Portion Control ONLY Success Stories?

HaleyAlli
HaleyAlli Posts: 911 Member
edited October 1 in Success Stories
Has anyone lost weight and gotten healthy JUST by cutting portions? Like eating kid's meals when out and about, listening to your stomach to see when you're full, etc.? I did this once and lost down to about where I am right now but then I stalled. I'm looking to lose about 32 more lbs., is that possible by eating whatever I like, just less of it?

Thanks!
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Replies

  • kmeekhof
    kmeekhof Posts: 456 Member
    My opinion- at some point you are going to have to make healthier choices.
  • squitzwife
    squitzwife Posts: 51 Member
    partially. I definitely had a problem of eating too much and cutting the portions has done the trick. the problem is that, if you are eating horrible food, your body is going to be screaming for nuitrient and nuitrients come with calories. if you aren't eating healthy enough you are going to have a hard time keeping down to small portions.
  • jennywrens
    jennywrens Posts: 208
    I haven't changed my diet MUCH ...... I've cut out all the chocolate and crisps etc for the most part (I still have them sometimes) but my meals have stayed pretty much the same!

    I guess it depends what you're eating already! If its fast food every day then getting a kids meal might help you lose weight in the short term but it wont improve your overall health!
  • oddyogi
    oddyogi Posts: 1,816 Member
    It depends. Do you exercise? Or are you just cutting portions?
  • HaleyAlli
    HaleyAlli Posts: 911 Member
    It depends. Do you exercise? Or are you just cutting portions?

    I exercise 4x a week at least. I just have a hard time eating "healthy" while I'm still living with my mom.
  • meggers123
    meggers123 Posts: 711 Member
    I don't deny myself anything. If I know I want something with more calories, I will work out extra hard that day. That being said, we don't eat fast food, only eat organic meat (so only about 3-4 days/week), and don't buy any soda, so that takes out some unhealthy choices.

    I don't think you should deny yourself anything, because you'll be more likely to cave and binge it later. But you're also here to make a lifestyle change, so think about what choices you do make. :)
  • jacksamjack
    jacksamjack Posts: 146 Member
    Portion control is important, but if you aren't keeping a check on cals/protein/carbs (remember that kids meals are meant to appeal to kids) then you are probably having a serious affect on your metabolism.

    Eat more is probably my advice - stick to your calorie allowance but try to eat as much as you can fit into that allowance. You may just be pleasantly surprised with the results!! JSJ xx
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
    It depends...is eating too large of a portion how you became overweight?

    Eating too much of everything was part of my problem. I lost 40lbs before finding MFP. Much of that was reducing portions. But, my diet was a relatively healthy one...baked meats, no red meat, very little fast food.

    I have had to start eating even healthier...more veggies and less fat to continue my weight loss.
  • Cherrycandy
    Cherrycandy Posts: 200
    Yes. I dont try to starve myself, im the type that if I start denying myself things...ill cave and eat 100000 cal's. I eat whatever I want, I just dont over-eat or eat my food on a turkey platter. I want to enjoy life and I LOVE food, so I want to experience all food's and enjoy them. If I want cheesecake, I eat it, if I want cookies, I eat one. I just dont eat the WHOLE cheesecake or whole dozen cookies.
  • Heraci
    Heraci Posts: 23
    I agree with brandiuntz. I had been only a portion control success story in the past. I weight 180 pounds before I started college and through telling myself that I wasn't going to eat as big of portions (and not being able to afford as much food being on a college budget, I dropped myself down to 150 and I've been hovering there since. I've recently started eating a little more now that I am exercising, but portion control in itself can be successful depending on how you gained weight in the first place.
  • HaleyAlli
    HaleyAlli Posts: 911 Member
    Yes. I dont try to starve myself, im the type that if I start denying myself things...ill cave and eat 100000 cal's. I eat whatever I want, I just dont over-eat or eat my food on a turkey platter. I want to enjoy life and I LOVE food, so I want to experience all food's and enjoy them. If I want cheesecake, I eat it, if I want cookies, I eat one. I just dont eat the WHOLE cheesecake or whole dozen cookies.

