Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

[Scooterjam]

Hi everybody, Scooter here.

I'm having a real problem with portion control. Especially with meat.

For example. Last night I made some grilled pork chops. I had a nice sized salad and then cut up 1 or 2 of the chops and put them in that salad.

Unfortunately, an hour later I ate another small one (Pork Chop and another one shortly after that).

I've really been cooking alot, and trying to make sure that I have leftovers for lunches etc. But that being said, now I seem to have an abundance of food, and I find myself snacking more than I should. I'm getting more than enough veggies, I love my spinach salads with peppers,mushrooms,everyday.

I am drinking my water 220 oz a day! (I know, now I'm compulsive about it).

I really was hungry, but couldn't decide how to psych myself out of eating them. (oh yes, today I tried spreading my veggies a little more through out the day, I thought this might be the culprit too?)

So I'm not really sure if this portion control, or over-eating. I realize, if we're hungry, eat. But as MEGS (Not2Late) said, hungry does not mean stuffing yourself!!

Thoughts, Complaints, Ideas, (please don't throw stuff at me....lol)

[dream]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

Hey, Scooter.... I'm dealing with the exact same problem. I want to have things ahead, especially during the week to take for lunch. I want to try a lot of the recipes I've collected from Linda's site...and I'm cooking for one person. But if I have it in the fridge, I find myself going to get it whether I'm really hungry or not. I haven't figured out how to stay away from it when I'm not hungry.

One thing that seems to be helping me is to go ahead and put it into individual containers so it will be ready to take with me. I'm less likely to get in it that way. If it's in the big baking dish it's too easy for me to slice off a little piece and convince myself "this much more won't hurt".

So this week I have stacks of containers ready to go. I even have pumpkin in 1/2 cup portions ready to grab. My fridge looks sort of like a deli!

[Scooterjam]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

You know what Dream, that could really be helpful. I do that with my pumpkin, but maybe I should do that with my entree items. Thank you!!

[julirama723]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

I agree with dream, portion out your foods before you eat and put the rest away. Or just try putting 1/2 of what you normally would on your plate, eat it, and if in 20 minutes you're still hungry, eat 1/4 of what you'd normally eat, and so on and so forth.

Scooter are you sure you're eating enough fat? When I first started, I was NOT eating enough fat and I would be hungry an hour or so after meals. Check your percentages, or perhaps if they're already around 65%, try eating just a bit more fat anyway.

[Checkers]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

I don't do portion control at all but eat until I'm thoroughly satisfied. You shouldn't be hungy on Atkins. If you feel the need to eat, EAT AWAY! You don't need to decide between portion control and overeating. Satisfaction (for me, even a full belly) is the best way to avoid bad cravings. Just eat a safe snack even if it's just out of a desire to snack. It's never stopped me from losing, in fact, the more I indulge the faster I seem to lose, and the more energy I have for working out and doing chores.

[not2late]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

I have a problem with pork as well. It's the only meat that gives me cravings....I can't figure out why: it could be that they have been breeding pigs to be leaner---but I'm not sure.

When I do eat pork chops, I'm very strict about my portion size. I also eat the higher carb veggies with it because the higher carb veggies have more fiber and I have something high fat, like an ounce or two of cheese for dessert: fiber helps to fill you up during the meal and fat help keep you feeling satisfied between meals.

[Amy35]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

I'm in the same boat as well, mainly because I've started making Linda's recipes and everything I've had so far is SO darn good! I'm finding myself eating just for the taste alone and something is telling me that can't be good! Honestly I think I could eat half the baking dish of those "just like stuffed baked potatoes"..as a matter of fact I have a dish in the oven cooking up as I type this

[dream]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

I'm finding myself eating just for the taste alone and something is telling me that can't be good!

That's exactly what I'm struggling with. It happened last night with her sloppy joes - I ate too much just because it tasted good. grrrrrr.. I need to work on that!

(BTW... that recipe is wonderful... it's the one called "My Favorite Sloppy Joes")

[not2late]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

I'm in the same boat as well, mainly because I've started making Linda's recipes and everything I've had so far is SO darn good! I'm finding myself eating just for the taste alone and something is telling me that can't be good! Honestly I think I could eat half the baking dish of those "just like stuffed baked potatoes"..as a matter of fact I have a dish in the oven cooking up as I type this

Yes, that's not good. Many of us are over-weight because we over-eat. And it's so easy to over-eat "legal" food. So it's not a good habit to get into---especially when you move to On-Going Weight Loss Phase and Pre-Maintenance. In those phases, your fat intake decreases so you can't rely on the fat to keep you satisfied between meals as much as you do during Induction.

