Portion Control for Effective Weight Loss

I sensed the waitress groan as she set the loaded oversized dinner plate in front of me. My plate was piled high with at least four adult servings of pasta. We'd already eaten salad and breadsticks. Noticing all the other overweight customers surrounding me, the truth..hit me between the eyes.

Many people weigh too much because they just eat too much. They may even do it without realizing it. It is not a hormone problem, low thyroid, or any other disease. When people take in more calories than they use up, they gain weight.

We did not start the trend of serving huge plates that are stuffed full of food. But even though we cannot be blamed, we must act.

Here's the point Size does matter!

Plates have also expanded, along with our bellies. The size of a dinner plate has grown in the last few decades.

Cafe portions are huge these days. Consider eating off of the child's menu or splitting dinner with a friend. One other tips that works is to split a meal into a to-go box before eating it. Then you can take half home for lunch the next day.

3. Take a mental picture of everyday items to get an idea of proper food portions.

You should be able to close your hand around a small baked potato.

Pancakes should be about the size of the ones that come inside the toaster pancake boxes, and not the size of a dinner plate.

Medium sized bagels should be hockey puck sized.

A small muffin is about the size of a tennis ball.

Consider cheese. A serving is about 1 oz., and not a pound.

Three ounces of meet are usually the size of a deck of playing cards.

A rice serving usually refers to about half of a cereal bowl.

1 serving of fruit or veggies is about the size of a tennis ball. Actually, I think it is usually ok to overeat fruit and vegetables.

4. Decide: One diet doesn't fit all. Eating more protein may work well for some people while eating more fiber may be best someone else. We need to try a variety of eating styles to find one that best suits our individual needs and lifestyles. Because I work from home, I like to eat many small balanced snacks ( 100-200 calories) every few hours throughout the day. Take time to research an eating program that works best for you.

Make positive choices. It may not be how much food you eat, but what sort of choices you make. Try to cut back on processed foods, and include more fresh food.

You can try to eat healthier, and then you will probably feel better and happier.

Life just doesn't have to be that complicated

Portion Control – Take some simple steps to eat better. You can lose weight with some simple weight loss tips!