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

We have become greedy as a culture, and what our grandparents may have consumed in a day will leave us thinking we still feel hungry. The problem is partly that we have fooled our bodies into believing we are hungry, when we are not. I'm guilty of this, as well - if I go out for a meal, and I leave the table thinking I could eat more, some part of me believes that the portion sizes were too small. If you travel to many poorer countries, you can see that the amount of food consumed by ourselves is way in excess of what it needs to be. I don't think there's an answer to be found in simply reducing portion size, without addressing the psychological aspect. If you feel that somehow you are cheating yourself, and not giving yourself enough food, then the problem never really goes away. Weight loss surgery is an absolute last resort, for when your health is suffering so badly that the risks of surgery are outweighed by the benefits. By the time you get to that point, exercise will be extremely difficult, and a great deal of damage will have already been done. The most effective tool to cut down your calorie intake is a psychological one, that anyone can use, and is free. We need to teach ourselves to enjoy and savor our food, and learn to enjoy the feeling of NOT being full at the end of a meal.

I didn't think portion control ranked so high in weight loss until I read the article on CNN about Professor Mark Haub of Kansas State University losing 27 pounds in 2 months on a junk food diet. He used portion control and calorie counting only. He also reaped all of the side benefits such as lower bad cholesterol, higher good cholesterol, reduced blood pressure and reduced triglycerides. It is quite a story. It seems that portion control is king.

One key to portion control is to NOT serve family meals family-style. Keep pots and dishes away from the table where it's all too easy to go for seconds. Remember that after eating it takes about 20 minutes to feel satiated.

It is so difficult to control portion size, but I have found that drinking a large glass of water before eating helps me to reduce my portion size.

Recently I read of the healing cream Topricin pain that has recently been patented for use in fibromyalgia pain. Does anyone have experience with this cream and if so, you are able to assess the usefulness for this purpose make? Many thanks. Ash Stevenson

Portion control becomes a huge mountain to climb when we think in terms of "control". After all, who want to control/limit an activity we enjoy? I've lost 32 pounds so far simply by eating very slowly and chewing my food thoroughly. In this way I naturally eat less - and most importantly, this is not a struggle! And I've been astonished at how little food it takes to fill me up. I never knew I could eat so little and be perfectly satisfied. An unexpected side effect: I had no idea how huge restaurant meals are until I started eating this way. We don't need half the food we get at a regular restaurant.

Sweet post. I'm not sure I could get by on those very small portions. However, right eating and healthy exercise is the ticket to good health.

It is not only the portion that effects the weigh control, it is the timing and frequency. A certain amount of food would cause less weight gain if it is broken to several portions and consumed at seperate times. Meals that are consumed earlier in the day would not be stored as much. So most physicians recomend to eat less at the end of the day.

the downside of portion control is that the calorie intake is greatly underestimated. You might think you are eating a 1600 calorie meal where as you might be really be eating a 2000 calorie meal or an 1800 calorie meal.

blog.womenshealth.northwestern.edu Great post,,, that I like from this topic because the discussion is straightforward and detailed. Hope I still want to return to this page when there are new updates. Thank you for your advice

Hello Michelle. Great post. I've been letting readers of my Blog now they should be limiting there food portions and basically doing more to lose weight. Once way I advise them to do this is to buy smaller plates. It sounds obvious, but psychologically it works wonders.

hello! after many years of dieting and yoyoing i have found that besides giving thought to the portion size of each meal, it is also important to eat more unprocessed (natural, fresh) foods, eat more whole grain and less white- flour and sugar. the more natural the food is the more satiated you”ll feel.

How humorous and depressing at the same time. I had a pair of dice and a golf ball for lunch. What are you having?

I have a skinny body. Can you give me an advice on how can I gain weight?

I totally agree with the concept of staying in tune with what your body is telling you. You must recognize when you are eating out of habit and not out of need.

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.

I guess its for the person to decide which he/she would rather have and to stick with that decision: more food & more exercise or less food & less exercise. Most diets usually fail because its either very unhealthy (like crash diets & starvation) or they just don't have enough discipline. Exercise is really beneficial, it not only helps burn off those extra calories, you also tend to get stronger & feel better each day. It is also said to help release endorphins which can make a person feel happier.

Portion control is esential for the weight loss, i agree and to count the calories in each meal by weighting every component sucks. So this is the perfect article for knowing the portion by standard sizes. It would me great to find the larger list food and drinks. Another very, if not most importan component, besides the excersice is to to change the "eating style". You can start with NOT EATING: white bread, junk food, beverage (coca-cola, sprite, etc), chocolate, alcohol, fries, butter and it helps A LOT. Also, regarding the metabolism, it is important to eat even up to 6 small portions of healthy food, equally distiributed in a day in order to speed it up and prevent the anxiety. I hope this information gets you started, worked for me :). Ania

I think the idea of portion control makes a lot of sense. A major challenge with this method for those used to eating out, is that in restaurants it's much more difficult for you to control the amount of food that's put on your plate. Eating in more and trying portion control at home may be a good first step.

