6. PORTION CONTROL

Anyone who is trying to lose weight needs to consider their portion control. Just talk to anyone who has actually lost weight (and sustained it). They will almost assuredly bring up portion control as one of the keys for their success.

What is Portion Control?

Portion control is understanding how much a serving size is and how many calories a serving contains.

One of the biggest problems overweight people face is realizing what constitutes a proper portion of food. When you eat a meal you need to realize what constitutes a serving size of your foods. While not scientific, the following list gives you an idea of some recommended portion sizes. If you struggle with weight loss, these portions might seem smaller than you thought:

• Vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist.
• Pasta is about the size of one scoop of ice cream.
• Meat, fish, or poultry is the size of a deck of cards or the size of your palm (minus the fingers).
• Snacks such as pretzels and nuts are about the size of a cupped handful.
• Potato is the size of a computer mouse.
• Steamed rice is the size of a cupcake wrapper.
• Cheese is the size of a pair of dice or the size of your whole thumb (from the tip to the base).

I know personally that the cheese serving size surprised me when I first saw it. You can find portion information online. You can find much more specific portion control guides online as well. Some sites will break it down by food weight, so you may need to weight your food for exact portions. The above list though is good enough to give you a rough idea.

When you eat a meal, control your portions! Learning how much food you actually need is one of the biggest steps you will take on your weight loss journey.