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Portion control is good for our waistlines and for our food budgets. Do you carefully measure out portions at mealtime? Do you use smaller plates so it looks like more? Please share your tips!
Portion Control
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Greebo and I have been working on portion control and counting calories for the past month. It does help my grocery budget and my waistline.
I weigh out the meat, the pasta (when we have it), I prep and freeze single portions of brown rice to have on hand, etc. The only thing I don't worry about measuring too much is the veggies. I try to get us 2 servings each for our dinner and that is usually a bag from the freezer (till the farmer's markets open up).
I weigh out the meat, the pasta (when we have it), I prep and freeze single portions of brown rice to have on hand, etc. The only thing I don't worry about measuring too much is the veggies. I try to get us 2 servings each for our dinner and that is usually a bag from the freezer (till the farmer's markets open up).
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No, it doesn't sound silly at all! When hubby and I did LA Weight Loss a few years ago I bought one of those plates for myself. I should start using it again - thanks very much for reminding me of itSometimes I do. This may sound silly but I love those kiddie plates that are divided. I have a few and usually there is just two or three sections to put the food on. Plus it's just fun to eat off of them.
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I control the starch/meat portions normally unless we're eating out (then I consider it a treat) but veggies w/o sauces are free rein! I'm famous for ordering salad & soup to start and never being able to eat half of my dinner when it arrives and I end up taking it home to eat the following day. All I have to do is heat up more veggies.
Does that count as portion control?
Does that count as portion control?
I'm a stickler when it comes to a serving size, as well as the number of servings we consume each day from each food group; because over-eating anything is wasted food and wasted food dollars.
I think the most surprising are found in the bread/grain/cereal group...
--A 1/2-cup of cooked spaghetti (or other type of pasta) is one serving from the grain/bread/cereal group, which NEVER looks like much compared to the large portions served at restaurants. A bowl of pasta at a restaurant can be as much as 4-6 servings from the grain/bread/cereal group. Then add to that the endless bread served with the dinner. A person can literally consume 2-days + worth from that food group in ONE meal.
I learned a quick way to measure a serving of dry spaghetti while taking a nutrition class years ago - count 35 sticks per serving.
--One ounce of a puffed cereal is a whole lot more volume than a heavy, concentrated cereal like granola or a cooked wholegrain cereal.
--An English Muffin is 2-servings, as are hamburger buns.
--An 8-inch pan of cornbread should be cut into 16 pieces and one piece is a serving.
--I make loaves of bread that are smaller than a standard loaf, so it's easier to cut into very thin slices and we can have 2-slices of bread as one serving, instead of the normal 1-slice (or 1-ounce). I also scale (weigh) the dough when making things like burger and hot dog buns and dinner rolls so I know how many servings they are when I make them.
--Does anyone else remember "juice glasses"? Those tiny glasses that held a serving of juice, which is 3/4-cup (either vegetable or fruit juice).
--It's often difficult to figure mixed foods, things like a taco, pizza, casserole or spaghetti sauce, etc.... You have a lot more control of this when you make your own and KNOW what's in them and can measure and figure accordingly. I make our spaghetti sauce and make sure there is 3-ounces of ground beef in each serving, so I know each serving of spaghetti sauce also has 1-serving of meat in it, the same with making the sauce for hamburger stroganoff - I portion and freeze it so there is 1-serving of meat in it.
--We often have dried apricots or prunes as our fruit, but 1/4 cup of them is equal to a serving, while most fresh fruit is about 1/2 a cup. There is a serving size difference between fresh and dried fruit you may not be aware of. I have small side dishes that are 1/2-cup, so it's easy to use them as a guide for a serving without measuring.
I think the most surprising are found in the bread/grain/cereal group...
--A 1/2-cup of cooked spaghetti (or other type of pasta) is one serving from the grain/bread/cereal group, which NEVER looks like much compared to the large portions served at restaurants. A bowl of pasta at a restaurant can be as much as 4-6 servings from the grain/bread/cereal group. Then add to that the endless bread served with the dinner. A person can literally consume 2-days + worth from that food group in ONE meal.
I learned a quick way to measure a serving of dry spaghetti while taking a nutrition class years ago - count 35 sticks per serving.
--One ounce of a puffed cereal is a whole lot more volume than a heavy, concentrated cereal like granola or a cooked wholegrain cereal.
--An English Muffin is 2-servings, as are hamburger buns.
