Getting A Handle On Portion Control - (Q & A)
Q: I'm trying to eat all the right foods but I'm not losing any weight. What's wrong?
A: If you are trying to lose weight, you need to carefully evaluate the amount of calories you consume. While you may be eating lots of grains and lean meats as well as fruits and vegetables, you may be consuming hundreds of hidden calories in oversized portions. While a large volume of food does not necessarily mean more calories, volume when combined with improper food choices can tip the scale against us.
Due to the typical American (and other countries) sedentary lifestyle, the average female can gain weight on just 1,800 calories per day, and the average male can pack on pounds around the 2,500 calorie level. Given today's tendency to "super-size," these calorie amounts can easily be consumed before noon.
A small fast-food cheesburger, medium order of french fries and medium soft drink may not seem like a large meal. However, what seems average actually totals around 1,000 calories! It would take a mountain of healty foods to make up that many calories. Picture your plate overflowing with 5 ounces of grilled chicken breast, two and a half cups of pasta topped with one cup of tomato sauce and two tablespoons grated cheese, alongside one and a quarter cups of vegetables and a diet soda. With only 976 calories to this meal, the volume far exceeds that of the fast-food option.
It is also essential that you pay close attention to portion size. Store-bought tortilla chips may seem like a good option when quickly glancing over the food label. However, upon close inspection, you will see that while calories may be low (140 calories per serving) the serving size is just one ounce (about 11 chips). A typical nibbling-while watching-TV session could result in several servings consumed without notice. With this in mind, when looking at labels, look carefully at the serving size and servings per container, not just the calories listed per serving.
Restaraunt dining can be especially tricky for tracking calorie intake. With the pre-meal rolls, butter, cocktails, nuts, chips, and salsa, the "meal before the meal" can add an additional 700+ calories, sabatoging any effort for healthydining. Consider that light beer carries about 100 calories, and at more than 100 calories an ounce, a few handfuls of nuts can add 500 to 600 more!Don't be afraid to ask your server about portion size.
The best way to avoid the poor-choice and portion pitfalls is to carefully track everything that goes into your mouth. Any food item that passes through your lips has the potential to turn to fat if are taking in more than you are burning off in a day. Take the extra time to look carefully at food labels and be aware of portion sizes. Reaching a goal does mean changing your lifestyle, but that change doesn't have to be painful. Educating yourself and staying aware of what is entering your body is more than half the battle. Studies by the National Weight Control Registry show that a daily food intake record is a consistanty used tool for successfully maintained weight loss.
To determine portion sizes use the following estimates:
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A: If you are trying to lose weight, you need to carefully evaluate the amount of calories you consume. While you may be eating lots of grains and lean meats as well as fruits and vegetables, you may be consuming hundreds of hidden calories in oversized portions. While a large volume of food does not necessarily mean more calories, volume when combined with improper food choices can tip the scale against us.
Due to the typical American (and other countries) sedentary lifestyle, the average female can gain weight on just 1,800 calories per day, and the average male can pack on pounds around the 2,500 calorie level. Given today's tendency to "super-size," these calorie amounts can easily be consumed before noon.
A small fast-food cheesburger, medium order of french fries and medium soft drink may not seem like a large meal. However, what seems average actually totals around 1,000 calories! It would take a mountain of healty foods to make up that many calories. Picture your plate overflowing with 5 ounces of grilled chicken breast, two and a half cups of pasta topped with one cup of tomato sauce and two tablespoons grated cheese, alongside one and a quarter cups of vegetables and a diet soda. With only 976 calories to this meal, the volume far exceeds that of the fast-food option.
It is also essential that you pay close attention to portion size. Store-bought tortilla chips may seem like a good option when quickly glancing over the food label. However, upon close inspection, you will see that while calories may be low (140 calories per serving) the serving size is just one ounce (about 11 chips). A typical nibbling-while watching-TV session could result in several servings consumed without notice. With this in mind, when looking at labels, look carefully at the serving size and servings per container, not just the calories listed per serving.
Restaraunt dining can be especially tricky for tracking calorie intake. With the pre-meal rolls, butter, cocktails, nuts, chips, and salsa, the "meal before the meal" can add an additional 700+ calories, sabatoging any effort for healthydining. Consider that light beer carries about 100 calories, and at more than 100 calories an ounce, a few handfuls of nuts can add 500 to 600 more!Don't be afraid to ask your server about portion size.
The best way to avoid the poor-choice and portion pitfalls is to carefully track everything that goes into your mouth. Any food item that passes through your lips has the potential to turn to fat if are taking in more than you are burning off in a day. Take the extra time to look carefully at food labels and be aware of portion sizes. Reaching a goal does mean changing your lifestyle, but that change doesn't have to be painful. Educating yourself and staying aware of what is entering your body is more than half the battle. Studies by the National Weight Control Registry show that a daily food intake record is a consistanty used tool for successfully maintained weight loss.
To determine portion sizes use the following estimates:
- 2 ounces of dried spaghetti (yeilds 1 cup cooked) : The diameter of a nickel
- 1 cup of rice or pasta : the size of a tennis ball or your fist
- 12 ounce potato : the size of a baseball
- 3 ounces of meat : the size of a deck of cards, or the palm of your hand
- 1 ounce of cheese : the size of a pair of dice, or your thumb
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