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

The portion comparisons are particularly difficult for American like myself to accept wholeheartedly. I've seen this nutrition guide many times before...and what you say in terms of changing the eating behavior or instilling good habits, is something I need to remind myself of everyday as a mom.

I am not completely agree with the post, although the post was awesome but in the countries of Asia where temperature is much higher than the western countries this philosophy can work, because in such conditions they need more liquid rather than heavy solid food. But for the western countries I don't think so that this will work in a better way.

Good article. I'm blogging about the weight loss associated with a treadmill desk. Basically, I've set up a shelf so that I can walk on my treadmill and work on my computer at the same time. The result is that I'm moving slowly all day long. Rather than just moving a lot for a small amount of time, I'm moving a little for a long amount of time. I believe that our modern work environment has us sitting waaay too much. Portion size is definitely something we need to watch, but we also need to find ways to move more than just a little. The treadmill desk is a good potential solution EDITOR'S NOTE: Have you lost weight???

It makes a lot of sense to move more - we've developed such sedentary lifestyles, we don't get out and we aren't active. The TV couch potato generation needs to become the outdoors livewire generation.

Great article. In fact, researchers are tracking successful dieters in the National Weight Control Registry, a group of 10,000 people who have lost 30 pounds or more and maintained that loss for a year or more. These are some of the things they usually do: 1. Track their food intake. 2. Count calorie or fat grams or use a commercial weight-loss program to track food intake. 3. Walk about an hour a day or burn the same calories with other activities. 4. Watch fewer than 10 hours of TV a week. So eat less, move more can lead to lasting weight loss and healthier lifestyle. Thanks.

Losing weight never been easy we all know that, but it's the same with building muscles, it depends on the person's ability.

Yes, compared to our ancestors, we move much less during the day. Some companies have even installed treadmill desks, which is a great idea.

We moved to Asia recently and both lost about 10 pounds...we move more, and don't really eat less. It makes a difference because once we built up our muscles (swimming, walking, etc), they consume more calories. Squats, my husband claims, are supposed to be one of the most effective exercises for building fat-burning musculature.

Interesting. Only 20% are trying exercise. People are always looking for the shortcuts to weight loss.

While 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.

The best thing that has worked for me is to eat smaller meals throughout the day. It is hard because I never feel very full, but I guess that’s the point right? When I do it for awhile I realize how much less food I really need to survive. It’s amazing. It’s the emotional eating that really gets me.

I know that people with Phd and MD after their names are supposed to be knowledgeable and smart people, but I favor what I'm learning from Certified Nutritionists and Certified Exercise specialists more. The reason is that the results from the latter are far more impressive when it comes to my personal weight loss. Following my personal doctor's plan provided a loss of only 5 pounds in six months, but once I got with a Nutritionist and Exercise Specialist, my weight went down another 36 pounds. EDITOR's COMMENT: As medical information becomes more complex, have a full team of experts (like nutritionists, PTs), is becoming more important. A single doctor cannot be an expert in all areas!

I've always been a believer in Eat Less, Move More. Since eating less without some cheating is clearly a challenge, I also subscribe to the approach Eat A Little More, Move Much More. It's worked for me!

I never knew the portion sizes were so small. Do you think people should gradually decrease portion sizes or go immediately to the right size? EDITORs REPLY: Cutting portions can be slow or immediate..whatever works best for you and keeps you on track.

What I've noticed is that when I exercise and can afford to eat unhealthy, I choose to eat healthier. The key to succeeding is using as LITTLE will power as possible. Use of SMALL plates is an easy way to "mechanically" avoid putting too much on your plate. Spreading out your appetizer from your main meal to your dessert gives your brain time to notice you're full. Keep junk food out of the house so you'll have to go to the store if you want it. This is making laziness work FOR you... and it WORKS!

Nothing beats portion control for losing weight. Thanks for sharing this advise.

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 think this article is so true. When reading the four hour body it recommends you diet before you start doing exercising because once you start intensively training you end up eating more. I'm definitely going to take the advice in this article to move myself forward :-)

Of course portion control is the most effective. It's one of the core ways of losing weight in most exercising programs too. That's great to have concrete evidence of it though. thanks for the great piece.

This is a smart blog. I mean it. You have so much knowledge about this issue, and so much possian. You also know how to make people rally behind it, obviously from the responses. Youve got a design here thats not too flashy, but makes a statement as big as what youre saying. Great job.

Portion control is an excellent idea, especially when most of us grew up being encouraged to "eat everything on your plate" and to "think of all of those starving kids in China." Truth be told - if it's not on the plate to begin with, it prevents our sub-conscious mind from taking over - even though our stomachs are at the stretching point - and causing us to "eat everything on our plates. Building a strong core with help prevent over-eating and often times "cures" back ailments; generally restoring the body to an overall healthier state.

Every little bit adds up. The article mentioned that people consistently overestimate their caloric intake, but the same is true for exercise: people consistently overestimate the amount and intensity (ie calories burned) of their exercise.

Weight-Loss is not rocket science.It has to do more with the way we think and feel.There are lots of misconceptions about losing weight, learn to know your body and maintain a calorie-intake that you need daily to achieve optimum health.Exercise cannot be substituted with pills.NO pain NO gain !!!

