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

Nice post. The calories in portion sizes are indeed often difficult to estimate. Another problem is that serving sizes in most recipes are bigger than the desired portion size, so we wind up cooking too much.

Most Important institution blog! I have reviewed your " Women's Health Institution " blog carefully, I get a Lot of important Topic for my firm. Thanks Robinson

I am a slender woman. No matter how much i eat, i hardly gain weight. It is because I have a fast metabolism. I have a friend that facing obesity problem. Maybe i can advice her on what i learned here in your blogs. Thanks for a helpful post.

Weight loss is really simple when you break it down to the basics. It's all mathematics: you simply have to consume less calories than your body burns. But that doesn't mean it's easy! Trying to lose weight, especially those "last few pounds", can seem like an uphill battle, but if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight.

Good article - "Portion Distortion" has been a problem in North America for many years. On a recent trip to Europe I was amazed at how small the portion sizes are, compared to ours.

Thanks Dr. Hekier, I guess it’s like mom always said, slow down when you eat! I know that I often fall into the trap of not eating much during the day and then ingesting anything and everything as quickly as possible when I get home.

look at the folks at buffets....their helpings are huge and then they go back for seconds. I like the variety of foods at a buffet but don't like the salt in the prepared foods.

Won't it be best to combine all the effective strategies for dropping extra pounds? Namely 1. Adequate nutrition 2. Exercises 3. Just enough portion 4. Adequate amount of sleep 5. Eating deliberately instead of the hurried eating that characterize our lives 6. Avoiding stress as much as possible 7. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables-these help in digestion by supplying fiber, digestive enzymes, satisfying our sweet taste, and cutting down on our consumption of salt. EDITOR'S COMMENT: Nice Routine!

Very good article. Believe it or not I lost weight by doing crafts. I ate less because I was so focused on my project that I wouldn't visit the fridge so often and I had 2 regular main meals in a day.

Not sure about other countries, but here in the UK just about every food now has how many portions it contains and how many calories each portion has. This really does help, I lost a lot of weight just by writing down everything I ate and how many calories was in it and sticking to a limit each day.

Great article. There are two kind of fats. One is good for us , while another is bad. Use good fat for a good cause and live healthy.

Yeah, there is a lot of writing about portion control, but unless you're on a certain program, the portions aren't really ever posted. Like this a lot. Thanks, Michelle!

There is a formula for the weight loss: After 7:00PM don't eat at all, before 7:00PM eat less then you usually eat ! I followed this formula 9 months - and lost 32 pounds. Good luck !

If you eat fresh and healthy food, You can get your body disease free and fit. Great blog

Portion control is probably one of the most difficult things to stick with when trying to lose weight. By adding a short 10 to 15 walk to your daily routine can work wonders for not only your weight loss goals but your overall health as well.

When it comes to portion control I agree we don't know what the correct portions are. I think an exact measurement using either a scale or measuring cup is needed so we know for sure an ounce is an ounce or a milliliter is a milliliter.

Hmmmm portion control... I love the sound of it. It makes so much sense. You don't have to stop eating the things you like, you just need to eat less at each serving. Incredibly appealing... until I got to the part where I saw how small the actual portions we are talking about really are! Makes me cringe as how hungry I'll still be after finishing eating!

Due to my sordid family history (health wise) I have taken it very seriously to make changes in my life, again with respect to my health. I have successfully been able to lose 25 pounds and am now at my optimal weight. It has been one year since I've gotten down to my target weight and I have kept it to that target since. I'd love to be able to present some magic secret method that gives you the ability to easily do so. But it just doesn't exist. I eat high fiber cereal (low sugar) for breakfast. For lunch, after my heavy cardio workout at the gym, I have Greek yogurt (high in protein) some fruit and often a protein shake. I'll have some nuts or raisins in the late afternoon. Then for dinner I'll will usually have chicken or fish and on occasion some beef. I have reduced my calorie intake and increased my fat burning via exercise. I am not an expert or a nutritionist but this has been successful for me.

My wife and I have been wanting to lose a bit of weight. We've done a great job so far with normal exercising, but now we want to work on our diet. I will pass this information along, thank you!

It has been said that eating several smaller meals a day, is actually more beneficial to your metabolism, than eating 3 larger meals a day. I had no idea some servings were so small… Chicken – a deck of playing cards.. That’s like 2 bites!

Portion control is certainly important. I would hate to discount the importance of maintaining muscle mass through exercise. It's been my experience that a good interval training program is the best complement to diet.

One of the best weight loss tips out there is to drink plenty of water. By drinking water you flush out your fat cells and keep from letting them retain water. I also find eating every 3-4 hours and having smaller portions is so helpful to weight loss.

One of the main reasons women overeat is due to emotional eating. Learning other ways to meet your needs will help with portion control in a natural way.

Portion control is the whole point of weight loss surgery. It is pretty much forced on those who are eating after lap band surgery. Meals are as small as a third of a cup, so the nutrition level must be excellent. Thanks for the great article.

