Guesstimating food weights when you're out?

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christiangeek
christiangeek Posts: 17 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm going to be having dinner tonight in a situation in which I'm not going to be able to weigh/measure. I'm going to do my best to choose foods that are "safe" for my goals but, for example, how do you guesstimate the weight of a serving of ham for tracking purposes?

I'm much too new at this to eyeball so I'd like to get as close to an accurate amount to track as possible.

Thank you for your help!

Replies

  • ekahnicole
    ekahnicole Posts: 216 Member
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    http://www.webmd.com/diet/printable/portion-control-size-guide

    These types of guides are very helpful for this sort of thing.
  • tryett
    tryett Posts: 530 Member
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    4 oz of meat is about the size of a deck of cards.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited June 2016
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    You could ask the "chef" how things are cooked.
    If not, stick to meats that are whole. Like chicken breast.

  • billglitch
    billglitch Posts: 538 Member
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    i think you can guess pretty close...also you could ask the server what portions sizes.
  • christiangeek
    christiangeek Posts: 17 Member
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    THANK YOU so much! I feel a lot less afraid now! :-)
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    tryett wrote: »
    4 oz of meat is about the size of a deck of cards.

    So depressing
  • skinnyforhi
    skinnyforhi Posts: 340 Member
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    I use the deck of cards trick for meat, I stay away from the breadbasket (or I just have a piece), and I skip dessert (I'm not much of a sweets person anyway). I don't get overly worried about vegetable portions/dressing on side salads, but for an entrée salad I'll order the dressing on the side. Honestly, if you're tracking everything and eating dinner out once a week, I really don't think you need to do much except not eat until your stuffed and do your best to eyeball portions and choose sensibly from what's on the menu. You can't exactly whip your food scale out at restaurants so think of this as an opportunity to practice intuitive eating. Good luck and enjoy!!!!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    I only eat out now and again so when we do, I just enjoy the food and don't think about quantities etc, I do aim to make better choices but as its only one night I find its not a problem and it's certainly never hindered my success :smile:
    (at maintenance 3+ years :smiley: )
  • flaminica
    flaminica Posts: 304 Member
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    What you can't guesstimate in restaurant food is how much added oil is in the food. I find this especially true of side-dish vegetables, which may arrive blanched/boiled or swimming in grill oil. Lots of places entice people to eat their vegetables by dosing them with fats.

    Rule of thumb if you can't weigh or measure: Stick to roasted/grilled/broiled entrees. Avoid things in heavy sauces or reductions. Don't assume the salad is the healthy option, because frequently it's among the least.

    Most importantly, have fun. A big part of this process is rebooting a healthy attitude toward food.

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