How do you maintain proper portion control?

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  • totaldetermination
    totaldetermination Posts: 1,184 Member
    I'm the same.
    But I have accepted that I will not feel that 'satisfaction' (that comes from being full) every time I eat.
    I always eat if I am hungry or if my body gives me any cues that I need food.
    I also always eat to reach my calorie target to ensure that I am eating enough.

    But aiming to feel the satisfaction you mentioned led to me being overweight. Clearly what I consider 'satisfied' is actually more than what my body needs to be 'satisfied'.

    For me, I suspect that it some sort of emotional issue that I am confusing with food...but that's another story.

    Bottom line is - that satisfaction is not an accurate guide to food and instead of trying to find ways to appease it I am just choosing to ignore it.
  • LaurenCheek
    LaurenCheek Posts: 34 Member
    1. Try to eat back calories burned: Recently I was getting ravenous in the evenings, until I bought a FitBit Flex bracelet and realized I was burning hundreds more calories each day than I had calculated. Now, I am careful to eat back most of the calories I burn (minus my 750 calorie daily deficit). I simply wasn't feeding myself enough.

    2. Hydration is important. Drinking water really will fill up a grumbly belly most of the time. Sometimes, the urge to eat is simply an oral fixation so drinking water (jazz it up with lemon maybe), tea or other calorie free drinks can help.

    3. Make sure to get plenty of protein and healthy fats. I eat a ketogenic diet that promotes plenty of protein (0.8 grams per pound of lean mass) and fat (about 100 grams a day, or until I feel full). Having cheese, avocado or a bit of very dark chocolate (protein/fatty food) with a glass of water tamps down the urge to overdo it for me when I'm feeling particularly snacky.

    4. Remind yourself of your goals. This is a hard journey, and it is hard everyday. The difficulty rarely takes a day off, but that doesn't mean we should give up. It just means we must look for ways to find joy in the trip. Remind yourself of your victories, and make your victories things you can actively control. Did you do your planned exercise routine for the day? Amazing! Did you keep your calories in check? Great! Etc..

    5. Buy a food scale and get comfortable with the portion sizes of favorite foods. Weighing food helps me stay accountable. It motivates me. It can also be a total bummer when you weigh nuts and a serving is a tiny fistful. But I am a scientist by nature and this journey is my n=1 experiment. I like the gratification of knowing exactly what I am adding to my system.
  • ems212
    ems212 Posts: 135 Member
    I never feel completely satisfied, but I try to drink 8-16 oz of water 1/2 hour before a meal. That way, I feel full faster. It takes time to get used to though. The first month of my working out/eating better, I was always starving. It got to the point that I would force myself to go outside for a walk to avoid eating more because I always felt like I was hungry. It's getting better now, but it's still not the greatest.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    I know I am going to get flamed for this but I have to say it anyway.
    If the cause of ones weight gain is the need to feel full; isn't it counter productive to encourage one to eat just a lower calorie food to get the same feeling?
    Surely the goal should be to stop depending on the full feeling.
    I am not saying one should spend the day feeling hungry, but there is that stage between the both that should be what one aims for.
    I am sorry if I sound harsh, but I would much rather encourage someone to adjust what their stomach expects ( the full feeling), while eating healthy, than to encourage eating lessor calories foods that still gives the full feeling.
    Surely this is a better way to sustain weight loss.
    Flame away, h.

    No flames from me. I agree with this thinking as well. However, OP said she likes the full feeling, so some were just trying to offer suggestions. To each their own!
  • aSaltandBattery
    aSaltandBattery Posts: 82 Member
    Not sure how long you have been working on portion sizes and I'm not one to be giving amazing nutritional advice, but personally I found that toughing out the first few days of feeling like I was starving helped me eat less in the long run which has helped me reel in my portion sizes. I also agree with the small plate trick, it's suppose to trick you're brain into thinking it's more food!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited November 2014
    I hear you OP. Having whole bags of frozen veggies with my meals seem to help a little. And trying to have smaller meals, as I know I'll be hungry after 2 hours anyway.

    Also, it might sound dumb... but start with a small meal. Then wait 20 minutes before eating more. I swear it makes a difference for me.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Most days, I eat 3-6 meals. Once in a while, two and a snack.

    I try to include a lot of fiber because it helps me stay full more than anything else. Proteins are okay for that, but it don't much like protein food. I'm *supposed* to stay low-fat, but haven't been doing well with that and need to work harder on it! Fiber, though - it's keeps me the fullest.

    I try to never buy stuff like cakes, donuts, ice cream - it does nothing good for me and kills me for the day (or however many days it takes to eat it, lol), so I skip that stuff for the most part.

    The more healthy food you eat, the fuller you will be! Not only is it more filling (!), but you can eat SO MUCH of it for so few calories.

    I realize this is nothing new, but that's what I'm working on. :)
  • SassenachJones
    SassenachJones Posts: 15 Member
    I make sure I hit my protein targets for each meal, I find that it helps me feel fuller.
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