The Art Of Portion Control
Posted on 21 September 2009
This post came up spontaneously as I realised that I was regularly gorging myself with food on odd evenings (usually hungry/ravenous after work). It is 100% healthy and nutritious but still leaves a feeling of bloat and fullness which is both unpleasant and causes stress on the body.
What Is A Good Portion? This is a tricky question and it comes down to the individual but there are a few things that you can do to gauge how much you should be eating without measuring out your food or sticking to “zone” type guidelines.
You should feel satisfied and full after a meal but it should be a light and pleasant fullness that leaves you ready to go for a long walk or relax without the need to sit down to digest your food. If you leave the table feeling ravenous or with some deep seated craving that’s no good either. For me getting the right type of satisfaction comes from the following;
- A good intake of Healthy Fats. Make sure you eat your Olive Oil, Avocado and Omega-3 Packed fish!
- A large portion of greens, especially a well dressed salad with things like seeds and carrots/celery etc. This gives a good sense of satisfaction without a high calorie load and is an ideal way to start a meal.
- Protein, especially in the evening. Having a large cut of meat or fish will definitely serve as a good tool to replenish your body and aide in satiety.
- Occasionally a small glass of red wine with a meal will help close of the meal and stop me from over eating.
- Eat Slowly and mindfully enjoying your food. This is something overlooked but acts as a natural portion limiter. Don’t eat away pain, sorrow or fear….
Being prepared to save things as leftovers is also a good way to stop overeating as it avoids that “nothing to waste” mindset as you know the food will be put away and can be used the next day to prepare another delicious meal.
What Harm Does Overeating Cause? Overeating or eating until stuffed can have detrimental effects on the body especially when done at the wrong times. One of the main disadvantages of having a huge dinner and not taking time to digest before bed is that it will blunt your bodies production of Growth Hormone. Now this is not so much a problem for just muscle growth but literally every other aspect of repair your body goes about doing in the first few hours of sleep. If you go to bed with a full stomach and are still in the process of digesting a heavy meal the initial repair of Muscle, Skin, Organs, and Inflammation will be hindered this is no good for anyone. You will probably find that going to bed relaxed but slightly hungry or what could be called a “light” feeling is the best for a good deep and refreshing sleep.
One tip is to take a walk after dinner each evening nothing long 10-20 minutes will do and it doesn’t need to be brisk just an enjoyable stroll while listening to some relaxing music or talking with a partner/friend is great. I also find that chewing a few pieces of Sugar Free gum after a meal is a great way to initiate digestion and refresh out the mouth. When you get home relax sip on a herbal tea and unwind….
Eat little, sleep sound. ~Iranian Proverb
Its always best to stay light and energetic especially throughout the day. So the same goes for lunch and breakfast. Its far more enjoyable to have a light lunch and if hungry graze on some raw vegetables, nuts or even a small bit of good cheese in the afternoon if it helps you. This will keep you energised and focused rather than giving the sluggish and bloated effect a big meal can induce.
Pretty Simple - Its just something to remember, maybe its something that applies to the people who have a more ravenous or greedy nature but its also something we can all benefit from. Eating slowly, chewing well and enjoying every bite of your food will lead to better digestion, better health and superior wellbeing.
15 comments so far
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Comment by Greg at Live Fit
21 September 2009
One guideline for portion servings of meat. A “serving” of meat is 3-ounces. That’s about the size of a deck of cards. That’s the one I tend to really mess up.
Comment by April Deonna
22 September 2009
Great post. My biggest problem is psychological…. growing up with southern cooking, there is something that in me that wants large portions and I feel like if I don’t eat it all, I am wasteful and ungrateful. I have to find a way to get that out of my head!
Comment by Lindsay
22 September 2009
Great post. It helps me to weigh and measure carbs and starches at home. Also, I never eat protein amounts the size of my palm or deck of cards. Not enough food when I’m working out and deprivation leads to binging every time. Thanks! L
Comment by Elliot Wilson
22 September 2009
“Eat Slowly and mindfully enjoying your food…” – that’s an art I still need to master, especially if it’s one of my favorite dishes in front of me. Time and time again I catch myself wolfing the food down like the person next to me is going to steal it if I don’t!
Comment by Michael - The Fat Loss Authority
22 September 2009
Great advice.
Being of Italian decent, it’s hard to break the “leave nothing on your plate” mentality. Here, have some more… eat, eat, eat!!!
Mike
@ Mike: It’s the same advice I grew up with and it is deeply ingrained, so when a big dinner is cooked up its all gone. Good sometimes but not a good thing every night!
Comment by Vic Mgary - GymJunkies
23 September 2009
Great post! Great advise!
Comment by Grok
24 September 2009
I’d like to add:
Have a quiet designated eating zone (like the dinner table) and NOT in front of your computer or TV. Look at each bite of food while you chew your last. Unwind and think about your delicious food and your day.
I have major satiety issues I’m trying to resolve, so I’ve been trying a lot of things. I rarely follow my own advice above, but when I do, I seem to eat less.
Try drinking a big glass of full fat RAW milk or kefir (diluted for more volume if you want), a slice of butter, or some coconut oil before dinner too. It should help most people with satiety issues.
@ Grok: Try tapering your food intake. Snack on carrots and other raw vegetables while cooking and start your meal with a big salad. Once you get round to the main course you won’t eat nearly as much but you will be satisfied!
Comment by Grok
24 September 2009
@Chris: Thanks, been that route too. I’m starting to think I have a leptin gene mutation, but was also gifted with a fast metabolism along with being an active guy.
Boredom working in front of a computer 8 feet from the kitchen never helps either.
Comment by Fitness Guy
29 September 2009
We are all aware of what we shoould do and fail to do it.
I kind of graze all day long on food until about 2:00 or so and then at home we eat an early dinner. One of the things that really helps me out is that with a plate I can really size up the portion that i should be eating instead of the mass amount I would like to eat. I tend to try to eat fast but with the kids at the table and my wife keeping me eating slower I find that this makes dinner a wonderful and well paced meal that I really do enjoy the taste and size of.
One more thing. When my daughter was born my wife decided that we should eat dinner as a family at the dinner table every night. We never eat dinner in front of the TV and most often on weekends we eat breakfast and lunch at the dinner table as well. The only TV food is fruit and snacks when we are watching TV in the evening.
Comment by fitnessbuff1
30 September 2009
Sometimes people overeat because they think their body is hungry when they are actually thirsty. Remember to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and this will help control your portion sizes at meals.
@ FitBuff: This is a very good point especially soon after a meal. These are times I will feel a hunger pang and a big glass of water will remind me how full I actually am!
Comment by Yavor
1 October 2009
If only people could control their portions, there wouldn’t be need for dieting or fad diets for that matter.
There is a very wise rule that I try to live by: eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.
Comment by HE
5 October 2009
Great post. It helps me to weigh and measure carbs and starches at home. Also, I never eat protein amounts the size of my palm or deck of cards. Not enough food when I’m working out and deprivation leads to binging every time. Thanks! L
Comment by Eve123
6 October 2009
I’m puzzled why your blog’s title is the Zen of Fitness, but you seem to be a meat eater. Buddhism promotes vegetarianism. Maybe you mean “Zen” in a groovey surfer dude kind of way instead. Just strange is all…
@ Eve: I do indeed mean it in more of a “Surfer” way, although I eat meat I have no qualms against vegetarian diets and think they can be very healthful when done correctly. Personally I choose to eat high quality, grass fed beef….