for people WITHOUT food scales or other measuring tools..

amandakev88
amandakev88 Posts: 328 Member
in Food and Nutrition
anybody have any helpful tips/tricks regarding the sizes of a helping? how do you measure your portions? do you have any guidelines? for example how do you differentiate 4 oz piece of meat from 8 oz?

Replies

  • Maitribb
    Maitribb Posts: 2 Member
    A 4 ounce piece of meat should be about the size of your palm, depending on the thickness.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    A 4 ounce piece of meat should be about the size of your palm, depending on the thickness.

    I always heard the size of a deck of cards.

    ETA: food scales are cheap. get one.
  • marypatmccue
    marypatmccue Posts: 521 Member
    A 4 ounce piece of meat should be about the size of your palm, depending on the thickness.

    I always heard the size of a deck of cards.

    ETA: food scales are cheap. get one.

    QFT
  • sr_erick
    sr_erick Posts: 25
    Get a food scale, they are cheap. You will start to learn how to judge portions after using it for a while, which is beneficial when you are away from home.
  • Fitnin6280
    Fitnin6280 Posts: 618 Member
    http://colormehealthy.com/0_docs/ServingSizeInHand.pdf

    This is pretty accurate, but like others have said a food scale is the best way.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    anybody have any helpful tips/tricks regarding the sizes of a helping? how do you measure your portions? do you have any guidelines? for example how do you differentiate 4 oz piece of meat from 8 oz?

    Get a food scale. Or is this some situation where you eat in a dorm cafeteria? That's about the only justification I could think of for not using a scale.

    ETA: You don't really know how much a size of meat is just by looking at it, unless you eat the same meat all the time. 4 ounces of hamburger meat is going to look a lot different than 4 ounces of prime rib.
  • Rogiefreida
    Rogiefreida Posts: 567 Member
    A 4 ounce piece of meat should be about the size of your palm, depending on the thickness.

    I always heard the size of a deck of cards.

    ETA: food scales are cheap. get one.

    You can buy a decent scale at Walmart for less than $20. Best investment you can make. You can buy cheap plastic measuring cups there too. It's really the best way to learn portion sizes.

    And yes, I agree that 4 oz piece of meat is about the size of a deck of cards (since palm size varies)
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    Just cause I hate to see anyone buy anything from Wal-Mart unless someone is actually dying and that can prevent it:

    http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Scales-Digital-BL-1KG-BLK/dp/B0012N1NAA/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1392313638&sr=8-6&keywords=digital+food+scale
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
    Before I got a food scale I paid a lot of attention to what I was buying at the grocery store. My store sells 3 lbs packs of chicken with 3 scary-large breasts in it, so I'd take one breast and cut it into 4 roughly equal pieces to get 4oz serving sizes. I'd also weigh my fruits, vegetables, and bulk items. My daily calories weren't the most accurate, but my weekly calories still were pretty close.

    ...But yeah, get a food scale. Best $20 you'll spend in this process. And once you weigh things enough times, it's a lot easier to estimate portion sizes when you go out to eat.
  • crevices
    crevices Posts: 226 Member
    agreed with previous posters, just get a food scale. i used to try to eye my measurements and scale them with the palm/cards tricks. once i got a food scale and actually started weighing it, i realized i was underestimating almost everything i ate, even if i used measuring cups etc it was over the serving size.
  • DeadliftAddict
    DeadliftAddict Posts: 746 Member
    Not reinventing the wheel here. Food scale will do it. After a while you will start to notice after looking at it what about 4oz looks like.
  • Srarojas
    Srarojas Posts: 170 Member
    anybody have any helpful tips/tricks regarding the sizes of a helping? how do you measure your portions? do you have any guidelines? for example how do you differentiate 4 oz piece of meat from 8 oz?

    You can get a scale from Target or Walmart for under $20.00. It's worth the investment.
  • johhunt47
    johhunt47 Posts: 30 Member
    anybody have any helpful tips/tricks regarding the sizes of a helping? how do you measure your portions? do you have any guidelines? for example how do you differentiate 4 oz piece of meat from 8 oz?

