Visualizing Portion Sizes to a Thinner You
by Ruth on July 8, 2009
Like I have mentioned in previous posts, weight loss and eating healthy is all about portion control. But how are we to know correct portion sizes when America has taken them and blown them out of proportion?
… No wonder we are ranked one of the highest obese countries in the world!
Of course, reading the serving sizes on the nutrition labels and measuring out your proportions is the ultimate means of correct proportions, but there are going to be times when you can’t such as you are running late for work, don’t have the nutritional label in front of you, don’t have measuring cups on hand, or are eating out.
Here is a little trick you can memorize so that the next time you are eating out, you aren’t eating triple the amount that you should have ate.
Meat:
3 oz of meat: a deck of cards
3 oz of fish: a checkbook
2 tablespoons of peanut butter: a marshmallow
4 small cookies: 4 poker chips
Breads:
1 slice of bread: a cassette tape
½ cup pasta: ½ the size of a baseball
1 cup of cereal: a fist
1 pancake or waffle: a cd
1 small potato: a computer mouse
1 piece of cornbread: bar of soap
Fruits / Veggies:
1-cup veggies: a fist
1 medium fruit: a baseball
1 cup of cut-up fruit: fist
¼-cup dried fruit: a golf ball
½-cup of raisins: an egg
1/2 cup cooked broccoli: one light bulb
1 small potato: a computer mouse
Dairy:
1 cup of milk or yogurt: a fist
1 ½ oz of cheese: 4 dice
Fat/Oils:
1-teaspoon oil: a thumbnail
2 Tbsp salad dressing: a ping-pong ball
1/2 cup of potato chips, crackers or popcorn: one man’s handful
1 oz of chips or pretzels: two handfuls
Here is the amount of servings you should have in one day:
Breads: 6-9
Veggies: 3-4
Fruit: 2-3
Milk: 2-3
Meat: 5-6oz
Fats/Sugar/Oils: Sparingly
The saying is true… Your eyes are ALWAYS bigger than your stomach… take time to re-train your mind and eyes to portion control!
Related posts:
Tagged as:
Diet,
Eating,
Everyday Objects,
Food,
Health,
Lifestyle,
Nutrition,
Portion Control,
Serving Size,
Weight loss,
Weight Watchers
{ 18 comments }
Wow – is that a super-sized donut I’m looking at in the first photo? I could eat myself sick on that!
Thanks for stopping by http://www.tastenotwaist.com. In answer to your question about Zumba, yes, I really love it. It is the fastest a one hour workout will ever seem to fly by. I will say it depends a lot on the instructors, too, though. I went to one class where the instructor just showed up. She had little enthusiasm and didn’t teach any steps even though we were all beginners. The class I go to now always has several instructors there and they are all high-energy, enthusiastic, and friendly. And they spend extra time to teach the steps and point out which muscles to concentrate on for each song. Give it a try!!
Thanks! I will definitely have to try it.
Wow concerning those portion sizes im surprised I am not obese! because I eat a lot and dont exercise beyond some pushups every morning
I just watched Super Size Me and went to Europe; it’s disturbing how huge American portions are. I also hear that married women tend to eat more because they serve themselves based on how much their husbands are eating rather than what they need.
Anyway, love the tips! Much easier to visualize.
Loved the pictures !
Excellent post!!
Very informative and helpful!
Just an fyi, america isn’t the most obese developed country, australia is.
Opps, I will fix that right now
Thanks for the heads up nubianxess!
thanks, i like the pictures
Yes, remembering what a correct portion looks like is SOOOOO important! It’s something I have to remind myself of frequently! Thanks for the reminder!
Excellent! This is the most informative thing I have seen and will be so helpful for eating out. What people will think when I bring out poker chips, playing cards and dice at the dining table, I don’t know…
Seriously – this is brilliant!
Those are great visualizers! Will definitely come in handy
Haha! Probably think your ready to start a game of poker at the restaurant
I guess it would be a good cover up
Nice info! Very cool post.I have looked over your blog a few times and I love it.Doesn’t it take up a lot of time to keep your blog so interesting ?
Cheers,
Party Star
Your welcome! I think we all need a remind every now and then!
Portion control for me has always been my downfall. I tried the diet plates and such, but the idea gets tired really fast. One thing I discovered last month that is totally cool and helped me with daily portion control is Flavor Magic. I can’t find it in stores, so I buy it online since they offer free shipping. I get it at http://www.portioncontrol.net. I actually started using it for my husband and kids since it is so simple and tasty. I LOVE THEM. It’s really a nifty idea, and I recommend it if you like cooking at home but are struggling with eating right.
thanks for this post – i always need a good refresher as to what is a portion. love your blog! i will definitely be stealing fitness tips from you
Since most people don’t carry around CDs & decks of cards, I’ve learned that your hand is good for portion sizes.
Just the palm = red meat, palm & up to your first knuckle = white meat, & whole hand = fish
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