Portion Control: It’s More Important Than You Might Think

My wife and I have been part of a Weight Watchers group in our area for about a month now, and we’re both losing weight right at about the rate that they said we would (1-2 lbs/week). I’ve lost about 10 1/2 pounds since we started, and my wife has lost over 8.

We’ve been learning a lot by going to the meetings, things like the importance of eating healthier foods, exercising when you can and most importantly for me, the power and importance of practicing portion control.

Portion Control

At one of our first meetings the discussion topic for the night was about the new PointsPlus system that you use on the program.  We talked about how when you’re on the program you don’t necessarily have to avoid all foods that you normally enjoy.  You just have to stay within your allotted number of points for the day and week. You can eat some unhealthy foods, but they encourage healthy foods by making those foods less points – or no points at all.  In other words, you have to enjoy certain foods – in moderation.

In my opinion their points system is a one sense is a sneaky way of having people practice something they probably should be anyway,  portion control.

I think portion control is one thing that I’ve always struggled with, and something that Weight Watchers has made me a lot more conscious of.   Before I wouldn’t think twice about opening a bag of chips and eating almost the whole bag, but now I’m much more aware of my portion sizes because I’m thinking more about how healthy the foods are for me.  I’m thinking, those chips are going to be 10 points, or that brownie  is 6 points.

The funny thing is, you would think that I’d be starving all the time now that my portion sizes have dropped so dramatically.  But I’m not. I’ve adjusted to the smaller portions much easier than I thought, and I’m  actually content at the end of meals, instead of unhappily over-stuffed. I’m allowing my body to feel full, but not going overboard and feeling stuffed.

Tips For Portion Control

Here are a few tips I’ve learned that can help in controlling your portions:

1. Don’t feel like you have to be a member of the “clean plate club”:  You should be ok with wasting a little bit of food if it means you’re eating a healthier portion. That may mean leaving some of that tasty pasta dish on your plate when you eat out on the weekend.  Instead share a meal with a loved one or bring some of your food home for another meal.
2. Use smaller plates and bowls:  Trick yourself into smaller portions by using smaller bowls and plates.  It may seem silly, but your plate will look more full, and you won’t eat as much.
3. Eat healthy foods that are more filling:  Instead of eating chips or donuts, try eating healthier foods that are more filling and that have few calories – while still having good nutrients.
4. Plan ahead for our meals:  Make your meals at home if possible, and plan out a healthy menu plan that includes correct portion sizes.
5. Read nutrition information:  Reading the nutrition information will help you to know just what you’re eating, and how much of that food is intended to be in a serving.  Try just eating 1 serving, isntead of the whole bag.
6. Never eat out of the bag or box: Instead of eating out of a bag or box, transfer 1 serving of the food to a plate or bowl, and eat one serving at a time.  Eat slowly to give your brain time to catch up with your body.

Those are just a few tips that I’ve learned over the past couple of weeks, and that have helped me to lose over 10 pounds over those weeks.

Do you struggle with portion control? What tips can you give to help curb the humongous portions?

photo credit: mikefats

Disclaimer: This site is an advertising partner with Weight Watchers.  I will receive compensation if a new member signs up through one of the links above. Please know that this review does discuss my true feelings of the program.