Rightsize Your Plate and Your Waist: 11 Portion Control Tips That Work

Practicing portion control is one of the most difficult tasks facing anyone who eats out or even eats in these days. Look around you and everything is super-sized. And not just fast food. Bagels, muffins, steaks, even frozen dinners have grown in size. And of course we know about the big sodas. Mayor Bloomberg of New York City has proposed restricting the sale of sodas and other sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces in many eateries, and the Board of Health is set to vote on the proposal in just over a week. Stay tuned.

I tracked the history of food portions increasing since the 20th century and found that portions are much, much bigger than they were in the past -- 2-5 times bigger, to be exact. And so are people! No surprise. As I wrote in The Portion Teller Plan and in numerous articles, large portions contribute to weight gain because large portions contain more calories than small portions. Simple as it sounds, so many clients that I counsel don't seem to apply logic to the equation. We know that if a 64-ounce Mega Jug of soda is eight times bigger than a standard 100- calorie eight-ounce soda, it should contain eight times the calories. Yes, it contains 800 calories. Simple math? Yes. But... if WE drink it, we think, how can a soda possibly have so many calories?

Our plates have increased. So have our mugs, glasses, and wine goblets. Our cabinets and dishwashers are now larger to accommodate our satellite-sized dishes. And car seats for our kids, who are now pudgier than ever, have also increased. And even caskets have become super-sized!

Many of us don't understand what a healthy portion size is, and for good reason. A pasta portion in a restaurant is easily three cups, and many steaks are at least a pound. That is much too much food. The problem is that we've gotten used to these jumbo portion sizes and we think that a "portion" is whatever is put in front of us. Getting used to normal-sized portions is not an easy task.

Here are some tips:

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• 1. Practice Plate Control

  For starters, try eating off of plates your grandmother used. Next, change your expectation. Restaurants are in business to sell food, and lots of it. It is time to shift our perspective on what a reasonable amount of food is. If you use a smaller plate, you will probably begin to scale back on your portion. <em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderlane/1449296422/" target="_hplink">Wonderlane</a></em>

• 2. Fill Up On Fruits And Veggies

  We want to scale back on our meat and potato portions and increase our intake of veggies.<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-lisa-young/healthy-food_b_1665279.html" target="_hplink"> Fruits and vegetables</a> are relatively low in calories and high in fiber. An easy trick is to fill half your plate with fruit and veggies. One quarter of your plate protein (meat, fish, poultry, tofu) and one quarter healthy starch (brown rice, quinoa, barley). <em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/6963428304/" target="_hplink">USDAgov</a></em>

• 3. Limit Liquid Calories

  You are better off eating -- and chewing -- your calories than drinking them. Somehow, when we drink our calories, we do not feel full and the calories we just guzzled down do not seem to register. So... we want more. Eat an orange instead of drinking the juice. And steer clear of empty soda calories -- choose seltzer or water instead. <em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mizzmurray/5848887942/" target="_hplink">lisamurray</a></em>

• 4. Buy Single Servings

  Steer clear of the jumbo bags of chips, cookies, and nuts sold at price warehouse clubs such as Costco. We all love a good bargain, but beware when it comes to buying food. While you may want to stock up on toilet paper or paper towels, when it comes to food, buy smaller servings. Single-serve bags of chips will really help you practice portion control while snacking. <em>Photo from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Popchips-6-Flavor-Variety-0-8-Ounce-Single/dp/B001RVFDOO/ref=sr_1_12?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1346881740&sr=1-12&keywords=100+calorie+packs" target="_hplink">Amazon.com</a></em>

• 5. Order A Small

  In many cases you have a choice between a small, medium, or large. Order the small size whenever possible. And don't be fooled by the label; even a drink labeled small, for example, can be big. <em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvar/5111726141/" target="_hplink">sylvar</a></em>

• 6. Avoid Your Triggers

  If you can't stop at one serving of chips, then don't even start. Choose a treat you CAN control.

• 7. Don't Snack Out Of The Bag

  Read the food label, serve yourself one portion, and put the rest away. Practice this for chips, nuts, pretzels and other treats. <em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-travelling-bum/5864314419/" target="_hplink">The Travelling Bum</a></em>

• 8. Don't Be Fooled By Health Halos

  Just because a food is labeled organic or trans fat-free doesn't mean you can eat as much as you want. Calories are still calories. <em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fruitnet/1064944536/" target="_hplink">Eurofruit, Asiafruit & Americafruit</a></em>

• 9. Skip All-You-Can-Eat Buffets

  They may be a bargain for your pocketbook, but not for your health. If you must visit a buffet, do a full lap around the buffet before choosing your selection and wear tight-fitting clothes (you'll probably eat less). <em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yakobusan/6368766007/" target="_hplink">@yakobusan Jakob Montrasio 孟亚柯</a></em>

• 10. Share, Share, And Share

  Restaurant portions are huge. Order one main dish and an extra veggie dish or salad and share both. And order one dessert for two or three people and you will still feel satisfied.

• 11. Eat Like A Parisian

  Eat slowly, savor your food, and enjoy your company.

