Portion Control For Weight Loss: What Is It And How It May Help You?

Better Watch Your Cutlery

Losing weight is not just about what you eat but also what you eat in. Big bowls, plates, and spoons might seem fancy but they are your culprits too.

The amount of food you eat in big-sized cutlery is deceiving. They accommodate more food and it still seems less.

According to a study when people were given big spoons and plates, they ate much more than usual without even recognizing it.

Many people even denied overeating because it appeared to be less. Taking standard-size or even smaller plates may have the opposite impact on the brain. The plate appears full of food so you avoid eating more.

Relate Your Servings With Some Familiar Items

Comparing what you eat with other standard-size things gives us a better outlook of the proportion.

Visual comparison enables us to understand the right amount without actually measuring.

A few examples are-

• Vegetables about the size of your fist
• Apple is ideally the size of a tennis ball
• 1 thumb or a pair of dice of fats per meal
• Fish should be about the thickness of a deck of cards
• Pasta is equivalent to a scoop of ice cream.
• Carbs per serving are comparable to a hockey puck
• It comes in handy when eating out or you have no time to measure.

Check The Labels

When choosing packaged foods, always check the labels first. They would give you a quick snapshot of what you are about to eat in a serving.

If the proportions are right, you could go for it. Opt for foods that are packed according to one serving.

Tips For Supermarkets

Do not look for jumbo-sized or family packs. Get small snack packets for yourself. While eating mini cookies or something small in size, stay cautious.

It is easy to overeat since they are small. If you have big packs of snacks, take them out in a bowl separately.

Use Your Plate As A Guide

When serving food, always fill it up half with veggies. There could be a variety of vegetables on the plate to beat the monotony.

For the rest half, fill up ¼th of the plate with carbs and the rest ¼th with high-quality protein. Always keep a tiny space of one tablespoon for fats. 

This simple but apt method helps maintain the required daily value of each macronutrient. For vegetables, you may try the salad, sauteed spinach, broccoli, carrots, and more.

At the same time, switching from high-calorie condiments to condiments for weight loss could also be helpful.

Options for high-quality protein are eggs, fish, pulses, tofu, and beans. The best carbs are whole grains like oats, whole-grain pasta, or brown rice.

For healthy fats, opt for healthy edible oils, cheese, butter, and nuts.

Load Up With Colorful Veggies

Colorful veggies make simple food more appealing. Moreover, the more the color, the more the chances of antioxidant flavonoids.

Eat Slowly

Eating slowly has several advantages. It eases up digestion and reduces the chances of acid reflux.

It is also an integral part of portion control. Our brain takes around 20 minutes to recognize we are full.

Eating your food fast may increase the chances of overeating since you don’t know you have already eaten enough.

To avoid this, chew your food 15-20 times slowly. You are likely to enjoy your food this way and reduce food intake.

Cut Short The Distractions

Do not watch TV or talk while eating. This takes off the concentration from food and you may end up eating more.

Drink Plenty Of Water

Staying hydrated is an essential part of any weight loss method. When you drink water right before your meal, you feel full already and hence eat less.

Sometimes, our mind misinterprets thirst as hunger. If you stay hydrated, you could eliminate such risks as well. 

A study proved that drinking water right before meals decreased hunger and calories were cut short by 13%.

Do Your Meal Prep

This could turn out to be the most fun part of portion control. Cooking and planning your meals helps in controlling the serving size and also offers a choice. If this goes well, you are eating healthy and having fun.

You have the authority to choose the ingredients and seasoning, and measure everything. This gives you great control of where your weight loss journey goes.

Order Half Of The Actual Portion When Eating Out

Restaurants are known for their big serving size. It is way more than required.

They also add in a lot of oils, salt, and sugar which add up to the calories. To avoid eating more, order half of your regular portion size.

Checking the menu beforehand, and talking to the staff about your choice for meal preparation could also help. Avoid buffets. Eat a dish at a time to watch your food intake.

Share Your Meal With Your Friends Or Partner

Do not eat all in one go. It is not necessary to eat everything on the plate altogether.

Do not compel yourself to eat off the portion size daily in a sitting. If you feel full, store the leftovers for later than overstuffing.

Use Accurate Measuring Scales

In the beginning, it is not easy to estimate your portion size. Using proper measuring scales like a cup, tablespoon, or weight in ounces or grams could be helpful.

For example, eating 100 grams of vegetables in a meal or one tablespoon of butter.

You do not have to measure everything all the time. Once you are familiar with the portion size, you could always estimate the amounts required.

Have A Sweet Ritual

Everyone has space for sweets even after being full. This habit could be fruitful during portion control.

When you eat something sweet after meals, it may send a signal to your brain that you are done eating.

Although you have to be careful about your consumption. Do not go beyond limits.

Do Not Eat Straight From The Pack/Box

Eating straight from a box takes away the opportunity of watching the food intake. It also encourages overeating. Something similar is the case with eating straight from a casserole.

Doing the dishes could be unbelievably exhausting. Yet, it is always better to serve on a small plate and eat.

You would eat in a controlled manner and probably would be too shy to ask for more.

Eat Snacks That Require Some Hard Work

We tend to eat a lot when hungry. Easily accessible snacks increase the risk even more.

So if you replace it with fruits like orange or watermelon that require peeling or cutting, it could be irritating and time-consuming. You might give up on the idea of snacking too frequently.

Maintain A Food Journal

Food journals are an interesting way to keep an account of what you eat. It could be your good old recipe book too in a few years.

We generally forget in a day or two about the food we eat. Noting it down helps find flaws and appreciate progress.

You might also observe if you were overeating at any time. Food journals encourage conscious eating. Maintaining one is a must during portion control.

End Your Meals With Fennel Seeds Or Peppermint Tea

Good digestion is also the key to healthy eating. Both fennel seeds and peppermint tea aid in digestion.

They also could serve as a refreshment and boost satiety. Once you feel full enough, you are less likely to mess up your controlled servings.

They also have negligible calories so you won’t put on extra weight by these magic ingredients. However, avoid adding sugar to enhance the taste.