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

This diet is amazingly small and unbelievable. If someone will testify this, I will try it.

I've seen many women who eat, just to make sure that nothing get's wasted. They'll have it at any time of the day and night. This is really ridiculous. Our body will accept only a certain amount and the remaining gets accumulated.

Thanks for sharing this gr8 article...nowadays weight loss has become a big problem...I will surely recommend this blog...to my mother...

Thanks for the portion size tips.. Very helpful! One of the key ways to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight is through portion control. Research has shown that Americans often underestimate how many calories they are consuming each day as much as 25 percent.

Although you need to be aware of the amount you eat, even more important is what you eat. For example, whilst you do need to restrict the amount of fatty, high calorie, food, you can eat far more - and enjoy a wide range of tastes and textures - if you feast on low calorie grains, veggies and fruit. The end result will be that you will supply your body with the widest possible range of nutrients, vitamins and minerals - plus a good intake of very important fiber and yet still only get about the same amount of calories you would from a far smaller, high fat, meal. You should still eat some fat. Just try to make it beneficial fat, such as in oily fish (Omega 3) or from olive oil (monounsaturated).

Great info. I'm "test driving" the Fat Belly MUFA food diet, which basically puts you on a 1600 calorie healthy diet - which definitely includes portion control. The hard part for me is self-control when I'm tired and busy. As a Sandwich Generation granny nanny, constantly on the run caring for elderly parents and babysitting grandchildren, I sometimes wait too long to eat. Then I overeat because I'm so over hungry. I'll definitely have to work on those issues. Thank you for the encouragement.

Candace Barr, you are 100%, I have the same eating phisolophie. And if you eat healthy it is a great way to stay fit and not get overweight. You shouldn't always eat everything on your plate just to look polite...your health is more important

Wow that was really interesting about the actual size of the portions. I know that calorie restriction diets have been shown in studies to have a positive effect on longevity and would be interested in any new research in the field. Is the recommendation for people to cut the portions down all at once or to taper them down? EDITOR"S REPLY: Whatever works for you. If you cut down right away, great, if not, do the best you can. However, once people get used to the lower portions, many of them say they get full faster, with smaller portions, so it is easy to stay on the lower amount. There is probably some kind of threshold one reaches.

You have a good point about the in-take portion with foods. And your chart is very helpful to show the actual true to size portions of food that we are suppose to eat when on a low cal diet. And it is very important that we continue to keep active during any diet, but you shouldn't over do it when your on a extremely low cal diet. A lot of people don't know that, but if your body is not getting the proper amount of nutrition, you could be putting yourself at risk when doing some low cal diets. And now a days, a lot of those low cal diets take a lot of the nutrition's out of our daily meals that produce the energies that we need.

Great table showing food portions. I might make reference to that on my blog, and send you a link. Such a simple concept, but the average person still struggles with eating less and moving more

Wow! 2 poker chips is not much. But I totally agree with you that portion control will help to lose fat especially belly fat. I was wondering, what do you think about the process of doing this successfully? Do you think if someone gradually decreases the portion every few days or so until they get to the right portions they have a better chance of sticking with it since the body has an opportunity to adjust or should they just go cold turkey and slash the thing?

What most people don't realize is that excess abdominal fat in particular, is not only ugly, but is also a dangerous risk factor to your health. Scientific research has clearly demonstrated that although it is unhealthy in general to have excess body fat throughout your body, it is also particularly dangerous to have excess abdominal fat.

It's only recently I've started to put on a few pounds and when I look back over the last couple of months to see why? It seems the only reason could be that I've slowed down and don't exercise as much as I used. After all my diet is still the same (but not my waist, ahh) This si due to a change in my job, from an outside job, lots of walking involved to a desk job. That's what comes with age people tell you to take it easier and slow down then in a kind way but nevertheless less exercise means overweight and more chance of different illnesses.

