Tips for portion awareness rather than calorie and macro counting
jjpptt2
Posts: 5,650 Member
Let's say I wanted to lose a little weight and keep some reasonable macros... But I wanted to do it with portion awareness rather than calorie and macro counting. Are there any tips or guidelines?
What I'm thinking is something like:
5 palm/fist sized portions of fruits and veggies per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of meat, fish or poultry per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of dairy per day
1 palm/fist sized portion of grains or starches per day
2 thumb sized portions of chocolate or similar "treat" per day
Does that even make any sense?
What I'm thinking is something like:
5 palm/fist sized portions of fruits and veggies per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of meat, fish or poultry per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of dairy per day
1 palm/fist sized portion of grains or starches per day
2 thumb sized portions of chocolate or similar "treat" per day
Does that even make any sense?
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Replies
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Two fist sized portions of milk is a lot different than two fist sized portions of cheese, so I'm not sure about the dairy guideline, but otherwise it looks healthy to me. Will it result in weight loss? Very hard to tell. Personally, I'd try logging it for a couple weeks to see how the calories work out.4
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Let's say I wanted to lose a little weight and keep some reasonable macros... But I wanted to do it with portion awareness rather than calorie and macro counting. Are there any tips or guidelines?
What I'm thinking is something like:
5 palm/fist sized portions of fruits and veggies per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of meat, fish or poultry per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of dairy per day
1 palm/fist sized portion of grains or starches per day
2 thumb sized portions of chocolate or similar "treat" per day
Does that even make any sense?
But how many calories is that? Some people have big hands.
two thumbed sized portions of chocolate or similar treats sounds depressing.
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Not to mention that 2 fist-sized portions of ribeye steak are going to be very calorically different from two fist-sized portions of cod or tilapia.
But two fist-sized portions of cheese per day? Yes please!!!!
You could try it, but there can be a lot of caloric variance in those portion sizes.6 -
Why not weigh for a while so you get to know what a portion of the foods you eat is.6
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Let's say I wanted to lose a little weight and keep some reasonable macros... But I wanted to do it with portion awareness rather than calorie and macro counting. Are there any tips or guidelines?
What I'm thinking is something like:
5 palm/fist sized portions of fruits and veggies per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of meat, fish or poultry per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of dairy per day
1 palm/fist sized portion of grains or starches per day
2 thumb sized portions of chocolate or similar "treat" per day
Does that even make any sense?
Those macro ratios might work for you, but they wouldn't work for me since I'm a vegetarian who thrives on starches.
I get where you're coming from, and I think Precision Nutrition has guidelines along these lines.0 -
I think as long as you use some discretion and change up your portions based on the caloric density of your food (think 80/20 patty vs chicken breast for example), then you'll be fine. Generally though I wouldn't advise it unless you feel like it's something you can maintain for the rest of your life.0
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I get what you ask are saying, and I get that recommendations might vary for a guy looking for 2500 cals vs a woman looking for 1500.
But if someone said they didn't want to count cals, what advise would you offer? What tips or guidelines could they use?
I know that mfp is a calorie counting tool... But there's gotta be something between calorie counting and being sol.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Let's say I wanted to lose a little weight and keep some reasonable macros... But I wanted to do it with portion awareness rather than calorie and macro counting. Are there any tips or guidelines?
What I'm thinking is something like:
5 palm/fist sized portions of fruits and veggies per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of meat, fish or poultry per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of dairy per day
1 palm/fist sized portion of grains or starches per day
2 thumb sized portions of chocolate or similar "treat" per day
Does that even make any sense?
Those macro ratios might work for you, but they wouldn't work for me since I'm a vegetarian who thrives on starches.
I get where you're coming from, and I think Precision Nutrition has guidelines along these lines.
Your dietary preferences have nothing to do with macros.0 -
I did not count or log anything for 4 years. I think it's more of a trial and error kind of thing. I weighed myself every other week or so and adjusted depending on the scale results.
I eyeballed the food and listened to my body.
That's easy on maintenance. The difficult part with weight loss is( at least for me) tracking protein. You can always adjust from going by the scale and mirror, but you run into risk of not getting enough protein and losing valuable muscle mass.1 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Let's say I wanted to lose a little weight and keep some reasonable macros... But I wanted to do it with portion awareness rather than calorie and macro counting. Are there any tips or guidelines?
What I'm thinking is something like:
5 palm/fist sized portions of fruits and veggies per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of meat, fish or poultry per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of dairy per day
1 palm/fist sized portion of grains or starches per day
2 thumb sized portions of chocolate or similar "treat" per day
Does that even make any sense?
