Portion Control Weighing your food success stories pls!

NewLIFEstyle4ME · November 2013

Yesterday I was shopping and found three really CUTE little portion control containers on sale. These little container things are called Fit & Fresh Smart Portion Chill Containers and though I haven't used them yet...WOW, it's actually shocking to SEE what a "portion size" REALLY is. I tend to eat pretty healthy these days, but WOW...based on these containers, I'm eating WAYYYYY more than I though I was, which maybe the reason the scale isn't dropping as much as I think it should be.

I've always rebelled and utterly rejected the idea of weighing my foods, because I tend to see doing that as...ummmm, too restrictive and obsessive. But after seeing these containers and thinking about the people I know who have been tremendously successful weighing their food, it's tempting (especially since I just got these containers). Yet, again, it's SCARY to me, for some reason, to seriously consider "weighing" my food.

I'd LOVE to hear any success stories on portion control and/or weighing your foods? Also, I LOVE to hear how anyone has gotten over the "it don't take ALL that" mentally in portion control and/or weighing your foods and your results.

Thanks so much in advance for your reply!!

shining_light · November 2013

I weighed my food religiously for more than a year. It's messed up my food mentality quite a bit because I got into this mindset of "if I don't eat everything on this plate, how will I have known how much I ate?" Not good.

JTick · November 2013

I think my ticker speaks for itself.

I can't imagine not weighing my food. How do you know how much you're eating??? I try to keep a 500 calorie deficit. If I eyeballed the ground beef I just had, I could easily underestimate by 100 calories. And then the PB and J I had this morning? How do I know how much 2TBS of PB is? There goes another 50. What about cheese on my taco? I love that stuff, and could easily see myself eyeballing 2 ounces as 1...there's another 100 calories! Before you know it, my 500 calorie deficit is gone!

DorothyR87 · November 2013

I have lost 30 lbs by weighing my food. Now I can't say I get all nutso and weigh things when I am dining out, but if it's prepared at home (which my food usually is) then it gets weighed. I can say that by weighing my food I am now a better judge of what exactly a portion is for when my food scale isn't available. For me weighing makes the most sense because I know that I used to be the type of person to eat 3 servings of something and then try to say it was only 1. In the end I was only hurting myself. I also love weighing my food because I am not one for totally cutting out ANYTHING I enjoy. I will simply weigh out what I can "afford" to eat calorie wise and I still get to enjoy all the yummy things I like without overindulging.

shining_light · November 2013

I think my ticker speaks for itself.

I can't imagine not weighing my food. How do you know how much you're eating??? I try to keep a 500 calorie deficit. If I eyeballed the ground beef I just had, I could easily underestimate by 100 calories. And then the PB and J I had this morning? How do I know how much 2TBS of PB is? There goes another 50. What about cheese on my taco? I love that stuff, and could easily see myself eyeballing 2 ounces as 1...there's another 100 calories! Before you know it, my 500 calorie deficit is gone!

I totally agree with this, though.

JTick · November 2013

I weighed my food religiously for more than a year. It's messed up my food mentality quite a bit because I got into this mindset of "if I don't eat everything on this plate, how will I have known how much I ate?" Not good.

If I have anything left on my plate, I put it in a leftover dish. It's then "free" calories for anytime I'm extra hungry, because it's already been counted for in my day. I have no problem grabbing an already accounted for leftover container for a midnight snack.

paddgirl21 · November 2013

I've lost my weight primarily from weighing my foods. This was so I could not only count my calories correctly, but also so as time goes on, I will get to know how much I am eating without having to weigh my food. I have to retrain my brain essentially. When I wasn't weighing my food, I was eating more than I thought I was and lost little to no weight. I ended up getting a heart rate monitor as well because I figured, well if my calorie counting was WAY off, then let's see about how many calories I ACTUALLY am burning...turns out that was way off as well. So, given both tools, I've been able to lose about 10 pounds a month.

Weighing my food isn't as bad as I originally thought. It took a bit getting used to (I would forget a lot) but now it's second nature. It takes literally seconds, so whatever.

