Mastering Portion Control: Tips for Measuring Food
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One of the biggest reasons for obesity and weight gain is overeating. You’d be surprised how many people are overweight solely due to their inability to control their food portions. This is even more prevalent in current times because we have a lot of distractions at our disposal while we eat. Millions of us consume our meals plonked in front of the TV while we watch our favourite shows. This sort of distracted eating pattern can prevent us from understanding how much food we are putting in our bodies until it leads to excessive weight gain.
In this blog, we’ll help you with some great tips to control your meal portions so that you can be consistent with the amount of nutrition your body is getting and kickstart your weight-loss journey.
How to Measure Food Portions
This may seem like a bit of a reach, but it works. The perception of a small portion on a large plate tricks your brain into thinking that you’re eating less. So, if you use a smaller plate for your smaller serving, everything will seem proportionate, and you’ll not feel like you’ve had less food. Give it a try.
This tip is a no-brainer, since what better way to control your portions than to literally measure them? A food scale works great, but you can also use measuring cups instead. If you just want to use whatever’s in your kitchen, take a mug or teacup as your food measuring tool and use the same tool every meal to measure your food portion sizes.
Having a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal has been known to help portion control. Drinking water will fill your stomach, making you feel less hungry. This can adequately stop you from eating more than required.
If you’re on a portion control diet but are wary of using special measuring spoons, you can simply compare your serving size with your own hands or other objects. For example, a portion of rice can be compared to the size of your fist, or a deck of cards.
Remember when you had that second helping of your favourite dish, but later felt overstuffed and literally unable to move? I think we’ve all been there. This happens because it takes a while for our body to register how much we’ve eaten. If you just had your meal and feel unsatiated, delay that second helping by about 20 minutes. Chances are high that you won’t feel hungry anymore and won’t need that second helping after all.
Pasta and garlic bread, a deliciously lovely combo if there ever was one. What we don’t realise, though, is that both of those dishes are carbs. We have this habit of having extra carbs even if we have a high-carb or starchy dish on the plate. All those extra carbs are stored as fats in the body, leading to weight gain. To stop doubling up on carbs, avoid chapati if you’re having rice, say no to the bread if you’re having pasta, and skip the starchy fries if you’re having a burger.
What Should Be Your Portion Size?
We just told you how you can measure and be consistent with your food portions. But what must your portion size be, based on your weight, metabolism, and fitness goals? It can be tricky to manage portion control for weight loss, building muscle, increasing stamina, etc.
A professional nutritionist or dietician is the best person to help you in this regard. With the comprehensive FITPASS app, a team of experienced dieticians is at your fingertips. Enrol for FITFEAST and get yourself a dedicated nutritionist who can guide you with a balanced diet and appropriate portion sizes, so that you can take the first steps toward your weight loss goal.
Measuring and controlling portion sizes is important for maintaining a balanced diet, managing calorie intake, preventing overeating and promoting weight control. Consistent portion sizes also help with meal planning and budgeting, as well as ensuring equal distribution of nutrients.
Using measuring cups, kitchen scale, eyeballing with your hand, using standard objects such as a deck of cards or a tennis ball as reference, and measuring food weight in grams are some effective ways to measure portion sizes.
One way to control portion sizes is to use smaller plates, drink a glass of water before each meal, eat slowly, and pay attention to hunger cues. Another option is to measure and weigh food, and make a plan for meals and snacks. Eating mindfully, cooking at home, and avoiding distractions while eating can also help with portion control.
Measure food portions by using measuring cups, a kitchen scale, or comparing portions to familiar objects, like a deck of cards for protein or a tennis ball for carbs.
For weight loss, measure portion sizes using smaller plates, measuring tools, or your hand (palm for protein, fist for carbs, and thumb for fats). Keep portions balanced and mindful.
Use tools like measuring cups, food scales, or visual comparisons (e.g., fist for carbs, palm for protein) to ensure accurate portion control and balanced meals.