Gosh, this hit home for me. I think the biggest part is eating less. I found that if i worked out first, I'd work myself an appetite! I'd have to taper down my portions until my stomach is used to it, then begin my physical regimens.

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Thank you for this site is a very important problem for women of our island of Guadeloupe!

It is right, my dad is diabetic too and he now understands, seeing the results, that portion control and being very accurate is the way to be healthy and able to do any sport having a normal life.

I like the comparison of serving sizes to something easy to relate to. I don't think many of us think in terms of "cups" or "teaspoons," but I have a perfectly good idea of what a baseball or golf ball looks like in size. Great post, and it's really stunning to realize how "little" food makes up a true serving.

Hi everyone, my name is Mo and Ive been involved with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for the past 3 years. I have to say that it has changed my life forever. But if you think its only for men then your wrong. Ive trained with many women who wouldnt trade the sport for anything. Jiu Jitsu is a great cardio workout and it also builds muscle in the process of sparring. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is known as the "gentle art" and is wonderful for men and women of all ages! Cheers,

Excellent information, thank you very much. Congratulations on the quality of the website. Greetings from Chile.

I wish someone has told me little bit earlier about this but, let me say it it might help someone. About weight loss and health; I lost last year 26Kg and it was not any miracle diet. What I have done, i visited local dietitian, and she explained to me how our body works, and she gave me a diet, not as when people go on a diet and do it for a month or so, no, it is actually life style, something to be followed at all the time, to loose weight and guaranteed to stay that way for good, and stay off the cigarettes, there are so many counter effect to a health. I hope this could be useful to someone. Stay healthy. Best regards Srdjan

I use portion control and try to work out. Sometimes you can add more spices on pretty much anything. If you make it spicy it will slow down your eating and that will give time enough for your brain to register full. Rice cakes help too with spices on top and that will speed up your metabolism or just work out to get your heart rate up if you have the time. Great article thanks.

Your box with portion sizes really puts thing in perspective. I guess the trick is also getting your body used to eating less. I've noticed that once I get passed 3 days portion control gets alot easier since my body is now used to eating less. Good information keep up the great work!

One thing I would like to say that your title clears the motto of your blog to everyone and I am totally agree with this title eat less and move more. What most people don’t realize is that excess abdominal fat in particular, is not only ugly, but is also a dangerous risk factor to your health. Scientific research has clearly demonstrated that although it is unhealthy in general to have excess body fat throughout your body, it is also particularly dangerous to have excess abdominal fat.

golf is great exercise if you walk and don't use a cart. I know the bag gets heavy but maybe a pull behind model would do?

I fully agree with the 6 small meals a day. It seems to me the portions of the example given are very small. Danger with too small portions is you can't get rid off that hungry feeling and start cheating on you daily routine. Drinking a glass of water just before or after a small meal can help reduse the hunger.

Great article! Smaller portions and smaller plates is the only way to go when you are trying to eat less! I have done it before and i have been loosing since then!

Portion control, thought difficult to adjust to in the beginning, is the best way to not only control weight but to avoid major health issues associated with obesity and overeating. I’ve been doing it for 9 years now and there’s no other way. Great Info.

This is exactly why I have always taught my child to listen to his body .. if he's not hungry, I don't care if we "waste" food. Most things can be put away and reheated later anyway. For his health, I want him to listen to his hunger cues and never overeat.

I completely agree with this post. I am really grateful that my mom put me in a lot of sports as a young girl. I was also a competitive cheerleader for many years therefore I have good muscle memory. I think this has also helped greatly when I want to lose a couple pounds and get back in shape. I am a huge foodie and hate giving up foods I love to cook and eat so instead of removing those foods from my diet, I use portion control and moderation

That's the equation: eat less, move more! If you create a caloric deficit it's easy to lose weight. But there's a variable missing there: the mind set. It only works with the proper mind-set.

The importance of diet and exercise is often overlooked or thought of as only a quick fix. This is a lifestyle that must be adopted in order to get and stay healthy.

