Retraining Your Idea of Portion Sizes?

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rayneoverme
rayneoverme Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So, I've had an over-eating disorder since I was a child and I *know* what typically portion sizes look like: a deck of cards for meat, 1/2 your plate should be veggies, etc. The question I have is how long does it take before your brain recognizes, "Oh yeah, this is enough" instead of driving you to go get more?

Thanks for your time.
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Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    you need to eat to feel satisfied. not so much that you're stuffed full, but enough to last you until your next meal. or eat to fit your goals. I have macros for the day, I plan my meals, and I eat them. I don't eat more, I don't eat less...easy! I also don't follow conventional guidelines - most of my meals are so big they don't fit on a normal plate!

    I read an article today about emotional eaters - they don't recognise normal hunger/fullness signals, but eat until they're emotionally satisfied instead.

    I used to eat emotionally and could quite easily eat a whole cake, or a bag of lollies, or a whole bag of chips...or all of them! now i'm quite happy with nothing, or just a small portion. if I try something and it's not that great, I can stop after a bite - previously I would have eaten the whole lot because it was there.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
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    I find it helps if I have a definite plan of when my next meal is going to come. Also I have a glass of water afterwards and then make myself wait for half an hour before I go and have seconds.
  • padams2359
    padams2359 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    Try 6 meaning instead of 3 or 4. Throw in some protein bars in there. They are like swallowing a boat anchor.
  • yixzy
    yixzy Posts: 3
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    I remember the first time I weighed out what a "portion size" of pasta was, I'd been eating SO much more than that.

    I think what I needed to do was retrain what a "meal" was. I would think dinner was "pasta with a bit of sauce" - but I've changed my views to be "sauce with a bit of pasta" - I can have a whole load more veggies and tomatoes etc than I could pasta.

    I still have a huge appetite and I get a bit depressed if I only have a tiny amount of food on my plate. So I try to bulk my food up with lower calorie options, vegetables, salad, etc. That way I don't have to have less food - but I still have fewer calories.
  • Naturalhiker
    Naturalhiker Posts: 73
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    I have read also to use smaller plates for dinner time rather then the larger ones we are trained in our minds to cover the plate so if you cover a smaller plate you will think your eating more...
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Wow. What an excellent, thought provoking question that could make each of us assess our relationship with food. Great job :smile: Hah, well, maybe it's not that serious and I just feel that way because I just woke up :smile:

    This makes me think of manufacturers who know dang well a serving won't satisfy anyone, so in order to not completely repel potential buyers with the calorie count, will make the serving size so small. Brownie = 1/88th of a package? Pizza = 1/3 of a slice? I try to recognize some of these foods as calorie dense treats and only have them when I have the caloric budget for them, whatever or whenever that may be.

    As for other foods, no short cuts. My brain doesn't know anything, I weigh the food or read the label and log it. *That* I can compare to the established serving size. Okay, that is an over simplification, because I can tell you after about six months of logging, yes I can eyeball a piece of chicken or fruit and fairly accurately guess how many calories. My scale did come with a book I use almost daily. It has a "calorie factor" where I multiply the edible portion of the food in grams by the calorie factor to get the calories. For me it's not about eating only one serving but accurately logging how many servings I plan on eating. Then if it consistently takes 18 servings to be satisfied, maybe this isn't the food for me. So log, log everything, don't beat yourself up about any failure, then correct.

    I've clearly gone a bit off topic, and have not yet mastered this whole nutrition down pat by any means, so I almost insist you take what I say with a grain of salt! I say read other responses and file this one under interesting reading :smile:
  • KnM0107
    KnM0107 Posts: 355 Member
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    For me the most important thing was to learn what portion sizes were right for me, and my nutritional goals. One serving size of something may or may not be enough. Taking my calorie and macro goals into consideration, I might have two servings of one food and one serving of another food.
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
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    Two things that helped me a lot were a) measure your servings always - after the initial shock wears off, you get used to seeing and eating the same amount each time (it becomes the "new normal"; and b) get and use some smaller bowls/plates. For me it was mostly bowls - I used to eat massive "servings" of things like cereal and ice cream (often several bowls), so I picked up a couple of much smaller bowls (different sizes) and use those now instead. I think this worked for me, in part because it automatically helps control the portion, and partly because it tricks my brain - the bowl LOOKS full of ice cream, not like a sad teeny scoop all alone in a massive bowl. After having controlled my portions for over a year now, I'm quite happy with these smaller portions and don't feel like I'm missing out on anything :)
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    Two things that helped me a lot were a) measure your servings always - after the initial shock wears off, you get used to seeing and eating the same amount each time (it becomes the "new normal"; and b) get and use some smaller bowls/plates. For me it was mostly bowls - I used to eat massive "servings" of things like cereal and ice cream (often several bowls), so I picked up a couple of much smaller bowls (different sizes) and use those now instead. I think this worked for me, in part because it automatically helps control the portion, and partly because it tricks my brain - the bowl LOOKS full of ice cream, not like a sad teeny scoop all alone in a massive bowl. After having controlled my portions for over a year now, I'm quite happy with these smaller portions and don't feel like I'm missing out on anything :)

