Give me tips for portion control

Anita4548
Anita4548 Posts: 39 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
How did you learn to eat smaller portions? Does it become a habit?
When I went vegan, I started eating enormous amounts of food. How silly was I, watching all the high carb low fat youtubers eating huge bowls of rice and veg thinking oh its good food I wont put on weight!?
Anyway, what are your tips for eating smaller portions? ATM I am trying to eat low cal salads i.e. no dressing in addition to whatever I am having for dinner just so I can feel full but I really want to be able to eat smaller portions. I've been logging my food for a month and a half now and I do eat less but I still WANT to eat more.
I feel like it's really difficult to eat small portions when you are surrounded by restaurants and take aways and even supermarket portions that are big enough to feed a family
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Replies

  • ReevesKimberlee
    ReevesKimberlee Posts: 12 Member
    If you go out to eat get a to go box and put away half the food before you start to eat
  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
    I think we’re always going to be surrounded by portions that are way larger than what we know is reasonable, so it’s mostly a matter of forcing yourself to change your habits consistently, with the hope of eventually changing your mindset, satiety, and satisfaction with smaller portions. Fake it til you make it!
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    setting boundaries with yourself. Say No, this is enough. I love myself, I want to look good! Then drink some water.
  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
    kali31337 wrote: »
    I meal prep and put things into their own containers so I can just grab a perfectly portion lunch or for dinner, I have how much a portion weighs written on the container and I weigh out exactly that much. Sometimes I'm hungry in between meals and it makes me evaluate if I didn't eat enough, my macros are off, OR if I'm just bored and not actually hungry. But the meal prepping has saved me or I would just come home and eat tortilla chips out of the bag and call it dinner

    Yes! Planning what you’re going to eat for the day is absolutely key to better portion control. If you’re deciding ahead of time how much you will need to eat during the day, instead of deciding during your hungry-moments, you’re more likely to make good portion decisions.

  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    It's easy when meal prepping for yourself because you can measure everything, portion it out, put it away. When eating out, I used to just ask for a box and put half my dinner in it. There are lower calorie option at some restaurants, or you can order salad instead of sides. Learning ways to order healthier options helps too. You sometimes just have to practice eating less until you get used to it.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited February 2019
    I eat larger portions and fit them into my calorie targets. My lunch's are the biggest meal of the day and it usually includes mixing-bowl sized salads, or stirfrys with a serving of rice and then an entire bag of steamer veggies plus shrimp or beans etc. These are my meals though, not a side.

    Maybe instead of having a plain (ie boring) salad as a side to a meal-make it a large, fun (ie lots of variety in it) salad and have it as your meal. You can add 3-4 ounces of protein to your salads for around 100 calories and then the rest be veggies, low calorie dressing/salsa, low calorie toppings etc. I think a lot of us grew up where veggies were a side dish-make them the focus of your plate and you can have all sorts of interesting, tasty meals that also have a lot of volume :)



  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    i fill up on raw veggies a ton. but them up in slices/sticks so they take longer to eat.

    but beside that i've had to pre-log and use a scale for everything. i drink a TON of carbonated no cal water and tea which helps keep me full.

    beyond that it's mind over matter.
  • WilmaValley
    WilmaValley Posts: 1,092 Member
    Great ideas!!!
  • Ddsb11
    Ddsb11 Posts: 607 Member
    Feeling satiated is a big one for me aka eating foods I like and not "feeling"deprived. I learned to eat the correct portions by weighing and measuring my food with a food scale in my calorie allowance. Nothing else much worked for me.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I started by going by the recommended serving size for things that are not individual servings (weighed all solid and semi solid, measured liquids):

    112g oz beef
    58g sandwich meat
    170g chicken breast
    1 slice bread
    112g yogurt
    32g peanut butter
    40g oats
    32g butter
    etc.

    After I saw what a serving size was and where it fit into my macro mix and calorie goal I was able to increase if I wanted. Most I was able to eat what was recommended and just eat a wider variety of things.

  • Competeballpythons
    Competeballpythons Posts: 224 Member
    Use smaller plates
  • vanityy99
    vanityy99 Posts: 2,583 Member
    I like simplicity when it comes to losing weight, counting calories, weighing and prepping isn’t that for me. So little things I did when I went out to restaurants was asking for a container and putting some food away for later. I also used the smaller plate trick- that actually helped me to learn how to eat in moderation ( smaller portions compared to before).
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    I still eat large amounts of food, I just make sure that at least half of my meal is vegetables. However, if there is no protein or fat present in that meal I will still be hungry soon afterwards.

