Estimating Portion sizes cheat sheet
msffmay
Posts: 13 Member
I'm terrible at measuring all the time so a buddy sent me this as a cheat sheet.
Estimating Portion Size
Grain Products
Vegetables, and Fruit
1 cup cereal flakes = 1 fist
1 pancake = 1 compact disc
1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta or potato = 1/2 baseball
1 oz slice of bread = 1 cassette tape 1 cup of salad greens = 1 baseball
1 baked potato = 1 fist
1 medium piece fruit = 1 baseball
1/2 cup fresh fruit = 1/2 baseball
1/4 cup raisins = 1 large egg
Dairy and Cheese
Meat and Protein Alternatives
1 1/2 oz cheese = 4 stacked dice
1/2 cup ice cream = 1/2 baseball 3 oz meat, fish, or poultry = 1 deck of cards
3 oz grilled/baked fish fillet = 1 checkbook
2 tablespoons peanut butter = 1 ping pong ball
Fats
1 teaspoon margarine, butter, or spreads = 1 dice
For those of you who cannot visualize a baseball, 1 tennis ball is roughly equal to 1/2 cup. And for those of you who haven't seen a pair of dice in decades, the tip of a woman's thumb (from the first joint upwards) is about the size of 1 teaspoon.
Estimating Portion Size
Grain Products
Vegetables, and Fruit
1 cup cereal flakes = 1 fist
1 pancake = 1 compact disc
1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta or potato = 1/2 baseball
1 oz slice of bread = 1 cassette tape 1 cup of salad greens = 1 baseball
1 baked potato = 1 fist
1 medium piece fruit = 1 baseball
1/2 cup fresh fruit = 1/2 baseball
1/4 cup raisins = 1 large egg
Dairy and Cheese
Meat and Protein Alternatives
1 1/2 oz cheese = 4 stacked dice
1/2 cup ice cream = 1/2 baseball 3 oz meat, fish, or poultry = 1 deck of cards
3 oz grilled/baked fish fillet = 1 checkbook
2 tablespoons peanut butter = 1 ping pong ball
Fats
1 teaspoon margarine, butter, or spreads = 1 dice
For those of you who cannot visualize a baseball, 1 tennis ball is roughly equal to 1/2 cup. And for those of you who haven't seen a pair of dice in decades, the tip of a woman's thumb (from the first joint upwards) is about the size of 1 teaspoon.
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Replies
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That could work in a pinch, but I don't think it would get you too far for every day measurements.
I'm comfortable esrimating some things (after being here for quite a while...) but still wouldn't estimate peanut butter! But anyways, I hope it helps you.
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I would make the effort to weigh.0
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The problem is, if I followed this guide I would still underestimate. So I weigh it all.0
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Are you supposed to post that on your fridge, or memorize it? Why not use a scale?0
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I'm a firefighter and work at a busy station so for me this works when I'm at work when I don't have a scale around. I just started the whole portion control and weighing a couple weeks ago and always being on the go can be difficult sometimes.0
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Slowly but surely I'll be more efficient :-). I'm open to any useful advice.0
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W-what... But, a cup of cereal is MUCH smaller than my fists. And I wear KIDS GLOVES out of necessity for fitting! That one needs to be altered, yo.0
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I recommend weighing but ... have a look at these sites for an idea of what 100 calories looks like:
http://www.thekitchn.com/a-visual-guide-to-100-calories-of-nuts-snack-tips-from-the-kitchn-201778
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/goodfood/pages/what-does-100-calories-look-like.aspx0 -
I don't weigh anything....don't have a scale. So everything is guessing or measurements. I also read the packages and count out portions. I've lost 9lbs in 5 weeks. So I guess it's working for me.1
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The whole "fist" business throws it off. Hand shapes can be so different. I have never seen a potato as small as my fist.0
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DoneWorking wrote: »
I don't have a desk I have a fire truck lol0 -
Thanks msffmay for putting your life on the line to save others.0
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I think it will work for me. Or give me some approximates. Thanks. I don't have a scale and not planning to buy one. Although I use measuring cups.0
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SharonBrobst wrote: »Thanks msffmay for putting your life on the line to save others.
No problemo. Lately civilians have doing an amazing job helping until we arrive.
Now if only they can stop bringing homemade pies and cookies! It's so painful to see and smell it lol every week lol0 -
DoneWorking wrote: »
I don't have a desk I have a fire truck lol
Don't you have a locker? Scales aren't very big, about the size of an iPad.0 -
No problemo. Lately civilians have doing an amazing job helping until we arrive.
Now if only they can stop bringing homemade pies and cookies! It's so painful to see and smell it lol every week lol[/quote]
You guys deserve those goodies!! Enjoy!:)0 -
DoneWorking wrote: »
I don't have a desk I have a fire truck lol
Don't you have a locker? Scales aren't very big, about the size of an iPad.
I do but the problem is time. Just trying to figure out other options when a scale isn't around. As a shift we eat together so tend to eat the same food. We are starting to eat healthier but sometimes convenience wins. When you work a 24 hour shifts and run calls nonstop sometimes the last thing u want to deal with is a scale0 -
I love this, thanks for sharing it.
I travel a lot for work.....and I sometimes forget my scale when eating in.
When eating out.....I know people do it, but I'm not pulling out a scale in a restaurant.
I estimate and adjust when I get home.
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