Portion Control Tips To Help Weight Loss
Did you know portion control is a huge part of losing weight and maintaining that loss too? A few little changes in your life can make a huge difference.
Remember when you were a child? Cleaning the plate was the rule of the house! Not anymore.. were adults now, we have to control our calorie intake.
One of the bad points about Slimming World is thinking because a food is classed as “free” it means we can eat as much as we want of it without concequence. But Slimming World or not, portion control is important.
I have put together a useful tips guide to help you make small changes which could help with big weight losses.
1. USE SMALLER PLATES/BOWLS
The bigger the plate, the smaller your meal. Using a larger plate encourages you to eat more because you feel you need to fill empty space. Restaurants use large plates to make portions appear larger. Use a small bowl when serving up pasta or rice dishes. It stops you from overeating.
2. USE PORTION CONTROL PLATE
Portion control plates are a fantastic way of controlling the amount of carbs you are eating. I have this one from Amazon and use it regularly.
3. BATCH COOKING
Preparation is everything. Batch cooking, dividing into portions and freezing is a great way of controlling your intake of calories. Check out my batch cooking tips here.
4. START WITH WATER
The reason you feel hungry is because you are actually dehydrated. Start with a big glass of cold water. This will also help to fill you up and encourage you to eat less.
5. CONTROL THE PASTA
If you are anything like me, you will have no idea how much pasta cook. I always make enough for a small army! This brilliant pasta control basket is such a big help. Check it out on amazon here.
6. FROZEN MICROWAVE BAGS
Frozen microwave bags are a great way to control your portion. They are also quick and easy.
I love these microwave rice bags from Iceland, they are completely Syn Free too.
Also vegetable steam bags are perfect and don’t forget Syn free too! My favourite are these from Tesco.
7. FILL UP ON SPEED FOODS
Replace half of your carbs (pasta, rice, potato) with Speed foods. I like to remove half of my rice and pasta with a bed of spinach. Why not try vegetable spaghetti?
8. LISTEN TO SERVING SIZES
Always check the serving size on packets.. they are there for a reason. Don’t be tempted to add a little extra.
I recently asked my SW group colleagues on our Facebook page if 50g of dried pasta was the correct portion, everyone who posted said that they didn’t measure their pasta, but I also received a post reply from my SW consultant as follows. “It is about how much you need to fill you up – there are no limits with food optimising. You eat to satisfy your appetite. I am worried you are putting yourself on a diet when you should be embracing the free foods. The reason they are free is because you can stuff yourself with them (with the 1/3 speed food on the plate as well to control the amount you have on your plate) If you want two plateful’s – you can !” So now I’m just confused, I have ALWAYS thought that to lose weight you had to spend more calories than you ate, so calories DO count.
Thank you so much. I love you input.
New to your blog. Am so enjoying reading your true account. Have many of your recipes noted to try.
Thanks.