7 Tips for Portion Control

5/15/2018

Keeping your portions in check will help you meet your weight-loss goals, help control blood sugar, and make you feel like you’re in control again.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid portion distortion:

1) Eat Regularly
Try and avoid skipping meals or generally going more than 5 hours without eating. For most people this means 3 meals and a snack. Going any longer can cause you to grab whatever is on-hand, good or bad, when you’re famished.

2) Measure and Weigh Food
Most people aren’t great at estimating portion sizes so it’s helpful to weigh and measure things you typically eat so you get an idea of what a proper portion looks like. Once you get a feel for how much of it you should be eating, you may not have to measure it every time.

3) Learn to Size Things Up
You won’t always have a scale or measuring cups handy, so it’s helpful to be able to relate portion sizes to things you can relate to. For instance, one cup of cereal is about the size of your fist and 3 ounces of lean meat is the size of a deck of cards.

4) Serving Size vs. Portion Size
A serving size is simply what’s listed on the nutrition facts panel. Portion size is how much of the food you actually end up eating. So if your portion consumed was actually two servings, you have to remember that all of the nutrition numbers are then doubled.

5) Reduce Plate Size
Using smaller plates or bowls will help you avoid piling on food you don’t need.

6) Work On Your Dining Out Habits
Remember to start your meal out with leafy greens or other vegetables and don’t get carried away with anything the restaurant offers that’s unlimited - except for water. Most restaurants offer everything in excess so here are some other tips we’ve gone over already: https://www.simplypreppedmeals.com/blog/7-tips-for-dining-out-healthy

7) Plan Your Meals
Having a plan of what you’ll eat during the day will help your nutrition stay balanced and keep you from sabotaging your own progress. Knowing there are more balanced meals in your future will make you less likely to overdo it in one sitting.

SOURCES
Just Enough for You: About Food Portions
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/just-enough-food-portions

8 Tips for Controlling Portion Sizes
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20405321,00.html

PHOTO:
Photo by Lily Banse on Unsplash

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Amanda is a mother of three (10, 7, and 5) and has been married for 14 years. My weight loss journey started July 17, 2008, one day after my daughter's first birthday. Tipping the scales at 235 pounds at 5'3, being an over weight, over tired, out of shape role model no longer appealed to me and I knew it was time for a change. Three pregnancies later, I had lost a total of 105 pounds. I had run 2 marathons and dozens of half marathons. Something was missing. I was thin, but I wasn't fit. I wasn't healthy. I could feel it in my insides. I was 136 pounds and a size 8. Something didn't add up. I got my certification in personal training, nutrition, weight management, and dove into supplementation and whole foods. 90 days later, I gained 10 pounds and lost two pants sizes (8 to a 4).

Continuing on this path, all of my clients wanted to know how I was doing it. I always dreamed of creating a business that truly added value to people and improved their health. My husband, Grant, and I decided it was time to take that leap.

December 9, 2016, Simply Prepped Meals was born. Based around the mission of providing whole food based nutrition to people's doorsteps, we set out to create a new idea that fast food didn't have to be expensive or bad for you. Six months later, we built our permanent location in Cynthiana, IN. Then, January 2, 2018, we entered into a partnership with the YMCA of Southern Indiana to continue spreading the word of meal prep and eating with purpose.

Amanda coaches individually as well as continues to drive their business. Any questions about personal coaching can be directed to her at amanda@simplypreppedmeals.com

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