can measure what you are taking in at home several times until it is much easier to estimate when you go out. I also find it easier if I try to eat at places that post their nutritional information online, which is thankfully becoming much more common.
  • Jill_newimprovedversion
    Jill_newimprovedversion Posts: 988 Member
    While NONE of this is 100% accurate, using an inexpensive food scale (found mine @ WalMart for less than $10)
    and measuring spoons/cups
    is a GREAT way to get an idea of serving sizes
    until you can trust your eyeballs to measure ( however, I've been in maintenance for 1.5 yrs and mine STILL can't be trusted)

    it may sound like a lot of *bother* but it isn't much different that learning how to cook-
    first by following a recipe,
    then tweaking it with your own style,
    then branching out and doing your own thing...
  • splashblob
    splashblob Posts: 249 Member
    I am too have a problem estimating food portion when I have to eat out. I do carry out food scale with me in my bag though and what I do is just ask the restaurant staff/waiter/waitress for another empty plate-preferably a big one before pulling the scale out. Then after I got the plate, I put it on my scale and most people won't notice it.

    I do have problem estimating how much of the cooking oil in the dish though. I order pan grilled dish a lot but I am not sure how much oil is being used so I tend to overestimate it by 2 tablespoon per dish and add more 100-200 for sauce/seasoning/marinate.

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