Enjoy! Bon Appetit.

For more by Dr. Lisa Young, click here.

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Comments

[passionpink11]

07:21 AM on 09/11/2012

Very good advice.

[liephman88]

12:35 PM on 09/07/2012

Once got some sage advise from an old black man who said the best diet and exercise is " Just push away from the table. "

[hattie54]

01:34 PM on 09/07/2012

Very good advice.

[hattie54]

08:47 AM on 09/07/2012

My sugar is borderline and trying to get it down some,easier said than done.The hardest for me is the carbs,they really jack up blood sugar #'s.My #'s go up more overnight than after a meal.I've cut way back on carbs at each meal.One friend said I must eat a healthy snack 2 hrs after eating dinner but sometimes I am too full for that.They say it helps with the blood sugars overnight.

[hawkcourt]

08:48 PM on 09/06/2012

I don't like where this is going. No government should legislate what we can eat. That is a very slippery slope! There will always be skinny people and fat people. Just take care of yourself and mind your own business.

[Reader2222]

08:12 PM on 09/06/2012

Good advice.

[AlonzoQuijana]

07:21 PM on 09/06/2012

Mt fitness consultant had me us a web site that required you to log in your calories consumed. After a few weeks of doing this -- kind of drudge work -- you can basically look at an item and guess the calorie count. My surprise: how many calories in pasta.

[AlonzoQuijana]

05:26 PM on 09/06/2012

Until the last forty or fifty years, food was expensive relative to income. I note that really old cook books have much smaller servings, with meals using less meat and poultry. My grandmother -- born in the early 20th century -- would make black beans and rice, with maybe a small piece of chicken or pork chop in the side. Meat was almost incidental to the meal.

[hattie54]

09:23 AM on 09/07/2012

The Chinese and Japanese eat that way too,very little meat.Many of the poor in South America eat nothing but black beans and rice.In the Sugar Busters book,one quote," the whiter the bread,the quicker the dead ".We all ate less years ago and go out and did things more.I saw a article once on what people at portion wise in the 1960's compared to now,wow!!

[MikeDu]

04:56 PM on 09/06/2012

What's that old saying? Never eat anything bigger than your fist.

[AngelaQuattrano]

03:40 PM on 09/06/2012

They forgot the most important one: eat your calories in meals, not in snacks. 90% of excess calorie intake nowadays comes from Americans' penchant for constant snacking.

One should plan to eat enough healthy food during each meal so as not to be hungry much before the next mealtime.

[Chef Typhoid Mary]

03:37 PM on 09/06/2012

Portion control. One meal 500 calories: 1 1/4 cup carbohydrate, 1/2 cup green vegetable, 1/2 cup desert, 2 oz protein. Look up the "Frugal fat loss exchange plan diet PDF", CRON-O-METER. free. Most diet plans are the same. You could also get the EZweight plate, not free.

[realitytrumpsbull]

02:51 PM on 09/06/2012

Want to eat healthy? Cook for yourself. Don't overdo, either. Be smart, eat smart, grab up some diet books, and play the food game to win. Save the restaurant stuff, for once a month, or so.

[PancakeHunter]

12:03 PM on 09/06/2012

Portion control becomes irrelevant when you eat the right satiating foods and avoid the ones that stimulate appetite.

[Cuthbert]

02:18 PM on 09/06/2012

This is what I was thinking as I read. It amazes me that people never learn that if you eat a diet high in fat and low in sugar and carbs your appetite just fades away. It's like the difference between putting a hardwood log on the fire versus newspaper. Fats burn long and steady while carbs flash hot for a bit and leave you needing more all day long. When I eat higher in carbs it ALWAYS leaves me feeling like I need more, and I will almost always lose that battle. Now I eat nutrient dense, high calorie food and viola! Often forget to eat for extended periods of time without crashing! It's also amazing how quickly a body will return to a healthy weight eating this way. I lost 75lbs and have kept it off for years doing this! Point is, the body knows how to regulate fat tissue and appetite if you give it what it needs.

[hattie54]

08:49 AM on 09/07/2012

But many on the Adkins diets lost weight with all that meat but their cholesterol #'s shot up.But those having to watch their blood sugar like me are told to eat mostly meat and veggies and stay away from carbs.

[lewtag]

10:54 AM on 09/06/2012

A restaurant owner told me the cost of food is the least expense in their business so when they charge enough to make a profit the portions are increased so customers will not complain they are being cheated...and we are trained to eat far too much...but hey, that is capitalism folks...it must all be God's will as there can be no other...generator, operator, destroyer....ergo Theofatalism...google for details...

[KarmaPatrol]

10:17 AM on 09/06/2012

Eating more is programmed in our Cro-Magnum minds and our benevolent food industry will take full advantage.

Think it's time we program more exercise in our geography (safe neighborhood bike trails that link into a network, walk/jog networks, etc..)

[I-US]

09:59 AM on 09/06/2012

And practice mindful eating. Thanks, Dr. Young, for sharing your tips. Many people simply have no idea how much larger portions have become over the years.