Those macro ratios might work for you, but they wouldn't work for me since I'm a vegetarian who thrives on starches.
I get where you're coming from, and I think Precision Nutrition has guidelines along these lines.
Your dietary preferences have nothing to do with macros.
Well, when you're including 2 portions of fish or poultry a day, they do
It was a light hearted comment, and my actual dietary preferences, which include my macro balance, does have to do with macros since said balance keeps me sated and it greatly varies from the balance you posted.
But I digress.
Check out Precision Nutrition's free resources for their guidelines if you're looking for something on portioning.0 -
There is a lot of variation in what is a "palm" or "fist" sized portion. Most obviously, everyone's hands are different sizes, but even within the categories you stated, there is a ton of variation. Are you talking about fat-free or full fat dairy? Is your serving of produce an apple, or lettuce? How much is a palm compared to a fist? Does cooking oil factor into your "treat," and if so, how much is a thumb of cooking oil? What about keeping up with the things that go into a recipe--how do you count flour, sugar, eggs, etc. when you wind up only eating a fraction of the dish?
It seems a lot easier to just log calories.2 -
Let's say I wanted to lose a little weight and keep some reasonable macros... But I wanted to do it with portion awareness rather than calorie and macro counting. Are there any tips or guidelines?
What I'm thinking is something like:
5 palm/fist sized portions of fruits and veggies per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of meat, fish or poultry per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of dairy per day
1 palm/fist sized portion of grains or starches per day
2 thumb sized portions of chocolate or similar "treat" per day
Does that even make any sense?
Can you convert that into meals for me? Seems like starch is breakfast and there is none at lunch and dinner, which wouldn't be to my taste, but I realize people have different preferences and I could be misinterpreting.
Perhaps you will find this resource helpful:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/
I don't like the way they treat potatoes. Instead of a "whole grains" category, I use "starch" and include potatoes there, like the UK government suggests in their Eatwell Guide:
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/the-eatwell-guide.aspx
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ent3rsandman wrote: »I think as long as you use some discretion and change up your portions based on the caloric density of your food (think 80/20 patty vs chicken breast for example), then you'll be fine. Generally though I wouldn't advise it unless you feel like it's something you can maintain for the rest of your life.
Thanks. I made the assumption that having a varied diet would mean that chicken breast would balance out red meat... skim milk or Greek yogurt would balance out cheese... etc.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Let's say I wanted to lose a little weight and keep some reasonable macros... But I wanted to do it with portion awareness rather than calorie and macro counting. Are there any tips or guidelines?
What I'm thinking is something like:
5 palm/fist sized portions of fruits and veggies per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of meat, fish or poultry per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of dairy per day
1 palm/fist sized portion of grains or starches per day
2 thumb sized portions of chocolate or similar "treat" per day
Does that even make any sense?
Can you convert that into meals for me? Seems like starch is breakfast and there is none at lunch and dinner, which wouldn't be to my taste, but I realize people have different preferences and I could be misinterpreting.
Perhaps you will find this resource helpful:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/
I don't like the way they treat potatoes. Instead of a "whole grains" category, I use "starch" and include potatoes there, like the UK government suggests in their Eatwell Guide:
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/the-eatwell-guide.aspx
Those are helpful, thank you.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Let's say I wanted to lose a little weight and keep some reasonable macros... But I wanted to do it with portion awareness rather than calorie and macro counting. Are there any tips or guidelines?
What I'm thinking is something like:
5 palm/fist sized portions of fruits and veggies per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of meat, fish or poultry per day
2 palm/fist sized portions of dairy per day
1 palm/fist sized portion of grains or starches per day
2 thumb sized portions of chocolate or similar "treat" per day
Does that even make any sense?
Those macro ratios might work for you, but they wouldn't work for me since I'm a vegetarian who thrives on starches.
I get where you're coming from, and I think Precision Nutrition has guidelines along these lines.
Your dietary preferences have nothing to do with macros.
Well, when you're including 2 portions of fish or poultry a day, they do
It was a light hearted comment, and my actual dietary preferences, which include my macro balance, does have to do with macros since said balance keeps me sated and it greatly varies from the balance you posted.
But I digress.
Check out Precision Nutrition's free resources for their guidelines if you're looking for something on portioning.
IMO, goals dictate macros, with satiety being second. Dietary preference, I guess, can relate to satiety... But my point was that you set your macro goals, then dietary preferences determine HOW you hit those numbers, NOT what those numbers should be.
So if your vegan or paleo or fast food... Macro goals are macro goals. However, how you hit those goals will vary.
