Portion Control!

The biggest thing people mess up when they are trying to lose weight is eating too much! You can eat all of the vegetables and healthy proteins in the world, but if you’re eating too much overall, it is going to be extremely challenging to lose weight and keep it off. Portion control is a must!

Why Care About Portion Sizes?

1. Self-awareness. Mindless eating in front of the TV can lead you to consuming hundreds of extra calories a day. How many times have you been watching a movie and suddenly, and surprisingly, your hand is reaching into an empty bowl!?!
2. People don’t measure well. Studies have shown that many of us underestimate our food intake by close to one thousand calories a day! We think we’re eating a cup of something when really, it’s closer to two cups.
3. Bigger plates. Did you know the size of our dinner plates has increased by more than 30% over the past few decades? These bigger plates make a normal sized portion look tiny, thereby causing you to pile more on your plate. Big plates don’t help you focus on portion control.

Watching how much you eat, is critical to losing and keeping unwanted weight off.

Increase compliance of good habits, through portion control!

3 Tips to Control Your Portions

1. Use small plates and bowls. As noted above, our dinner plates are a lot bigger than they used to be. When you eat on a smaller plate, you’ll be able to fit less food on your plate and your portion will look bigger. It’s a great way to trick your mind and body into eating less. Don’t eat out of the package, even snacks should be properly portioned out. Follow what the package says is a serving size. It’s far too easy to overeat when you eat out of the bag or box the food comes in.
2. Track food intake. When you either write down, or take pictures of what you’re eating throughout the course of a day you’ll become much more aware of what you’re consuming. Connect with a friend who’s trying to get healthier too, and share your information with them weekly to increase your accountability. When you know you have to share the information with someone else, you’ll be less likely to put those junk foods in your mouth. Remember to stick with your tracking during the weekends too! Don’t get in the habit of thinking that weekends are a time to fully pig out.
3. Drink lots of water. Many times when we feel hungry, it’s our bodies trying to tell us to drink more. Most adults should be consuming 2 litres of water each day. Track what you are drinking in an average day, and try to build your consumption up to 2 litres if you aren’t there yet.

A slow, stepped approach of improving both your fitness and nutrition, is the best and healthiest way to lose weight.

To Sum it up…

Many people eat far too much throughout the day. Overeating makes it extremely challenging to lose, or maintain your weight. Portion control will increase your awareness while eating, thereby leading to less mindless eating. Using smaller dishes, tracking food consumption and drinking lots of water will help with portion control.