Controlling Portion Sizes | Cutting Calories (2024)

FAQs

Controlling Portion Sizes | Cutting Calories? ›

Portion control can be part of a successful weight-loss plan. This method helps you manage how much you eat and prevents overeating. Tips for practicing portion control include eating off of a smaller plate, drinking a glass of water or eating a bowl of soup before a meal, and eating slowly.

Portion control can be part of a successful weight-loss plan. This method helps you manage how much you eat and prevents overeating. Tips for practicing portion control include eating off of a smaller plate, drinking a glass of water or eating a bowl of soup before a meal, and eating slowly.

One of the biggest advantages of portion control is its simplicity. You don't need to meticulously track every single calorie. Instead, it encourages you to develop a healthy relationship with food and tune in to your body's natural hunger and fullness cues.

Research has shown that people almost always eat more food when offered larger portions. So portion control is important when you're trying to lose weight and keep it off.

For slow, steady weight loss, try to eat foods that will fill you up without eating a lot of calories. You can cut calories without being hungry by using low-fat and fiber-rich ingredients, such as vegetables or fruit. These foods are also part of a healthy eating pattern. Take macaroni and cheese as an example.

It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness. Leisurely eating allows ample time to trigger the signal from your brain that you are full. And feeling full translates into eating less.

For example, not eating won't cause your stomach to shrink over time. And eating small amounts of food won't “shrink your stomach” either. The only way you can physically and permanently reduce your stomach's size is to have surgery.

Research shows that men tend to lose fat more quickly from around their waist, whereas women typically lose fat more quickly from the hips and the top of the thighs.

A 500-calorie diet may be beneficial in the very short-term for people with obesity, or as a pre-operative measure. However, people just looking to lose weight should try making sustainable diet and lifestyle changes, such as increasing their vegetable intake in all meals.

The Bottom Line

Even though calories are important, counting them or even being consciously aware of them is not at all necessary to lose weight. In many cases, simple changes in food selection can lead to the same or better results than restricting your calorie intake.

How did I lose weight with portion control? ›

Use smaller dishes at meals. Serve food in the right portion amounts, and don't go back for seconds. Put away any leftovers in separate, portion-controlled amounts. Consider freezing the portions you likely won't eat for a while.

Most people are brought up thinking that dinner should be the biggest meal of the day, meaning they opt for a light breakfast and lunch. However, research has found that a smaller dinner and larger lunch could be the key to helping you shift those weight.

Cutting your portion sizes

The sizes of your portions affect how many calories you're getting. Twice the amount of food can sometimes mean twice the number of calories. But some foods with fewer calories, such as many fruits and vegetables, can be eaten in larger portions.

The best way to determine the amount of food in a serving is to look at the Nutrition Facts label and measure it. For example, fill a measuring cup with the proper-sized portion of vegetables, rice, etc. and then empty it onto a plate. That will help you learn what these serving sizes look like.

By law, serving sizes must be based on the amount of food people typically consume, rather than how much they should consume. Serving sizes reflect the amount people typically eat and drink.