Hi Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less could be a weight-management program that uses methods proven to figure. every lesson informs, empowers and motivates participants to measure mindfully as they create decisions regarding eating and physical activity. The program provides opportunities for participants to trace their progress and keep a journal of healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. The program are often offered to worksites and different teams inquisitive about eating sensible, moving additional and achieving a healthy weight. Thanks

I've found that when we stick to more quality, nutrient-dense foods, it generally will cause us to have reduced cravings. It makes sense: If we consume "empty calories" all day, we will remain hungry because our body knows it is still lacking the nutrients it needs! Many of these "empty calories" in our typical US diet come from sugars. Addiction to sugar can keep us constantly craving food. Being conscious of, and breaking, our sugar addiction makes it much easier to reduce overall caloric intake.

Hello, this is a fantastic website. Good to now that there are still people paying attention to their site. I was wondering if you were interested to write an article for those people who have fat loss issues. I noticed that there are plenty people out there who need help to loose weight. Perhaps an article about help fat loss can be of some help to them

This article is dead on. I'm a trainer, and my first piece of advice to anyone who wants to workout/lose weight is: Eat half as much, twice as often. You don't really have to change what you eat at first, you just have to change *how* you eat. Great article.

I have been obese for a pretty long time, it runs in the family and to top that we are broad boned people so even slight fat makes us look like gorilla. My brothers seem to get over this well but I had to face my gender and you would know that when comes to being a fat girl going to college the other girls are not polite. I have tried everything from exercise to dieting and pills etc. etc. Well it did not work for me, I am to blame for that reason because I love to eat and just cant stay hungry. 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.

Nowadays, more and more people are trying to reduce their calories intake. How much we eat does not affect only our looks, but our health as well. It seems that people who eat less have a lower risk of heart disease, less chances of having a stroke or getting diabetes.

Eating at least 5 small meals a day helps you lose wait. I believe eating in portions is a good way for a diet. Eating is still important but in moderation. I just hope I can lose weight too. thanks for sharing this. I learned a lot.

I cant agree more with being more conscious aware of what we are taking in. There is no need to eat till you feel full. Drink 2 big glasses of water before every meal and you will not have the urge to over eat.

This is a smart blog. I mean it. You have so much knowledge about this issue, and so much possian. You also know how to make people rally behind it, obviously from the responses. Youve got a design here thats not too flashy, but makes a statement as big as what youre saying. Great job.

thanks for your site, i hope i can control portion eat I’m agree, that you should control the size of portion.

I find it hard to stop eating once I'm full if the food tastes good! But I've also found that, if I just wait a few minutes, it's easy to resist the temptation. Giving my body that extra 15 minutes to digest before eating more really helps control my appetite.

I think it's just our culture. Our plates and portions are so much larger than other countries that it's difficult for us to ascertain how many calories we're putting into our bodies.

With any weight lost course or program, one should have do training. Yes you can eat less, but you to train the body. If you don't like running, try a 20 min walk around the block daily when coming from work, and build you self up 40 min or 1 hour. Walking is great way to move the body, and don't for get a nice pair of shoes, that will help to walk better.

Hello, this is a fantastic website. Good to now that there are still people paying attention to their site. I was wondering if you were interested to write an article for those people who have fat loss issues. I noticed that there are plenty people out there who need help to loose weight. Perhaps an article about help fat loss can be of some help to them.

I’m really happy that I was able to see this.A very interesting and informative post. I really wanted to lose weight. thanks for sharing,

There are lots of options you have when it comes to getting enough exercise. Some of which would include walking, running, biking, swimming, and more. You can also do some weight lifting if you want to. The important thing is to get your body moving so that you can burn more fats off. To be on the safe side, you should consult with your doctor first, prior to getting involved with a certain workout program.

I really enjoyed reading your blog and points that you expressed. I wanted to thank you for this great read!! Thanks

eat to live, not live to eat kind of stuff, but it should be worth noting that such diets can only be followed if they are sustainable. If you can't keep it up, then there's no point really.

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I am really pleased that I have found this, this post is totally relevant on this important topic.<a

I know from my own personal experience that my attempts at weight loss are much more successful when I actually monitor portion sizes. Otherwise, my estimates are way off and I end up eating a lot more than I think I do, when I run the numbers.

I follow you constantly. This kind of hope that you continue to the shares. good luck.

What an outstanding information. Thanks! I never considered I'l be getting the right information here when I was looking the net for a 1 month now.

Diet is a neutral word, just describes what you eat. Examples vegetarian diet, normal US diet, vitamin rich diet. The weight loss industry has used “dieting” “on a diet” “diet Coke” as alternatives to weight loss or calorie controlled. Also takes less space on the pack. All as a way to charge extra or build market share. Are products with “diet” added better for you? Really? The same set of questions about “low fat”. If they are lower fat but claim the same taste what extra has been added, a natural ingredient or a trans-fat, some extra salt? So the word “dieting” has become bound up with deprivation, giving up certain foods. What reaction do you get if you tell people, colleagues, or friends you are dieting? Condescending looks, a 'poor you' attitude, and questions about what you’re giving up or how long you’ll stick with it. Sympathetic help? I think not

remember when I was a youngster my grandmother always told me that I should always eat plenty of fish because it was “good for the brain”. I had always thought it was a bit of an old wives tale but I am glad to see it is now being supported by scientific evidence. I must admit that until reading this article I always thought it did not matter whether the fish was steamed, broiled or friedif it was to do you any good. I see now that I shall have to cut back on the traditional English version of fish and chips. –

Really interesting article but I agree with Johnnie that a diet only really works if its sustainable in the long term. I'm not sure deprivation works. Perhaps the kind of foods you are eating is even more important that portion size? Really interesting to see what actual portion sizes for different foods are meant to be though.

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