I've noticed the worst portion control I have is when I am out to eat. I still live at home, so when my mother and/or I go food shopping, I buy a lot of the 100 calorie snack packs, instead of a box of cookies, bag of chips, etc. My mother has a heart condition, as well as high cholesterol, so we try to alleviate a lot of junk food in the house to being with, but more so since I started losing weight.
When I'm out with friends/family to eat, instead of eating just to finish, I'll eat till I'm full, offer the rest of my plate to someone at the table, and if they refuse, I pour salt/ketchup/sugar/etc all over the remaining food, that way, I can't keep going back for little bites. Or, I'll also ask for a smaller plate (such as the side dished they give, or bread plates), and I'll cut off some of my meal, and put it on that plate to eat, and ask for the other half to be wrapped up, immediately.
If I know I'll want dessert, I'll opt out for appetizers/bread/a drink/etc, and vice versa
I weigh absolutely everything. That's the best way to be accurate. I also will add it to my calories (I track on LiveStrong) before I eat it. That way I know what the damage is before I do it. It makes it so much easier for me to decide if I really want something.
Somehow, seeing that number go above the line and turning red just makes me feel bad. lol
These are great tips! I am just getting back on track after a year of not calorie counting and kind of "falling off the wagon" I need to be reminded of how to portion things again. My strategy is to weigh everything like others have mentioned. I log all my calories so I am held accountable if I go over and indulge too much. I also separate tempting snacks into baggies. I just wish this worked with popcorn but it tends to taste like plastic. When I cook meals for my family of four, I portion things out, and calculate the recipe for six people. I take a sixth of the recipe and serve the rest to the family then I supplement my smaller portion with large side salad or extra veggies. When I make pasta, I always add a full cup of steamed broccoli to my portion of sauce. It makes it very filling with only half a serving of pasta and I love broccoli so its a win win .
These are great tips! I am just getting back on track after a year of not calorie counting and kind of "falling off the wagon" I need to be reminded of how to portion things again. My strategy is to weigh everything like others have mentioned. I log all my calories so I am held accountable if I go over and indulge too much. I also separate tempting snacks into baggies. I just wish this worked with popcorn but it tends to taste like plastic. When I cook meals for my family of four, I portion things out, and calculate the recipe for six people. I take a sixth of the recipe and serve the rest to the family then I supplement my smaller portion with large side salad or extra veggies. When I make pasta, I always add a full cup of steamed broccoli to my portion of sauce. It makes it very filling with only half a serving of pasta and I love broccoli so its a win win .
I buy the Trader Joe's individual serving microwave popcorn bags.
I eat far away from the kitchen. If I want seconds on something, I'll have to go all the way upstairs. I mean, all right; it's not that hard to go upstairs, but it introduces a level of effort. I can't just mindlessly grab seconds.
I tend to think of servings in terms of the amount of the package. 1 oz doesn't really mean a whole lot to me, but I can eyeball 1/4 of a package (well, I tend to come in a little under, but that's fine!).
I use paper plates with the raised edges. You know, sort of like Chinet, except not as good and you can get them for a buck at Wal-Mart. They make every meal feel fancy--when I was growing up, we only got to use the shallow-rimmed paper plates, so the expensive ones are just decadent, you know? Also, the steeper rim reduces the amount of space on the plate. I'm too busy looking at the pretty designs to notice.
I swore in the beginning that I wouldn't use 100 calorie packs. I thought that they were gimmicky and overpriced. I still think they're gimmicky and overpriced, but it's also so amazingly convenient for me to just be able to grab it and forget it. I mean, I could go and count out individual portions and bag them up, but, between you, me, and the tree, we know that I'm going to blow it off and play WoW instead.
I like the 100 calorie cheetoes packs--the asteroids--and I like the 100 calorie yogurt pretzels. I also seem to like the Stella D'Oro cookies and the cocoa roast almonds, but not as much as the other two I mentioned, since I never seem to buy them anymore.
For sandwiches, I use take and bake rolls, and make them one at a time. That way, I always have fresh-baked bread, but never have more than one ready to eat at a given moment. Plus, one of them is 140-150 calories, so I'm not totally breaking the caloric bank. I don't do low-carb, though.
Some things aren't easily portion-controlled. In the Chicago area, we have a local brand of anise-flavored Christmas cookies that I absolutely love. They aren't even remotely easy to portion control. So I only let myself take one at a time, and I make myself nibble it.
Also, I refuse to substitute something I don't like for something I like, as, when I eat something I don't want, I don't get satisfied, and therefore still feel hungry. But hungry in a fake way, like an insincere apology.
I still think they're gimmicky and overpriced, but it's also so amazingly convenient for me to just be able to grab it and forget it. I mean, I could go and count out individual portions and bag them up, but, between you, me, and the tree, we know that I'm going to blow it off and play WoW instead.
For sandwiches, I use take and bake rolls, and make them one at a time. That way, I always have fresh-baked bread, but never have more than one ready to eat at a given moment. Plus, one of them is 140-150 calories, so I'm not totally breaking the caloric bank. I don't do low-carb, though.
Also, I refuse to substitute something I don't like for something I like, as, when I eat something I don't want, I don't get satisfied, and therefore still feel hungry. But hungry in a fake way, like an insincere apology.
I use to think the same thing about the individual bags of chips...one day I decided to pay the inflated price and buy a baked variety pack...it was so dang easy to eat my one bag of chips and be done...and if I was feeling super indulgent I would have two, but I didn't eat an entire full bag of chips. It was so worth the extra $$!
I love the bread idea!!!! I'm not a bread fanatic, so overeating it isn't an issue, but I love the idea of having fresh baked bread for a sandwich. If I'm gonna eat something I might as well make it extra special!
I totally agree with the substitution when I am craving something. If I don't have the item I'm craving then I will not stop eating until that craving is satisfied. I've learned that the hard way hehehe!
Why not just buy the normal bag and use at each meal just as much as you need?
Use a kitchen scale and count the nuts. It's simple
This issue is a lack of self-control. Seems simple, but it's not, at least not if it's a trigger food. For me, foods I have trouble moderating are: nuts, peanut butter, sour cream, heavy whipping cream, and cream cheese. Sometimes it is worth it for me to pay more for single-serving sizes or use other techniques to slow myself down so I don't just gorge.
This means single serving sizes of Fage yogurt, 100 calorie packets of almonds, single serving sizes of cream cheese and half & half (Smart and Final Stores have them!)
Lately I have been buying nuts in the shell. It forces me to have to work for each morsel and I can't just shovel them into my mouth. It slows me down and lets me get a grip on my consumption. So far it seems to be working very well for me.
Last edited by shr1nk1ngme; 01-04-2012 at 10:56 PM.
I need to be reminded of how to portion things again. My strategy is to weigh everything like others have mentioned. I log all my calories so I am held accountable if I go over and indulge too much. I also separate tempting snacks into baggies. I just wish this worked with popcorn but it tends to taste like plastic. When I cook meals for my family of four, I portion things out, and calculate the recipe for six people. I take a sixth of the recipe and serve the rest to the family then I supplement my smaller portion with large side salad or extra veggies. When I make pasta, I always add a full cup of steamed broccoli to my portion of sauce. It makes it very filling with only half a serving of pasta and I love broccoli so its a win win 
.
