by April Laughlin and the TLS Team
In honor of National Nutrition Month, we will be focusing on how to get your plate in shape—a great way to do this is to control your portion sizes. Don’t get me wrong, we want you to enjoy your food for sure, but just don’t enjoy quite so much!
Importance of portion control
Portion control is the single most important factor in eating healthy. Portion sizes are tricky and those unnecessary calories will sneak up on you before you know it! Even if you are eating nutritious foods, too much of a good thing can be bad as well. Overeating after your long, strenuous workout will undo most, if not all, of what you accomplished in the gym—especially that stubborn belly fat. If you aren’t seeing the results you want, maybe you are a victim of this sneaky little devil on your shoulder.
Tips on how to control portions
– Bigger is NOT better…in regards to your plate size anyways. By eating off of a smaller plate, your brain will be tricked into thinking you are consuming more. (Man, I cleared my whole plate!)
– Slow down when you eat—by eating slower, you will realize you are satisfied with what you consumed sooner and not just stuff yourself because you are starving, then feel bloated later
– Focus on your food, try to avoid watching TV. If you are distracted while you eat, you are more likely to eat more than you need unknowingly
– Restaurants always load plates with more food than is recommended. It could be helpful to ask for a to-go box before you start eating and put half of your food in the box—you won’t eat food you don’t see!
– When snacking on something out of a bag, always look at the serving size and never eat out of the bag—we all know how hard it is to not grab one more…or 5!
– After you’ve finished your first plate at home, wait a few minutes before you go back for round two. Give your body time to tell you that it’s had enough
– If you’re at some kind of party of gathering, be aware of the finger foods—it is way too easy to get full before the main course, try and wait it out until dinner or just have a couple veggies to tide you over
Yes it can be a challenge to limit your portion sizes, but try out a few of the tricks listed above and before too long, you should notice a change in your body.
What tricks do you use to control portions?
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