Is This Too Much?

One of the many reasons I believe I've gained weight is that I have no idea what constitutes a healthy portion size. My husband has commented in the past that I'm putting too much food on his plate, and has also mentioned that I'm eating too much at one meal. Basically (and sadly), I blew him off. Most of what I served was healthy, what was the big deal?

Research has shown that Americans often underestimate how many calories they are consuming each day by as much as 25%.

~ WebMD.com

I suspect I was underestimating it by a larger amount as well as eating past the point of being full. Frankly, I was being a gluttonous pig :( I'm not proud of that, but it helps me to face the reality. I could ponder on the reasons I was doing that, but doing so won't change a thing. I need to take action, not indulge in months of staring at my bellybutton and not making any changes until I know why I'm doing this.

Taking action includes doing research online and sharing my discoveries here in my blog, not only to get this ingrained in my brain, but to share it with others who may be where I've been and hope they find it helpful.

Even if a food is healthy, too much of it at one meal can still result in a weight gain. Learning about correct portion sizes is essential in living a healthy life.

So what is a correct portion size? Do I have to remember a bunch of numbers and try to do math everytime I have a meal or a snack? That's a LOT of work! Help!

MealsMatter.org comes to the rescue :)

If you are confused when reading a food label, try relating the portion size of a serving to everyday items. It is an easy way to visualize what a true portion size looks like.

Woman's fist or baseball - a serving of vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist

A rounded handful - about one half cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta – this is a good measure for a snack serving, such as chips or pretzels

Deck of cards - a serving of meat, fish or poultry or the palm of your hand (don't count your fingers!) – for example, one chicken breast, ¼ pound hamburger patty or a medium pork chop

Golf ball or large egg - one quarter cup of dried fruit or nuts

Tennis ball - about one half cup of ice cream

Computer mouse - about the size of a small baked potato

Compact disc - about the size of one serving of pancake or small waffle

Thumb tip - about one teaspoon of peanut butter

Six dice - a serving of cheese

Check book - a serving of fish (approximately 3 oz.)

Eyeball it! Take a look at the recommended serving sizes on the new USDA MyPyramid Food Guidance System. Get out a measuring cup or a food scale and practice measuring some of your favorite foods onto a plate, so that you can see how much (or how little!) a ½ cup or 3-ounce serving is. This will help you "eyeball" a reasonable serving!

That's pretty easy to remember, especially for those of us who do better with visuals than with math.

WebMD.com has some more useful information:

Other ways of developing and maintaining proper portion control include:

At home
~ Use smaller dishes at meals.
~ Serve food in the appropriate portion amounts and don't go back for seconds.
~ Put away any leftovers in separate, portion-controlled amounts. Consider freezing the portions you likely won't eat for a while.
~ Never eat out of the bag or carton.
~Don't keep platters of food on the table; you are more likely to "pick" at it or have a second serving without even realizing it.

At restaurants
~ Ask for half or smaller portions.
~ Eyeball your appropriate portion, set the rest aside, and ask for a doggie bag right away. Servings at many restaurants are often big enough to provide meals for two days.
~ If you have dessert, share.

At the supermarket
~ Beware of "mini-snacks" -- tiny crackers, cookies, and pretzels. ~ Most people end up eating more than they realize, and the calories add up.
~ Choose foods packaged in individual serving sizes.
~ If you're the type who eats ice cream out of the carton, pick up ice cream sandwiches or other individual size servings.

Finally to get an idea of what a serving looks like on a plate, as well as the comparisons mentioned above (and more), check out this portion plate size guide at WebMD.com

This page has some helpful downloads you can print and carry when you go shopping or are meal-planning.

I also discovered another neat site - The Portion Plate. I may be purchasing that plate to help me as I'm learning.

I need to begin implementing this. I'm following the South Beach diet and am eating lean meats, lots of vegetables, some fruits, nuts and whole grains. I've cut out white flour and refined sugar. I'm doing well but I think I'm eating too much of some things and not enough of others.

That means I need to learn about serving amounts as well as sizes.

Recommended servings a day:

Bread, cereal, rice and pasta - 6-11 servings a day
Fruit - 2-4 servings a day
Vegetables - 3-5 servings a day
Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts - 2-3 servings a day
Milk, yogurt, cheese - 2-3 servings a day
Fats, oils, and sweets -sparingly