Learning How to Control Your Portions

When it comes to weight loss, diet and exercise go hand in hand. Exercising regularly will help you burn more calories to shed the pounds, but if you are still over-eating you will never see the results you want.

Several studies have proven that the key to weight loss, and being able to keep the weight off, is learning how to control your portions. Being able to identify correct serving sizes and learn how to control your portions is going to be crucial to helping you reach your weight loss goals.

WeightLoss.About.com shares their Top 10 Ways to Control Portions, you check out all 10 here, but below are a few of the most important tips to help you learn how to size up servings and avoid overeating:

• Separate Leftovers into Single Servings: Break down all of your leftovers into multiple single-sized serving containers instead of storing the whole meal all in one large container. That way when you reach for a meal the next day you will retrieve just enough for one helping. An easy effort in limiting your intake and helping keep your portions in check.   
• Master Mini Meals. Eating smaller meals more often will help prevent you from reaching that starving stage, which is when we are all more likely to overeat. When we get too hungry we often lose control of our portion intake. You are also more likely to eat the quicker, unhealthy food options when desperate and hungry as well.Eating smaller meals will help you from feeling overly full as well. Only eat till you are satisfied, not stuffed full. Eating smaller more frequent meals also helps to maintain your blood sugar at an even level as well.
• Be a Kid at Heart (or Tummy).Order kid’s meals when you go to fast food places to help control your portions, and save money in the deal as well. You can also use this trick when dining out as well. Or order a healthy appetizer or split a dinner entrée with a friend. These all help you to automatically cut your portion sizes without having to think about eating less.
• Learn to “eyeball”. Knowing what standard serving sizes are and sticking to them when dining out your own meals at home, and when dining out as well. WebMd.com has a great guide, which you can find here, to help you use visual cues as to get a better grasp on serving sizes. Some examples include a hockey puck which is about the same size as half a cup of one carbohydrate serving; or a deck of cards is the same size as a 3 oz. meat serving. Visualizing these objects when dishing out your own food at home will help you to keep control of your serving sizes and portions.

• Best Friends=Fiber and Protein. Be sure to include fiber and protein into every one of your meals and snacks. These types of foods take longer to digest and will leave you full longer. Be sure to incorporate nutrient dense foods into your diet, foods that are going to give you a lot of nutrition without a lot of calories.
• Stay Hydrated. People often confuse boredom or thirst with hunger. Instead of reaching for another midday snack, drink some water and occupy yourself for 15minutes. If you are still hungry, have a light protein and/or fiber-rich snack to help keep you full till your next meal time.
• Balance is Key. The key to weight loss is balance, if you go too far, too fast you will begin to feel deprived. It’s all about finding a healthy balance in life, as stated in this article here, learning to indulge and enjoy your “forbidden” foods once in a while will keep you from binging in response to your feelings of deprivation. Let yourself enjoy a treat every now in then, eat one more chocolate cookie then you should have, and know you have to make up for it throughout the day in either your exercise or other foods. Learning to find this balance will help you to lose the weight, and keep it off.

Using these tips to help learn the correct serving sizes and portions will help you to eat less and cut back on your calorie intake. You will surprised that you can actually feel satisfied with these smaller servings than you are used to. It may be difficult at first, but you’ll soon adapt and lose the weight. 

About the Author

Jentry Nielsen Jentry Nielsen is a college student passionate about health and fitness, she writes many article pertaining to both.