PORTION CONTROL: The Key To Successful Weight Management

Hey fit people! Long time no write! :) I bet you thought I was going to let the whole month of April go by without a single blog post, huh? WRONG! Well, I'll admit, it came pretty close, but I'm back! This month has been kinda' crazy with both me and my younger brother's birthdays, mine being on April 1st (yes, I'm April Fool's Day baby) and his on the 12th. I turned 30, he turned 27. Yes, I am officially in my thirties! Kinda' crazy when I think about it - especially considering the fact that there are people who look at me and think I'm still in high school! That's where all that exercising comes in! It keeps me young. :) I also have some awesome genes, too, so don't be fooled. :) But anyway, back to the subject... April has been one busy month!

So what's the subject of this long awaited post? I thought I'd touch on something that I know has been (and still continues to be) a struggle for me and most other people and that's PORTION CONTROL. I know, I know, you think you've heard it all before, right? But portion control really is the key to successfully losing and maintaining your weight. We always focus on the losing part, but what about after you've lost all the weight you want to lose and your happy with your body... now what? This can actually be the most scary part of  the journey. I've pretty much been able to maintain my weight loss but I have had my moments where I've gained back more pounds than I would like and have had to take measures to lose it again (in fact, this happened recently) and it's all been due to lack of proper portion control. What can I say? Food is good. Lol! It is! And it's hard to resist eating too much of it at times. Especially when we live in a society where the portions we're shown and served are more for 2 or 3 people instead of 1. We have to make the conscious decision to only eat as much as we should and not all that we are given and that can be hard. But honestly, if you get your portion control under control (with regular exercise) you can eat almost anything you want.

What is Portion Control?

Portion control is understanding how much a serving size is and how many calories a serving contains. Research has shown that Americans often underestimate how many calories they are consuming each day by as much as 25%. Healthy eating is the desirable middle between the extremes of excess and deficiency (over-eating and not eating enough), the "golden mean." Portion control is eating a healthy balance of amount and types, of varied foods.

The failure to control portions is often caused by emotional factors such as a depressed mood or boredom. To avoid overeating triggered by emotions, planning meals ahead and using smaller dishes may be helpful.

What is a Serving Size?

Use the list below to gain a perspective on how much food a recommended serving size really is; it may be much smaller than you realize.

According to the USDA, one serving equals:

• one slice of whole-grain bread
• 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta
• 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes
• three to four small crackers
• one small pancake or waffle
• two medium-sized cookies
• 1/2 cup cooked vegetables
• 1 cup (four leaves) lettuce
• one small baked potato
• 3/4 cup vegetable juice
• one medium apple
• 1/2 grapefruit or mango
• 1/2 cup berries
• 1 cup yogurt or milk
• 1 1/2 ounces of cheddar cheese
• one chicken breast
• one medium pork chop
• 1/4 pound hamburger patty

Portion sizes can be estimated by using objects as a point of reference. One way of determining portion size is to compare hand size. For example a healthy serving of protein should not be larger than a palm size piece of meat. Carbohydrate servings such as pasta can be measured by fistfuls. A healthy serving of pasta should be one fistful. So instead of trying to memorize lists of ounces, cups, and tablespoons, simply compare the serving sizes of particular foods to familiar physical objects.

 A single serving of:

• Vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist.
• Pasta is about the size of one scoop of ice cream.
• Meat, fish, or poultry is the size of a deck of cards or the size of your palm (minus the fingers).
• Snacks such as pretzels and chips is about the size of a cupped handful.
• Apple is the size of a baseball.
• Potato is the size of a computer mouse.
• Bagel is the size of a hockey puck.
• Pancake is the size of a compact disc.
• Steamed rice is the size of a cupcake wrapper.
• Cheese is the size of a pair of dice or the size of your whole thumb (from the tip to the base).

The best way to determine the amount of food in a given serving is to look at the Nutrition Facts label and measure it out. This is what I do and it helps A LOT! I used to be one of those people who thought I would never take the time to weigh/measure my food but whenever I fail to do this it results in me ultimately getting too comfortable and eating too much. Measuring your food  may not be "fun" but it's worth the effort!

Other ways of developing and maintaining proper portion control include:

At home:

• Use smaller dishes at meals.
• Serve food in the appropriate portion amounts and don't go back for seconds.
• Put away any leftovers in separate, portion-controlled amounts. Consider freezing the portions you likely won't eat for a while.
• Never eat out of the bag or carton.
• Don't keep platters of food on the table; you are more likely to "pick" at it or have a second serving without even realizing it.

At restaurants:

• Ask for half or smaller portions.
• Eyeball your appropriate portion, set the rest aside, and ask for a doggie bag right away. Servings at many restaurants are often big enough to provide meals for two days.
• If you have dessert, share.

At the supermarket:

• Beware of "mini-snacks" -- tiny crackers, cookies, and pretzels. Most people end up eating more than they realize, and the calories add up.
• Choose foods packaged in individual serving sizes.
• If you're the type who eats ice cream out of the carton, pick up ice cream sandwiches or other individual size servings.

So... have I convinced you yet that portion control is the key to successful weight management? No? Don't take my word for it! Ask anyone who has achieved long-term weight loss how they did it and they're sure to mention portion control. In fact, it can make or break your weight loss efforts. So please take this information that I've given you and eat thoughtfully if you aren't already! :)



source: http://www.webmd.com