--An 8-inch pan of cornbread should be cut into 16 pieces and one piece is a serving.
--I make loaves of bread that are smaller than a standard loaf, so it's easier to cut into very thin slices and we can have 2-slices of bread as one serving, instead of the normal 1-slice (or 1-ounce). I also scale (weigh) the dough when making things like burger and hot dog buns and dinner rolls so I know how many servings they are when I make them.
--Does anyone else remember "juice glasses"? Those tiny glasses that held a serving of juice, which is 3/4-cup (either vegetable or fruit juice).
--It's often difficult to figure mixed foods, things like a taco, pizza, casserole or spaghetti sauce, etc.... You have a lot more control of this when you make your own and KNOW what's in them and can measure and figure accordingly. I make our spaghetti sauce and make sure there is 3-ounces of ground beef in each serving, so I know each serving of spaghetti sauce also has 1-serving of meat in it, the same with making the sauce for hamburger stroganoff - I portion and freeze it so there is 1-serving of meat in it.
--We often have dried apricots or prunes as our fruit, but 1/4 cup of them is equal to a serving, while most fresh fruit is about 1/2 a cup. There is a serving size difference between fresh and dried fruit you may not be aware of. I have small side dishes that are 1/2-cup, so it's easy to use them as a guide for a serving without measuring.
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Grainlady - I sure do remember those juice glasses! I can't find them anymore and rarely do old school diners use them. As a child I'd wonder what the purpose was but now...I totally get it. I found a childs glass with Winnie the Pooh pattern all over it but its exactly a serving size worth of juice
portion control is super easy for me.
i do use smaller plates...
i eat slower... almost always with another person.
i rarely eat in front of the tv/pc...
i almost never snack (so i'm hungry at meal time).
i _never_ eat diet/light/low-cal foods (always full fat).
i almost never eat a prepackaged food-item. (i do eat protein bars)
only things i drink are water, tea, coffee. soda is a rarity!!!
it's common sense too.
protein with every meal, and have a lotta fiber (grains, veggies, fruits) for fullness and real/full fats.
if we eat out, it's almost always a salad... and i'll ask for 2 or 3 french fries if i'm craving salt or fat and that's all i'll eat. (it's just the taste i want anyway).
portion control is super easy... you just have to learn your limits... eat the right foods (for you) and make sure you exercise if you wanna lose a little weight.
every little bit helps!
i do use smaller plates...
i eat slower... almost always with another person.
i rarely eat in front of the tv/pc...
i almost never snack (so i'm hungry at meal time).
i _never_ eat diet/light/low-cal foods (always full fat).
i almost never eat a prepackaged food-item. (i do eat protein bars)
only things i drink are water, tea, coffee. soda is a rarity!!!
it's common sense too.
protein with every meal, and have a lotta fiber (grains, veggies, fruits) for fullness and real/full fats.
if we eat out, it's almost always a salad... and i'll ask for 2 or 3 french fries if i'm craving salt or fat and that's all i'll eat. (it's just the taste i want anyway).
portion control is super easy... you just have to learn your limits... eat the right foods (for you) and make sure you exercise if you wanna lose a little weight.
every little bit helps!
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I portion control some things - however plain veggies are unlimited in my book.
here's my favourite tip: when I eat spegetti, I almost always have canned green beans. I put a tiny amount of pasta on the plate, then add a TON of green beans and then put my sauce on top and I eat away. It;s alot of food, but I am filling up on veg, not pasta.
I do the same with tacos. I put on just a bit of beans, and then tons of veg.......
here's my favourite tip: when I eat spegetti, I almost always have canned green beans. I put a tiny amount of pasta on the plate, then add a TON of green beans and then put my sauce on top and I eat away. It;s alot of food, but I am filling up on veg, not pasta.
I do the same with tacos. I put on just a bit of beans, and then tons of veg.......
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I will kind of do the same. My Dh hates most veggies so I will heat some up and add them just to mine. Like pasta I will heat up some mixed veggies and add it just to my sauce.
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I take what I want and then cut it in half, throw that half into a tupperware for next day's lunch.
I get the "fun" (I guess that's what it is?) of heaping up my plate with the meal, then I eyeball off half into lunch containers. Nope, I don't go back for seconds. I'm also cooking less portions in the first place, that really helps but its only myself and my daughter to feed so that is easier to do I think then when trying to prepare a meal for a larger family. I find portioning it before eating is easier than telling myself to stop when its tasting so good while I eat it.
