portion control
zerosugar101
Posts: 8 Member
having a hard time with portion control
1
Replies
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What's difficult about it for you?0
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Portion control for meals or snacks or both? Are you weighing/measuring and then putting the rest away? For me, out of sight out of mind works to a degree. I try to only make a serving for myself unless I am specifically cooking extra for the rest of the week.0
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Portion control for meals or snacks or both? Are you weighing/measuring and then putting the rest away? For me, out of sight out of mind works to a degree. I try to only make a serving for myself unless I am specifically cooking extra for the rest of the week.
Oh, that's a good point. I prep breakfast and lunch for the week for myself and my husband, so when it comes time to eat, I just grab one of my packed lunch containers and eat the food inside it. It's already accounted for because I also pre-log my food as much as possible. I've found it much easier to not "graze" or wander into the kitchen if I've decided in advance what I'm going to eat and when, and if the work of portioning and logging is already done when it comes time to eat the food, I avoid the analysis paralysis of "should I eat this now, how much should I eat now, how many calories do I need to save for later?" etc etc.2 -
Before getting serious and committing to logging and limiting calories, something that helped me very early on was dividing into several portions the amount of food I 'thought' I wanted. For example, I used to automatically fill up a tall 16 oz. glass with cold milk at every meal, make myself two hamburgers or pile my plate with spaghetti and meatballs.
Then, I started using an 8 oz. glass and making only one hamburger or having a smaller serving of spaghetti. I told myself that I could always have more if I wanted it... and sometimes I did. But often, the smaller portion was either enough or that second portion was considerably smaller. Sometimes, I was just too lazy to make that second burger.
So maybe try dividing up what you think of as a portion into several servings and wait 15-20 minutes before having seconds. If you get into the habit of weighing and measuring, that will also help nudge you in the right direction when you see exactly how many calories you are taking in. Good luck!
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I struggle with portion control as well. Logging my food and being mindful of how I feel during eating a meal or snack has been helpful. I'll ask myself, "am I still hungry?" This helps me recognize when to stop eating.1
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it is both meals and snacks, i can't make a meal just for me i cook for 5 so there is a big pan, and if it tastes good i want seconds, been trying to portion out snacks but then i eat 2 portions0
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Something that works for me is to make a big bed of lettuce on my plate, then put the measured "meal food" on top of the lettuce. By the time I work through the "meal food" AND the lettuce, I'm fuller than if I just ate the "meal food". I do it with both hot and cold food, on top of the lettuce. Lettuce has next to nothing in calories, so I can eat all I want!zerosugar101 wrote: »it is both meals and snacks, i can't make a meal just for me i cook for 5 so there is a big pan, and if it tastes good i want seconds...
And, if I am eating at a table with others, by the time I am done with my big plate of lettuce + the measured serving of meal food, most others will be done eating already. It is less temptation to be returning for seconds if it will be noticeable to others, "hey we are done eating, why are you still get more food??".
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I also agree with using smaller plates and bowls. My roommate is obsessed with bowls. We have at least 4 or 5 different sizes. When I use the big ones, I tend to give myself a larger portion.
Slowing down may also help. If you finish your plate, pause a few minutes before taking a 2nd portion. Fill the time with conversation. Really examine if you're still hungry. If so, start with an extra portion of vegetables. Or add a 2nd vegetable to your meal. Or a soup.
Maybe label those pre portioned snacks with which day you'll eat them.
Also are you waiting til you're famished? I tend to overeat when I'm really hungry. Some people do well with eating more often and some do well on one meal a day.
Use the notes section of your diary and keep tabs on your hunger level and find out what works for you.
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Yes, slow down. That is basically what the big pile of lettuce does, you have to work your way though all that and it takes time.Slowing down may also help. If you finish your plate, pause a few minutes before taking a 2nd portion. Fill the time with conversation. Really examine if you're still hungry. If so, start with an extra portion of vegetables. Or add a 2nd vegetable to your meal. Or a soup
That's me, too. If I reach a point of being "too hungry", then I oftentimes make unwise choices. In a pinch, when I've allowed myself to get too hungry, I drink some ice tea or other unsweetened drink to occupy myself while I quickly prepare some healthful foods.Also are you waiting til you're famished? I tend to overeat when I'm really hungry.
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@bebeisfit
I agree with you about waiting till famished. That was always my problem. I would be starving by time I got home from work. I would start dinner and munch as I cooked, then eat dinner, then eat more. I never seemed to fill up. I have found what works best for me is to eat 5-6 times a day and I make sure to have a snack as close to the end of the work day as possible so that I am not starved by time I get home.
Smaller plates and bowls have helped me as well. It's amazing how a portion size changes based on the size of the vessel it is going into, lol.1 -
Hide your 13 inch plates and only eat off 9 inch plates.............................and don't go back for 2nds.zerosugar101 wrote: »having a hard time with portion control
Also, if you're going to eat snacks, TAKE OUT the portion out of a bag, box, etc. Don't carry the box around and then count then keep the box open on hand. It's TOO EASY to reach in and grab more then feel like crap, and then finish it off because you think you failed anyway.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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i don't keep an open box or bag to munch out of i portion it out in to snack baggies, will have to try the smaller plate idea. i tend to eat 2 snack baggies instead of one, and i was picking the wrong snacks. been trying to write down my portion before it gets here on the supper, but the snack i eat willy nilly0
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