There are a lot of different diet plans out there. Fitness and nutrition experts have varying opinions on healthy diets but there is one thing that we can all agree on - portion control.
Controlling your portion sizes can be the single most important thing you do when you are trying to lose weight. We live in a time of large serving plates and supersized portions. We also were raised to ?clean our plates? rather than to eat until we were satisfied.
One of the hardest parts about controlling our portions is we aren?t sure just what a serving is. Luckily, controlling your portion and serving sizes is all in your hands. Literally. You can use your hands to estimate appropriate serving sizes.
Protein (meat) portion - about 2.5oz - the size of the palm of your hand.
Vegetables - about ½ a cup - the size of your cupped hand.
Starches (rice, pasta, potatoes) - about ½ cup - the size of your cupped hand.
Salad - about 1 cup - the size of your closed fist.
Fruit - about 1 cup - the size of your closed fist.
Fat (oil, butter, margarine added to food) - about 1 tsp - the size of your thumb tip.
Salad Dressing - about 1 tbsp - the size of your entire thumb.
When planning your dinner plate, you can plan it by dividing it into quarters. One quarter should be made up by your protein serving. One quarter made up by your starch and half of the plate can be filled up with vegetables. A serving of fruit on the side will complete your meal.
Cutting down on portion sizes can be difficult. There are a few simple things you can start doing today to help. Try reducing the size of your serving plates. Most dinner plates are much too large. Using a smaller size plate will allow you to still fill your plate without overfilling your belly. Choose the child size fork which will help you take smaller bites. Also, put down your fork between each bite and take a sip of water. Often we eat until we are finished rather than eating until we are full. Taking a little extra time while eating will help your body recognize when you are full. Don?t put all the food out on the table. We tend to continue to nibble if the food is sitting right in front of us. Also, rather than using oversized serving spoons, try using measuring cups as your serving utensils. Putting the half cup measuring cup in the rice takes all the guess work out of how much to take for a serving.
Eating healthy doesn?t have to mean eliminating all the foods you love. It simply means being sensible about how much of it you are eating. Watching your portion sizes is one of the simplest things you can do to get started on your journey to a healthy weight.
Say It! Mean It! Do It!