    Simple...buy a food scale, put food on scale. If its over 4 oz, take more off. If its under, add if you so choose.
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
    anybody have any helpful tips/tricks regarding the sizes of a helping? how do you measure your portions? do you have any guidelines? for example how do you differentiate 4 oz piece of meat from 8 oz?

    Um... maybe you should just break down and buy a scale.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    anybody have any helpful tips/tricks regarding the sizes of a helping? how do you measure your portions? do you have any guidelines? for example how do you differentiate 4 oz piece of meat from 8 oz?

    Buy one. They're $15 on Amazon for a good digital model. Well worth it.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    A 4 ounce piece of meat should be about the size of your palm, depending on the thickness.

    I always heard the size of a deck of cards.

    ETA: food scales are cheap. get one.

    You can buy a decent scale at Walmart for less than $20. Best investment you can make. You can buy cheap plastic measuring cups there too. It's really the best way to learn portion sizes.

    And yes, I agree that 4 oz piece of meat is about the size of a deck of cards (since palm size varies)

    I'd avoid the measuring cups, except for making recipes. You're likely to be way off on calorie counts by using measuring methods only with solid foods.
  • in_the_stars
    in_the_stars Posts: 1,395 Member
    When You Can't Measure, Estimate Portions

    An essential part of calorie counting is accurately estimating portion sizes. It is not difficult to do when you eat at home, but determining portions when you eat out is a bit harder.

    Research shows that people of all ages, education levels and body weights erroneously underestimate their food portions by 20 to 200 percent. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) finds that adults typically underestimate consumption of grains, sweets and fats, and overestimate fruit, milk products, and servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts. When it comes to vegetables, women overestimate and men underestimate their servings.

    People can be trained to improve their knack for estimating portions. The key is to become familiar with the "estimating aids" and to practice your skills at home. These props will guide your visual estimations of food measurements: a deck of playing cards, a computer mouse, a tennis ball, half a baseball ball, a ping pong ball, cotton balls, an audiocassette tape, a light bulb, a 9-volt battery, and a standard-size hand. Practice by portioning out food and using the prop to estimate the measurement. Test your estimate by measuring the food and comparing the actual measurement to your estimates.

    Props Used to Estimate Food Portions

    The Grain Group
    1/2 cooked cup rice ---- tennis ball
    1 pancake (1 ounce or 5") ---- compact disc (CD)
    1 piece of cornbread (2 ounces) ---- bar of soap
    1 slice of bread (1 ounce) ---- audiocassette tape
    1 cup of pasta/spaghetti (2 ounces) ---- a fist
    1 cup of cereal flakes (1 ounce) ---- a fist

    The Vegetable Group
    1 cup green salad ---- baseball or a fist
    1 medium baked potato (1 cup) ---- computer mouse or a fist
    1/2 cup cooked broccoli ---- light bulb
    1/2 cup serving ---- 6 asparagus spears; 7 or 8 baby carrots; 1 ear of corn on the cob

    The Fruit Group
    1/2 cup of grapes (15 grapes) ---- light bulb
    1/2 cup of fresh fruit ---- 7 cotton balls
    1 medium size fruit ---- tennis ball or a fist
    1 cup of cut-up fruit ---- baseball or a fist
    1/4 cup raisins ---- large egg

    The Milk Group
    1 1/2 ounces hard cheese ---- 9-volt battery or your index and middle fingers
    1 ounce of processed cheese ---- your thumb
    1 cup of ice cream ---- baseball

    The Meat and Beans Group
    2 tablespoons peanut butter (= 2 oz. meat) ---- ping-pong ball
    1 teaspoon peanut butter (= 1/3 oz. meat) ---- fingertip
    1 tablespoon peanut butter (= 1 oz. meat) ---- thumb tip
    3 ounces grilled/baked fish or chicken ---- checkbook
    3 ounces cooked meat, fish, poultry ---- your palm, a deck or cards or a cassette tape

    Discretionary Calories

    Fats, Sugars and Sodium
    teaspoon butter, margarine ---- stamp, the thickness of your finger or knuckle to thumb tip
    tablespoons regular salad dressing ping-pong ball