Portion control is not new in any way shape or form. When it comes to saying it is a better way to lose weight, i do agree that for the average person but not for someone who can really commit to counting calories and using a good macro ratio. I train people in my home town and i 100 percent agree that portion size is the best way for them to lose weight. I use portion sizes examples from the book body for life, do you mind if i use a few of yours in the future? EDITOR's COMMENT. Feel free to use the examples.

But I love cheese! EDITOR'S NOTE: the cheese example seems to be the most distressing!

If you want to really lose weight and look good in your clothes, then portion control is for you. You have to reduce your calories and you have to eat less. it's the only sound way to get your weight down.

Hopefully, in another two weeks, you will be walking farther, or faster. If, at the start of your weight loss program you could only exercise for five minutes at a time, and now you can exercise for 15 minutes, that is progress, isn't it? That's an accomplishment and is something you should be proud of.

There is a lot of writing about portion control, but unless you’re on a certain program, the portions aren’t really ever posted. Like this a lot. Thanks, sa m.

How about we eat a better quality food? Way more raw foods? less meats?

I'm new to blogging but this is very good topic and i can really learn a lot from here.thanks

It's astounding that the weight loss industry is a forty billion dollar a year industry yet the way to successfully lose weight is such a simple concept - calories in, calories burned, period. There are decent products which help with controlling hunger and such but we are flooded with "magic" weight loss products which do nothing but prey on peoples self consciousness.

This article offers good guidelines for portion control, I believe the single biggest reason we eat more than we need is “mindless eating.” As long as we practice mindlessness with food (and our culture fosters that), we’ll wind up eating more calories than we need

Hi, is the tips above really work for you? how's the result? nice post anyway :)

I use this system usually, and I think is the correct form to lose weight, but the most important is sport all days of year.

Whats wrong with - eat more, move EVEN more. Or even, Eat better, move better. (clean up your diet and choose taxing exercise)

Calories in, calories out. It is very hard, but it seems there are no good shortcuts. Well, within a generally accepted definition of "good". Portion control goes hand in hand with calorie counting. If you eat less calories and move more, you will shrink. Maybe not as fast as you would like, but if you stick it out, you will see results.

Everyone thought that fat in our diets were a bad thing, but now fat is no longer the enemy. Doctor’s stress that fat is good for us. It is especially important to incorporate healthy fats into each meal when dieting because fat helps us to stay feeling full and satisfied. Just be sure to choose healthy fats and enjoy them in moderation.

After giving up smoking I started eating more. The method I used to stop smoking was that if I never touched the cigarette, I could not put it in my mouth so all my concentration was on controlling my hands. Worked like a charm. I applied it to eating as well and 25 yrs later its still working.

Portion control is certainly important. I would hate to discount the importance of maintaining muscle mass through exercise. It’s been my experience that a good interval training program is the best complement to diet.

Wow for as much cheese as on that plate I make it look like dice. That is really a tiny bit and puts it into perspective when doling it out for nachos. Thanfully that is only a weekly treat on my cheat days... Thanks for the visual!

I agree that portion size is massively underestimated. Also the caloric density of food like you mentioned.

Eating smaller portions does go a long way to losing weight. But there are a lot of women that are like me who yo-yo dieted when they were young and totally messed up their metabolism, to where it gets to the stage that you are barely eating and still putting on weight. This is where I have found that eating only low GI foods (and moderate occasionally) have helped me. Jenny also made a great point about drinking water. Drinking 2 glasses of water before a meal definately leaves less room for food.

Portion control can be very effective, and as with most things it is something that becomes more doable over time. But exercise is a mighty good partner. I recommend you reward yourself (be creative)as an incentive to do portion control AND exercise. And keep your eyes on the prize. Believe me, looking in the mirror and liking what you see more and more each day is a thrill beyond compare.

I think it is important to exercise throughout the day and not only in blocks of time. It helps keep the metabolism revved up. While there are methods for fast weight loss prior to a special event, they can't be used long term. They work great sometimes for the motivation to begin a long range plan. Portion control is an excellent method as you are able to still enjoy everything.

After reading about the professor who ate ding dongs, and other pastries and still lost weight as well as lowered his cholesterol, all because he kept the total calories around 1800 a day, it’s pretty obvious that if we would just consume less calories (and perhaps optionally somewhat better macro nutritional ratios than the professor), we’d be much healthier as a nation, and world. EDITOR'S NOTE: It may be true for awhile, but a constant diet of junk food could cause other problems like cavities in one's teeth, bad skin, and a lack of vitamins needed to prevent chronic disease.

don’t stress yourself out. Its all supposed to make you feel better, not worse. I think if people can make just small changes in activity and diet most will see results. You really do have to eat less than you burn to lose weight. Although, not all calories are created equal. I would strive to avoid food from a bag or a box. These tend to be processed and loaded with calories. Instead, eat fruits, veggies, and natural foods.

I couldn't agree more. Eat Less, Move More!! Really good article. I will be checking out your blog more often.

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.

A healthy eating plan is a comprehensive program for improving your health by improving the quality of the foods you eat. Rather than focusing on the restriction or elimination of foods from your life, an eating program educates you about how foods impact your body so that you can make a learned choice when it comes to breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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