Shocked...and alittle worried...

I don't usually like to weigh everything I eat so I usually just figure that I can get a rough estimate of how big a piece or pile of something is and thats good enough for me...I figure there is enough discrepancy in calorie measurements anyways to cover any small gram difference that I make...and if I eat alittle more from overestimating that is ok with me I eat healthy foods anyways!

HOWEVER...this morning I measured my cereal, just for fun I guess haha...and what I "thought" was 1 cup of cereal actually turns out to be only about 3/4 cup! So I add more to make it a cup - now this looks like alot more cereal than I usually eat! When I measured the milk to what I normally log it at (from just estimated usually), it then drowns my cereal in a giant flood of milk! I am shocked...I guess I am not as good at estimating portions as I thought :( ! I am way overestimating! Does this mean that I am overestimating the rest of my portions as well?! And I am eating potentially hundreds of calories less a day than I should?

I am so shocked by this, I thought I was getting better at portions...Does anyone have any suggestions for a better way to estimate portions? I don't have a scale, and love to cook at home and so I HATE to have to measure things and dont see myself standing there measuring every little bit of something that I am throwing in...but this event has shaken my confidence...now I am worried that I am not eating enough and didn't even know it! Help!

a portion size is 3 ounces, for meats use the size of the palm of your hand and for loose things(i,e veggies) use the size of your fist.

People get way to caught up with weighting  things, when it isn't necessary. you know what is too much to eat, so just use your best judgement.

I hate to measure, too.  I do a little, but there is no way I'm going to measure 3 oz. of pasta.  I don't have a scale either so I just eye it. 

I don't have an exact number to hit everyday in my calorie count so I just figure I'm close and that's good enough. 

I'm not trying for science here, just weight loss.  If I am feeling good and achieving my goals, then I don't see a problem.

You don't need to weigh forever. Just until you've trained yourself.

Most people under estimate portions.

I did the same thing... I was way overestimating things for months. I would add so many calories to chicken and cheese in particular that I wasn't eating nearly enough a day. Please be careful to make sure you are eating enough! 

I've been measuring my cereal into the same bowl for so long that I know what the serving size looks like, and how far the milk should cup up in the bowl, so that's no problem.  I absolutely measure all fats and weigh all high calorie items like meats and grains.  For lower calorie items, like green vegetables, I just eyeball it, because it won't make that much difference if I'm over or under by a little bit.

I've done something like what Claire does -- I measure first to see where the milk/juice/etc comes up to in the cup/bowl/plate, etc and then mark it.  (Visit the thrift store and get a cup, plate, and bowl that you don't mind marking up.)  then take a permanent marker and mark portions.  that way, you only have to measure once.  And after a while, you start to learn what portions are supposed to look like.

I'll also spend time portioning out fruit, baby carrots, candy, dry pasta, etc into baggies ahead of time so I can just grab what I want when I want it and know it's the size it's supposed to be.  It takes a little time to prepare but I think it makes up for that in convenience.

If you have a postage scale, it can double as a food scale.

I do the same as claire and pompey -- pre-measure my bowls and cups, and then I just use those.

for my soups, I use the Healthy Choice or other brands in the microwaveable bowls -- and I eat the whole bowl, not just the 1 serving.  Healthy Choice gives the total calories right on the container, so that makes it easy.  The other brands, I do measure one container, to see how much over the cup it is (usually 1 3/4 cup), so I just use that to do the calculations calories per 1 cup serving times 1.75.

spaghetti you can get the neat measurers to do 1 or multiple servings. 

It seems over time my portions get too big or too small.  I suggest reevaluating your measurements monthly.  This helps me to remember just how much 1 cup. or 3 oz.  looks like. 

I do the same thing as Pompey. I bought a digital scale at Walmart for $25. Regular scales are cheaper. I premeasure alot of things so I can make my breakfast and lunch quicker in the morning. I sit on the counch and while I am watching TV I measure out all kinds of things, especially cereal and the shrimp chips I love. Helps with portion control. Usually I can portion it out and be right on. Gives me hope that eventually I will be able to stop relying on the scale so much.

I worked in an industrial kicthen for a long time. So I am used to portion sizes for growing kids....lol It has taken me awhile to figure out my own portion sizes but I did it and so I know that you can too. A scale is a good tool to learn with and after you do it for a bit that way you just know what the portion should look like. my biggest thing is milk. I refuse to drink fat free. I wont drink anything lower than 2 % and I always poor too much. lol so I have to measure that still. You would think I would have learned.... 

I measure everything. Takes what, 10 more seconds of my time? LOL@

I would just weigh/measure for a couple of days to get a basic idea of what each measurement looks like.  That'll cover the basics.