Using Portion Control for Weight Loss and Good Health

Obesity is a modern epidemic, contributing to high rates of adult onset diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Being 40% overweight actually doubles a person's chance of dieing prematurely. We are literally eating ourselves to death.

Multiple factors have contributed to this unhealthy trend, including cheap junk food, poor knowledge of nutrition, fast-paced life styles and mammoth portion sizes. Learning to recognize proper food portions can help to battle the bulge.

Expanding Waistlines and Portion Sizes

What is considered a normal portion of food has, over the past few decades, expanded dramatically. Consider those quaint, itty-bitty retro bottles of Coke-a-Cola. These Lilliputian bottles are actually a normal 8 ounce serving of beverage. These days, 12 ounce cans, 20 ounce bottles and 32 ounce Big Gulps have become the norm.

Although McDonalds coined the term "super size," most restaurants serve portions that are way out of proportion. So what is a health conscious person to do? Make sure your food measures up.

Relearning Normal Portion Sizes

Don't be scared off by the idea of measuring food. There need not be any time-consuming calorie counting involved, but in order to develop an understanding of normal portion sizes for the food's that you commonly eat, you must measure out the serving size listed on the package. And it can be quite an eye opening experience to compare the amounts of food that you typically serve yourself to the serving size listed on the package label.

In order to make potion control an easier habit to adopt, make sure that you have the measuring tools that you'll need. A large glass Pyrex half-litre measuring cup works well for gauging the amounts of many types of food and beverage. Measuring spoons are required for assessing smaller amounts. If you are committed to getting your portions under control, it's also not a bad idea to invest in an inexpensive kitchen scale.

Portion Control and Dieting

Whether you are trying to lose weight, gain or maintain, recognizing appropriate portions, although a great start, may not be enough. The mere knowledge that seven Tostitos tortilla chips equals one portion may not prevent you from mowing through five potions in a sitting. Adopting a healthy diet also required knowing how much you should eat every day and keeping track of what you consume. Luckily there are many outstanding tools available to help you learn how much you should be eating and to track how much you are.

Using Online and In-print Food Diaries

If you have access to the internet, there are several low-cost, simple to follow nutritional plans to choose from, including Weight Watchers Online, Shape Magazine's MyShape program and MyFoodDiary.com just to name a few. If you are not swish with computers, you can always keep track of your food intake the old fashioned way, by writing it down, and there are specialized food diary books that can help.

Exercise, Nutrition and Good Health

Regular physical activity is also a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. Exercise burns calories, relieves stress and conditions the body. Even a low-impact activity such as walking can make an impact.

Does the combination of portion control, tracking food consumption and regular activity really lead to weight loss? I started doing all of these things six weeks, two sizes and eleven pounds ago. So for me the answer is a resounding yes. If you are game to give it a try, be sure to speak to your physician before starting a new weight loss and exercise program. Good luck!

Sources

Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity (2006) "Research to Practice Series No. 2: Portion Size. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Innelli, W. MD (2004) "Portion Sizes and the Obesity Epidemic." About.com

WebMD (2010) "Weight Loss: Health Risks Associated with Obesity."