Portion control
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leasy1
Posts: 172 Member
Hi all. I am not new to trying to lose weight, I have tried probably every way to lose weight under the sun I even had a gastric band for 6 years which I recently had to have removed due to complications. But I was wondering if anyone has had success with just portion control alone? I would love to lose 28-35 lb. Any tips and advice will be much appreciated. Thank you 
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Replies
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Well, in order to lose weight, you need to consistently eat less. An effective way to consistently eat less can be to control your portions consciously. Counting calories is just one way to consciously control your portions. It works as long as you make it work.
You're not that heavy. If you don't want to lose weight, you don't have to. But if you want to, it's fairly straightforward. If I can suggest something, it would be to stop "trying", lose the noise, find out what's stopping you, fix that, commit, and really make an effort to just eat less.8 -
Portion control at mealtime (especially dinner) has helped me lose weight. But I also have to limit snacking throughout the day. It doesn't work to eat small portions of snacks that are high in calories plus 3 meals and expect to lose weight. I am also walking for exercise.1
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Yes, I've had success using portion control alone. Right now, I'm down around 90 lbs. from my highest weight by simply eating less food.
It sounds simple but it took me quite some time and effort to put all the pieces I needed together to make this happen. The key for me was to figure out how to make it through the day on less food without 1) blowing it due to hunger or 2) giving in to cravings.
I've noticed that the longer I wait to eat during the day, the better my calories come out - so I have just coffee, water, and bits of fruit for as long as I can in the morning and early afternoon. If I can wait until around 1:30 or 2:00 to eat my first meal, my final calorie count for the day always comes out lower.
Also, I learned to make easy substitutions to lower my caloric intake. For example, I use just the whites of boiled eggs in my salads and give the yolks to my dogs - that reduced my intake by about 70 calories and the salad tastes exactly the same. Simple actions such as these have made a huge difference and are not that hard to do - it's just a matter of willingness and making it a daily priority.
Which brings me to the other part - dealing with cravings/emotional eating/maintaining motivation. I have to use a variety of different tools and strategies in this regard - these are psychological issues and have to be addressed as such. They are really the crux of the matter and why I became overweight in the first place. So although eating less to lose weight sounds simple, for me, it is quite a complex, multi-faceted, and involved process. But by putting all the necessary pieces together, it is doable and it WORKS. Good luck to you!18 -
You lose weight when you maintain a calorie deficit, and controlling portion size is inevitably involved at some point.2
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Get a food scale. I don't portion control. I just make sure I don't eat too many calories. I like this place.4
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Is there a meaningful difference between "portion control" and "not too many calories"? Particularly when you achieve both by carefully measuring what you eat?TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »I don't portion control. I just make sure I don't eat too many calories.
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TheWJordinWJordin: I don't portion control. I just make sure I don't eat too many calories.
Is there a meaningful difference between "portion control" and "not too many calories"? Particularly when you achieve both by carefully measuring what you eat [\b]
You're not measuring your intake accurately using portion control. PC will work for overweight and obese people to get to high-normal BMIs because it stops them overeating. To lose or body comp further you need to count calories.1 -
Counting calories is so time consuming, I have a 16 month old I run around after, a partner in have to cook separately for so by the time I have time for me i can't be bothered so I generally do a quick salad but I do believe it is the amount I eat rather than what I eat.
ActionAnnieJXN I have heard of this, 16/8 intermittent fasting I think where you hold off as long as you can so your first meal is at lunch time.2 -
Hi leasy1, yes, I've heard of it too - I was already doing it when I first read about it and found out that it was a thing, haha!0
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Or you can eat when you wake up and stop eating 8 hours before bed if you like to. Or anything inbetween if you like that better. Meal timing doesn't make any difference pr se. Adhering to appropriate calories and getting in proper nutrition is what's important. When you *like* what you're doing, that's when magic happens. "Intermittent fasting" is just a pompous term for eating like a normal person. (But using pompous terms feels good too, I admit that16/8 intermittent fasting I think where you hold off as long as you can so your first meal is at lunch time.
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What I have learned and has worked for me is prepping food ahead of time. It helps a person stay in control and not to over eat or choose food that is unhealthy.
I prep for a family of 3 and its work but so worth it. If you put the food in ziplock bags or special food trays with covers. My husband likes it and so does my daughter . That way you can grab a snack and go.2 -
TheWJordinWJordin: I don't portion control. I just make sure I don't eat too many calories.
Is there a meaningful difference between "portion control" and "not too many calories"? Particularly when you achieve both by carefully measuring what you eat [\b]
You're not measuring your intake accurately using portion control. PC will work for overweight and obese people to get to high-normal BMIs because it stops them overeating. To lose or body comp further you need to count calories.
This isn't true. Calorie counting is a very useful tool, but it is not necessary.1 -
Counting calories lets you practice portion control.
It basically takes a few minutes each day to log food - even if you only log for a while it will let you see how much you are eating and how you can adjust intake - if necessary.
I no longer log my meals but it took me a few years of logging consistently to get in the habit of knowing what my portion sizes should be for me to maintain my weight.4 -
It starts off a little time consuming, but once you have a range of meals & recipes saved it can be done in a few minutes a day. Also, it is about priorities, most people have busy lives with work, study, children, partners etc & still make time to exercise, cook & log daily. You will find time if it is important enough to you!Counting calories is so time consuming
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I don't know anyone who has practiced portion control (without any knowledge of calories) to ever keep their weight off in the long term. Weight loss might be slow but it eventually creeps up.0
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Eyeballing foods for portion control was a complete failure for me. This place is working. I measure/weigh food and count calories. I think the two are completely different things (from experience).4
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I only lose weight when I weigh my food and track the calories - when I do that I lose with almost mathematical precision. Key to that is cooking 95% of my meals at home. It can seem tedious but it works and I'm a good cook so I enjoy the food I make. I wasn't aware of portion control being different from just weighing food but I would think that weighing the food would yield better results because it removes error and subjective judgment.
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Can't imagine how you do portion control without counting calories. Almost impossible to achieve accuracy and consistency.8
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Cutting down portion size and simply eating less of what you are already eating will reduce the amount calories you are eating and ultimately, it is all about the calories. The problem is that it is like driving cross country with no map and no directions. It might work but eventually, you will probably end up lost because you don't know where you are going. Counting calories, which is incredibly easy, is like making the same trip with Google maps. It allows you to indulge when you want and to choose larger portions of some foods and get the most bang for your caloric buck. I have lost weight in the past without counting calories but this time, I have had greater and more sustainable success and it has been much easier.6
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Chadxx explained my situation perfectly. Like driving cross country with no map.
With portion control I never knew calories in deep dish 3 meat pizza, sausage caserole, apple fritter, etc. Portion control worked a bit because I was a bit more mindful, but this place was my GOOGLE MAPS.10
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