One of the biggest challenges to weight management is portion control. Did you know the average portion of pasta served at a restaurant is 480 percent larger than the portion recommendations of the USDA? That is just one example of how portions have gotten completely out of control in the American diet. Taking that control back is not difficult, but requires diligence.
How To Combat Portion Overload
Here are tips to help you take control of your food portions:
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Measure what you are cooking and eating. This is easy if you have a set of measuring cups and spoons. A kitchen scale is also handy. Everything that you eat should be measured. This gives you complete control over what you are eating and drinking.
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Learn guidelines for estimating portions. You need to be able to estimate serving sizes based on the size of the portion. Eyeball your food. One cup, for example, is about the size of a tennis ball. An ounce of cheese is about the size of your thumb. A serving of chicken is the palm of your hand.
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Cut bulk-quantity packages down to single-serve portions. Buying single portions of most foods is exorbitantly expensive. Buy in bulk for the savings, then transfer the packages into single-serving sizes. For example, portion meat into freezer-safe containers and take out only what you need for a meal.
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Use portion-control dishware. To help people lose weight, companies have come out with divided plates that make it easier to control portions. One such plate is divided into two halves, with one of the halves divided again into quarters. The half section should be filled with protein and the quarters filled with vegetables.
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Plan your meals. Knowing what you are going to eat and when you will eat it helps stave off hunger pangs. This helps keep mindless snacking and overeating to a minimum, but it also controls what you put in your shopping cart.
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Learn the difference between portion size and serving size. A small bag of chips says it has 2 servings. You eat the whole bag. Your portion was 2 servings. The nutritional information on packaging is based on serving size, not portion. Eating the whole bag of chips means you just doubled the calories, carbs, etc. that were listed.
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Choose foods that fill you up. You want foods that are high in fiber like vegetables and healthy fats (e.g. nuts, eggs, avocados and uncultured butter) to fill you up and keep you satiated longer. Drinking water before eating a meal can also curb hunger.
Each of these tips will help you combat portion creep. Here at Matrix Age Management, we can help you keep your weight under control and encourage you every step of the way. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
