Portion Control
annalicous
Posts: 55 Member
Does anybody have any advice when it comes to portion Control?
What works for you?
What works for you?
0
Replies
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Food scale. Best investment ever.18
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Ready2Rock206 wrote: »Food scale. Best investment ever.
Amen.
I still try to use my food scale 90% of the time, but in situations when I cannot, practice from using my scale has given me such a better eyeball estimation of what size portion something is.0 -
I am actually trying out the 21 day fix portion control containers. I am excited to see how these might be able to help me with portion control0
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I love my food scale. I will even pre portion out foods for several days on it (snacks like wheat thins, grapes). I measure most stuff by the gram and it seems accurate.2
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Food scale, though for some things after weighing a few times I can eyeball portions of that thing.1
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Food scale and food diary. Unbeatable combination for learning.
Now I just eat regular meals, serve myself reasonable portions, and use appetite/satiety to fine tune intake.1 -
I can pretty much eyeball what I need but the real trick was not going back for more. It took me awhile but I finally learned to only eat half a sandwich when I go out to eat. Restaurants make them way too big.1
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Food scale FTW. I also will divide things like snack nuts and trail mix into individual serving size snack baggies. Not great for the environment, but helps me manage eating something that is high calorie and can be overeaten easily. Then I can just grab them to add to my purse or lunch.1
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I have doing the 21 day Fix Extreme by beachbody right now and have these pre portioned containers for my food. For me it has been the best thing.1
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Scales (I found one that will set back to zero when you put an empty container on it), measuring cups, measuring spoons - all these to physically help. Visually/emotionally try smaller plates, smaller forks and spoons for smaller bites but more bites.0
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ptipton520 wrote: »Scales (I found one that will set back to zero when you put an empty container on it), measuring cups, measuring spoons - all these to physically help. Visually/emotionally try smaller plates, smaller forks and spoons for smaller bites but more bites.
I forgot all about the smaller plate thing until you mentioned it. A lot of time I will use my kids' plates when eating dinner. Makes the plate look full with the smaller portions.0 -
In addition to the food scale, get several sets of cheap measuring cups and spoons. That way you won't be tempted to "eyeball it" when your measuring cups are dirty.1
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Food scale definitely. But, if you don't already weigh and measure your food or just don't feel like it then what I do is pay attention to however much I would automatically serve myself and then take only half of it. Take a 10 minute break, drink some water and then if I'm still actually hungry I'll have more. Most of the time I realize I don't need it. It's about making new habits.1
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I bought a food scale but how do I know what is the correct portion size? Like how much rice, meat, etc I should be eating?0
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A food scale is an amazing wake up call... I was *shocked* to see how small 1 serving size of pasta is. The cool thing is, I do feel satisfied with one serving but a lifetime of what I now know is more like 3 servings it's still hard to break away with what my mind tells me it's supposed to look like.2
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I bought a food scale but how do I know what is the correct portion size? Like how much rice, meat, etc I should be eating?
You can pre-log it and see if it fits in your goals. There is no "should," only whether or not it fits with everything else you're eating for the day.
If you want an idea for a serving size suggestion, check out the nutritional label (for foods that have them). There is often a suggested serving size. Some people eat less, some people eat more. But it's a good place to start for ideas.1 -
I bought a food scale but how do I know what is the correct portion size? Like how much rice, meat, etc I should be eating?
You use the food diary here on MFP and decide yourself how to distribute your calories. Hitting the preset carbs, protein and fat gram numbers can lead you in the right direction so you feel satisfied and also can have tasty meals.1 -
I just started the 21 day fix meal plan (doing my own exercise) a few days ago. I have used a scale the last 2 years on and off it is the most accurate by far, but I just wanted to try something different. It is helping me learn appropriate serving sizes of carbs, protein, veg and made me realize I was not eating enough veggies and fruit. Once I learn to visualize on the plate the appropriate sizes, that will be a sustainable way to eat for life without counting everything. It ends up being similar to the plate rule (1/2 plate fruit or veg, 1/4 protein, 1/4 carb, small amount of healthy fats).
ETA - you can find information about how to do the 21 day fix meal plan online for free (pinterest has a lot of printables) and use regular measuring cups (veg is 1 cup, meat 3/4 cup, etc.).0 -
Smaller plates. ....honestly I bought ikea dinner plates 10" dia and the food looks like a massive portion .0
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annalicous wrote: »Does anybody have any advice when it comes to portion Control?
What works for you?
If you have lots of weight to lose you can start out with measuring cups and measuring spoons. As you get closer to goal though, a digital scale is going to be way more accurate (closer to goal your deficit will be smaller).
21 Day Fix containers are like very expensive colored tupperware measuring cups. I already own measuring cups.....it's basically a rip-off of the old Weight Watchers exchanges, only way less flexible. Depending on your calorie level, you may have 1 container of fat for the day.....use 1/4 at breakfast or 1/3 at lunch........how would you log this in MFP? Seems like a waste to me.0 -
I just started the 21 day fix meal plan (doing my own exercise) a few days ago. I have used a scale the last 2 years on and off it is the most accurate by far, but I just wanted to try something different. It is helping me learn appropriate serving sizes of carbs, protein, veg and made me realize I was not eating enough veggies and fruit. Once I learn to visualize on the plate the appropriate sizes, that will be a sustainable way to eat for life without counting everything. It ends up being similar to the plate rule (1/2 plate fruit or veg, 1/4 protein, 1/4 carb, small amount of healthy fats).