    Instead of getting smaller plates/bowls, I just choose less calorie dense options so I get bigger portions :)
  • Jelly_Roll_Patrol
    Jelly_Roll_Patrol Posts: 30 Member
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    The first time I realized that a serving of cereal was not an "entire bowl of cereal" I was very :frown: . It took time for me to adjust to eating one serving size and bulking it up with a banana or hard boiled egg. What really gets me is those Otis Spunkmeyer Muffins are counted as TWO servings for one muffin :noway: now that is bull poop
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
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    Two things that helped me a lot were a) measure your servings always - after the initial shock wears off, you get used to seeing and eating the same amount each time (it becomes the "new normal"; and b) get and use some smaller bowls/plates. For me it was mostly bowls - I used to eat massive "servings" of things like cereal and ice cream (often several bowls), so I picked up a couple of much smaller bowls (different sizes) and use those now instead. I think this worked for me, in part because it automatically helps control the portion, and partly because it tricks my brain - the bowl LOOKS full of ice cream, not like a sad teeny scoop all alone in a massive bowl. After having controlled my portions for over a year now, I'm quite happy with these smaller portions and don't feel like I'm missing out on anything :)

    Instead of getting smaller plates/bowls, I just choose less calorie dense options so I get bigger portions :)

    As do I, often. But I also decided early on in this process that I wouldn't deny myself of any of any foods that I enjoy - doing so in the past has inevitably led to failure - so to fit some of these foods into my day I have smaller servings. Not restricting my selection of food - just the serving sizes - has led to me being in the best shape of my life.
  • emilyisbonkers
    emilyisbonkers Posts: 373 Member
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    I think it is about actually learning what hunger, and feeling full really feel like
    Are you actually hungry, or just bored, or lonely, or sad, or whatever
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    For me the most important thing was to learn what portion sizes were right for me, and my nutritional goals. One serving size of something may or may not be enough. Taking my calorie and macro goals into consideration, I might have two servings of one food and one serving of another food.

    This. I almost never have a serving size of food. I just put a reasonable amount in my plate that would fit my calorie goal, weigh it, and log it. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less, frankly a serving of meat is tiny and I need more than that if I want to be able to reach my protein goal.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    Two things that helped me a lot were a) measure your servings always - after the initial shock wears off, you get used to seeing and eating the same amount each time (it becomes the "new normal"; and b) get and use some smaller bowls/plates. For me it was mostly bowls - I used to eat massive "servings" of things like cereal and ice cream (often several bowls), so I picked up a couple of much smaller bowls (different sizes) and use those now instead. I think this worked for me, in part because it automatically helps control the portion, and partly because it tricks my brain - the bowl LOOKS full of ice cream, not like a sad teeny scoop all alone in a massive bowl. After having controlled my portions for over a year now, I'm quite happy with these smaller portions and don't feel like I'm missing out on anything :)

    This is good advice.

    I think MFP is the "answer" for me...measuring food forces you to be mindful of portion sizes. So it is not really an issue to me of how to control portion sizes because the very use of MFP does that for me. (shrugs)

    I will say, I've OVERestimated serving sizes before too. A cup of beans is quite a lot. I figured I was eating 2-3 cups of beans when I typically eat 1 or 1 1/4 cup.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    Yes smaller plates do work. It's all in the mind and eye. You will be still eating a plate full of food. I also try to slow down and take smaller bites. The knife is a very important utensil to have at every meal.
  • Swiftdogs
    Swiftdogs Posts: 328 Member
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    There is good advice posted already. Another thing that helps me is to eat small bites, slowly. Put down your fork and take a sip of water every couple of bites. Give your brain time to catch up and say "I'm fed!" If you still feel hungry after finishing, drink some water and wait a few minutes. If you're still hungry, eat a little more.

    I don't pay much attention to the size of portions versus what I want for the total meal calories. If I have a bunch of veggies, I can have more meat. If I have a higher-calorie side dish, then I balance with less meat.
  • DavidSTC
    DavidSTC Posts: 173 Member
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    There is good advice posted already. Another thing that helps me is to eat small bites, slowly. Put down your fork and take a sip of water every couple of bites. Give your brain time to catch up and say "I'm fed!" If you still feel hungry after finishing, drink some water and wait a few minutes. If you're still hungry, eat a little more.

    I don't pay much attention to the size of portions versus what I want for the total meal calories. If I have a bunch of veggies, I can have more meat. If I have a higher-calorie side dish, then I balance with less meat.

    Yes, I also had to learn how to eat slower. I think that's very important. Otherwise, you don't know that you're full until after you've already overeaten.

    The thing that I came to realize is that it takes time for your stomach to shrink. As you eat smaller portions, over time your body realizes that those smaller portions are enough. Your stomach gets fuller from less. How much time does it take for this to happen? I'd say, for me, about a year. I think it would have gone faster if I had started MFP sooner than two months ago. When I lost weight in the past, it felt like I was starving myself to lose weight. Actually, no, my belly just didn't know I had enough food. Now, I'm able to eat less without so many hunger pains. But, I had to be consistent and eat the same portion sizes every day ... not pig out one day and then try to get back to the program the next day.

    Another trick I do is tighten my belt, literally. It helps me stop eating when I'm full. My belly can't stretch as much.

    Just stick in there. Everybody is different.
  • _rozamu
    _rozamu Posts: 119 Member
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    Following for all the good info.
  • ninjakitty419
    ninjakitty419 Posts: 349 Member
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    The first time I realized that a serving of cereal was not an "entire bowl of cereal" I was very :frown: . It took time for me to adjust to eating one serving size and bulking it up with a banana or hard boiled egg.

    This. When I started trying to eat only a serving of each food I felt angry and resentful...towards who, i dont know. But I felt like I was being deprived and it made me feel very upset. That shows just what an emotional connection I had with food. Not saying I am "all better" now, but I have a much better emotional grip!
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
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    Great subject.

    I definitely did not realize how much I was eating (even of healthy foods) until I began counting calories and then bought a food scale!

    Now when I eat at a restaurant I only eat maybe half and take the rest home! HUGE portions

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