Unfortunately, the United States today is the fattest nation on the face of the earth. Many Americans are anything but healthy, and most of us are nowhere near as strong as our counterparts from a century ago. This remains true despite having a gym on every street corner in our larger cities and leading the world in fitness trends. Everyone is more comfortable when they are taking care of their bodies. They feel better. They look better. Watching the portions you eat is a good approach and a good start.

What should I say?This article is very well written. I cant wait to read more of your articles. Im glad I came to this blog because I really was starting to get disappointed with so many blogs. Youve turned me around, thanks.

There are 3500 calories in 1 pound of fat. For someone to lose 1 pound a week, they would have to have a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day. Maintaining this 500 calorie deficit a day for seven days will allow you to lose 1 lb in a week.

Thank you for your informative post. I heard further that people are actually very good at estimating the caloric values of junk food, but are very optimistic when they think the food is healthy (leading to larger portions of healthier food). They equate healthy with fewer calories, which is clearly not the case. Do you have links to any studies about the effectiveness of substitution on weight loss? Things like success rate, average decrease in calorie consumption, etc?

Some interesting points are made in this article regarding portion control and exercise.Both are important coponents in achieving your weight loss goal. The mental or mind aspect of weight loss is in my opinion is equally important. Our minds have amazing capabilities and if we train our minds to do what we want,our bodies will follow suit. What I am saying is the battle is either won or lost in our head. Train your mind (I know easier said than done!)and our bodies will follow suit. We need to remember that our bodies are amazing machines that require care and attention to take us through life's journey.

I love your blog, very informative and useful information. Thanks

Fantastic post Michelle. What you have said is 100% true in my experiance. When I started out on my weight loss journey I used to think that 4 cups of pasta was a small ammount... You have really put into perspective portion sizes here so thanks for sharing.

For 30 years I have been experimenting with different diets and diet supplements. I have only been impressed with the results of portion control. I 100% agree with this post. Unfortunately it is difficult to find a set diet to follow that keeps you interested in what you eat. It takes a lot of determination, perseverance, and hard work. I hope this inspires someone to take on the challenge. All the best

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. I will remember that next time I fill my plate..!

I love your blog, so I've gone back. Pretty way back with this post, but you do have it in the menu so it sticks out :) Reading this and thinking how has web development changed over the years

On a humorous note Never eat more than you can lift. - Miss Piggy

I think that too many women forget what it’s like to be young. Do you remember when you used to be in highschool and you played sports or were on the cheerleading squad and how the pounds and inches just always melted away? That’s the real secret to losing weight quickly and keeping it off. Back then, you had a system for putting on lean muscle that burns calories 24 hours a day, plus the cardiovascular workouts burned even more. It was a win-win. Truly, the only way to achieve those sorts of results once again is to partake in a similar lifestyle of being active with cardio and strength training along with a strategic eating plan.

In some point in time we' er going to have to stop making ourselves crazy when it comes to dieting. Men and women we all want to be healthy, but instead of keeping things simple, we make it harder. Portion eating or portion dieting; whatever you want to call it, is just another way of starving your body. The body needs energy food in order to lose weight, you don't have to go on some sort of diet bin or starve yourself, you must eat your fruits, vegetable and cook foods that burns fat. Such as a baked "Sweet Potato" a day this is the most under rated vegetable, which burns a lot of fat and supplies energy for your body - but know body talks about it enough. Forget about portion dieting, make a list of all the vegetables, fruits and foods that burn fat and put them in the right combination not only will you lose weight the smart way, but you will enjoy doing it.

These are good tips about portion control. Another way to estimate portion size is to use the size of your palm as the size of a portion of meat. Twice that size for vegetables and 1/4 that size for nuts.

While I'm a big supporter of exercise because of all the benefits it offers, at least addressing portion control even without exercise is a good start. To help I would recommend purchasing a food scale. I had a friend who actually started to weigh out her portion sizes and found she was eating 3 times the amount she should have been by not measuring her food. Very enlightening.

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