    Snack Foods
    1 ounce of nuts or small candies ---- one handful
    1 ounce of pretzels ---- two handfuls
    1/2 cup of popcorn ---- one man's handful
    1/3 cup of popcorn ---- one woman's handful

    Serving Dishes/Utensils
    1/2 cup ---- custard cup or mashed potato scoop
    1 1/2 cups ---- large cereal/soup bowl
    1 1/2 cups of pasta, noodles ---- dinner plate, not heaped
    1/2 cup of pasta, noodles ---- custard cup or mashed potato scoop
  • amandakev88
    amandakev88 Posts: 328 Member
    When You Can't Measure, Estimate Portions

    An essential part of calorie counting is accurately estimating portion sizes. It is not difficult to do when you eat at home, but determining portions when you eat out is a bit harder.

    Research shows that people of all ages, education levels and body weights erroneously underestimate their food portions by 20 to 200 percent. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) finds that adults typically underestimate consumption of grains, sweets and fats, and overestimate fruit, milk products, and servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts. When it comes to vegetables, women overestimate and men underestimate their servings.

    People can be trained to improve their knack for estimating portions. The key is to become familiar with the "estimating aids" and to practice your skills at home. These props will guide your visual estimations of food measurements: a deck of playing cards, a computer mouse, a tennis ball, half a baseball ball, a ping pong ball, cotton balls, an audiocassette tape, a light bulb, a 9-volt battery, and a standard-size hand. Practice by portioning out food and using the prop to estimate the measurement. Test your estimate by measuring the food and comparing the actual measurement to your estimates.

    Props Used to Estimate Food Portions

    The Grain Group
    1/2 cooked cup rice ---- tennis ball
    1 pancake (1 ounce or 5") ---- compact disc (CD)
    1 piece of cornbread (2 ounces) ---- bar of soap
    1 slice of bread (1 ounce) ---- audiocassette tape
    1 cup of pasta/spaghetti (2 ounces) ---- a fist
    1 cup of cereal flakes (1 ounce) ---- a fist

    The Vegetable Group
    1 cup green salad ---- baseball or a fist
    1 medium baked potato (1 cup) ---- computer mouse or a fist
    1/2 cup cooked broccoli ---- light bulb
    1/2 cup serving ---- 6 asparagus spears; 7 or 8 baby carrots; 1 ear of corn on the cob

    The Fruit Group
    1/2 cup of grapes (15 grapes) ---- light bulb
    1/2 cup of fresh fruit ---- 7 cotton balls
    1 medium size fruit ---- tennis ball or a fist
    1 cup of cut-up fruit ---- baseball or a fist
    1/4 cup raisins ---- large egg

    The Milk Group
    1 1/2 ounces hard cheese ---- 9-volt battery or your index and middle fingers
    1 ounce of processed cheese ---- your thumb
    1 cup of ice cream ---- baseball

    The Meat and Beans Group
    2 tablespoons peanut butter (= 2 oz. meat) ---- ping-pong ball
    1 teaspoon peanut butter (= 1/3 oz. meat) ---- fingertip
    1 tablespoon peanut butter (= 1 oz. meat) ---- thumb tip
    3 ounces grilled/baked fish or chicken ---- checkbook
    3 ounces cooked meat, fish, poultry ---- your palm, a deck or cards or a cassette tape

    Discretionary Calories

    Fats, Sugars and Sodium
    teaspoon butter, margarine ---- stamp, the thickness of your finger or knuckle to thumb tip
    tablespoons regular salad dressing ping-pong ball

    Snack Foods
    1 ounce of nuts or small candies ---- one handful
    1 ounce of pretzels ---- two handfuls
    1/2 cup of popcorn ---- one man's handful
    1/3 cup of popcorn ---- one woman's handful

    Serving Dishes/Utensils
    1/2 cup ---- custard cup or mashed potato scoop
    1 1/2 cups ---- large cereal/soup bowl
    1 1/2 cups of pasta, noodles ---- dinner plate, not heaped
    1/2 cup of pasta, noodles ---- custard cup or mashed potato scoop


    this was awesome and very helpful, thank you. and thank you to the people who actually answered. to the 'just buy a food scale' group--i plan to, when i have the $ to spare =] go ahead. laugh. sometimes people are broke :P

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