It’s true that over the years our portion sizes have increased. Restaurants do it to attract business, grocery stores offer discounts to do the same, and most of us forget that there are actual serving suggestions on the back of the food we purchase. So the next time you eat a meal, just realize you might be having 2 or 3 servings instead of one.
One of the best ways to lose weight is through portion control. It will help you counteract the growth in portion sizes over the years.
Many restaurants offer pasta dishes, like spaghetti and meatballs. When you get the plate, there is a huge mound of spaghetti loaded with sauce and meatballs. If you read the back of the package of a box of spaghetti, a single surveying would probably be a quarter of the dish received in the restaurant. The same goes for steak. The recommended size for a serving of steak would be approximately 3 ounces but when you go to a restaurant, the sizes that are listed on the menu are generally 9, 12 and 16-ounce steaks.
While this information may be news to you, there are easy ways to combat this problem. If you don’t want all the extra calories, then we suggest sharing your food with someone else you are dining with that night. If no one is interested in sharing, you might just want to tell the waiter/waitress to box half of it up before it even comes out. This way you’re less likely to overeat.
When eating at home it can be easy for you to grab second helpings. Two key things that you can do to help control your portion size at home are to eat on a smaller plate and to serve the meals on individual plates rather than have the serving dishes on the table. When you use a portion control plate for your meals, you’re forced to give yourself smaller portions of food. You can also trick your mind into feeling that it’s full when your plate is empty.
Watching TV can play a huge factor for packing the weight on. People tend to mindlessly munch on junk food while watching TV. Make it a rule to never eat while watching TV. Whenever you find yourself hungry or you have the munchies, turn the TV off and go sit at the kitchen or dining room table to eat.
Many people believe that if they have a snack before meal time that they’re spoiling their meal but that old wives tale doesn’t hold true anymore. If you feel hungry between meals, allow yourself to have a healthy snack such as a small salad or some fresh vegetables or a piece of fruit. This will help you to not over-eat when you sit down for your meal.
Many people do not realize that when they buy food in bulk, they tend to overeat without realizing it. So sometimes buying bigger is not always better. If you do buy in bulk, separate the package into small individual portions, making it easier to stay on track and be focused with the correct portion size.
People will tend to snack on things that are commonly left out, such as candy, bags of chips, etc. You can avoid this by putting away the candy dishes, keep the junk food out of sight and put out healthy snacking options instead. You can put a fresh bowl of fruit out on the table and keep fresh cut veggies to snack on in the fridge.
Using some of these tips, and cutting down on your portion sizes, will definitely help you lose weight.