Does anyone else think this is a child sized portion?
My new years resolution was to eat smaller portion sizes. I eat pretty healthy enough, as I make all my families meals from scratch and don't add any extra fats etc etc.. but my main problem was that I eat too much in one meal.
So I did some research about the correct prtion size for me. And this is what I found...
This is how much pasta I can have in one meal..Is it just me or is that just ridiculous. That would NOT satisfy me at all. I would more than likely end up bingeing on portion sizes that small. And that size portion is not even a 'diet' size portion. It's what we are ALL meant to eat. Whether we are fat or skinny. Seriously...
hmmmm...maybe if the baseball was a big chicken breast stuffed with spinach and ricotta (or something) and you had plenty of vegetables on the side? What would you think about that amount of pasta then? Also, think of that amount of pasta, but mixed up with loads of veg to make it nice and healthy - it would bulk up quite a lot, I think. (and I'd hope! )
That wouldn't even satisfy my mother who is naturally 110lbs and a size 2. A normal human- overweight or skinny- would need protein and lots of vegetables with that to get satisfied!
That much white pasta would not satisfy me. If I replaced it though with brown rice or whole wheat pasta and bulked it with plenty of veggies, it would.
I am not a HUGE pasta person. When I want lasagna or whatever I use either a small amount of whole wheat noodles or I will use Shiratake noodles in their place.
You are doing really well on your loss. It really does slow down -- mine sure has!
ETA: I assumed the baseball was the protein.
Last edited by Thighs Be Gone; 01-08-2010 at 09:01 AM.
If the baseball is supposed to be how much you are supposed to eat- then the amount next to it isn't right (at least it doesn't look like it to me). The baseball is round- that amount of pasta isn't stacked up, it's flat. It just looks like too little to me.
A serving is supposed to be 2 oz of pasta, but usually I put in veggies and meat with my pasta (and sauce) so it ends up being a good amount. I also eat a salad with my pasta. Before I could fill a WHOLE PLATE with pasta, I don't do that anymore.
You might want to invest in a food scale if portion size is important to you.
I think that's the amount for the pasta side dish serving, not the amount of food for a whole meal. With a serving of protein and a serving or two of vegetables, I think that looks about right.
Portions are defined to allow comparisons. I'm not sure where the idea comes from that every body needs the same exact portion.
But I agree with everyone else. It's not a complete meal. Trying to fill up on white pasta isn't the way to go, for reasons made obvious by the picture you posted!
I measure cooked pasta by putting it into a half-cup-sized dry measuring cup, which I've figured gives me about 100 calories.
A better alternative is to weigh it. For DRY pasta, 2 ounces = 200 calories, more or less. 2 ounces of cooked pasta is more like 100 calories because it's absorbed water.
I think the amount shown in the picture is a bit on the scant side, but not by much for how much I eat. I use pasta like a side dish most of the time, with a protein and a vegetable. If it's going to be your whole meal, say, with a meat sauce or vegetarian sauce, then you could probably eat twice that much.
People have gotten used to eating way, way too much pasta, though. I don't know when this happened. But I when I was younger spaghetti was more of a side dish. Does anyone else remember this?
Yeah, that pic is just an example, all the recommended portion sizes are tiny compared to what I used to eat (I weighed some different foods out today so I can familarise myself).
But yeah everyone is right I guess, by the time you add your veggies and protein etc etc....
I think I'm really going to stuggle with this. Its just plain to me, by reading everything you guys have said, how much I actually overeat in one meal. I need some serious brain-training!!
That pasta isn't cooked. It would be larger when cooked. I'd stay clear of the white pasta and eat the whole grain type. Some people don't like the whole grain pasta but after you eat it for a while the white stuff tastes bland and even kind of slimy.
You know what I did? I stopped eating off of my dinner-sized plates. I haven't touched one since I started. I eat all my meals off the smaller salad-sized plates. It tricks your brain a bit because a small amount looks like more food and it keeps you from putting too much into a portion.
2 oz. of cooked pasta is a portion. It's not supposed to be your whole meal so put some veggies in the sauce, have 3 ounces of protein and a salad and you'll be full.