Keeping a Close Eye on Portion Sizes
How much food should you eat to lose weight? That’s the hot-button question in the medical world.
There is literally so much information on this subject that you can easily get lost in a sea of information and never get started. Look up 10 different sites and you will get 10 different answers. Many people end up getting so confused they just give up.
So what’s the truth about “portion control”?
Obviously the amount you consume depends on your gender, age and activity level. The main key to losing weight is to intake less energy than you are putting out. So theoretically a very active person can intake a lot of calories and still be okay.
Do you need to track your food throughout the day?
At first this is a good idea. A lot of people are shocked at the quantities of calories they consume when they start keeping a food journal. As a quick example, many think they are getting what the label on the food says. But in a lot of instances they are getting FAR more because their “portion” size is much bigger than the “serving” size. Therefore, tracking this at first might be useful for seeing the actual amount you are consuming.
But let’s face it who’s going to measure their food all day? This is next to impossible when you are on the go.
Fortunately there is an easier way. You don’t have to measure everything, you can simply slightly restrict your portion size and still be full. Here are three things that work:
#1) Eat 50% of what you normally do
This way you can continue eating the foods you love—just not as much of them. And substitute another food in place of the rest of it.
An example would be eating a burger, but having a salad instead of the fries. It’s not ideal but eventually you want to eliminate the burger entirely. And this is a great place to start. Also ask for “lunch size” potions instead of dinner size. Many places offer this option, so consider doing this as well.
#2) Ask for a container
This is a very effective method when eating out. All you do is ask for a container before your meal gets there, and immediately put 50% of it in there to prevent overeating.
#3) Chew your food.
Many experts recommend fifty times, but in reality twenty is more than enough. This will help you feel full on a lesser amount.
#3) Eat without watching TV
This helps you become more aware of when you feel full. Often times you can get so engrossed in a TV show that you don’t notice yourself feeling full and you overeat.
Try one or all of these tips and you should see a reduction in how much you eat and a loss in weight.
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