Portions

Hi guys. I have a hard time trying to figure out portions. I don't know if they are too big or too small. I don't want to starve myself to death but I don't want to cheat either. Any advise?

I have that problem when eating out. But if I'm at home I can get by with a measuring cup for most things.  If it's meat, I check the package for weight and and estimate how much I've eaten.  Not perfect, but calorie counting isn't an exact science.

The strange thing about portions is how they ultimately depend on your caloric needs. There's not exactly a perfect portion per se.

Here's my approach: I need to eat roughly 3k calories a day; I just feel better when I eat small meals every 2-3 hours, which equals about 6-7 meals, very roughly 350-400 calories a meal. 

So I guide my meals servings by that; what would consitute a 400 cal meal and carbs/good fats/cooked and raw veggies/fiber all is in its proper place.

For eating out, I usually munch on some Fiber One before I go out (I'm a food writer, and have been while I lost 240 pounds the old fashioned way), or maybe an apple. That handles any portion control issues right there. If that doesn't happen, I try to stick to big, big salads or a cup of soup before any entree, whatever the restaurant serves me is irrelvant: particularly when eating so regularly, you can only eat so much at once.

I hope some of this helps!

Best,

Russ Lane

Second Helping, http://www.secondhelpingonline.com

I went the easy way on this, beginner style.

I just reduced my intake of food by a % wise. Like if I ate an overabundant plate of pasta, I just serve myself less than what I am used to. Did this with every food.

While doing this I started on CC and checked as much as I can on the calories going in for my type of lifestyle. I think over the course of 2 weeks, I got used to eyeballing the weights of food and calorie intake. I had a food balance that help me gauge the weight at first. If you ever get one, make sure it can set the tare weight as it helps a lot.

Good Luck!

It's more about what you order while out vs portion size. Friday's and Chili's for example have a healthy portion section (at least in Taiwan they do). In other cases, forgo the cheese burger and fries and get the chicken ceaser with the dressing on the side. You'll save 600 calories there alone. 

Get the Cheesburger if you want to, but ask them to cut it in half and give the rest to go. Replace the fries with a salad and then just eat a few of your wifes....she'll love you for making sure she doesn't get fat and you'll feel better walking out of the reastaurant.

Then eat light before or after your dinner out. However, when in doubt, err on the side of caution. Regardless you can make up the difference the next day if you go overboard.

Here is a link to some excellent information on portions and how to judge them:

http://www.drgourmet.com/column/dr/061206.sht ml

I am an admitted food addict and over eater. I have been eating either instant packaged oatmeals or a breakfast sandwich of egg and turkey bacon on whole wheat that is easily totalled. I'm using pre-packaged frozen meals (lean cuisine etc) for lunch and find them very satisfying and it automatically limits my intake which I'm just horrible at! These meals are 220 to 350 calories or so and they are very good as frozen meals go. There is also a huge variety. Dinner is where the wheels usually come off the wagon. Dinner is the only meal that I do not control as for what we have and when we have it.

Original Post by fozzynok:

Dinner is the only meal that I do not control as for what we have and when we have it.

In that case, would it help to do the "one less" method?  Like what Robinrussia mentioned above, look at what might be your "normal" serving and just take 75% of it, or even 50%?