Portion Control

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Americans are overweight because they are eating too much. Portions have greatly increased over the years and people are just getting used to them. Controlling your portion size may be the single most effective thing you can do to promote lasting weight loss.

In 1985- serving sizes were much different then they are today. The average muffin was 1.5 ounces and 205 calories; a bottle of soda was 6.5 ounces and 85 calories; the average bagel was 3 inches in diameter and had 210 calories. Today the average muffin weighs 4 ounces and has 500 calories; the average bottle of soda is a 20 ounce bottle with 250 calories; the average bagel is 6 inches -350 calories. As our portion sizes increase so does our body size.

Many people are just eating these portions without even realizing they are eating so much more. There are still many members of the Clean Plate Club who feel obligated to finish everything on their plate like their parents told them to. The larger the portions, the more we will just have to eat.

Restaurants aren’t helping. They are serving enormous portions. Many offering buffets or family sized meals. Fast food providers have donated special titles to larger size items available for only a slighter higher price making them an appealing bargain.

McDonald’s has the Quarter Pounder with cheese which weighs in at 510 calories and 5 grams of fat. But they needed a bigger burger so they now have the Double Quarter Pounder with cheese which will give you 730 calories and 40 grams of fat in one sandwich. Even the children’s meals needed to be sized up- the Mighty Kids Meals are now available- the average 6 piece chicken nugget meal with small fries and 1% milk adds up to 590 calories and 28 grams of fat.

Burger King is offering the Enormous Omelet, consisting of one sausage patty, two eggs, two American cheese slices and three strips of bacon. That omelet equals 730 calories and 47 grams of fat. The Whopper sandwich also weighs in at 700 calories and 42 grams of fat.

Americans do like things big but we need to be educated on what a proper serving size is. One way is to visual everyday objects to understand what a serving size is. An example is a one cup serving- that is about the size of a tennis ball. A 1/2 cup or scoop is about the size of a small computer mouse. A portion of meat or fish should look like a deck of cards or cassette tape.

Everyone should check their portion perception and measure or weigh their food. Continually doing so will make you a portion expert and you will soon be able to identify a proper serving without measuring. This will make you aware of when you are faced with an oversized portion so you can make a decision about whether or not to finish it.

Even eating too many health foods can lead to being overweight. People sometimes think since the foods are better for you- like chicken or baked potatoes, they can eat them in unlimited quantities. This is not the case. Every food must be eaten in moderation.

Here are some portion control tips:

• When you are hungry analyze your hunger. Eat only when you are truly hungry-not just because it is meal time. Once you are eating- stop when you are half done. Check if you are satisfied.
• Eat smaller more frequent meals
• Read your labels and understand what you are eating. Get to know the serving size of the food you like to eat.
• Buy snack foods in single serving sizes. However if you prefer to buy the big bags a serving would be about a handful.
• When eating out- immediately cut your serving in half. You will save a lot of calories and fat and have a great lunch for the next day.
• Eat slow and enjoy your food. Give your stomach a chance to get full.

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