To date, I’ve dished about barre classes, my diet, getting plenty of rest, and keeping tabs on my thyroid, and how this has all made a big difference in my weight.
And today, I’m going to talk about a classic weight loss secret that seems to be totally ignored by so many. Probably because it’s not sexy or considered a “hack” or is not geeky enough to grab an ooh or an ahh from anyone.
I’m talking about portion control.
It’s that simple, but don’t freak out!
I’m not talking about weighing food, counting calories, grams, fiber, carbs, etc. I’m talking about teaching your body to understand how much you need and eating that amount, period.
I’ll share how I do it, not how it’s traditionally done because that will make your head spin right off its shoulders!
First of all, begin with a plan. Your plan is to eat as healthfully as possible. You want lean, clean protein, green veggies, something colorful (think orange, red or yellow veggies), something starchy that isn’t a grain, and a nice helping of fat, the good healthy kind.
The key to getting full is this combo: adequate protein, fiber, and fat. Each has a role in satiation.
Now that you know what belongs on your plate, you can eyeball what should go there.
If you’re a small woman, a serving of protein should be roughly the size of a deck of cards, a serving of veggies the size of your fist and for your fiber (I like sweet potato or some kind of winter squash), half the size of your fist.
You may not eat exactly this way—you may have rice or some other grain in there and that’s fine, just as long as you get your veggies in.
Now, remember I said, “if you’re a small woman.” For me, that wouldn’t cut it. I’m 5’8” tall and about 145 pounds. I need about “a deck and a half”. But not always, sometimes, just a “deck” will do, other times, I need more. The point is to learn where your satiation point is and stop eating.
Don’t be a cleaner-upper of your plate or anyone else’s. You’re not responsible for world hunger any more than I am so stop that habit, stat.
Learning how to portion your food according to your needs takes work and practice. Remember, if you call it wrong and you’re hungry, you don’t have to stay hungry—get some more to eat!
There’s more to all of this of course—portion control is just a part of mindful eating.
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