    YES this is what I'm talking about. I can't live without chocolate and I feel like I'm starving without it right now. I still eat decently healthy, I get lots of whole grain and lean meats, etc., but I feel like I'm missing out without my favorite foods.
  • Melissajojo3
    Melissajojo3 Posts: 100
    portion sizes is a struggle for most people like myself.. I used to be able to eat a mcdouble from mcdonalds, a chicken mcspicy, a yogurt parfait and a large soda. I can't beleive it how I used to eat from today, I have really changed my eating habbits, today I won't even take a bite of a burger from restaurants, I do eat burgers don't get me wrong, but I rather cook it myself using turkey meat or lean beef. Its all about healthy choices. even pizza hut, I used to be able to eat 5 slices, OMG!!! terrible right.. Now I can only eat 1 slices and an 8oz water to fill me up...
  • HaleyAlli
    HaleyAlli Posts: 911 Member
    portion sizes is a struggle for most people like myself.. I used to be able to eat a mcdouble from mcdonalds, a chicken mcspicy, a yogurt parfait and a large soda. I can't beleive it how I used to eat from today, I have really changed my eating habbits, today I won't even take a bite of a burger from restaurants, I do eat burgers don't get me wrong, but I rather cook it myself using turkey meat or lean beef. Its all about healthy choices. even pizza hut, I used to be able to eat 5 slices, OMG!!! terrible right.. Now I can only eat 1 slices and an 8oz water to fill me up...

    Honey you are speakin my language. Pizza Hut is one of my weaknesses... Their pizza and breadsticks are to DIE for.
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
    yes, I lost about 20 pounds...
    when I started college I was 158 pounds. I didn't have a scale, and I didn't weigh myself the entire 1st semester. I lived on campus, and I had a meal plan, and all I really did was get a salad with every meal, and I ate the salad first before whatever else I wanted (pizza, pasta, tacos, etc), so I ended up eating less of the bad stuff. Also, I didn't go out and get large blizzards and junk food on top of my meals. If I wanted to eat at mcdonalds, I counted it for two meals of the day. If I wanted to eat a large blizzard, I counted it for two meals. My exercise did not change at all during this time, and when I went home in December I weighed 138.5, but I managed to gained a few back to 145, but I still lost a significant amount of weight through portion control.
  • HaleyAlli
    HaleyAlli Posts: 911 Member
    yes, I lost about 20 pounds...
    when I started college I was 158 pounds. I didn't have a scale, and I didn't weigh myself the entire 1st semester. I lived on campus, and I had a meal plan, and all I really did was get a salad with every meal, and I ate the salad first before whatever else I wanted (pizza, pasta, tacos, etc), so I ended up eating less of the bad stuff. Also, I didn't go out and get large blizzards and junk food on top of my meals. If I wanted to eat at mcdonalds, I counted it for two meals of the day. If I wanted to eat a large blizzard, I counted it for two meals. My exercise did not change at all during this time, and when I went home in December I weighed 138.5, but I managed to gained a few back to 145, but I still lost a significant amount of weight through portion control.

    Salad first is an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing!
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
    portion sizes is a struggle for most people like myself.. I used to be able to eat a mcdouble from mcdonalds, a chicken mcspicy, a yogurt parfait and a large soda. I can't beleive it how I used to eat from today, I have really changed my eating habbits, today I won't even take a bite of a burger from restaurants, I do eat burgers don't get me wrong, but I rather cook it myself using turkey meat or lean beef. Its all about healthy choices. even pizza hut, I used to be able to eat 5 slices, OMG!!! terrible right.. Now I can only eat 1 slices and an 8oz water to fill me up...

