Your portion control tips!?

[Chefmom]

Okay, in the diet world, portion control is king! I come from the upbringing of "finish it all" and I really still do feel funny leaving food on my plate. I'm slowly getting over it, and trying my best NOT to pass this to my children.

My husband HATES little plates, so we have the usual large, about 11-inch plates. But last summer I purchased some cute smaller, like a salad plate size at the local outlet. I am eating off of these now and it's soo funny! If I put my "new" smaller portion because of the size of the plate, and I clean my plate, I really don't feel like I want more. If I would put the food on the larger plate and eat it, I would feel full, so you would think that I wasn't full after eating the smaller one.

Isn't that totally weird!? It's funny how the training of "full" comes from viewing an empty plate.

How do you cut down on portions!? And, did anyone watch the "American Frontiers" PBS program several weeks back called "Are we Fat and Happy?" It was very enlightening. I'm now ordering Roy Walford's books on eating a low calorie, but nutritionally dense diet. I have never been a dieter, I know that they don't work, but I'm ready for a full lifestyle change (I've been working on it since I finally kicked caffeine several years ago).

Tami

Roy's site is: http://walford.com/

More interesting reading is from The Center for Science in the Public Interest. I have just subscribed to their newsletter! http://www.cspinet.org/

[m4star]

I was raised in a "eat until it's all gone" family. When I married I began cooking enough to feed my skinny husband, but I would match him bite for bite! Within 6 months of our wedding I had gained almost 20 pounds. I knew that I needed to start watching my portions. For me what really helped was to read Dr. Shapiro's book "Picture Perfect" (you can read more about it on Prevention's web site at: http://www.prevention.com/weightloss/quiz/pictureperfect/ (http://www.prevention.com/weightloss/quiz/pictureperfect/) I just educated myself on what a portion really is and I started making better food choices. I grabbed all my measuring cups, measuring spoons, and even a scale to portion out everything. It was tedious for a little while, but I got good at eye-balling a tablespoon of honey or whatever. And of course, I found Cooking Light and got on the quest to lighten everything!! Nothing needs to be full fat in my home when the light version tastes just as good to me. Now even when we go to a buffet style restaurant I just naturally dish up portion controlled servings. It's almost like second nature.

[This message has been edited by m4star (edited 06-05-2001).]

[Jewel]

I'm a professional dieter, so I have quite a bit of experience with all of this. I also used to manage a national weight loss center, so I learned a LOT of tricks along the way. The best 'diet' is one you make up yourself using the best tips and strategies from all kinds of different programs. Some like the Weight Watchers ideal but can't really add up daily 'points' without pulling out hair, so they just take a bit of what they've learned from WW and move on. Others like the ideal of Jenny Craig and Nutri-System, but can't fathom eating packaged food and paying $50-90 for it every week along with buying food for their families, so they take a bit of the strategies from each program and move on, and so on.

The moral there is find strategies that work for you and combine them. I found I'm one of those that likes the WW food strategies, but can't handle the counting of points and the weekly meetings. One thing I love about WW is their stress on portion control, which is the basis for all weight loss in the long run! I can't weigh and measure my food on a consistent basis either, which can make it harder. I'm lousy at being told exactly what to do! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Weight Watchers used to make serving spoons that were portioned. I believe one is a half cup spoon, the other is a one cup. I purchased these from WW about two years ago, and I still use them. I honestly don't know if they are still available, a current WW member might be able to tell you! I find them invaluable when I'm eating at home. I don't have to weigh and measure my food in the traditional way. As long as I serve myself with those spoons I know I'm eating the correct portions, no matter what size plate I'm eating off of! I clean my plate and don't feel guilty. It takes the guesswork out of it. Above all, eat slowly and enjoy the food. As a side note, if we find that those serving spoons are no longer available or you can't get them without becoming a WW member, my favorite resource for discontinued items is Ebay. I can always find someone selling what I want! About a year ago I purchased a complete Richard Simmon's Deal-A-Meal from 1989 for a friend that wanted one! $5... yippee! Good luck!

[cchhbb]

I recently noticed that I was eating way too much. My servings just grew and grew and grew. I know you can guess what happened to me. I grew too. Fortunally, I've caught it before things have gotten out of hand. I've lost 10 pounds by watching portion sizes. I still eat what I want, just less. I don't deprive myself and I am back into the weight range I'm supposed to be for my height. What got me out of wack was constant traveling for my job. I used to travel 4 - 5 days a week for work. So, I was eating out every meal. The portions served are sooo big and I would feel guilty because I didn't eat it all. Also, the desserts are just too darn good to pass up.

A book that helped me was Portion Savvy was Carrie Latt Wiatt. It's a 30 day plan for learning how to eat the proper portions. While I don't follow all of her ideas, I learned enough about what I was eating to realize that I had gotten out of hand. I'm not one that will ever count calories or points. It's just not my style. But what I can do is look at a portion of rice and determine if it is larger than the 1/2 cup that I should be eating. Also, the same with meats. I can now guess what 4 oz of meat looks like. It's amazing how much I was eating because food sizes have just gotten out of hand.

