Am I not eating enough?
ssurvivor
Posts: 142 Member
Since the quarantine, I've been paying closer attention to how long my recipes last. I noticed that I'll cook something that's supposed to be 2-4 servings but it will last at least twice as many meals. Except for seasonings (e.g., spices, garlic
onion, herbs), I measure and/or weigh all of the ingredients for accuracy. Plus, I'm not actively trying to eat smaller portions. I generally eat until I'm full. Am I underestimating portion sizes for the recipes or just not eating enough? TIA!
onion, herbs), I measure and/or weigh all of the ingredients for accuracy. Plus, I'm not actively trying to eat smaller portions. I generally eat until I'm full. Am I underestimating portion sizes for the recipes or just not eating enough? TIA!
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Replies
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Give us a recipe example. Is there a recipe with a link?1
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How many calories has MFP given you for your daily goal? Are you eating those calories?2
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If you weigh the final product then you can define the serving sizes better. If the final product is 1000 grams and it is typically 4 servings then if you eat 125 grams of it you have eaten half a serving.
Alternatively you can enter it as 1000 servings and then just weigh your portion and enter the grams.
If you are the only one eating this dish though you should be able to answer your own question. If you know the total number of calories then go back through your log and add up the portions and see what you have logged. If you have logged more than the total you are overcharging yourself.6 -
If you're losing weight too fast over at least a month, then you're not eating enough.
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L1zardQueen wrote: »Give us a recipe example. Is there a recipe with a link?
Well, most of my recipes are handwritten (or on my Notes app) because I usually veganize and test my favorite recipes before adding to my rotation, but the most recent example is this hummus recipe that was supposedly four servings:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/spicy-hummus-quick-chickpea-spread-recipe-1912417
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Are you dividing the recipe by four and eating only one fourth? I guess I don’t understand what you are asking? Sorry
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If you weigh the final product then you can define the serving sizes better. If the final product is 1000 grams and it is typically 4 servings then if you eat 125 grams of it you have eaten half a serving.
Alternatively you can enter it as 1000 servings and then just weigh your portion and enter the grams.
If you are the only one eating this dish though you should be able to answer your own question. If you know the total number of calories then go back through your log and add up the portions and see what you have logged. If you have logged more than the total you are overcharging yourself.
Great suggestion! Logging/weight loss/etc. is not my primary concern. I'm mostly worried about waste. Since it's just me for the next few weeks, I cut the recipes in half so I don't create a lot of waste (I don't have the freezer space to store excess leftovers).
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snowflake954 wrote: »How many calories has MFP given you for your daily goal? Are you eating those calories?
As an ED warrior, I try not to count calories (one of my triggers) but I do track my nutrients and I am meeting my targets.
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L1zardQueen wrote: »Are you dividing the recipe by four and eating only one fourth? I guess I don’t understand what you are asking? Sorry
As is the case with the example recipe I posted, recipes generally say "Serves [x]" in the directions. So if a recipe says Serves 2, then I shouldn't have four (or more) meals...unless I'm not eating enough OR the portions are ridiculously large.0 -
snowflake954 wrote: »How many calories has MFP given you for your daily goal? Are you eating those calories?
As an ED warrior, I try not to count calories (one of my triggers) but I do track my nutrients and I am meeting my targets.
OP the problem here then is that serving sizes are completely arbitrary. A serving for a 5'2 female and a 6' male differ greatly. Serving sizes on a recipe don't tell you anything. I'd suggest that you know how many calories you should be eating and check the calories in a serving of your recipe for the first time. Once you know how big a portion you should have then do that without weighing anymore.2 -
L1zardQueen wrote: »Are you dividing the recipe by four and eating only one fourth? I guess I don’t understand what you are asking? Sorry
As is the case with the example recipe I posted, recipes generally say "Serves [x]" in the directions. So if a recipe says Serves 2, then I shouldn't have four (or more) meals...unless I'm not eating enough OR the portions are ridiculously large.
When I make a recipe that says "serves 4," I'm planning to eat a fourth of it. If I want to eat less than that, that's okay, but it doesn't mean that I'm not necessarily eating enough. It could mean that the recipe plans for larger serving sizes than I'm wanting.
Serving size is arbitrary. I've got cookbooks that cite ridiculously small serving sizes and cookbooks that cite ridiculously large ones, as well as many that seem "just right" (but would be too small or too big for others, I'm sure).