But I'm getting off topic now.0 -
What works for me (and may not work for others)
-Make protein the star of the show.. then veggies.. then grains/starches the side act. I try my best to have a significant source of protein with every meal or snack. This helps me reach my protein goals without tracking and helps with satiety
-Become calorie aware regarding calorie dense items - ie. nuts, nut butters, oils, other fats, etc. Know what a serving/tbsp/tsp actually looks like
-I am a volume eater as well so bulking up my meals with veggies and puffy food helps
-I keep my fun foods, but I find lower calorie versions of them.. again it's all about being calorie aware. ex. Big Drumstick ice cream vs. Small one
-Limit mindless snacking.. keep certain things out of reach, don't keep temping foods around.. I have an outline of my day in my head and I try to stick to the plan (similar to someone who logs and tracks)
-I try to keep my meals pretty similar day to day. This way it will be easier to tweak if needed.
-If I am still not losing after a week or so, I analyze and cut down a snack or portion size, or increase my daily activity.
These aren't really guidelines because they definitely will not work for everyone, but just to give you an idea what I do. You know I am big on intuitive eating
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What works for me (and may not work for others)
-Make protein the star of the show.. then veggies.. then grains/starches the side act. I try my best to have a significant source of protein with every meal or snack. This helps me reach my protein goals without tracking and helps with satiety
-Become calorie aware regarding calorie dense items - ie. nuts, nut butters, oils, other fats, etc. Know what a serving/tbsp/tsp actually looks like
-I am a volume eater as well so bulking up my meals with veggies and puffy food helps
-I keep my fun foods, but I find lower calorie versions of them.. again it's all about being calorie aware. ex. Big Drumstick ice cream vs. Small one
-Limit mindless snacking.. keep certain things out of reach, don't keep temping foods around.. I have an outline of my day in my head and I try to stick to the plan (similar to someone who logs and tracks)
-I try to keep my meals pretty similar day to day. This way it will be easier to tweak if needed.
-If I am still not losing after a week or so, I analyze and cut down a snack or portion size, or increase my daily activity.
These aren't really guidelines because they definitely will not work for everyone, but just to give you an idea what I do. You know I am big on intuitive eating
Excellent, thank you.1 -
Calorie counting is just a way to achieve portion control. Macro counting is just detailed calorie counting. The point of it all is "not overeat". Any method that makes you not overeat, and preferably without too much stress, effort and feeling deprived, is a good method for you. For most people, having good habits and letting their habits work for them, is helpful.
I am maintaining, but I counted calories while losing and a few months into maintenance. I'm using a mix of methods/strategies that I have read about - elements from MFP, 21 day fix, The Hacker's diet, The No S Diet, mindful eating, intuitive eating, the plate model, food groups: Paying attention and learning what appropriate meals look like, while counting calories/macros. Remembering and continuing that afterwards. Getting to know what hungry and full feels like, and aiming for not hungry/pleasantly full after meals. Learning how to compose balanced meals. Having rough templates for all meals. Sticking mostly to regular meals and home cooked food, made from simple, single food ingredients. I plan my meals, and it's impossible to plan without weighing/counting. I move more on the daily, and I monitor my weight. Weight trend pointing upwards means I have to be more strict for a while.
It sounds complicated, but it's a "natural" and easy system that just takes a lot of words to explain.0 -
For portion awareness, what I did, (before I discovered MFP) was to get a foodscale... and follow the serving size recommendations on the back of the packets. Once I'd got the hang of that, that was a skill that easily transferred to plating up homecooked food without a packet to guide me.
It worked pretty well. I can still eat loooooooooooooooads if ever required, but on a day-to-day basis, I can see the difference between a reasonable portion and "the most I could possibly eat all at once", and I can be satisfied with the former.0 -
I get what you ask are saying, and I get that recommendations might vary for a guy looking for 2500 cals vs a woman looking for 1500.
But if someone said they didn't want to count cals, what advise would you offer? What tips or guidelines could they use?
I know that mfp is a calorie counting tool... But there's gotta be something between calorie counting and being sol.
if someone just didn't want to count calories i would say just eat less than they do now...
i was successful losing weight by cutting starchy carbs from my evening meal before i discovered MFP.
is there a reason said person doesn't want to count calories?1 -
I'm not sure I understand the whole "Palm/fist" sizing. I slice of Kraft American cheese is about the size of my palm so that would be a portion? How does that translate to meat? Would a portion be any thickness as long as it's palm sized? So a 3" thick filet mignon would be equal to a slice of deli meat?