The best thing I've heard for eating is this: you should never be hungry and you should never be full. This basically translates to eating every 2-3 hours or so to keep your metabolism high, but never eating so much that you couldn't eat the same amount 2 hours later.

I know that diet heavily influences how I feel. When Whenever I eat carbs my fibromyalgia flares up and I have pain so I understand the importance of diet. I use the Atkins diet.

I think that if people eat more natural foods that are high in nutrients that they won't crave high calorie junk food as much. This over time should help them lose weight especially if it's accompanied by regular exercise.

Well, the article is actually the sweetest topic on this related issue. I fit in with your conclusions and will thirstily look forward to your forthcoming updates. Saying thanks will not just be sufficient, for the tremendous lucidity in your writing. I will immediately grab your rss feed to stay privy of any updates

This is all well when dealing with your "average" North American diet, but what about those from Latin America. Too many diets leave out what other cultures can do to improve their diets.

Hi there, Yeah Roger is very right with his point.I am agree with him. Thank You,

I work with people who want to lose weight, and frequently find that they are actually eating a lot more than they think they are, for instance snacking throughout the day. When they keep a food diary it really hits home how much they are having.

A very well informative article. It was news to me that the metabolic rate defers for men and women. Was always under the impression that the metabolic rate for the same. Yes i was under the impression that dieting helps in weight loss but it was news that its right type of dieting that actually helps

I like the graph that draws out visuals to allow me to know how big each portion really should be. This really helps me visualize how much food I should have and how big of serving size I should be eating. It all comes down how many calories you burn vs. how many calories you consume. The less you consume the less you have to rely on exercise to keep you weight under control.

One way that I found to reduce portions that works surprisingly well is to use smaller plates. Many of the serving sets available have plates the size of platters and we just want to fill them up. I found a set of dishes with much smaller plates and it really helps.

One key to portion control is to NOT serve family meals family-style. Keep pots and dishes away from the table where it’s all too easy to go for seconds. Remember that after eating it takes about 20 minutes to feel satiated.

I must say, "Eat less and live more". Life is not only for food and eating. Some people are so crazy about food and eating. They are always hungry and always looking for food. But this is bad habit and not good for our health. To live long eat fruits and vegetables more. It is the key to stay healthy in life.

My grandmother a year ago suggested to me that to get slim you have to eat not starve to death but eat whatever you do just make it halve, ten months ago I thought it would not work but looking back at it now. I can only say that Happy New Year will be much healthier for me.

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.

I have to agree, portion control is a big part of learning how to manage our weight. However, in a society that has a tendency to not be able to consistently stick to a "managed" eating plan, I'm not sure how effective using portion control alone would be to lose weight. I believe that promoting exercise in addition to portion control will help to not only assist in weight loss but give the added benefit of building a healthy cardio vascular system as well.

Very interesting article. I've found that what works best for me is low carbohydrate consumption. I've tried just about everything, and find that I am at my best and feel great after a period of carb restriction. Only vegetables and a little fruit is the ticket for me. Susan

Let me share with you my experience. My wife once tried to follow the concept of counting calories and reducing amount. The biggest challenge was to calculate some of the dishes. As you might imagine, it is not always clear what each meal in a restaurant actually consists of. Just my five cents.

Hi! i really liked your post and i must say that i agree with it. my daughter had a very bad weight problem and decided to diet by portion control.She didn't change the foods she ate(because she was eating healthy food) and much more of course! but she just cut the portions and ate a little bit of everything...and she did it really slow...in 5 years she lost 45 kg.!!!!after a while in the diet she felt better and that's when she started exercising, also very slowly. until she built muscles...and that's when she made her greatest loss. i must say that the portion control wasn't too hard and gave her a big push to stay on track.. today she feels great and looks great and she doesnt feel that it was too hard.we must not forget though that this takes a commitment to yourself to do the best you can every day. its a daily challenge

Well, I do agree that portion control is a very important part of weight loss and if you are serious about losing weight you will definitely invest in a kitchen scale. My idea of the size of a golf ball can vary greatly depending on how hungry I am. I also use a luncheon plate rather than a dinner plate for meals. My plate still looks full but not as full as a dinner plate would be. Dieting is not easy and in my opinion is an entire lifestyle change. You have to change the way you grocery shop and you have to incorporate an exercise program into your plans. Raising a fork to your mouth doesn't constitute exercise. Nothing good comes without work. Some excellent posts here!

Very interesting. Portion control is definitely a key factor to losing weight. Most of us have probably heard that moderation is key. I've also learned that eating a lot slower will actually help with moderating food intake - after all it takes a little time for the brain to recieve the message of fullness. Good article!

My father inculcated into me that less fatty food and good exercise would make you slim. Honestly speaking, over the years I have been used to his advice which had given good results.

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.

It is a known fact that anything which becomes a habit then leads to addiction and then the problems begin. Similarly with food. It is important to keep control of one's diet and maintain a healthy lifestyle. my 2 cents. I thank you for allowing me to comment here :)

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.

It is always amazing to compare what we think are proper portion sizes to what we should be having. For instance a kid's meal at a fast food restaurant is actually the portion sizes that an adult SHOULD be having. Something to keep in mind.

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