There are times when I don't weigh my foods and it is basically because eh, I didn't feel like it that day and I've been getting better at my portions. Soon enough!! I won't have to weigh. :-)

nutmegoreo · November 2013

I weighed my food religiously for more than a year. It's messed up my food mentality quite a bit because I got into this mindset of "if I don't eat everything on this plate, how will I have known how much I ate?" Not good.

If I have anything left on my plate, I put it in a leftover dish. It's then "free" calories for anytime I'm extra hungry, because it's already been counted for in my day. I have no problem grabbing an already accounted for leftover container for a midnight snack.

I really like this idea, although I rarely have leftovers.

I have tried to go it without measuring. Historically, not my strong suit. I weigh and measure everything. I usually take what I want and weigh it as I go, then plug in the numbers while I am eating. If I go over a bit one day here and there, I am not going to kick myself. Do I get exercise cals for kicking my own butt?

feelin_gr_8 · November 2013

I weigh my food. 22 lbs down so far. The way I look at it-portion control and weighing is a way to train yourself into learning what appropriate fueling is for your body. You don't have to do it for the rest of your life, but by the time you've lost what you want you should be able to break that chain and know how to self-manage

JakiDee · November 2013

I was against it for years then it clicked for me. If I am weighing myself, why wouldn't I weigh what I am putting in my body? Down 140lbs and maybe 100 of that is since I starting weighing my food.

ldrosophila · November 2013

Before my pregnancy I had lost about 75lbs portion control and measuring/weighing have been the only methods that helped me lose weight and get pregnant.

It's really not that bad either you get used to it, and there is a point when your stomach does shrink and you cant handle large portions. You feel fuller longer and it's easier to gage how much is going into your mouth. I honestly don't think anyone can successfully lose weight long term if they don't portion control. It's a way to have your cake (small piece 1inchx1inch or 2oz) and eat it too.

If you think about it that is why WLS is so effective it's basically forced portion control.

mustgetmuscles1 · November 2013

I weigh or measure out most things.

Some people seem to think this is over the top, obsessive or extreme in some way. Not sure why. They all think having nutrition facts on the label is great but then scoff at actually making sure you are eating the correct serving size.

77tes · November 2013

I'm in love with my food scale. (It's actually a postage scale). It really had helped me control my potions.

dizzow · November 2013

I weigh most everything, except when eating out and mixed things like soup. I had / have such a messed up idea of what a portion was; it is important for me to retrain my brain. I can easily see me continuing to measure things for the rest of my life' however; because I can easily see me doing it the rest of my life because I feel like it would be easy for me to add more and more over time. I'm still learning to conceptualize portions when eating out.
It doesn't make you over zealous to weigh portions, it makes you aware and careful.

DigitalDiana · November 2013

[/quote]

"If I have anything left on my plate, I put it in a leftover dish. It's then "free" calories for anytime I'm extra hungry, because it's already been counted for in my day. I have no problem grabbing an already accounted for leftover container for a midnight snack."
[/quote]

Above does not show as a quote...but it's from another poster....
This is a fantastic idea!!!

ClementineGeorg · November 2013

Thta's what MFP is about, ain't it?

I'm doing these weighing thing since I started using MFP, more than a year ago. I then to be more mathsy and controlling, so weighting food works like a charm on me.
I don't always have a scale at hand, but after a while you know by eye how much is that grilled chicken breast and those baked potatoes when having lunch with your coworkers at the nearby restaurant.

Portion control has also helped me to understand what my body needs, so I almost never have something left in my plate, because I know what quantities fill me, from any food.

Weighting can be hard at first, but in time it becomes very easy.

Off course, it is not 100% science. It's just a aproximation of calories and a method to know when to stop.
Any method of portion control works, as long if that fits your personality and lifestyle.

Well... my success isn't that great, because I have a little deficit (I won't deny, I love food, I couldn't do anything less than 1600 calories), but it's steady and little by little I have lost a great amount.
And it feels like I can do it. And I know I will do it,

KarlaH9801 · November 2013

Yup. My poor scale just died, I've used it so much. It's amazing how much you think you're consuming , and how much you really are. Once you do it a while, you can get pretty good at estimating. I still weigh and measure, just to be sure.

