Research has shown that portion control may be the most  effective form of dieting when you take into account longevity and sustained weight loss and management.  The reason, according to Dr. Everett Logue et al. in Obesity (http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v12/n9/full/oby2004187a.html) may be that portion control is an easier behavioral target than planned exercise.  Although increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables may be the easiest way to change behaviorally, it does not appear to be as effective in long term weight reduction.

Okay, so all I have to do is eat a little less, and move a little more.  Well, it’s not that simple.  If you’ve tried portion control in the past like I have, you might be rolling your eyes.  Actually, 36% of women in the Illinois Women’s Health Registry are currently using portion control to lose weight, while only 20% are trying exercise.   So how can we make portion control work for us?  The important thing to understand is that portion sizes are often FAR LESS than we think they are.  In fact, research has shown that Americans typically underestimate their caloric intake by as much as 25%.  So if I think I’m only eating 1600 Calories (a typical weight loss goal), I might actually be eating 2,000.  It’s also important to know that women and men of similar height and weight do NOT have the same caloric needs.   Metabolism in women works differently; men generally have a higher Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which is the rate at which our bodies break down calories.  In other words, we don’t need to eat as much as our male counterparts…sorry ladies, but try leaving that second helping to him.

So what is the correct portion size?  Well we are probably all familiar with the serving size values:

1 cup green and leafy vegetables or ½ cup mashed potatoes for the veggies
½ - 1 cup of fruit or 1 oz dried fruit
½ cup rice, 1 cup (cooked) pasta, or a bagel for the grains
3 oz chicken, beef or fish for protein
1 cookie or a ½ cup ice cream for the sweets

But what do these sizes actually look like?  Well, sadly, a lot less than we’d like to think.  Here’s the run down:

Portions Table

For more portion size tips, see this cool tool at http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-portion-size-plate

Even though portion control can be an effective weight loss method, it is still important to keep an active lifestyle and exercise regularly for a healthy weight AND a healthy heart!  Happy and Mindful Eating!

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Comments

Great site, added your site to my favorites. thanks

I agree, portion eating may help, just like eating less carbs is effective.(but boring diets typically don't last) To lose weight or burn fat, increasing your metabolism is also important, which can be done by resistance training (i.e. weight lifting). Since men have more muscles than women, that is why men can typically get away with eating more, since muscles create a higher metabolism.

I heard once that the Chopra Institute suggested that 15% of weight loss came from exercise, 35% came from nutrition and 50% came from cleansing. Thoughts?

Eating right is great. But you definitely have to exercise if you are planning on losing weight. Sitting around and controlling what you eat is not going to get you anywhere.

I believe the key to a weight loss (long term) is combination of eating healthy, portion control and being active every day (30 - 60 min of walking, running, biking, swimming, weight training, etc.)... it should be a life style.

I would agree that most diets do not work. But, I can personally atest to it that they do when you also do a moderately rigorous workout at least three times a week. Calorie control is the key to your weight-loss. And your key to keeping it off. I experimented with this and I will tell you after losing 20 lbs over 12 months, that even one month of eating whatever you want, you will gain weight.

I agree that serving sizes are too tiny... I've started to exercise more as of late and I bought a set of smaller plates, so that I can trick my mind into thinking I'm eating moe than I actually am :-)

I disagree with some of the posts above. Many people say to "eat less" and "work out more". That's easier said than done with you been considered obese for more than half of your life :-(

The portion size examples are kind of shocking. I've never just eaten a "light bulb" of mashed potatoes! However, it is equally if not more important to consider the quality of the portion in addition to the quantity to make sure the right balance of protein fat and carbs is there to promote a healthy metabolism, and eat those portions frequently throughout the day.

I was 190lb and started eating control portions every meal for 2 month, I'm now 175lb and I get full faster now.

I just want to add that slowing down and taking small bites is very helpful. My mother used to tell me to chew my food 20 times before swallowing. I'd think "I don't have time, I've got things to do". She weighed 130 and I tipped in at 205. I've been working on slowing down and chewing more, and I've found I really taste my food better and have lost 30 pounds...just doing that.

Just wanted to pop in and say thanks for posting this. This is really a very helpful tips loads with information. The convenience of fast food has left all of America with an expanding waistline. Some believe that introduction of chemically altered ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, present in many soft drinks, has contributed to the explosion of obesity in American.

With so many diets and fads that never work, people should focus on keeping it simple by eating healthy and exercising daily. So many people get caught up in miracle diets that usually fail.

Weight loss is such a tough, on-going issue. So much is tied to emotion and food addiction. We are still learning as a culture. This article make some useful points. Eat less!

I absolutely agree with a small serving size and more veggies Pay close attention to what and how you eat and you’ll find that it’s really NOT that complicated. It does take a decent amount of discipline with your food intake

The term "comfort foods" comes to mind when I think about health. So many people use that term to justify eating mass quantities or in some cases, poor health choice items loaded with grease or sugar. Might as well call it junkfood, no?

Hi, i'm Alessandra from Germany by Stuttgart. I actually found that eating off of smaller plates (you know the size they give you at the salad bar) helped me to limit my portions. Greetings from Stuttgart.. Alessandra

I actually found that eating off of smaller plates (you know the size they give you at the salad bar) helped me to limit my portions. But you cant pile it up!

The problem does arrive when restaraunts take the drive towards smaller portions as an excuse to increase their margins. In a more health concious society there should perhaps be more thought given to food quantity on a set menu. Smaller portions, less price.

