Portion Control: Retrain your mind

By CocoaDiva on Jun 23, 2008 with Comments

My mother always said leave some manners on your plate. Sometimes, that is a little hard to do because everything looks so good when you are hungry. Americans have increased portion sizes up to 2-3 times than what is really needed for digestion.

Here are some examples of what your portion size should really be.
Shocking isn’t it!!

Poultry (3 oz.) = a deck of playing cards
Beef (3 oz.) = a bar of soap
Fish (3 oz.) = a checkbook
Hamburger (3 oz.) = a mayo jar lid
Pasta (1/2 c.) = a golf ball
Fruit (1 c.) = a tennis ball
Salad Dressing (2 Tbsp.) =– shot glass
Butter (1 tsp.) = a Scrabble tile
Cereal (1 c.) = baseball
Bread- 1 CD
Hard Cheese – 4 dice
Peanut Butter (1 tsp.) = one die
Mixed nuts – golf ball
Dinner roll = a yo-yo
Potato = a computer mouse
Rice (1/2 c.) = an ice cream scoop
Nuts (1 oz.) = a cupped palm
Cheese (1 oz.) = a ping-pong ball

Tips

It takes 21 days to break a habit. So, it will take a few meals to make conscious decisions regarding your eating habits. Your stomach is a muscle and if you are used to eating heavy meals it will take a few meals for it to get used to the lesser amount of food. To fill the void, drink water or do another task to take your mind off the “hunger”. Its all about retraining your mind

Start eating half of your meal -For example, only eat half of your sandwich and replace the other half with healthy produce like carrots or celery. Produce takes longer to digest than other foods. This assists you in feeling full faster especially with the added fiber.
Remove distractions – Eating in front of the TV while reading or doing other tasks, takes away from what you put in your mouth. Have you ever sat down to watch a TV show and all of your food was gone and your still hungry? This is because you did not focus on your meal and your brain still thinks you are hungry.
Chew slower – we know wanted that great meal you prepared. However, it takes 20 minutes for you to feel full.
Drink water with your meal – Remember, you need 6-8 glasses of water a day to flush out toxins. Water also helps you feel full. That way you won’t eat as much. Also, your body just may have been dehydrated.
Eat on a smaller plate- this helps with training your mind to eat smaller portions. To accommodate our growing portion sizes, plates and bowls have been made twice their size. You don’t need that bucket size bowl or UFO sized plate. Try eating on a saucer where you can only put correct portions. Also, try eating your cereal out of a mug. Tricking your mind into thinking this smaller portion will fill you up also helps you eat slower.
Eat a salad- Eating a salad before lunch or dinner will help you feel full faster. However, you don’t need all those extra toppings which add calories. You don’t want a 900 calorie salad with the works. Grab a lean meat, salad, dressing and one freebie like an egg instead of an every thing but the kitchen sink salad.
Prepare your meals for a few days - A reason for overeating not preparing the correct portion of food and just grabbing a meal. If you made dinner and have left overs, package the food in correct portion size so you aren’t tempted to finish off that pasta when you come in exhausted from work.
Remove your trigger foods- Everyone has a trigger food. You know, that one item that takes you to your happy place. My food is cookies. I have to remove all cookies from the house. Pretty soon you don’t remember that your trigger food was high on your list because they have been replaced with healthy alternatives.
Indulge a little – You have been good all week and followed your plan. Treat your self to that trigger food. However only in small portions. For example, if you love Oreos, go get a snack pack. Keep your portion under control and don’t go crazy.