Not Just Proper Foods, Proper Portion Sizes for Weight Loss Success

We live in the land of ’super size me’. Whether you never frequent a fast food joint, or if you do but would never consider ordering the jumbo large version of your chosen speed feed, you are constantly faced with portions of foods larger than what most bodies need to function and stay healthy.

That’s ugly truth lies at the root of a good portion of our ever–increasing weight problems in the US. It’s not just a midlife thing but midlife sure does let us know when it’s time to downsize our portion size. Muffin tops rise roundly on either side of our jeans and thighs once fit no longer fit comfortably into our most comfortable khakis.

So while I hate to be a drag, it’s time we talked portions.

Consider the time-tested icons of the correct portion, the tennis ball and the deck of cards. According to some dietitian somewhere long ago, proteins should be the size of a deck of cards and fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes the size of a tennis ball.

Sounds kind of small no? In order to get in our 9 or more servings of mostly vegetables and some fruits a typical meal would contain 3 – 4 tennis balls and a deck of cards. Now it doesn’t sound so bad does it? It doesn’t even sound skimpy.

Are you really going to carry around a deck of cards and a tennis ball? You don’t have to once you become familiar with the concept. One of my favorite eating plan books, SuperFoods Rx Diet says, “Few people can successfully diet in the real world when the details of a healthy lifestyle overshadow the pleasure of eating.”

We don’t want to mess with scales, spoons, cups and fuzzy balls, we just want to enjoy our food right? Right, and with awareness and planning you can enjoy your food and get the results you are looking for.

Try this, serve yourself at home with your props nearby and you’ll soon commit to memory what these food amounts look like. When you go out to eat and order say a pasta dish, and the dish is as big as your head, guess what? You’ll no longer have to wonder how many canisters of tennis balls that big bowl represents and you’ll eat accordingly.

(At least in theory)

What about protein portions? You don’t need a deck of cards to know that a 12 ounce or 16 ounce steak is more food than the body needs. Most of the folks reading this are average midlife women not Olympic athletes. (Though if you are one I’d love to hear from you about what a training portion is for you.)

If you are more active some days you can eat more, no news there. So on days when you have lots of sitting time, at the computer, in the car, in a lecture; why not use those days to do a little portion control.

Here’s a fun exercise. Put your normal portion of say cereal in a bowl just like you would any day of the week. Not a cereal lover? Substitute the rice for your dinner or the grated cheese for your salad. Don’t skimp, just portion out your usual amount. Now grab a measuring cup or spoons and measure what’s there. Check the food label or a food portion guide for the calories in what you’ve got in front of you.

Are you close to a portion or way over? Did you even know what the calorie content of that portion was?

Awareness and planning. Once you know what a serving looks like you will not likely forget. Oh and one tip to add here. If you limit your starches—rice, pasta, potatoes—to one tennis ball twice per day vs having a starch at all three meals I think you’ll see some tummy flattening and a few lbs come off. Don’t go hungry though, substitute some vegetables or salad there.

Have fun with your portion experiments and you will be eating from a place of power and choice not chance. And this, girls, is how we get the life of our dreams.

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