Exercise is definitely important, and I've found that by greatly reducing the sodium, I've dropped almost 10 pounds.

While it is important to regulate portions, it is far more effective to coordinate portions with energy expenditure. Your serving size should always reflect the amount of calories you need to consume to complete the desired task. We must also consider gender, genetic, body composition and fitness level variance when predicting these values. If you eat slowly and only until you feel satisfied (but not full) you'll be half way there. A solid exercise program and a clean diet will cover the rest.

Great ideas on portion control, but I am not sure about eating fruits. I read this article http://ezinearticles.com/?Melt-Stomach-Fat-Fast---3-Tips-For-a-Slimmer-Waistline&id=3386295 and if you eat fruit and then not work it off with some activity it's just going to be stored as fat anyways.

It's easy to say but when you're craving something and you want it really bad, you know how it ends up - sitting comfortably on your sofa, your favorite show is on and you eat that unhealthy food again, but if feel so good, at least till after you consumed it.

For those who struggle in the battle to lose weight, the battle is often made more difficult by the manymisconceptions surrounding the safe and healthier methods to lose weight. Regular excercise is an important factor in any weight loss program but for many it can be a stumbling block.Going a gym and performing in front of strangers in an unfamiliar environment is enough to put the brakes on any self improvement program.

Take a trip to EU or somewhere for a month. When u get back to states, you'll be amazed to sew how freakishly big those burritos are, and how often we stuff our faces with food! It's in our genes now, we THINK we need all that food. Even our salads are damn calorie bombs.

Eating your meal on a smaller plate helps! as well as drinking plenty of water.

I find if I chop up a lot of veges, and spend more time chewing them in my lunchtime, eg. carrots, celery, other raw foods, then I can be satisfied with my salad & homous or a bit of cheese. I have taken a smaller lunch box to work and done more chewing and it seems to satisfy me, plus make me very healthy. We also need to move more, walking, swimming, yoga, pilates, etc. or whatever you like to do to Move, is so important. We also don't need to eat as much as we get older. Thanks for the blog, great subject and comments.

The term “comfort foods” comes to mind when I think about health. So many people use that term to justify eating mass quantities or in some cases, poor health choice items loaded with grease or sugar. Might as well call it junkfood, no?

Great Article. I have been looking for more ideas to use for not only myself, but for the young girls that come to me wanting modeling portfolios and using un healthy ways to obtain those results. I would like to add this link to my blog, http://www.myrtlebeachphotographybydmarie.blogspot.com

See it's not all about eating less, but eating cleaner. Less processed food choices please! We can do without all the additives and preservatives. If we tamper with our own food, at least we know what's been done to it.

And with the advent of smart phones, there are plenty of phone applications that allow you to monitor your calorie intake and adjust your portions accordingly. I have one for my iphione and it really does make a difference to how I eat.

Portion control is absolutely a great way to lose weight, but like you said people need to pay close attention to how much food they are really putting in their bodies. I love the comparisons of food to things everyone knows the size of like a baseball and a deck of playing cards. Those are fantastic ways to gauge the amount of food you are eating!

One thing to note is that excess salt (sodium) can impede weight loss. Besides being heart-healthy, low sodium recipes should be a part of everyone’s resource for losing weight and staying healthy.

great article. i have been looking for this information. shared on fb also.thumbs up

Very good post Michelle. I agree with the comment posted by Candace Tingen. But we can eat food by dividing it part wise. Means to say, food which we eat heavily in onetime can be divided into small parts and can be taken in acceptable intervals.Great post. I believe that a combination of both exercise and moderation is the key to good health.

A lot of us live our lives like penned animals. Built to move, too often we put ourselves in a cage. We have bodies designed for racing across the savannas, but we live a lifestyle designed for migrating from the bed to the breakfast table; to the car seat; to the office chair; to the restaurant booth; to the living room couch and back to the bed.

Great post. I believe that a combination of both exercise and moderation is the key to good health.

The best way for food control and food handling is to use small plates, small cups and small forks and knifes. This way the quantity of calories we eat before we feel full is much smaller. I am using this method for 2 years and lost 10 pounds so far.

I agree that portion control has a place in one's overall dietary considerations but this article failed to touch on the fact that not all foods are created equally. It doesn't matter if someone eats over their portion of leafy greens daily, for example, but if they always eat over their portion of ice cream, then there's a problem. You need to factor in the nutrition and fiber content of the food, almost before the portion size is even considered.

The serving sizes in the US are very large especially when compared to other countries. I would however cut down on the carb's and always sub for greens

This article really good. It's my first visit to this blog but i love it. Thanks.

Good post Michelle. While I don't disagree that portion control is critical for everyone to learn (while almonds might be great for you, eating 200 at a time is not wise), in my years working and researching nutrition, the bigger issue with our approach to eating is nutrient quality. Sadly, we've become overly focused on "calories". Yet to use your numbers, you'd likely be far leaner eating 2000 calories of lean protein, nuts and vegetables than you would be eating 1600 calories of refined sugars and fiber-devoid starches. I'm not suggesting that calories don't matter, because they do, it's just that preaching calorie/portion control tends to leave people frustrated and hungry, because they may be opting for the wrong foods for their physiology. A much better approach is to select foods that keep your metabolism high as well as control hunger levels, stabilize mood and energy levels.

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