Why Portion Control Doesn't Work

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  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
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    So super-portions don't have an impact?

    Bring back the 5 cent chocolate bar, and we might have a chance to beat the obesity phenomenon. Nobody ate 6 of the things in a row back then.

    Ditto the coke. And everything else.

    Portion control is essential to good health.
  • jlahorn
    jlahorn Posts: 377 Member
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    ... I noticed she wants you to buy something at the end. IMO it's a scare tactic to get people to buy into her program.

    She's promoting her program and hawking a book. And her site is fuschia. Immediate dismissal.
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
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    It totally depends on the individual with certain foods for me (Trigger foods) there is not such thing as portion control unless I only purchase X amount becouse I will eat XXX amout, Those foods for me are Ice cream one bowl is good 2 bowls is better 3 bowls must be better yet woops I just ate the half gallon. And cookies same thing with other items I can eat only a portion cake for instance I can have one piece and be good and pie. ITs all trial and error for me. I believe for most people also there are certain foods that I just should not have in the house.
  • lpgafford
    lpgafford Posts: 2 Member
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    Several things jump out at me as I read this article. First, the author seems to be obese (youtube from 10/12)! I don't take advice about getting rid of excess pounds from obese people. If they know so much about this topic, why have they not managed to change themselves. Second, binges are a self-destruct mechanism and it is an eating disorder. Usually, there are emotional issues that need to be dealt with and portion control will not work for these people (so she's right about that one). Third, she is definitely trying to sell something. Although, I'm not sure she has the schooling or training to be dealing with eating disorders since HHC means holistic health counselor.

    I appreciate those of you who stuck with this long enough to know what works!!! Great encouragement from y'all by just checking out the tickers!!!
  • ahadj
    ahadj Posts: 257 Member
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    And her site is fuschia. Immediate dismissal.

    LOL! Best response thus far
  • RisOnTheRun
    RisOnTheRun Posts: 624 Member
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    I think that what she's saying sort of makes sense if you have a problem with bingeing. You need to address the bingeing problem first, otherwise you'll undo all of your progress at portion control. Trying to stop a bingeing habit at the same time as trying to control your portions in everyday life is probably too much for some people. As a former binge-eater, I agree that long term success depends on you getting your emotional eating under control first before focusing on portion control, counting calories, or whatever it is you do. That said, for the rest of the world that doesn't have a problem with bingeing, she's way off--clearly portion control works.
  • Lind140
    Lind140 Posts: 140 Member
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    Right or wrong, the first thing I noticed is the author is overweight?? Then I noticed she wants you to buy something at the end. IMO it's a scare tactic to get people to buy into her program. Portion control absolutely works for me. I'm not saying I don't have bad moments but for the most part with out portion control, I wouldn't have lost 107 lbs.

    Whole hearted agreement! She wants you to buy into her fantasy that she's created, and it looks to me like she
    could do with some portion control herself. Yes, we all have bad days, and overdo, and I've gone overboard
    in the past, but portion control and better choice of foods has been steadfast in my success in taking off 167
    pounds. It took time but I did it.
  • So_Much_Fab
    So_Much_Fab Posts: 1,146 Member
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    Thousands? millions? of successful MFPers would disagree.
  • sebailey3
    sebailey3 Posts: 12 Member
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    I have lost 32 pounds doing not much more than portion control. i still enjoy eating junk food i just eat less of it less often. i have tried the restiriction in the past and i didn't lose nearly as much and i gained it all back with an additional 50 pounds so...
  • CosmicBella
    CosmicBella Posts: 195 Member
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    :huh: My Ticker says portion control does work! :bigsmile:

    This! Yup, my ticker would have to agree with that statement. :drinker:
  • lpgafford
    lpgafford Posts: 2 Member
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    The previous posts are correct. The fad diets did not work, ergo eating a reasonable amount of food and counting calories does not work.

    Nothing but a snake oil salesman.

    Yep!!!:happy:
  • geekette411
    geekette411 Posts: 154 Member
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    It also seems to start with the assumption that everyone is an emotional eater (false) and that bingeing is inevitable.

    Then it tries to sell you something.

    Moving on.
    Agreed. Ditto.
  • shellma00
    shellma00 Posts: 1,684 Member
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    I had to stop reading after this paragraph.....

    "using portion control to deal with overeating is like putting a band-aid on a deep knife wound. Maybe it’ll stop a bit of the bleeding or seem to be taking care of the problem for a while, but eventually you’ll realize that the band-aid isn’t helping. Plus, you may find that just putting a band-aid on it causes more problems than it solves."

    Really?? I dont know what to even say to this. Overeating one day does not always mean we will start binging on a regular basis.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    She's just not doing it right.
  • kevinjb1
    kevinjb1 Posts: 233 Member
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    The article talks about emotional eating. If someone has an issue of overeating because of their emotions then they need to work on that before any diet plan will be effective.

    I found that trying to use any kind of specific diet plan that restricts a certain type of food (think Atkins) simply didn't work for me because I love food and I do not want to put myself into a box of things I can and cannot eat in order to lose weight. That's simply not realistic for everyday life. Sure I will lose weight, but when the diet is over I would (and have) gain it right back because now they want to eat all of those things again and they haven't learn how to eat proper portions to maintain their weight.

    Learning how to eat healthier food and in proper porportions will not only help you lose weight, but also fuel your body properly so that you don't feel like you are restricting your intake, which will almost always lead to overeating. If you are emotional about your eating habits then that could lead to a since of failure and giving up on your goals completely.

    And don't forget that exercise is an important way to not only burn calories, but make you feel stronger better about yourself. Gotta love those endorphins!

    Bottom line is I still eat chips, cake, cookies, chocolate, pizza, etc when I want, but I eat WAY less than I used to eat when I eat those things and my other meals are balanced so that I am stil at a deficit at the end of the day. That way I can live my life and still lose the weight.
  • SherryR1971
    SherryR1971 Posts: 1,170 Member
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    I think there is a difference between portion control and restriction.
    this was my first thought. Portion control is very important, and it is different from restriction. We have gotten so far off from what an actual portion size is, no one knows anymore.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
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    This person doesn't seem to be in a good position to help others.
  • maryv83
    maryv83 Posts: 73 Member
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    I stopped reading about half way down once I realized that she was trying to sell you on her "program", but was hesitant from the beginning when I saw the blogger's picture. Don't beat yourself up over a "bad" day. You fall off the horse and get right back on. That's all there is to it!
  • Maddalen101
    Maddalen101 Posts: 307 Member
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    For many of us, bottom line to success at weight loss is being CONSCIOUS of what you eat.
    Portion control is an EFFECT of the consciousness. When you know what you're eating, and its metrics, you are more inclined to take control and work with what you eat in order to maximize nutrition and taste while minimizing calories and fat. That's it in a nutshell. Doesn't mean restriction ... just intelligent deployment of what's at hand.
    Just sayin' ...
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    It's a money making headline, nothing more, and I'm not impressed.

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