    Honey you are speakin my language. Pizza Hut is one of my weaknesses... Their pizza and breadsticks are to DIE for.

    lol ordering pizza used to be like a weekly thing, but I still lost weight. I think it's because I would only eat like one meal a day. I know some people say that's not healthy, but sometimes that's what used to happen.
  • WalkingGirl1985
    WalkingGirl1985 Posts: 2,046 Member
    I was watching my portions from April-September 2010 and lost 30 pounds, I believe it is possible, just continue to eat healthy, small meals..I think you should be fine. I was counting calories off and on after I joined, I feel if i count the whole time, the stress from it might be too much to handle..right now I am taking a break, going back to portion control and see how it does for me for a while. :smile:
  • SweetTeaBlossom
    SweetTeaBlossom Posts: 57
    Pizza Hut is my weakness. I cannot control myself so I just don't eat it at all. I make my own pizza at home so I can control the calories and get my pizza fix without feeling like I'm sacrificing anything.

    Does your mom allow you to cook? It's easier to have your favorite foods, but not all the calories if you're making them yourself. Another MPFer recently pointed out the SkinnyTaste website. I am seriously drooling over the recipes.

    I wouldn't ever give up my chocolate - that would lead me straight to failure. I just look for smarter (less calories) ways to get it. My new favorite choco treat is Ghirardelli semi-sweet chips. 70 cals for 32 chips and they taste decadent. I eat them slowly to really savor the flavor.

    Give yourself time. You'll figure it out. It's a lot of trial and error, but you'll get there. I'm still learning every day.
  • hayleymc3
    hayleymc3 Posts: 128 Member
    I went from 304+ to 213 using portion control, but I also changed the types of foods I ate. For example, I switched to nonfat milk. I started using whole grains and wheat. I made a cheese or mayo rule, since I love both (basically, if I have a sandwich I can only have one or the other, not both. lol)

    I also exercised a lot too.

    I think that if you use portion control but continue eating unhealthy things, you're not really helping yourself. Since this is a lifestyle change, portion control can be a wonderful tool. However, feeding your body the right things is very important and should come first (in my opinion).
  • ace175
    ace175 Posts: 518 Member
    My biggest problem was portion control. I used to eat an entire box of kraft macaroni and cheese, tons of mozzarella sticks, pizza rolls, chips, snacks, french fries, etc. I've lost all the weight so far by cutting these out/down. I still have chips here and there (such as veggie chips). Instead of ordering pizza from dominos or something, we make pita pizzas (so good!), when we go out to dinner (Outback is my favorite place), I get the smaller steak, light style (without the butter/seasonings). Now i follow the serving size on everything. However I haven't done this just alone. I've started incorporated A LOT healthier food, fruits, veggies, tons of water, PLUS working out 5 days a week for an hour or so.

    If portion control is problem, start cutting back, and read the nutrition label. If you want pretzels, don't just grab handfuls...check how many is in a serving and eat that many! It might take a bit to get used to, but it'll help! But you can't do that just alone!
  • HaleyAlli
    HaleyAlli Posts: 911 Member
    Thanks for the feedback everyone. I like the idea of having healthier versions of my favorite foods. I'll look into that. I'm considering going off strict calorie counting for a little bit and seeing how it goes... I'm just getting so stressed out worrying about my calorie count every day and sometimes it makes me hungry just thinking about it :tongue: But if I control my portions (my idea is to limit myself to 1 serving per item at every meal) my calorie count will naturally be lower and I won't have to worry. I appreciate all the thoughts and tips :smile:
  • baconsteak
    baconsteak Posts: 7
    But if I control my portions (my idea is to limit myself to 1 serving per item at every meal) my calorie count will naturally be lower and I won't have to worry.