    Prelogging is great for keeping my calories in check. It is my best tool with both weight loss and maintenance. Knowing how much I can eat before I eat it is freeing in so many ways as it means I can enjoy the foods I want.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Anita4548 wrote: »
    How did you learn to eat smaller portions? Does it become a habit?
    When I went vegan, I started eating enormous amounts of food. How silly was I, watching all the high carb low fat youtubers eating huge bowls of rice and veg thinking oh its good food I wont put on weight!?
    Anyway, what are your tips for eating smaller portions? ATM I am trying to eat low cal salads i.e. no dressing in addition to whatever I am having for dinner just so I can feel full but I really want to be able to eat smaller portions. I've been logging my food for a month and a half now and I do eat less but I still WANT to eat more.
    I feel like it's really difficult to eat small portions when you are surrounded by restaurants and take aways and even supermarket portions that are big enough to feed a family

    I have bigger portions of low calorie foods like low cal salads and veggies, and smaller portions of calorie dense foods.

    I'm an omnivore, but when I was in Costa Rica I ate mostly plant based, and found rice and beans super filling, and also ate a lot of fruit.

    Yes, restaurant portions can be ridiculously large. I generally plan to eat half or less.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    In restaurants, divide your meal in half or 1/3-2/3 as soon as you receive it. Then eat only half or a third and ask for a take home box. I usually get at least 2 more meals out of the leftovers. Some people get a box as soon as it's served, but I haven't had many waitstaff actually do that.

    On pasta, eat the protein and a small portion of pasta. Leave the rest if you can't take it with you. It will go either to waist or waste.
  • SeattleBebop1
    SeattleBebop1 Posts: 26 Member
    Anita, I wonder if you would like trying out Japanese bento boxes for portion control for your meals on the go (school, work, etc.)? As others have already stated, meal prep is a big key to winning. Because you are vegan, I also wonder if some of the bento recipes (with focus on grains, proteins like tofu, and root vegetables) may appeal to you (while most Japanese eat fish, some are Buddhist and there is food designed around that). I don't know what your caloric needs are, but bento boxes are sized to hold X number of calories based on gender & age.

    http://www.justbento.com/how-bento-lunches-helped-me-lose-30-lbs-so-far
    https://ss-biggie.livejournal.com/29512.html
  • suziecue25
    suziecue25 Posts: 289 Member
    Competeballpythons wrote: »
    Use smaller plates

    ^I do this, it is so simple yet so effective
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited February 2019
    This content has been removed.
  • jdog022
    jdog022 Posts: 693 Member
    jdog022 wrote: »
    It’s about learning self control

    I’m interested to know why the post is woo’d. You do realize that she will forever be presented with food that is an oversized portion? Going out to eat , functions, work, weddings, etc
  • figyello
    figyello Posts: 34 Member
    edited February 2019
    Try eating your measured portion, and then drink two big glasses of water. Or drink two big glasses of water 10 minutes before you eat. I get full quickly that way.
  • StevefromMichigan
    StevefromMichigan Posts: 462 Member
    One thing I always found is that fruits and veggies often do not make be feel full. It seems like I can eat a big salad, and then 60 minutes later, be ravenously hungry again. Try experimenting to find things that are low in calories, but leave you feeling fuller. For me, it's carbs.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Fruits and veggies are carbs. Or did you mean grains?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,091 Member
    I didn't really think about portions per se. I logged, then used my food diary to look for foods that were costing me relatively many calories compared to the tastiness, satiation, and nutrition I got from them. I'd reduce or eliminate those, and include something else I liked that better helped me reach my goals. That gradually led to a more satisfying, nutritious way of eating.

    Physical volume of food is one thing that helps me feel satiated, but lots of veggies (cooked or raw) usually ticks that box well for me. Personally, I also need adequate protein through the day in order to feel full, and I think it's important for nutrition/health to get a certain minimum amount of fats. So, it all needs to balance out within my calorie goal.

    Now in year 3 of maintenance, I find - if I need to cut back a little - that I can fit in my basic nutrition in fewer calories now than when I started losing weight around 4 years ago, and I think the physical volume of food may be greater than those early stages at a reduced calorie goal. (I'm vegetarian, ovo-lacto not strict - not that that really makes a difference strategically IMO.)
  • 1BlueAurora
    1BlueAurora Posts: 439 Member
    Things that worked for me: at home, I use a luncheon plate that's smaller than a dinner plate and load that up. It looks like a full plate, and less food on there means smaller portions. One small chicken breast or a portion of salmon, the rest of the plate veggies. Don't eat a second helping. Find low calorie items and eat those. Two scrambled eggs equals around 140 calories and helps sustain me energy-wise better than a handful of carrots, to be honest. For restaurants, I ask the server to put half of the meal in a to-go box when I order the food. I eat the smaller portion right there, and take my box home to put in the fridge for the next day's lunch. That's two meals for the price of one, and I've automatically reduced my daily calorie intake by spreading it over two days.

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