To help you manage your portion sizes, consider these tips:
Measure and weigh your food with a scale: Where possible, it is critical to measure your portions with a scale. It’s the most accurate way to control your intake. Often, your brain can trick you into believing that a portion size looks smaller than it is, and this can lead to unwittingly overeating.
In the beginning of your healthy weight-loss journey, it is best to measure first, until you become familiar with the sizes of the regular food that you eat.
Use these quick tricks to measure with your eyes: Occasionally there are situations where it’s impractical or inconvenient to whip out a scale and determine an accurate portion size. At that point, it’s good to form a comparison with a similar object in order to best gauge a more precise size without underestimating.
Four quick ways to get an idea of serving sizes are:
- A single serving of baked potatoes is roughly the same size as a computer mouse.
- Your fist is a rough estimate serving size for fresh fruit.
- ½ a cup of vegetables counts as one serving (except for leafy vegetables which are one cup!)
- One small apple is about the same size as a tennis ball and equals one fruit serving.
It may take some practice to become a better judge of serving sizes and portions, especially as you put entire meals together. But the more you practice using the visual cues, the more control you'll have over portion sizes. But when in doubt, get the scale out.
Pre-portion your favourite food: Often the best things will come in the biggest bags. To save time, and kilojoules, divide those foods up into their suitable portion sizes and then store them away into small containers or quick-seal packets. This will spare you the hassle of having to worry about determining the right portions from a large packet or box.
Mind the serving and portion gap on food labels: Often, for various reasons, the serving and portion size on a nutrition label on food packaging will not correspond. Be careful not to confuse the two.
For example, nutrition and kilojoule percentages could be calculated on an item per 40g, but the serving size could be 100g. Ensure you examine the label carefully to determine the serving size, and that it aligns with your Weigh-Less Eating Plan.
Use smaller plates: It helps if the plate looks fuller. You don’t need to consume more than your recommended portion sizes, but sometimes your brain can trick you into believing you should. Grab a smaller plate or bowl and serve your food in that. It will satisfy your eyes and your stomach.
Once you get these handy tricks under your belt, you will no longer have to worry about loosening it!
For more information, visit www.weighless.co.za.
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