How do you control your portion sizes at dinner?

Amber82479
Amber82479 Posts: 629 Member
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
I'm struggling... I have good intentions, but I tend to end up taking too much and feeling stuffed and disappointed with my calorie intake. I know I should measure and weigh at every meal, and most times I do, but I often end up feeling like that takes the joy out of eating. So I'm wondering, how do you deal with portion sizes?
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Replies

  • IamEric
    IamEric Posts: 67
    I use a smaller plate.
  • ameyc2002
    ameyc2002 Posts: 247 Member
    i use my measureing cup alot 1/2 cup for lots of things.
  • meeperoon
    meeperoon Posts: 270 Member
    If on my own, each part of the meal should be the size of a clenched fist, steak maybe a little bigger. If with the bf, my portion is usually half his on a normal sized plate and it still fills me up.
  • leynak
    leynak Posts: 963 Member
    I measure everything I eat. Until I can eyeball what the correct portions are that's what I have to do.


    *I did find this to help with estimating though

    43971810_i8HtoptU_c.jpg
  • farrellb2
    farrellb2 Posts: 120
    There's these cool portion plates online I think if you goggle Portion plates designed they're cute and they give you flowers or whatever on the plates and each flower represents how much of the fruit, veggie, meat you should have
  • sblair77
    sblair77 Posts: 355 Member
    I use a smaller plate
  • Mariposa187
    Mariposa187 Posts: 344 Member
    i have a smaller pretty plate that i like :) or i measure everything out and make my husband watch so i dont cheat
  • instructor03
    instructor03 Posts: 56 Member
    I sometimes load my plate with the veggies and portion my main meal. I feel more full and I don't feel guilty about eating lots of veggies.
  • DrPepperLeigh74
    DrPepperLeigh74 Posts: 236 Member
    I use a kid's size plate, that way your plate looks full but it is alot smaller portion than when you use a full size plate. It will also amaze you that you will feel satisfied and not overly stuffed. That was a big problem for me. Hope that helped. :happy:
  • KEShikes
    KEShikes Posts: 99 Member
    You need to measure AND use a smaller plate, but take time to make it look nice. Don't look at measuring as a problem...think of it as part of the cooking process.
  • drog2323
    drog2323 Posts: 1,343 Member
    measure all my food. Also, try eating a good snack between lunch and dinner. might help you not to eat as much at dinner.

    another trick is to drink a large glass of water before you eat.
  • ivikatasha
    ivikatasha Posts: 192 Member
    I use a smaller plate.


    this

    Ever since I have started doing this, it makes it so much easier to control how much I eat.
  • hperowl
    hperowl Posts: 234 Member
    I also use a smaller plate (a salad plate or one of my children's plates) If I'm out to eat, I ask for a to-go container and pack up half as soon as I get it. If it sits in front of me then I'll keep nibbling on it. All that being said, once it's gone, it's gone. No going back for seconds! Hope this helps! :smile:
  • ivikatasha
    ivikatasha Posts: 192 Member
    I use a smaller plate.


    this

    Ever since I have started doing this, it makes it so much easier to control how much I eat.


    woah! double post >:(
  • TexasMamaTwo
    TexasMamaTwo Posts: 14 Member
    Like others, I use a smaller plate and I don't use a serving spoon for anything. I use a measuring cup and I usually have my one diet soda a day with my dinner. Even though I know there are no calories in my soda, I feel that I need to justif having that one soda so I watch my portions. I usually end up feeding my one year old off my plate (even though she has her own with the same stuff on it) and that helps me eat a little less!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    I literally measure everything. If I'm cooking by myself, I only make enough for one serving which is measured out... if I make dinner for me and my boyfriend, I measure his out first and that usually leaves me with just a little under everything I logged - i,e: 1 cup of rice logged ends up being more like 95% of the measuring cup.
  • moondust7
    moondust7 Posts: 109 Member
    I make sure I drink more water before and while I'm eating and that fills me up. I also have to make sure I eat slower... when I'm starved, I can definitely eat more because I eat a lot faster, and it's amazing if I force myself to slow down while I'm eating (by talking, drinking water, or just making myself take bites a little slower), how much fuller I get before I've eaten too much. That's hard to do, but it actually works and eating is still enjoyable that way!
  • 99clmsntgr
    99clmsntgr Posts: 777 Member
    Weight it or measure it. Get a small kitchen scale, it's the best investment we have made for eating healthy. I weigh and portion any meats before I cook them, pasta and plain rice is almost always a dry (pre-cooked) weight in the nutritional information. For "prepared sides" (read as rice-a-roni, etc.) you have to break out the measuring cups, which is OK.