ETA - you can find information about how to do the 21 day fix meal plan online for free (pinterest has a lot of printables) and use regular measuring cups (veg is 1 cup, meat 3/4 cup, etc.).
except if protein was only 1/4 of my plate it wouldn't be enough for me...I eat 120grams a day.
and fruit/veg are carbs.
and healthy fats are good things so only having small amounts seems odd...I am not saying go hog wild but...1 -
What's the specific issue? But I'd say plan and measure things out, don't trust your eye to tell you the right portion until you'd been measuring for a while (scale is best and easiest, but often not necessary).1
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I just started the 21 day fix meal plan (doing my own exercise) a few days ago. I have used a scale the last 2 years on and off it is the most accurate by far, but I just wanted to try something different. It is helping me learn appropriate serving sizes of carbs, protein, veg and made me realize I was not eating enough veggies and fruit. Once I learn to visualize on the plate the appropriate sizes, that will be a sustainable way to eat for life without counting everything. It ends up being similar to the plate rule (1/2 plate fruit or veg, 1/4 protein, 1/4 carb, small amount of healthy fats).
ETA - you can find information about how to do the 21 day fix meal plan online for free (pinterest has a lot of printables) and use regular measuring cups (veg is 1 cup, meat 3/4 cup, etc.).
except if protein was only 1/4 of my plate it wouldn't be enough for me...I eat 120grams a day.
and fruit/veg are carbs.
and healthy fats are good things so only having small amounts seems odd...I am not saying go hog wild but...
I am eating around 120 grams of protein too, I get several 3/4 c servings a day plus a protein shake. 21 day fix categorizes starchy vegetables as a carb. It is not a low carb diet, I think I got 135 carbs when I tracked a day on mfp. It is based on a 40c/30p/30f macro ratio. Not sure if you actually looked into it or not before commenting on it, but it is just another way to reduce calorie intake and balance macros using measuring cups instead of a scale. Not as accurate as calorie counting with a scale, but another way to do it. I have lost 4 lbs in 5 days so far, even though I am already at a healthy weight. Most of that is water weight obviously, but I was eating too many starches and not enough veggies while calorie counting and this helped force me get more veggies on my plate. And I think long term in maintenance, most people would prefer to eyeball portions instead of using a scale or measuring cups. The scale and measuring cups can help people learn to eyeball appropriate portion sizes.0 -
I just started the 21 day fix meal plan (doing my own exercise) a few days ago. I have used a scale the last 2 years on and off it is the most accurate by far, but I just wanted to try something different. It is helping me learn appropriate serving sizes of carbs, protein, veg and made me realize I was not eating enough veggies and fruit. Once I learn to visualize on the plate the appropriate sizes, that will be a sustainable way to eat for life without counting everything. It ends up being similar to the plate rule (1/2 plate fruit or veg, 1/4 protein, 1/4 carb, small amount of healthy fats).
ETA - you can find information about how to do the 21 day fix meal plan online for free (pinterest has a lot of printables) and use regular measuring cups (veg is 1 cup, meat 3/4 cup, etc.).
except if protein was only 1/4 of my plate it wouldn't be enough for me...I eat 120grams a day.
and fruit/veg are carbs.
and healthy fats are good things so only having small amounts seems odd...I am not saying go hog wild but...
I am eating around 120 grams of protein too, I get several 3/4 c servings a day plus a protein shake. 21 day fix categorizes starchy vegetables as a carb. It is not a low carb diet, I think I got 135 carbs when I tracked a day on mfp. It is based on a 40c/30p/30f macro ratio. Not sure if you actually looked into it or not before commenting on it, but it is just another way to reduce calorie intake and balance macros using measuring cups instead of a scale. Not as accurate as calorie counting with a scale, but another way to do it. I have lost 4 lbs in 5 days so far, even though I am already at a healthy weight. Most of that is water weight obviously, but I was eating too many starches and not enough veggies while calorie counting and this helped force me get more veggies on my plate. And I think long term in maintenance, most people would prefer to eyeball portions instead of using a scale or measuring cups. The scale and measuring cups can help people learn to eyeball appropriate portion sizes.
I feel that the 21 Day Fix meal program is useful, due to its accessibility. It simplifies portion control for many individuals who otherwise would never attempt it, and, if followed correctly, quite likely would yield positive results.
Calorie tracking, however, is the Gold Standard; you can't get any more accurate than that. Plus, this site is designed around logging intake, so there won't be a lot of support for non-tracking methodologies.
When I had significant weight to lose, I logged religiously, and enjoyed the process. I know others, however, who claim that it's too much effort, so I could see how a simpler solution may aid those individuals.
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Counting the macros helps me in controlling the portions0
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annalicous wrote: »Does anybody have any advice when it comes to portion Control?
What works for you?
@annalicous I wish I was disciplined enough to use a scale all of the time but I'm not. What does work for me is dry measurements; a 1/2 cup of oatmeal, a 1/2 cup of rice, a cup of dry cereal. I also like to record "single ingredient" foods like an apple, or an orange, a tomato slice or a chicken breast. MFP does an excellent job of recording dry measures and single ingredient foods.0 -
I misplaced my food scale. But I invested in Perfect Portions containers at Walgreens. It's similar to 21 Day Fix but cheaper. It doesn't come with exercise DVDs like 21DF, but I have a regimen. I fill up the containers at each meal and so far have lost 4 lbs in my first week. There's zero guesswork involved.
Hopefully, after the initial water weight subsides, I'll lose a steady 1-3 lbs a week.0 -
Food scale and using smaller dishes really help.0
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What is "guesswork"? Eating healthily isn't difficult at all. Eat real food. Eat food you like. Eat a little bit of everything every day. Get enough of everything and not too much of anything. Have treats occasionally and in moderation. If you want to know exactly what you're getting, log your food in here and hit your goals.
These gimmicks don't really make life easier, because foods humans eat doesn't really fit into these boxes. At some point you need to learn to eat, and what a disappointment to realize you've spent so much time, effort and money just to learn to follow a "program".0
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