Also, the stomach is a pouch made of muscle. It can stretch to accomodate food. The stomach has 'stretch receptors'---little bundles of nerves that are activated when the stomach is stretched to a certain point. Those nerves tell your brain "I'm full". Like any muscle if you keep it stretched it will stay stretchy and those stretch receptors will only be activated when they reach that capacity. So if you keep your stomach stretched to the way it was when you were at your heaviest weight, when you get to your goal weight, you might find you have to eat alot in order to 'stay full'. That's why I'm not a big fan of "filling up on water" before a meal, after a meal or between a meal in order to "stay full"---you're not giving your stomach a chance to adjust to your smaller body.

[dream]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

That's why I'm not a big fan of "filling up on water" before a meal, after a meal or between a meal in order to "stay full"---you're not giving your stomach a chance to adjust to your smaller body.

That's an excellent point. I've been trying to do that and never thought about it keeping the stomach stretched. I'll cut down on the water before meals.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

... So if you keep your stomach stretched to the way it was when you were at your heaviest weight, when you get to your goal weight, you might find you have to eat alot in order to 'stay full'. That's why I'm not a big fan of "filling up on water" before a meal, after a meal or between a meal in order to "stay full"---you're not giving your stomach a chance to adjust to your smaller body.

I've often wondered about this and would dearly like to drink more "regularly" throughout the day rather than in fits and bursts... the trouble is, if one is out and about town running errands it can be a problem if you have to keep finding places to have a pee... so I tend to drink lots before and after meals, when I know I'll be in one place. So it's no goodbye to a stretched stomah. Not easy to find the right balance.

Scooter... I agree that portioning foods is helpful for portion control.

[not2late]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

Find a place to pee is a problem (believe me....I've been in bad situations before!) But for those of us landlocked to our cubicles and offices most hours of the day, drinking a cup or two of water every hour to half hour is feasible...especially if a bathroom is nearby.

[Lamby-pie]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

Can a stomach shrink over time so that we can eat smaller portions and still be satisfied? I had a doctor tell me that our stomachs should ideally be the size of our fist, so our meals should be proportionately sized.
I read in Dr. Oz's book that it takes 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain that it is full. Just a reminder about eating our food a little slower rather than wolfing it down...something I have a problem with.

[dream]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

Me too, Lamby. I'm trying to do better with that too. I used to eat like someone was going to take it away from me!

[not2late]

Re: Portion Control vs. Over Eating?

Can a stomach shrink over time so that we can eat smaller portions and still be satisfied? I had a doctor tell me that our stomachs should ideally be the size of our fist, so our meals should be proportionately sized.
I read in Dr. Oz's book that it takes 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain that it is full. Just a reminder about eating our food a little slower rather than wolfing it down...something I have a problem with.

I think it can. When I began Atkins, I could easily put away 8 chicken wing pieces, plus the veg, plus whatever else (cheese) for a meal. Now I'm 'full' after eating 3 chicken wing pieces plus the veggies!

I'm guilty as anyone else, I guess, because my eyes are bigger than my stomach. That is, I have a tendency to think I can eat more than what I really can. Case in point, a few nights ago I picked up a some chicken wings from a little diner nearby. The wings are only baked and seasoned with salt, pepper and a few herbs. I got 6 wings pieces, because I was hungry and I thought that would be enough along with my veggies. When I got home, I tossed together my meal. 3 pieces was all I could manage to eat of that chicken.

Now my head was saying: "Go ahead and eat the rest of them. You can make room." But I couldn't. The thought of stuffing those 3 pieces into me wasn't appealing because I wasn't hungry anymore. So I put it in the frig and had a meal for the next day. That's why when I eat out with friends, I don't like going to buffet-type restaurants....I tend to over-fill my plate, then feel guilty if I can't finish everything I got (it's probably a carry-over of the 'clean your plate' mentality from my childhood.)

The 20 minute thing....that's true too. I used to work shifts, so meals were rush, rush, rush. In college, I had times when lunch was the 10 minutes I had between classes. Looking back, I never really tasted my food with those rushed meals and I always felt sluggish and sleepy afterwards (not good when you get sleepy 30 minutes into a school lecture!)

Now I always try to eat slowly now and make my meal last long. When I eat with friends it's easy, because we chat and linger over the meal. But I live alone and dinner is usually me and my cat. So I try to eat slowly. Sometimes I read while I eat (bad manners, I know) but reading a page or half page before taking a bite of food, helps to slow me down.