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Portion Control Tips: Lose Weight and Stick to Your Diet

A New American Diet

Most adult Americans are overweight or obese, and more than 13 million children and teens are obese. Most experts blame the fattening of America on fast foods, sweet drinks, and high-fat and high-sugar foods (along with lack of exercise – a separate topic!).

It's time to change the way we eat and make healthier choices. Learning about portion control can also help eliminate unnecessary and excess calories.

Calorie-Bomb Food Favorites

As Americans, foods high in sugar and fat are the source of most of our calories. Most common among these are yeast breads, cookies, and cakes. Sodas and sports or energy drinks are also culprits. Even some chicken dishes (breaded or fried) contribute too much fat to our diet. Other high-calorie foods that are staples in the American diet are pizza, pasta, and alcoholic beverages. Fruits and vegetables are only a tiny part of our daily calorie intake.

Eat Less

Fats and sugars account for about 800 calories a day in the typical American diet, about half of the calories needed by an average woman for a day. U.S. dietary guidelines recommend limiting the intake of solid, trans, and saturated fats. Eliminating fast foods and refined grain products (like white bread) are two first steps to a healthier diet. Cutting back on salt can also reduce the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.

Eat More

You can substitute healthier foods in your diet.

Select lean proteins and seafood instead of fat-laden meats. Try to consume 8 ounces of fish every week
Use olive or canola oils instead of solid fats like margarine or butter.
Consume mostly whole grains instead of cereals or breads with refined grains.

Other healthy food choices include nonfat or low-fat dairy products, beans, fruits, and vegetables.

The Pizza Problem

Make over favorite foods to be healthier. The typical pizza is full of refined grains, saturated fat, solid fat, and calories. Substitutions can fit this favorite into a healthy diet.

Use a thin crust made of whole grains.
Have many veggies as toppings instead of meat.
Reduce the amount of cheese on top.
Have just one slice and enjoy a salad as a side dish.

What Are Whole Grains?

Whole grains include the outer shell (bran) of wheat, barley, rice, or other grain. This outer shell includes fiber, vitamins, and minerals, all of which are part of a healthy diet. Fiber also helps people feel full and keeps bowel movements regular. White, or refined, flour is made from the kernels of grain after removing the bran. Removing the bran removes much of the vitamins and fiber.

What Are Solid Fats?

Solid fats have plenty of saturated and trans fats. They're called solid fats because they are usually solid at room temperature, like butter, shortening, and margarine. Animal fats also fit into this category. Fatty meats, cream, chicken skin, bacon, and some cheeses contain solid fat.

Healthier fats have unsaturated fats and are usually liquid at room temperature, like oils. However, if oils are hydrogenated, they become solid fats. Hydrogenated oils are found in some margarines, packaged desserts, and baked goods.

Serving the Right Size

Downsizing portions to healthier sizes allows your body to become accustomed to the correct portion size. Most meals at fast food joints and restaurants are super-sized in terms of portions and calories.

Shrink Your Plate to Lose Weight

Dinner plates have gotten bigger, too, along with portion sizes. While many people have been taught to "clean their plate," this may mean that they're overeating.

Set Out Salad Plates

Eat from a smaller plate, like a salad plate, for proper portion sizes. Learn the right portion size and serve this amount, rather than going back for seconds or serving on family-style platters. Keep leftovers in single-serving portion containers.

Eating Out? 4 Tips on Portion Size

Make restaurant portions fit into a healthy eating plan.

Order a half portion or child's plate.
If ordering a full-sized entrée, ask that half of it be boxed up before eating.
Share full-sized dishes.
Choose an appetizer and soup instead of a main dish.

Your Daily Diet

Daily caloric intake depends on a person's age, gender, and activity level. In general, a woman who is not physically active should take in about 1,600-1,800 calories per day. An average-sized, active man probably needs 2,400-2,800 calories.

A healthy daily intake includes

1.5 to 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ to 3 ½ cups of vegetables,
3 cups of low-fat or nonfat dairy products,
6-9 ounces of grain (remember half should be whole grains),
5 to 6 ½ ounces of lean protein,
not more than 5-7 teaspoons of oils,
only 160-330 calories from solid fats and sugars.

Learn to Eyeball a Portion Size

This way it's easy to recognize healthy portion sizes.

Keep a mental image of the right portion size by imagining everyday items like a baseball, CD, or a deck of cards. This way it's easy to recognize healthy portion sizes.

Cut That Baked Potato Down to Size

The correct portion size for a potato is about the size of a computer mouse. That equals 1 cup of vegetables. But restaurant potatoes are likely to be much bigger and loaded with toppings that pile on the calories. When dining out, eat half the potato, or opt for a healthier sweet potato (loaded with vitamins A and C) instead.

Serve the Right Amount

One half-cup of pasta is about the size of half a baseball. That's 1 ounce of pasta (grains). Be sure to count the number of pasta servings in the tally of grains for the day.