Portion Control

I’m sure you heard this before. It’s all about portions. Our portion sizes have greatly increased in the last few years. When you go to a restaurant, you notice you are served a huge piece of chicken fried steak, right? It just about covers the entire plate! Just because it’s served to you, doesn’t mean you should eat it all. This is where portion control comes in…

Here’s some tips to help!

Drink water before eating anything! Check out my post on drinking water here.
Fill your plate with veggies – portion sizes can be huge! Just make sure you aren’t using a lot of extra accessories that will add calories/fat to them! Choosing the right veggies is also a plus! Check out my post about veggies…
Use your plate! Don’t eat out of the container or bag!
If at a restaurant and you are served a huge serving, ask for a to-go box when your food comes out. Go ahead and portion out half or more and put it in the to-go box. That way you aren’t tempted to “clean your plate”!
Buy in bulk, but portion it out as soon as you get home from the grocery store! This is a must when it comes to controlling your portion size!
Track EVERYTHING that you eat! This will help keep you accountable for what you put in your mouth! It’s easy to keep going back for more, especially if it’s “light” or “good for you”. If you see it in black and white, the calories start to add up and it gives you the bigger picture! Maybe, that’s why you can’t lose the weight… Maybe??

Some common items where you need to add some control:

Ice cream – portion out 1/2 cup in a measuring cup. Make sure it’s packed lightly and not a heaping measurement. If you can’t resist going back for more or over packing your measuring cup/bowl, then go for single portion options like Enlightened Sea Salt Caramel bars. These are way healthier than your typical ice cream! What I love about these are they are high in protein!! What a great way to keep you feel full longer!
Cereal – It’s a great idea to check the label to see what is considered a serving size. Generally, the serving is 3/4 cup or 1 cup. Portion out that size and try and stick with it! A lot of people just pour cereal straight into a BIG bowl without even thinking about all the calories they are taking in (not to mention the calories and fat coming from the milk)! If you know you can’t eat just 3/4 cup, look for healthier cereals or eat something different for breakfast that won’t tempt you to eat the whole box!
Chips – Here’s a doozy for you! Chips are soooo addictive! It’s a good idea to either get the small portion bags or measure out servings before you put a chip in your mouth! Baggies work great for this!! It’s easy to lose track of how many chips you had! Since serving sizes vary from chip to chip, it’s a great idea to weigh your portion! Read the labels and see what the weight of one serving is for that bag of chips.

To join my mailing list to receive free recipes and nutrition tips, click here. You will also receive a free Ebook just for signing up!