Serious portion control?

Question

Well Ive just bought myself a set of scales cos I need to loose some weight and I know something Im bad with is portion control on breakfast cereal and pasta.

On the back of the pasta pack is says to use 75g for a portion for 1 person. I weighed this and there was hardly any there.

I did the same with cereal and on the box it says nitrutional info for 30g but my magazine said to eat 25 so I measured both and they are hardly anything.

No wonder the young people are turning anorexic if they go by what the packets say and magazine guidelines.

My 15 month old nephew would eat more than that.

Can this seriously be done this way without starving?

Answer 1

Small portions are tough to get used to, but after a few days you will. Remember the key to losing weight and fat is to burn more calories than you consume. You have to exercise at some point. Walking (at a quick pace) will burn more fat than running.

Also, be carb concious. Any carbs that you consume that are not burned off will store as fat. Don't eliminate carbs because the brain needs them to function, but consume whole grains for carbs. The key to the high protoen diets is that with limited carbs they won't store as fat cells. Excess carbs store as fat whereas excess protein will pass through as poop.

Drink lots of water. At least a gallon a day and stay away from anything that is not coffee (black or at least low cal creamer) for your caffiene.

Having to lose weight sucks, and it doesn't get easier as you get older so try to lose it now instead of later.

Answer 2

The reason it seems like so little is because America has greatly inflated the portion size over the last 10-20 years or so and we are used to the huge portions of everything. (Restaurants do not help by serving gigantic plates full of food.)

If you want to lose weight, portion control is a MUST. Eat less, but eat a few snacks in between. Also you would be surprised how eating something that is packaged (let's say crackers, wrapped individually) compared to crackers out of a big bag or ziplock baggie, will fill you up sooner. People are less likely to eat more individual wrapped crackers, then a huge bag full of them. That is why you should never eat chips directly out of a bag. You won't stop!

Answer 3

My wife and I had a problem portion control too. We tried Seattle Sutton for a while and we learned a lot about what a normal portion look like, but it was pretty expensive so we are no longer on that.

We are cooking our own food again and just watching what we eat and how much we eat. It's not only how much you eat, but it's also what you eat too. There are somethings that are very high in calories, sodium, sugar, and ect. So, you have to read the lables and plan your meals for the day. Even if you have normal portions if you have too many meals or snacks that are too high in calories than what you need for the day, then you will not lose weight.

My wife found a calorie counter on the Internet. They have a free membership so that you can see what it's like, but if you want to be able to see the totals or graphs you need to signup as a Premium member. It's very cheap and well worth it, so check it out. It's helping us. The link is below.

Answer 4

No; the recommended serving sizes on most food products are ridiculously small. You should probably go by the USDA recommended serving sizes -- it's a little closer to reality (because, really, who eats a THIRD of a candy bar in a sitting?)

The best resource I can give you is the book "Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink. He gives you some solid tips on how to manage HOW you eat, so that you control how MUCH you eat without even really thinking about it. Best tip I've gained so far (haven't finished the book yet -- just got it) is to throw away all your big plates and go with smaller plates -- a big plate with a small serving on it makes you feel like you're shorting yourself, whereas if you get used to eating off a smaller plate, you can load it up, feel like you're getting a "full sized meal," and still eat a smaller portion than if you would if you loaded up a full-sized dinner plate.

Answer 5

It certainly feels miserable doing this. Another tactic is to try to eat more of the good things most of the time, say 80% of the time. Try to fill up on the lower energy, bulky foods, that dont taste too bad, leaving you less likely to eat the high calorie stuff.
Get used to that regime for a while, then start counting calories.
Its a good opportunity to eat a lot of new things. Tonight I had a big portion of courgettes, something I've never bought before and havent eaten in years, but they were nice and low calorie too.

Answer 6

Why not add a small banana, either on the side or chopped up and mixed in? And try to get used to skimmed milk, if you don't already use it.

I agree, pasta and cereal serving sizes are rather small!

You can eat heaps of veggies without gaining weight, and they give you loads of vitamins and minerals, and possibly help reduce the risk of cancer. Try to eat lots of different types, and choose different coloured ones - for example, there are different vitamins in carrots than there are in spinach.

With pasta, bulk it up with yet more veggies like courgettes, onions, carrots, eggplant, mushrooms, etc. and lots of herbs and garlic, for taste. For an easy meal, buy a can of Ratatouille (French veggie stew) and mix this with cooked pasta. You can also use Ratatouille on top of a jacket potato. It has very few calories and is yummy. I, personally, always add extra garlic and pepper!

Best of luck - I am trying to start 2007 by eating healthily, too, so I am with you in spirit! x

Answer 7

But you are meant to have 6-11 servings of grain each day. So if you eat 2 servings at breakfast and 2 at dinner you are still coming up short. Just eat healthy and stop when you are satisfied. Try to get more fruits and veggies in.

Answer 8

Like you say,its a guidline.If you want to lose weight then you should find out your metabolism rate e.t.c. to find the best plan for you.I dont believe in over weight/under weight,who sets the figures,its all rubbish.I think we are all who we are and thats all there is to it.It annoyes me when people lose weight as a result of someone else's influence,make sure you do it for yourself. Balanced diet,breakfast,dinner and tea,pleanty of water and some exercise is all you need.

Answer 9

If you want to lose weight and keep it off don't crash diet but reduce the size of meals. The best diet I know is 5 small meals a day. it helps to shrink the size of your stomach so you feel full sooner. drinking plenty of water is good for you too. Good luck.

Answer 10

try to drink a cup of plain hot chicken or beef broth before each meal. this will make you fel more full, with hardly any calories