[GayeC]

I only recently realized that I was eating too much, portion-wise, when I looked at a week's worth of 1500 calorie/day diets. Although I am not following the diet exactly I am using it to guide my portion sizes.

[greysangel]

I am a WW member and they do still sell the serving spoons http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I will be happy to check the price on them and would buy them and send them for you if you would like. To me they are great to properly measure 1/2 cup or 1 cup. My 1/2 cup of rice or mashed potatoes always looks a bit large without them http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

One word of warning on ebay, the WW stuff on ebay is like out of control expensive! I have bought lots of ebay stuff and quite happily but for some reason the WW stuff goes like hot cakes. People are selling the paper journals for pete sakes!! The point slider and all that stuff that we get for free. Even buying the "at home program" from WW would be cheaper than buying from these scammers...just fyi.

I totally love WW and they do focus entirely on portion control which is what I needed. When at home, I do eat from a smaller plate than my husband..it's like an oversized salad plate...works for me! Also on the desserts, his goes on a dessert plate, mine goes on a coffee saucer so I don't feel deprived!

I also tend to cross recipes off the list that are tiny portioned. I don't mind two chix thighs being one serving but a dessert the size of a quarter I have a hard time with!

JeAnne

[greysangel]

hey there Julie and whoever else is interested;

Feel free to email me at greysangel@hotmail.com if you are interested in the spoons..they are not expensive. I will double check on the price but I think it's around $7 for 4 (1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and cup)? I go to meetings on Wed. evenings so I'll check tomorrow (because I got my spoons awhile ago) and get back to whoever emails me. Thankfully my leader really promotes these (over the more pricey digital scales etc), so we usually have them in stock. The breads/starches are the only thing that I really measure carefully. I guestimate on the protein and so far haven't had a problem (down 85 lbs!). If you look at your palm (minus fingers), that's about 3oz of protein.

Another little "trick" I do is look at my plate and divide it in half. To be pretty accurate as far as portion, 1/2 should be veggie, the other half should be divided by protein and carbs. Of course mashed potatoes are stackable http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

JeAnne

[valchemist]

funny this post should come up today, because here is an article that was posted on Dr. Dean Adell's website.

Articles

I Wanna Eat It All!

June 04, 2001
This is kind of contrary to advice I might have given to you. Nevertheless, researchers have found that eating a variety of foods may not help you lose weight.

This is an interesting study. According to researchers, the variety in our diets keeps us from tiring of the taste of food. But, when given one food –- like in those “monodiets,” like the cabbage diet -- you are satisfied more quickly. You’re bored, I guess.

This is a phenomenon that occurs when a food’s palatability is lessened because the food is eaten until the person is satiated, which lessens the pleasantness of the taste of that particular food and foods that are similar.

“From our review of 58 studies, we found that dietary variety could increase food consumption. Both people and animals will eat more food when a meal or diet contains a greater variety of food, which will cause more weight gain,” said one of the researchers.

In one study, participants were given four courses of food –- sausages, bread and butter, chocolate dessert, and bananas. Those who had different foods from each course consumed 44 percent more than those who ate the same food for each course.

That’s pretty clever. Here is another study with similar findings. This study offered different foods at the same time. The foods included tuna, roast beef, cheese and egg sandwiches. Overeating was more likely when compared to a meal with just one of those foods.

Of course my advice for dieting is eat what you want, but eat less of it. Eating less of it is the key.

Source: Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 127, No. 3

[JulieM]

Originally posted by greysangel:
I am a WW member and they do still sell the serving spoons http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I will be happy to check the price on them and would buy them and send them for you if you would like. To me they are great to properly measure 1/2 cup or 1 cup. My 1/2 cup of rice or mashed potatoes always looks a bit large without them http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

jeAnne

I would be very interested in these spoons! My DH and I have a difficult time with portion control, and the only thing that seems to work is to measure carefully. The nice thing about measuring is it reassures me when I'm starving that the portion I'm giving myself will satisfy me because it always has! If it's on my plate, I will eat it. I know it's also because I eat too fast which is something else I'm working on. Whenever the phone rings in the middle of dinner and I actually answer it, which is rare, I never want the rest of the food on my plate when I come back! Hello brain!!! Why is this SO hard to learn???

[MelissaAS]

Hi folks-
Just wanted to thank m4star for the "Picture Perfect" link and cchhbb for the "Portion Savvy" reference- both contained great information! I believe that any way you slice it, eating what you want in moderation but controlling portions is the only healthy way to eat (and live!). And I find measuring (I bought myself some beautiful new measuring cups and spoons from Williams Sonoma to inspire me!) is the only way to make it happen for me. A food scale is next on the wish list. It's not fun, but I believe it's the only way.

Melissa