    Be careful with this, don't let this become your mantra. 1 serving of junk is still junk and although you will eat less this way you are not guaranteed to eat less calories or lose weight just by following this one rule. Sounds like you are trying to lose weight? Why not do it with a slow move over to more clean foods? No way are you going to do this tomorrow but over time you can move to healthy food and not have to worry about all the hormonaly havoc eating junk with do to your metabolism. Just because you "eat less" or reduce your calories does not mean your hormones are going to allow you to lose enough weight to get to your weight goal. Maybe you could set some goals of altering your diet each week a little bit to improve what you are eating, not just how much you are eating. Best of luck!! :happy:
  • sister_bear
    sister_bear Posts: 529 Member
    I started off with portion control and striving to get the nutrients I need and not the tasty tastes I crave. I felt like something was missing and I knew what. Exercise.

    I still 'treat' myself occasionally, but junk food just kills me now. It makes me feel terrible.

    Junk food also contains stuff that makes you want to eat more of it. Dangerous stuff.
  • nlghtcrawler
    nlghtcrawler Posts: 8
    I started off with portion control and striving to get the nutrients I need and not the tasty tastes I crave. I felt like something was missing and I knew what. Exercise.

    I still 'treat' myself occasionally, but junk food just kills me now. It makes me feel terrible.

    Junk food also contains stuff that makes you want to eat more of it. Dangerous stuff.

    Most of my weight loss comes from portion control and calorie counting, i agree with the junk food thing though, I ate IHOP today and i felt like CRAP afterwards, but i do try and have a candy bar or something good every now and then. I look at my journey as a life style change rather than a 'diet'.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
    In the past portion control is all I've done, but I think tracking calories with mfp has been a goodway to think things through better.

    When I lost 20lbs in France in my early 20s I still had huge ice-cream Sundays, just that would be my entire meal, not dessert. I swapped my morning croissant for cereal bars, and split them to have half at breakfast and half when I got to work. I suspect I was eating under 1200 net at the time, considering how much walking I did and how hungry I was.

    More recently, I habitually gave myself half portions of rice, pasta etc, but lost nothing because I ended up bingeing on chocolate or ice-cream instead. To me the advantage of calorie counting is that it is like having money in your purse: you have to decide what is worth spending precious calories on. Thus I ate healthier when my calories were lower: mediocre chocolate cake wasn't worth a quarter of my calories for the day. Now I'm maintaining I might have that cake, and if I asn't calorie counting to lose I might have then too.

    I hope whatever you choose to do works out for you.
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    Probably not. One of the issues with fast and processed food is the sodium content; and at some point all that sodium will make you retain fluid and slow/halt your weight loss. Also, your body seems to get to a point as you get closer to ideal weight range where it gets pickier about nutrients- at least mine is. If I have too many days with higher sodium, not enough protein, etc, my weight loss is stalled. It's slow enough right now, I'm trying harder to manage the nutrients better.

    What it comes down to is would you be able to maintain healthier eating long term? The changes you make have to be things you can sustain. If not, then maybe you accept the weight you're at because this is how you can eat over the long haul.
  • CherrySunday
    CherrySunday Posts: 301
    Portion control worked for the first 20 pounds, after that I had to kick in on the exercise!
  • Talakhalid
    Talakhalid Posts: 3
    Yes I did portion control and I succeed , I lost 20 kilos in 8 months . I used to eat every thing but in small quantities . I used to eat 20 gm chocolate daily and I lost weight .
  • nathalier71
    nathalier71 Posts: 570 Member
    I've mostly cut on portion size. I measure everything - instead of having 3 bowls of chips, I have 1 portion which is 50gr - which is plenty!

    At first, I tried cutting things I love out - that was not going to work... so I cut down. I do eat lots of veggies and fruits and other healthy things... but I didn't cut out what I love - like chips and chocolate.

    It's all in moderation.

    You also have to move some. I started with walking - lost most of the weight just cutting down and walking.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    Yes I did portion control and I succeed , I lost 20 kilos in 8 months . I used to eat every thing but in small quantities . I used to eat 20 gm chocolate daily and I lost weight .
    You have bumped a zombie thread from 2011. SHAAAAAAAMMMMMEEEEE
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