I think weighing is easy and when you practice enough you can guesstimate in restaurants.1 -
The British Heart Foundation Eating Well booklet (free download) gives some eyeballing ideas about portion sizes https://bhf.org.uk/publications/healthy-eating-and-drinking/eating-well
Sadly a portion of cheese is small box of matches size, not the size of your palm :-(
I suggest trying weighing your portions out for a few weeks until you get a feel for them as others have suggested,1 -
If that type of eating worked for me, I would probably not be here, lol.3
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I agree with weighing different foods to find out the appropriate portions. I'm vegan but I know for me a protein like black beans is different from a more concentrated one like tofu. A starchy vegetable like butternut squash is different from a bunch of raw spinach. Even whole grains--brown rice and quinoa are different obviously.
But putting that aside for a second, one neat trick I've heard is that people simply eat less in general when eating off a smaller plate. So I'm seeing if I'm happier with my smaller portions on a little plate, as opposed to having them look lonely on a big plate, which might leave me feeling deprived.1 -
Let's say I wanted to lose a little weight and keep some reasonable macros... But I wanted to do it with portion awareness rather than calorie and macro counting. Are there any tips or guidelines?
I do this when not logging, but rather than focus on numbers like you give I just got a sense of how much for various protein sources and higher cal carb sources and fats and use that.
Meals (well, when I'm not low carbing, which I am now) = protein, veg, starch, some fat for cooking and/or accent. I am aware if the protein is lower or higher cal (shrimp vs. pulled pork) and tend to compensate in some way, either at that meal or another. For treats I'll look at calories and have an idea of how much fits in a normal day (but won't always have something). Fruit exchanges with treats or with starches.
I don't find the hand measures useful, personally, but that doesn't mean you won't.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »I don't like the way they treat potatoes. Instead of a "whole grains" category, I use "starch" and include potatoes there, like the UK government suggests in their Eatwell Guide
This is what I do too. It's how I grew up thinking about it, and weird that the US guidelines do not. (Corn, peas, grains, tubers, beans and lentils = starch.) Of course now I'd say beans and lentils could be starch or protein, depending on the meal, but growing up we did not do vegetarian, and my parents still seem to think a dinner without meat is weird (breakfast or lunch, sure, as there were eggs and peanut butter).
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frannyupnorth wrote: »The British Heart Foundation Eating Well booklet (free download) gives some eyeballing ideas about portion sizes https://bhf.org.uk/publications/healthy-eating-and-drinking/eating-well
Sadly a portion of cheese is small box of matches size, not the size of your palm :-(
I suggest trying weighing your portions out for a few weeks until you get a feel for them as others have suggested,
I think that's way too general and meant for people that have very bad eating habits.
The way idea about not counting calories is to not be overthinking everything that you put in your mouth, and living a more "carefree" lifestyle. If you have to worry about fist size etc, you might as well count calories.4 -
there is a diet based on this, where you buy special containers that are supposed to help with portion control. I wouldn't pay for them personally, but I could see where weighing out some portions in the containers you have around already and getting an idea of what portion sizes look like would be a useful thing to do
I agree with some of above that when you get into "fist size" or similar type measurements there is alot of variability from person to person, so I don't feel that is super helpful. But figuring out your own more accurate portion system could work.2 -
I was very ignorant and unobservant of proper portions, so, this guide, which I saw about 7 years ago, has really helped me. Its great when cooking away from home and eating at restaurants. I was shocked at the cheese serving size and the amount of oil to use. The pack of cards thing and using the fist or palm was very helpful for veg and even for yogurt and milk. Maybe that is why my weight has been more maintainable since I saw these guides and thought about them. The guides seemed to have had the power to stick with me more than a lot of weight loss stuff.
I think it might also benefit people who are recovering from compulsive obsessions and paranoia about food, calorie counting and weighing and measuring disorders.1 -
I know you wanted suggestions for NOT calorie counting, but for the last year or so I have set my calories to maintenance at my GOAL weight. So although the weight-loss is much much slower, this gets me used to eating at that level. There are days when I slip up, so I try and eat a little less the next day, and follow hunger rather than having to hit an arbitrary calorie figure, as long as my weekly average is right, and I am getting the nutrients. I’m a big vegetable fan anyway so many of my meals end up mostly vegetables, with some protein and healthy fats, and then I don’t have room on the plate for starchy carbs.
This helps me get USED to the idea of eating less. In fact, this week, as I have a half marathon coming up, I am meant to be eating a bit more to help fuel my runs and I’m finding it a struggle as I don’t WANT to eat more. Something must be working!!
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