Making a Lifestyle Change: Learning Portion Control

Not too many people like to be told HOW MUCH they can eat - or WHAT they can eat. It's just human nature. 

That is why I decided to look at my journey from the "Lifestyle Change" perspective. It was, and still is, my choice about how much and what I eat. No one elses! Remember, diets will end and you will go back to your old habits - but changing your lifestyle, well, that is forever!

To really "Sync Your Mind," ask yourself,
"Are you ready to commit to making a change?  

To take control of the choices you make?" 

The answer is simple really. The choice is yours! 

My # 1 Rule- 

This is a typical lunch for me.
Greek yogurt, petite carrots,
whole grain 35 calorie bread with peanut butter
and light string cheese...
Oh, and not pictured one- DOVE dark chocolate mini!

Always make WISE choices about "what" foods you are going to eat, This is just as important as "how much" you choose to eat. 

Yes, a calorie is a calorie- BUT the nutritional value in each calorie is not the same. (One of my future blogs will explain some of the food swaps I have made.) 

Hers an example:

Basic McDonald's Hamburg: 250 calories, 9 grams of fat and 480 mg. of sodium

vs:

Laura's Lean frozen burger: 160 calories, 9 grams of fat and 70 mg of sodium

Everything Slim bagel (as bun): 110 calories, 1 gram of fat and 190 mg of sodium 

Total: 270 calories, 10 grams of fat - but only 260 mg of sodium! 

So yes, the calories and fat are bit more, but you save a ton of sodium, and have a better quality burger! That alone is huge. Sodium retains water and creates inflammation. Not what you need when you are trying to get healthy! 

Deciding how much to eat

If you are using the My Fitness Pal, Lose It or Weight Watchers apps or websites, you most likely have already figured out how many calories you should be eating to lose weight or maintain. But there are other websites to give you the basic numbers. Many health and wellness websites offer these calculaters. Here are links to couple I use: Fitness Frog and MidMichigan Health

So now that you know your calorie needs  - YOU need to decide how much of each food group you are going to eat and how much. While there are a few ways you can use portion control, yet the end result should be the same. You should know how much you are eating, the nutritional value of the food and the calories in the portion.

Example: 

Apples are in season here in Michigan. They are a wonderful source of fiber, vitamin C and natural sugar- yet their calories vary by size and type.

A general rule of thumb for an apples is:

• Small, 55 calories 
• Medium, 80 calories 
• Large, 110 calories 

Still many items aren't straight forward, or are easy to double a portion size quickly. That is why measuring and planning ahead - is imperative!

I have found the following tools made the job much easier...

Portion Control Tools

First off - Eating out of the bag is not an option! The joke between my son and myself used to be, if ate you standing up and eating out of a bag or box -- the calories did not count! HA! Seriously, they do! 

To get started here are the basics:

• Digital food scale 
• Measuring cups 
• Measuring spoons 
• Specifically sized plastic reusable containers- (such as Glad)   1/2 cup and 1 cup are good sizes to start with.
• Snack size sandwich bags
• Prep bowls

Digital Food Scale

My first investment was a food scale. (Well, actually my husband bought it for me. He got tired of me asking, "Does this look like three ounces?") So he came home with this "Biggest Loser Scale" from Bath and Beyond for around $20.

By the way, eye-balling three ounces is not as easy as a deck of cards. Though that is a good rule of thumb when a scale is not available to measure meat portions. And one cup, is never one cup when you are really hungry!

This scale offers you both oz./lb. weight or grams. Now I for one never even thought about food as weighing a gram, but trust me once you get going with this- grams are sometimes much easier to use.

Measuring Cups and Spoons

I'm sure most of us have these tools in the kitchen as staples we use for cooking. But for portion measuring I like the clear glass or plastic cups marked with the increments, such as 1/4, 1/2, 2/3 etc. It saves getting out the different sizes when your making a smoothie with multiple ingredients.

Prep Bowls

These are great pre-measured sized bowls for quick snacks. (No dumping from measuring cup to bowl.)

You do have to be careful not to overload them though and stay at the marked amount. I bought the Food Network prep bowls that come in a set with specific sizes to use for quick measuring. These nesting bowls offer two measurements for each bowl. If you can catch them while on sale, the set was under $20 at Kohls.






Other good options are: Glad containers in specific sizes. Many come in half-cup, one-cup and even smaller sizes for snacks like almonds, or small amounts of dip for carrots and such.

Portion Bags

Now this one is for the really busy, but "I'm trying" measurer.
I have found these small pre-measured portion snack bagsat Walmart, Kroger and Target . Just put your food into the line and go.

A bit more economical, I use the general snack size sandwich bags for most things I measure and store.

Measuring is one of the most important rules I still stick too!

Pack Ahead!

Now that you have the tools, remember to always pack snacks and lunches when your going to be away from home- even for a few hours. Pre-measuring is done, just grab the snack bag or container and go! 

Because we all the know the reality. Hunger on the road will set you up to grab whatever is handy. Taking prepackaged snacks such as granola bars with protein, nuts, light string cheese, or fruit, is great way to avoid "junk food" pick me ups. For that sweet tooth, portion size Dove chocolate minis (one is 42 calories) or 100 calorie Special K Krisps, are a couple of my favorites.

As you can see, portion control is not about being restricted. It's just part of "Syncing the Mind."

REMEMBER: You are in control. 

You make the choice to fit the calorie and portion into your goal!

This "Lifestyle Change" is for you!

Feel free to subscribe to my blog to know when my next blog about "Making a LifeStyle Change," post.