Losing weight involves a lot of skills but the one that gets almost everyone is portion control.
How many times do you find yourself enjoying what you are eating, and then before you know it, you have gone back for more and more or consumed the entire bag of chips or cookies?
When I first started on my journey to lose over 130 lbs., Jackie Keller, my coach, told me I was eating with mindless abandonment. She was right. I would start eating and would not stop until I was really full.
Setting boundaries on my eating, learning what was a normal portion, and then measuring and sticking to it, was a key to my success.
Where can you find out what right amount is? On most packages of food there is a serving size. For example, on the Grape Nuts that I eat for breakfast, a portion is half cup. Use your search engine and put “portion size for fruits,” or “portion size for vegetables.”
Here are a few tools that can help you measure your portions:
1. Measuring cups and spoons
2. Scales (I bought a Weight Watchers scale that measures ounces and grams)
3. Ice cream scoops come in ¼ cup and ½ cup, etc. This is great for measuring items like yogurt and cottage cheese. The best way to get scoops that are in the right portion is to buy them from a restaurant supply house.
Containers for portion control are:
1. Zip lock sandwich bags (least expensive place is Costco)
2. Plastic containers with lids that you can buy at the store. I have several sizes but the one that I use the most is a 1 cup size.
3. Small plastic cups that you can buy at a restaurant supply store like Gygi ‘s in Salt Lake City.
Here are some of the portion sizes that I use and the food that I measure ahead:
1. Lean meats are measured before cooking in 4 oz. portions and package it in zip lock sandwich bags to freeze.
2. No-fat yogurt (I eat plain) is put in a plastic container from the store in a 1 cup portion.
3. No-fat cottage cheese is put in ½ cup portion.
4. Butternut squash is cooked ahead and put into 1 cup portions.
5. Blueberries are put into 1 cup portions in plastic containers.
Dian has taken her ideas and shared them throughout the years in her many books. This month she is offering a 35- year Johnny Carson Anniversary special. Get 6 of her best books — a $95.00 value — for only $35.00. They’re great for gifts or just a wonderful library for you. These books contain the ideas that Dian has used on the NBC “Today Show”, Good Morning America and the ABC “Home Show” over the years. Check out this wonderful special at www.dianthomas.com. You can also preorder her new book on weight loss there.