    I don't normally strictly measure vegetables, mostly because I don't slather butter, cheese or sauce on them. We (the wife and I) throw a TBSP of butter into the bag when we steam them, and that's it (and I account for 1/2 TBSP of unsalted butter in my food diary when we do that).

    The other thing we do, on most nights, like other posters, we make just what we're going to eat. On the nights when that's not practical, we dish out our plates in the kitchen then eat in the dining room. If the "extra' food isn't right in front of me, I tend to not think I'm still hungry enough for seconds.

    The smaller plate idea is a good one, too, by the way.
  • poytheboyDave
    poytheboyDave Posts: 28
    Since starting at MFP I've begun weighing all my food, and checking packaging for suggested serving sizes. I've begun to see that I used to eat enough for two servings.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    I drink water before...and it makes me even hungrier!

    I just put the stuff on the tray/in the pan etc, till it looks about right! :)

    Then i overestimate the calories in it.

    There be method in teh madness! :laugh:
  • skcornett
    skcornett Posts: 169 Member
    I measure/weigh everything when I'm at home. If we're out, I try to look at the menu online to get an idea of portion sizes before I go. At some point, I'll be able to eyeball it but for now.....measure and weight.
  • jennarandhayes
    jennarandhayes Posts: 456 Member
    I measure/weigh all of my food and pre-plan my meals so I have an idea about how many calories each serving is. I tend to put 1/2 of what I want to eat on my plate. If I am still hungry I go back for what feels like seconds, but is actually only half of my original portion. If I don't want seconds, then I win!
  • MikeSEA
    MikeSEA Posts: 1,074 Member
    I drink water before...and it makes me even hungrier!

    I just put the stuff on the tray/in the pan etc, till it looks about right! :)

    Then i overestimate the calories in it.

    There be method in teh madness! :laugh:

    I set my daily goal lower than I should knowing full well I'm likely to go over it by a certain percentage.
  • RoanneRed
    RoanneRed Posts: 429 Member
    BADLY!
  • horizonflight
    horizonflight Posts: 75
    I measure everything I eat. Until I can eyeball what the correct portions are that's what I have to do.


    *I did find this to help with estimating though

    43971810_i8HtoptU_c.jpg

    Definitely find this helpful. Bump because I need this reference. Thanks!
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    I drink water before...and it makes me even hungrier!

    I just put the stuff on the tray/in the pan etc, till it looks about right! :)

    Then i overestimate the calories in it.

    There be method in teh madness! :laugh:

    I set my daily goal lower than I should knowing full well I'm likely to go over it by a certain percentage.

    Exactly! I don't log any of my 10-12 cups of tea a day. Sometimes ill drink it all, other times half, other times a few mouthfuls. It's skimmed milk and sweeteners, so it's barely anything, but i leave myself a few hundred calorie margin to cover anything i may have underestimated/forgotten!

    People say I'm already obsessing over things, so if i actually got scales/measuring device, they'd have me committed! :drinker:
  • catclws
    catclws Posts: 15
    I purchased a food scale on Amazon ($15). I use my measuring cup and a smaller plate when my husbands home for dinner and I have to cook for him, When he goes to work and is gone for 2 weeks I eat Lean Cuisine meals. :drinker:
  • LilMissFoodie
    LilMissFoodie Posts: 612 Member
    I'm a weigher... but I'd totally advocate medium sized plate with 1/4 lean protein, 1/4 carbs, 1/2 non-starchy veg (protein and carbs not stacked higher than about your the depth of hand (maybe 1.5cm or half an inch-ish).
  • waguchan
    waguchan Posts: 450 Member
    I also use smaller plates and utensils, like others have suggested. I like to use pretty Japanese dishes.

    But what helps me the most to control my portion size at dinner is to portion my food throughout the day with 3 small meals and 3 small high-protein snacks. I never go more than 3 hours without having some sort of snack or small meal. So I'm not so famished by dinner time that I lose control.
  • Shelby814
    Shelby814 Posts: 273 Member
    I weigh and measure EVERYTHING before it goes on my plate. I often use a smaller plate so it looks like I have more food. I also plan my meals out the night before for the whole next day. I get a lot of satisfaction out of knowing that I've gotten through another meal with healthy choices. It's one meal at a time. LOL
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