Portion control tips are on the menu today. Menu… See what I did there? If you’re into your middle years like I am, you probably remember your parents wanting you to be a member of the clean plate club. When we were kids, cleaning our plates and eating the most food practically got us gold stars. As we got older, that philosophy stuck, and every meal was about eating every single thing on the plate. Well, if you’re like me, those days are over, which is why these portion control tips are so important.
Why Portion Control Tips are So Important
For those of us in our forties or older, the days of powering down all that tasty food are over. As we get older, our bodies’ metabolisms slow down, making it harder and harder to maintain a healthy weight. Eventually, that weight starts to impact our everyday lives. Our pants get tighter. We might start to get winded more easily. For some of us, joints start to become stiff and painful. It’s all related to that excess weight.
That’s where portion control comes into play. Losing weight, especially when we’re older, can help drastically improve our overall health, from reducing joint pain to helping avoid health issues like diabetes and heart disease. However, losing weight doesn’t have to be miserable. These portion control tips will help you avoid overeating while still feeling full and, hopefully, help you lose a little weight.
Portion Control Tips for Better Health
Portion control is all about limiting what you eat and how much of it you eat It’s not so much about deprivation as it is moderation. These tips can help you moderate your diet and help you control overeating and still stay satisfied.
Create a Weight Loss Meal Plan
Like any good trip, you need a plan and a guide to help you along the way. Lay out what you want to eat, and make sure it’s healthy! Mapping meals out take the guesswork out of things and keeps you on the right path. Plus, it’s so much easier to shop for your week’s worth of healthy foods when you have a plan!
Make Your Own Snacks
Making your own snacks in snack-sized baggies can help you control portions. Trail mix, granola, and other healthy options are perfect for this. Fill a snack baggie with it. You’ll have a tasty snack that’s just the right amount.
Eat From a Smaller Plate
One of the biggest issues with portion control is plate size, which makes this an excellent addition to these portion control tips. Use a smaller plate so that it looks like you have more food.
Use a Portion Control Plate
Speaking of plates, portion control plates are a great option. There are companies out there that make plates which are either compartmentalized or have illustrations on the plate to show which food goes where for proper portion size.
Measure and Weigh
No one can accurately eyeball their food. To ensure proper portion control, use measuring cups or a scale to ensure you’re eating the right amount of food.
Make Healthy Snacks in Muffin Tins
Another great way to ensure proper portions is to make snacks in a muffin tin. When you think about the size of a muffin tin, it’s easy to see why this one works so well. You can even make egg muffins in a muffin tin for a perfectly portioned breakfast.
Keep a Food Journal
Enter every single thing you eat, even when you’re cheating in a big bad way. By keeping a record of your food and how much you ate, you can keep yourself accountable. You also might even see a pattern of when you overeat the most.
Cook From Scratch
Another great one on this portion control tips list. When you make your food at home, you know exactly what ingredients were used so you can better judge your portion sizes.
Avoid Eating Out
Eating out is the kiss of death for portion control. Restaurants these days tend to give huge portions, and most of us eat it all while we’re in the restaurant.
Drink More Water
This is the easiest of the portion control tips. Simply drink more water. Water keeps you feeling full, and it keeps you hydrated. It’s hard to overeat when your belly is full of H20.
Cook Soups and Similar Meals in a Coffee Cup
An easy way to control portion size with liquidy meals is to cook them in a coffee cup. This ensures a perfect portion size.
Use a Drinking Cup with Measurements
Similar to measuring and weighing, a drinking cup with measurements on the cup itself can help you control the amount of liquids like juices that you drink.
Pay Attention to Serving Sizes
Every food item you buy has a serving size printed on its label. Always check that and portion your food accordingly.
Stay Away From Binge Triggers
For many of us, there are certain foods which we just cannot portion out. If we have one bite, we’re eating the entire thing. Stay away from your binge triggers.
Serve Yourself Separately
While the rest of the family may not be focusing on portion control, you are. Make sure you serve yourself separately using the portion control dishware or measuring devices mentioned earlier.
Add Milk or Creamer Before Your Coffee
This is by far one of the best portion control tips if you’re a coffee drinker. By adding the milk or creamer to your mug before adding the coffee, you can accurately measure out the right portion amount. Then, simply add coffee to fill the mug.
By using the portion control tips listed above, you can take command of your food and your health. You’d be surprised at how much less you eat simply by following suggested portion sizes and measuring your food. Most of us overeat without realizing it, so these portion control tips, like a portion control plate, can help immensely in the fight to eat the right amounts.
Do you have portion control issues? Do you have any extra tips to add? Let me know below.
