Getting A Handle On Meal Portions
May 9th, 2011
Most of us want to lose weight, but don't know where to start. And if we hear "just eat less — exercise more" one more time, we are bound to give up before we even begin.
We all struggle with eating, exercise and portion control. Studies have shown that if you struggle with controlling how much you eat, you may have been brought up to "clean your plate." You eat fast and don't know that you're full. And, because our environment "super sizes" everything we purchase at the grocery store, at restaurants, and at home, we unconsciously eat more. In addition, the types of foods most accessible to us are higher in calories — with lots of unhealthy fat and hidden sugar.
Beyond the knee-jerk advice of "eat less, exercise more", here are some strategies that are proven to be very successful:
- Eat more slowly
- Eat more frequently — Every 2 1/2 to 3 hours
- Eat more food — Foods that are low in calories
- Re-size portions that are healthy
- Deal with super-sized situations
Eat more frequently. This means eating every 2 1/2 - 3 hours (six or seven small meals) a day instead of the usual three big ones. Each time you eat, you stimulate your metabolism, which burns more calories. Eating this way also allows your body to make more efficient use of the nutrients you eat rather than trying to deal with a whole bunch of nutrients all at once. The process of digestion actually burns calories with protein, requiring the greatest amount of energy to digest. By eating smaller, more frequent meals, your body will become a fat-burning machine!
Eat more food — but foods that are lower in calories. I know you're thinking that if you eat for 30 minutes 3 times daily that you'll eat tons more calories. No. You also need to choose foods that are lower in calories but don't leave you feeling hungry and deprived.
Eat bigger, more filling portions of lower calorie food by emphasizing more vegetables and fruit, eat these foods before a meal; and make sure your plate is half filled with veggies and fruit, one-fourth filled with whole grains or starch, and only one-fourth filled with lean protein.
Re-size portions. If you are an over-eater, you don't have a good idea what normal portions are like. It's not your fault, you need to adjust your perception from "super size" to a more normal size portion. Train yourself by using smaller plates, smaller spoons and smaller cups. Try pre-portioned, single-serve, healthy-type frozen meals only for several days to know what a serving looks like (be sure to have a salad or soup before, a piece of fruit after, and an 8 ounce healthy beverage like skim milk, unsweetened tea or water). Purchase items in smaller packages — or repackage items into single serve zipper bags.
So what are healthy portion sizes? The Portion and Serving Size Calculator is a helpful tool to determine just what the right serving is for any food.
Deal with super-sized situations. These situations include restaurants, parties, office munchies, and even how you serve food at home. Be conscious of what you eat. Slow down and savor each bite. It is helpful to eat more of the lower calorie foods. Keep food as far away from you as possible — stand away from buffet tables, serve food in the kitchen and not at the table, ask for the bread plate to be removed, ask for the "doggie bag" to come with the meal and save half of your meal for later (or for the dog). Limit alcohol because it is not only high in calories, but it also stimulates appetite and weakens your will power.
These tips should help you maintain proper portion control, and in turn help manage your weight. It's certainly better than hearing "eat less, exercise more."
(From the article, "Getting a handle on meal portions")