Size Does Matter - Learning About Portion Control

I blog often about the importance of food journaling. It wasn't until I started journaling that I was really able to get a grip on my nutrition and make the changes necessary to lose weight. Journaling forced me to be accountable for what I was eating and how much I was eating.

The days of consuming a 6 oz filet mignon pan fried in a tablespoon of butter (472 calories) were replaced by my handy George Foreman grill and a 3 oz petite filet (185 calories).

I typically hear alot of moans and groans when I tell people they'll need to weigh and measure foods. The good news is that after a while, it becomes fairly simple to eye-ball portions.

In the meantime, here are a few guidelines you may find useful, courtesy of Cara Regas (MA, ATC, ACE certified), a strength and conditioning coach at Fitness Quest 10:

Grains

• 1 cup of cereal flakes - The size of a fist
• 1 pancake/ waffle - A compact disc
• ½ cup of cooked rice, pasta - ½ of a baseball or an ice cream scoop
• 1 slice of bread - A cassette tape
• Potato - A computer mouse

Fruits and Veggies

• Apple, pear, banana - A baseball
• 1 cup mixed fruits - A tennis ball
• 1 cup cooked veggies - A fist
• 1 cup raw veggies - A rounded handful

Dairy

• 2 oz low fat cheese - 2 domino's or 6 dice
• 1 cup Low fat/ fat free milk or yogurt - A fist

Meat and Beans

• 3 oz fish, 1 chicken breast, ¼ hamburger patty - A deck of cards or palm of hand (no fingers)
• 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter - A ping pong ball
• ½ cup cooked legumes - An ice cream scoop

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan

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