(when dining out, I visually divide every item in half and don't let myself eat "across the line" and ask for a box at the end of the meal which is more difficult but if you are strict with yourself it works!)
I get the "fun" (I guess that's what it is?) of heaping up my plate with the meal, then I eyeball off half into lunch containers. Nope, I don't go back for seconds. I'm also cooking less portions in the first place, that really helps but its only myself and my daughter to feed so that is easier to do I think then when trying to prepare a meal for a larger family. I find portioning it before eating is easier than telling myself to stop when its tasting so good while I eat it.
(when dining out, I visually divide every item in half and don't let myself eat "across the line" and ask for a box at the end of the meal which is more difficult but if you are strict with yourself it works!)
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Oh, I also like to use smaller plates. The dinner size plates are huge. I like to use salad plates then it looks like I am eating more then I am.
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I did something crazy this morning. I have been recently getting steamed fish for lunches at work. I had been having the grocery store put Old Bay seasoning on when they steamed the fish, which I am sure is loaded with sodium. This week I ordered my fish neat and am experimenting with adding a little sauce as flavoring on my own. So, what did I do this morning?
I read the nutrition info again of the sauce. A 2 tablespoon (I hope tablespoon not teaspoon) serving has 9% sodium and 31% fat allowance. I intended to put on 1 tablespoon, so I went digging for our measuring spoons. I could only find the 1/2 tablespoon one, so I started by putting on one of those. Spreading it around the fish showed that just the 1/2 was plenty.
Actually measuring out the sauce that has concentrated naughty stuff in it is almost an alien concept for me, but now that I've done it, it seems almost too stupid to post, but I'm sure someone else will read this and think it is a brilliant idea they wish they'd have thought of earlier. I sure wish I'd thought of this earlier!
I read the nutrition info again of the sauce. A 2 tablespoon (I hope tablespoon not teaspoon) serving has 9% sodium and 31% fat allowance. I intended to put on 1 tablespoon, so I went digging for our measuring spoons. I could only find the 1/2 tablespoon one, so I started by putting on one of those. Spreading it around the fish showed that just the 1/2 was plenty.
Actually measuring out the sauce that has concentrated naughty stuff in it is almost an alien concept for me, but now that I've done it, it seems almost too stupid to post, but I'm sure someone else will read this and think it is a brilliant idea they wish they'd have thought of earlier. I sure wish I'd thought of this earlier!
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If I know I'm going out ahead of time and it's not a high end fancy schmancy restaurant....I'll bring a shallow rectangle plastic container with me (or my trusty round one - size of small dinner plate
) and lop off half of the food on the plate 'to go' and eat the remainder if I can. If not, it too goes in the box. The only exceptions are soups and salads, I'll eat those whole first before I touch the hot food. My friends mock me but I'm tired of having leaks (if applicable) from the take out containers that don't close well or dried out food when I get home. I'm usually emptying the take out containers into a resealable air tight container as soon as I get home anyhow so this saves me a step.
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Our dog has the take out boxes figured out....if it's a white take out box, it's his. If it's a round metal take out container with a paper top, it's his. The black take out containers had him fooled for a short time, but he's on to us....they're his now too! And he gives us the most pitiful, sad-looking eyes if we actually want the contents of those containers for ourselves.....oh, the guilt!If I know I'm going out ahead of time and it's not a high end fancy schmancy restaurant....I'll bring a shallow rectangle plastic container with me (or my trusty round one - size of small dinner plate
My friends mock me but I'm tired of having leaks (if applicable) from the take out containers that don't close well or dried out food when I get home. I'm usually emptying the take out containers into a resealable air tight container as soon as I get home anyhow so this saves me a step.
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Our dogs only sit next to my wife when we're eating because they know that sitting next to me only means pettings, but no food. And they are all over the toast lady (MIL) when she is ha she does not like crusts and sometimes drops stuff.
Libby, I don't think the orange stain that somehow appeared on my shorts today had anything to do with Styrofoam container of Laotian noodle I was balancing on my lap, could it? :laugh:
My wife and I had Mexican for lunch today as our date. We ordered a combo plate to share. Neither of us wasted away from hunger.
Libby, I don't think the orange stain that somehow appeared on my shorts today had anything to do with Styrofoam container of Laotian noodle I was balancing on my lap, could it? :laugh:
My wife and I had Mexican for lunch today as our date. We ordered a combo plate to share. Neither of us wasted away from hunger.
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