Portion Sizes

[LC_Diva]

Is it just me, or does anyone else have issues with portion sizes?

Anyone have any tricks to make it seem like you have more food on your plate than you actually do?

Just for clarification, I am referring to side dish portions, not meats. They are so yummy that I want more and more and more...

I have tried chewing my food slowly and savoring the flavor. Nada, didn't work for me. I have tried eating half of the plate and then leave the table. Nope, didn't work, only came back for more. It is all legal foods, but dang, I like to eat!

[dreamof145]

Re: Portion Sizes

Portions was one of my biggest struggles. I still have a problem if I don't stay on top of it. Here are a few of my tricks that help me not to overeat. I eat off of children's plates. I bought myself a small child's plate and bowl. At first, I measured my veggies and stuff so I'd know how full the plate should be for the correct size portion. Now, I know automatically how much is my portion, so I don't measure as often as I used to, unless it is something I haven't eaten in a while and I need to refresh my memory.

When I am dividing foods into several meals, I use small tupperware bowls so that I can freeze them and not have to worry about it later when I pop them out of the freezer for a meal.

I also use a lot of baggies. I portion my snacks into baggies and have them handy in the frig so that when I am on the run or feeling hungry between meals, I just grab a bag and already have the correct portion. I also make sure I never eat unless I have a large glass of water on hand to drink as I eat. If I'm not sure if I am hungry, I'll drink the glass of water first and sometimes its just thirst instead of hunger.

[kelly50]

Re: Portion Sizes

This was my biggest problem, too, Jessi, especially as I worked up the carb ladder and began eating less fat, which is very filling, and more veggies.

What helped me was consistently taking a multivitamin. After 2-3 weeks of taking the vitamin everyday, my appetite subsided. I wonder if the hunger was my body craving some vit or mineral it was missing in my diet.

Are you taking your vitamins everyday?

[cgdat136]

Re: Portion Sizes

samller plates.....throw out all your oversized plates and silverware....seriously. pretend you are one of the munchkins from the wizard of oz......shink down all your portions as if you indeed were a munchkin yourself......and someday you will lose all the weight you want

[LC_Diva]

Re: Portion Sizes

Thanks for the advice dream. I know one thing that I have to portion as soon as I buy them from the store: cashews!

Kelly, I am thinking that could be part of the problem. I slacked over the last couple weeks on taking my vitamins.

Christopher, if I could have Dorothy's waist size, all would be wonderful!

[Chopper9994]

Re: Portion Sizes

Jeeezzz... Portion sizes!!

Next to being a carboholic, this was my biggest struggle for sure. What helped me was that I was not hungry at all for the first few days of induction so I had to force myself to eat. Naturally, I ate small to moderate portion sizes and as a result my stomach started to shrink. Now that I'm well over induction flu, this is where I really have to be careful. Basically, I eat about half of what I used to and pay very careful attention to what my stomach is telling me. It's really easy for me to blow past the "satisfied" feeling if I don't pay attention to it. Also, I CANNOT eat half a plate of food and save the rest for later as I will be obsessed with that half plate of food waiting for me to finish it off. Like many here, I use smaller plates, load it up, finish it all and wash the plate. That gives me a feeling of being done and even though my mind maybe saying "hey man, I'm still a little hungry"... I know in reality I've had enough and 99% of the time the lingering hunger is gone within 15 minutes or so. Also, like many others, I've gotten used to what my portion sizes should look like and I just use that visual cue on how to judge a portion size. It absolutely amazes me how little it takes now compared to before (half a large pizza anyone?)... Smaller plates and bowls really help me.

I definitely understand what you mean as to the "side dishes"... This WOE is definitely it for me but it's really strange to have to watch your veggies?? Who in the world thought you could gain weight by eating too many vegetables?? I actually crave salads/veggies now and have to watch that too.

[LC_Diva]

Re: Portion Sizes

Thanks Randy for sharing your struggle with portion sizes. I am just like you when it comes to leaving half a plate. It will call to me until I eat the rest of it. I guess, I am going to have to wasteful and just throw it away or make the plate even smaller.

Come on guys, I know that there are more of you out there with portion size problems....

[cgdat136]

Re: Portion Sizes

today i made the best tuna fish...used two cans of tuna.....cut up onions, celery, green peppers, lettuce (shredded), olives and tomatos...mixed with mayo. my wife took a little and i ate the rest. but that was lunchy and i didnt eat until like 2pm....i was hungry. that was probably more than i needed but i take pride it knowing that it was a healthful meal.

trying having a sip of water between every bite of food that you take. and just slow the pace of eating in general. by slowing down, and with the sips of water between bites......maybe you will fill up faster

[Chopper9994]

Re: Portion Sizes

Hey Angel

Personally I would have a really hard time throwing out half a plate of food. That's the whole reason for switching to smaller plates. That same "half a plate" actually fills up a whole smaller plate. Try loading up one of your smaller plates and see what I mean. Finish it up and wash the plate and put a tangible "end" to the meal. That way it's finalized and you can then move onto something else, like reading a book, watch some TV or reading this great forum. I guess it's a mind trick or something but I find it torture to prolong a meal by leaving half a plate of food around. And hey, if your still hungry, wait an hour or two and have a small snack... on an even smaller plate!!

Try the smaller plate trick... I bet it works

[Chicklady]

Re: Portion Sizes

Ok, I'm a bit obsessed, but don't throw out food...get chickens! they love scraps, and you get fresh eggs in return.

See, wasn't that easy

[Elizellen]

Re: Portion Sizes

One thing I started to notice when I started on Atkins was that I used to 'load' my fork while I was still chewing the previous mouthful - so it was ready to pop in as soon as I had swallowed!
So I made myself put my knife and fork down while I chewed, savoured the flavour and swallowed, then picking up the knife and fork and selecting the next bite.
It really slowed me down and made that smaller portion 'last' as long as my husband's larger plateful did.

[apple]

Re: Portion Sizes

Thanks for the reminder to stop, set the fork down, and chew!

Portion control is usually okay for me during my "normal" eating times, but when it comes to holidays, I feel like a bulldozer. Short of putting strips of black tape on my plate to divide it in to smaller portions, I think I'll be breaking out the "salad" plates as dinner plates this year for me...it's the "kid" size plate if that makes any difference.