Unknown · November 2013

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stumblinthrulife · November 2013

Pretty much all my success (both in cutting and more recently bulking with minimal fat gain) came from weighing food accurately on a food scale. I weigh to the gram or tenth of a pound, depending on how the item is entered in the database.

In theory you could eyeball it, but that seems a little too much like just hoping you eat little enough to lose weight. 'Hope is not a strategy' as the old adage goes.

allendye · November 2013

Hi I'm new to this site for approx. 2 weeks now (joined in 2012 but wasn't serious as I am now)
I'm curious on what store you bought those containers. I live in BC Canada?

Thanks Carol:flowerforyou:

stumblinthrulife · November 2013

I weighed my food religiously for more than a year. It's messed up my food mentality quite a bit because I got into this mindset of "if I don't eat everything on this plate, how will I have known how much I ate?" Not good.

If I have anything left on my plate, I put it in a leftover dish. It's then "free" calories for anytime I'm extra hungry, because it's already been counted for in my day. I have no problem grabbing an already accounted for leftover container for a midnight snack.

What are these 'leff tow vers' of which you speak?

JTick · November 2013

I weighed my food religiously for more than a year. It's messed up my food mentality quite a bit because I got into this mindset of "if I don't eat everything on this plate, how will I have known how much I ate?" Not good.

If I have anything left on my plate, I put it in a leftover dish. It's then "free" calories for anytime I'm extra hungry, because it's already been counted for in my day. I have no problem grabbing an already accounted for leftover container for a midnight snack.

What are these 'leff tow vers' of which you speak?

Well...occasionally....under very rare circumstances....my eyes are bigger than my belly! Usually I can stuff it in, but there's been a time or two there's just not room!

NewLIFEstyle4ME · November 2013

Hi I'm new to this site for approx. 2 weeks now (joined in 2012 but wasn't serious as I am now)
I'm curious on what store you bought those containers. I live in BC Canada?

Thanks Carol:flowerforyou:

I got mine from a grocery store for a dollar each. If you go to amazon, put into the search box Portion Control Containers and you'll see a ton of stuff. These particular containers got mixed reviews, because people complained they leak. Here's the link for the ones I have:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_kitchen?ie=UTF8&field-brandtextbin=Fit+&+Fresh&node=284507

Here's some other interesting ones:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_beauty?ie=UTF8&field-brandtextbin=Curves+for+Avon&node=3760911

http://www.amazon.com/Adult-MyPlate-Flat-Plate/dp/B006YUVF1S/ref=pd_sbs_k_6

http://www.amazon.com/Precise-Portions-Lifestyle-Accessory-Glasses/dp/B00ACDWQOI/ref=pd_sbs_k_7

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_kitchen?ie=UTF8&field-brandtextbin=Precise+Portions&node=284507

I'm sure you can find these portion control dishes and measuring things at places like Bed, Bath and Beyond, Walmart, etc. or places like Marshall's for FAR less than these prices on amazon.

pauldix · November 2013

When I began my diet back in January, I didn't weigh. It sounded a bit obsessive and unnecessary. But I found the weight wasn't consistenty coming off.

After 3 months away from the diet in summer I came back with a renewed determination to take it seriously. I decided that meant weighing. And weighing just about everything.

Since then, the weight has come off absolutely to plan. One pound a week (at least) without fail. That for me, is a water-tight argument for weighing. (And really, is it that difficult?)

Bobbiezilla · November 2013

I absolutely weigh everything when I'm preparing meals.....luckily that's most of the time. Sometimes I wish potatoes weighed less

but sometimes I'm surprised at how much fits on my plate. I tried estimating for a while, but I overestimated and my weight loss stalled. Once I started weighing my food again I was back on track. My scale has moved from being put away in the cupboard to it's own convenient space on the counter

JourneyingJessica · November 2013

I've lost a bit over 50lbs by weighing most thing & using measuring cups on the rest.

