What are the best ways to portion control your meals?

Question

I used to write down everything that I eat in a notebook but that gets considerably hard when I dine out. There are days when I feel like I eat a reasonable amount, but there are also days when I gorge on all my cravings!! How do I get back on track?

Answer 1

i don't really have any helpful answers, but i just wanted to tell you how refreshing it is to read a responsible diet-related question. i always see a lot of questions like "how can i lose 30 lbs in 2 weeks?" or "should i take diet pill or get plastic surgery?" it's so annoying. and then if you tell those people that what they're trying to do is either impossible or unhealthy, they get mad. they all want to hear that there is some magic pill that will melt away their fat, no matter how much they eat and how inactive they are.

Answer 2

Writing everything down is great but I know how tedious it gets! It depends on how often you go out to eat - if it is a lot, I guess you could just plan mentally, in advance, what kind of meal you will have, whether you will eat one piece of bread or none or whatever, or share a dessert - something easy to remember, without writing it down. I often resolve to just order coffee at dessert time, and/or to skip the bread, or whatever.

A lot of restaurants have nutritional info on the web and you can plan in advance.

As far as cravings I find that a planned once-a-week treat afternoon/day is helpful and otherwise I tell myself, "Self, you can have that candy/cookie/chocolate thing on Saturday, for heaven's sake! Now go do something else!"

And then I go get busy in another place. Because often it is being near the treat in a store or at home - the visual cue - that really gets to me.


Good luck! I know just what you mean, as you can see!

Answer 3

Portion control is an issue for me also. I sometimes wish someone else prepared all my meals, served me only the appropriate portion, and that's all I got. I KNOW I overeat at restaurants or when cooking for myself at home and making more than a single-serving.

A serving of meat is typically about the size of a pack of playing cards. I think one-half cup is a typical recommended serving size for veggies. Salad can be 2 cups (loosely packed) but be careful of all the "stuff" you put on it and a serving of salad dressing is typically 2 tablespoons (but that can be well over 100 cals for ranch dressing and similar ones).

Drink LOTS of water to help curb hunger (as well as it's healthy). If you eat snacks, choose healthy, low-cal ones that come in pre-portioned sizes. No opening a bag or box of something and nibbling until you are 'full'.

It takes a lot of self control and willpower, but when you get used to eating smaller portions you'll probably find that you don't crave more food...a lot of it is in our mind, not to mention if we like the taste of something, we may want more of it even if we're not hungry...we still want to enjoy the taste.

If you slip up, just get back on track at your next meal. Don't beat yourself up over it but try to keep it at a minimum. The long term results of a healthy body and looking good, far outweighs (in my opinion) the pleasure I got from eating that additional food. ☺

Answer 4

Nothing wrong with a litte deviation. But get back to your routine. Even if you have to scale the food. it takes time. but the more you work at it the better you will manage the size and portions that you eat each day.

Congratulations.

Answer 5

you need to treat your body like a fuel tank not too much and not too little-eat small amount of food every hour or half an hour-fueling your body constanly with energy but not over loading it with huge amounts.....u will constantly feel not full but also not overly hungry.. after some time u will get used to this feeling and u will know whether u are truly hungry or just a craving..remember not too full but also not too hungry

Answer 6

Ask for a to-go box when your meal is served. Immediately put half of it in the box and the rest is yours. You don't overeat and you have lunch for tomorrow. At home, use smaller plates.