All "serving size" means is that someone looked at the completed recipe at some point and said, "Hm, this looks good for [x] number of people." That's all. There's no science or data behind it.
(Serving sizes on packages *do* have data behind them, but it's also not especially reliable. It's based on what people self-report eating of foods and studies have shown that humans aren't particularly good at self-reporting how much they eat, especially when they're estimating roughly or working from memory).5 -
OP I’m not sure what your intention is with this post are you worried about your ED?
Is your goal to maintain your weight?
If it is, then the only concern is if you are losing weight. Rather than portion sizes, which are arbitrary as others have said.1 -
cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »OP I’m not sure what your intention is with this post are you worried about your ED?
Is your goal to maintain your weight?
If it is, then the only concern is if you are losing weight. Rather than portion sizes, which are arbitrary as others have said.
As mentioned above, my concern is food waste.
Generally, if a recipe serves 8, I'll cut the recipe in half or 1/4 so I don't waste food. I don't have the freezer space to store excess leftovers. Before the quarantine, I not only had freezer space, but my bottomless pit bf would eat any and all leftovers when he came to town.
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janejellyroll wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Are you dividing the recipe by four and eating only one fourth? I guess I don’t understand what you are asking? Sorry
As is the case with the example recipe I posted, recipes generally say "Serves [x]" in the directions. So if a recipe says Serves 2, then I shouldn't have four (or more) meals...unless I'm not eating enough OR the portions are ridiculously large.
When I make a recipe that says "serves 4," I'm planning to eat a fourth of it. If I want to eat less than that, that's okay, but it doesn't mean that I'm not necessarily eating enough. It could mean that the recipe plans for larger serving sizes than I'm wanting.
Serving size is arbitrary. I've got cookbooks that cite ridiculously small serving sizes and cookbooks that cite ridiculously large ones, as well as many that seem "just right" (but would be too small or too big for others, I'm sure).
All "serving size" means is that someone looked at the completed recipe at some point and said, "Hm, this looks good for [x] number of people." That's all. There's no science or data behind it.
(Serving sizes on packages *do* have data behind them, but it's also not especially reliable. It's based on what people self-report eating of foods and studies have shown that humans aren't particularly good at self-reporting how much they eat, especially when they're estimating roughly or working from memory).
This is what I had hoped. But I thought I was doing something wrong because the only size appropriate recipes were the ones I'd adapted from restaurants/coops/stores. And most of my recipes are adapted from "test kitchens" so I (incorrectly) assumed that their serving sizes would be less arbitrary than your standard cookbook recipe.
Generally, when a recipe serves more than I can eat within a reasonable amount of time, I cut the recipe in 1/2, 1/3 or 1/4 before preparation. I think I'll additionally incorporate @NovusDies 's suggestion of weighing the final product and dividing into servings from there. I think I'll have to wait until I regain some freezer space before taking on that project though.0 -
I routinely stretch recipes that say they’re for 4 people to last me 5 or sometimes even 6 meals. They definitely serve 4 generously in my neck of the woods.
I portion it all out into meal size glass containers (600ml if I recall correctly) so I just divide it out in as many as seem reasonable and go from there.1 -
If storage is the issue:cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »OP I’m not sure what your intention is with this post are you worried about your ED?
Is your goal to maintain your weight?
If it is, then the only concern is if you are losing weight. Rather than portion sizes, which are arbitrary as others have said.
As mentioned above, my concern is food waste.
Generally, if a recipe serves 8, I'll cut the recipe in half or 1/4 so I don't waste food. I don't have the freezer space to store excess leftovers. Before the quarantine, I not only had freezer space, but my bottomless pit bf would eat any and all leftovers when he came to town.
Make less
Give excess away.1 -
cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »
If storage is the issue:cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »OP I’m not sure what your intention is with this post are you worried about your ED?
Is your goal to maintain your weight?
If it is, then the only concern is if you are losing weight. Rather than portion sizes, which are arbitrary as others have said.
As mentioned above, my concern is food waste.
Generally, if a recipe serves 8, I'll cut the recipe in half or 1/4 so I don't waste food. I don't have the freezer space to store excess leftovers. Before the quarantine, I not only had freezer space, but my bottomless pit bf would eat any and all leftovers when he came to town.
Make less
Give excess away.
And there is the point of this whole post.
If I’m cutting the recipes, I’m obviously trying to make less.
We’re in quarantine so I can’t exactly give away excess food.
If my efforts aren’t successful, I have to figure out why.
But thanks for your “help.”1
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