 |
760-439-2FIT(2348)
2305 Vista Way
Oceanside, CA
92054
|
Size Does Matter Getting a Handle On Portion Control
If you are trying to lose weight or maintain hard earned weight loss, you need to carefully evaluate the number of calories you consume. While you may be eating lots of grains and lean meats, as well as fruits and vegetables, you may be consuming hundreds of hidden calories in oversized portions. While a large volume of food doesn’t necessarily mean more calories, high volume when combined with improper food choices can tip the scales against us.
Meal Size
Because the typical American’s lifestyle is so sedentary, the average female can gain weight on just 1,800 calories a day and the average male can pack on pounds around the 2,500-calorie level. Given today’s tendency to “super-size,” these calorie amounts can easily be consumed before noon. A small fast-food cheeseburger, medium order of French fries, and medium soft drink may not seem like a large meal. However, what seems average actually totals around 1,000 calories. It would take a mountain of healthy food to make up that many calories. Picture your plate overflowing with a five-ounce grilled chicken breast, two and one-half cups of pasta topped with one cup tomato sauce and two tablespoons grated cheese, alongside one and one-quarter cups of vegetables and a diet soda. This meal carries only 976 calories. As you can see, the total calorie count for these two meals is similar, yet the volume of food in the latter far exceeds that of the fast-food option.
Portion Size
It is also essential that you pay close attention to portion size. Store-bought tortilla chips may seem like a good option when quickly glancing over the food label. However, upon close inspection, you will see that while the calorie count may seem low (140 calories per serving), the serving size is just one ounce (only about 11 chips). Typical nibbling-while-watching-television session could result in several servings being consumed without notice. With this in mind, look carefully at the serving size and servings per container, not just the calories listed per serving, when reading packaged food labels.
Dining Out
Restaurant dining can be especially tricky for tracking calorie intake. With the appetizer rolls, butter, cocktails, nuts, chips, and salsa, the “meal before the meal” can add an additional 700 calories to your repast, sabotaging any effort for healthy dining. Consider that a light beer carries about 100 calories, and at more than 100 calories an ounce, a few handfuls of nuts can add 500 to 600 more. You’ll do better to skip the pre-meal snacking and ask your server about the size of the portions. Large portions are easily shared, or half can be boxed up for lunch the next day, prior to reaching your table. The best way to avoid the poor-choice and portion pitfalls is to carefully track everything that goes into your mouth. Studies show that a daily food-intake record used consistently is an excellent food for successfully maintaining weight loss. Any food item that passes your lips has the potential to turn to fat if you are taking in more than you are burning off in any given day. Take the extra time to look carefully at food labels and be aware of portion sizes. Reaching a goal does mean changing your lifestyle, but that change doesn’t have to be painful. Educating yourself on calories and portion sizes allows you to be aware of what is entering your body.This is more than half the battle.
By Richard Wenner BS, NASM
|
|
|