Things i weigh pretty religiously are the high calorie things like meat, cheese, nuts. Measure most things with measuring cups, the only exception being low cal veggies like green leafy ones & onion.

To make my life easy i keep a set of cheap set of 1/4 c, 1/2c, 1c measuring cups, a 1TB right in an easy place to grab & use. (If i had to dig them out every time, it wouldn't happen). My food scale lives next to coffee maker

easy enough to grab to measure things like cereal & milk at breakfast.

The easiest thing, for me, on most things, is to look at the number of servings and divide that by eye. For example, 1c of rice is 4servings. so ill make that on Monday. Hubby and i have 1/2 Monday for dinner (1/4 of the cooked stuff), & the other 1/2 on Tuesday. In the end, if you divide them, even if eyeballed, averages out over the week.

It really did help me figure out how much I was eating. I had no clue what a serving was. For example, my biggest eye opener was a "serving" of pasta. It's only 1c of cooked pasta! Who, over age of 5, only ever eats 1c?!?!

bleep · November 2013

Pro Tip - When weighing things like peanut butter, jelly, mayonnaise or any other high calorie but hard to estimate stuff... Put the bread on the scale first and then zero the scale out, then add whatever it is to the bread to get that weight right.

I remember when I first started weighing things, somebody told me that and it helped me.

NewLIFEstyle4ME · November 2013

I've lost a bit over 50lbs by weighing most thing & using measuring cups on the rest.

Things i weigh pretty religiously are the high calorie things like meat, cheese, nuts. Measure most things with measuring cups, the only exception being low cal veggies like green leafy ones & onion.

To make my life easy i keep a set of cheap set of 1/4 c, 1/2c, 1c measuring cups, a 1TB right in an easy place to grab & use. (If i had to dig them out every time, it wouldn't happen). My food scale lives next to coffee maker easy enough to grab to measure things like cereal & milk at breakfast.

The easiest thing, for me, on most things, is to look at the number of servings and divide that by eye. For example, 1c of rice is 4servings. so ill make that on Monday. Hubby and i have 1/2 Monday for dinner (1/4 of the cooked stuff), & the other 1/2 on Tuesday. In the end, if you divide them, even if eyeballed, averages out over the week.

It really did help me figure out how much I was eating. I had no clue what a serving was. For example, my biggest eye opener was a "serving" of pasta. It's only 1c of cooked pasta! Who, over age of 5, only ever eats 1c?!?!

Wow, what an eye opening post! I didn't have a CLUE that 1 cup of rice is 4 servings!?!?!!!??? :noway: and 1 cup of cooked pasta is a "serving". WOW....this explains a LOT to me in terms of why the scale isn't moving for me as I'd like. Thank you so much for posting. I also LOVE what you said about a "cheap set of measuring cups too...that's extremely doable. Congrats so much also on your weight loss too!!!:flowerforyou:

Unknown · November 2013

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Holly_Roman_Empire · November 2013

Pro Tip - When weighing things like peanut butter, jelly, mayonnaise or any other high calorie but hard to estimate stuff... Put the bread on the scale first and then zero the scale out, then add whatever it is to the bread to get that weight right.

I remember when I first started weighing things, somebody told me that and it helped me.

Same here. When I started hearing "Weigh everything" I was thinking to myself, "I am not going to weigh out 10 grams of butter before I put it on my toast. That's just silly!" Well, it is silly because there's an easier way, hehe.

RochelleTrue · November 2013

I thought that I was eating a healthy diet before joing MFP, but by measuring everything, I realised that my portions were WAY out. I started out by putting out what I thought a portion would be, then measuring it and found in some cases I was eating nearly double what the recommended serving size is (damn you pasta!)

I don't think it takes any extra time really to weigh things out, if you are pouring things into a bowl, just put it on top of the scales before you start, it's second nature now to me. And after a few weeks, you'll find that you are much better at judging sizes.

Portion Control Weighing your food success stories pls!

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