5 Easy Portion Control Tips

Woody Short

7 years ago

The whole idea of practicing portion control may be new to you, but with these portion control tips you can learn how to manage in no time!

When we prepare our meals and are ready to sit down and enjoy them, we really don’t consider practicing portion control or counting calories. But, if we are faced with a change in our diets or if we need to keep track of what we eat due to an ailment (like diabetes), these portion control tips may make it easier to manage our food intake without negative repercussions.

Many experts agree that portion control for weight loss focuses on cutting calories from your meals as a way of making up for your activity level throughout your day.

This means that, creating a calorie deficit while maintaining or increasing your level of activity will actually promote weight loss and you will see the pounds coming off because your body is using the stored calories and fat from those extra pounds.

Correct portion sizes can be achieved through different means; using measuring cups or plates is an excellent and pretty accurate way of keeping track of your meals, but also using smaller plates or smaller glasses will ensure that you consume less of the food or drink you have in mind.

Using a smaller plate may well be one of the best portion control tips available, and super easy to use.

Several studies have shown that using smaller plates for your meals tricks your brain into thinking that you have a bigger meal, which promotes a better management of our meals.

But, can these portion control tips work when we eat out? Correct portion sizes can be measurable in many ways as a way of having a clear idea of what we put in our plate. For example, a cup of rice is the size of a small closed fist, while a piece of lean protein will be the size of a deck of cards.

Knowing these little things will help you include your daily portion control for weight loss routine into your every meal, without having to feel like a hassle.

Additional portion control tips that will leave little room for mistakes or bad measurements include using portion-control plates that come with dividers and signs that identify what type of food goes where as a means to understand correct portion sizes per type (carbs, fats, protein).

Planning your meals ahead of time is also a great way to practice portion control, as it removes the stress of having to “just wing it” at the time of cooking or eating.

In addition to the above-mentioned tips, the following ones can also be of great help when you are starting your meal management plan:

Start your meals with a glass of water: having a glass of water before you eat will promote a feeling of fullness, which will make you less likely to overeat or overstuff yourself with the food.
Load up on the veggies and fruits: adding vegetables and fruits that will make you feel fuller faster and keep your fuller for a longer period of time is another great trick. Think about adding spinach to your next sandwich, mushrooms to your omelet or diced apples to your oatmeal.
Think of carbs as an addition instead of the main ingredient: this means that your main portion of the meal should be devoted to a lean protein and veggies, and then followed by a small portion of a healthy carb like wild rice or a quarter cup of cous-cous.
Use measuring cups and a scale: if you enjoy cooking and are all into meal prep, measuring your quantities and the weight of your food is a great way to keep track of how much you will be putting into your body during your week.
Slow down: taking the time to chew your food, slowly and properly will not only make you feel fuller faster, thus reducing your food intake, but it will also promote a better digestion once you are done.

Remember that practicing portion control does not have to be boring or some sort of unbreakable rule. Add it to your routine slowly and you’ll see yourself making smarter and healthier decisions in no time!.