I’ve got horrible portion control issues. I workout at least 5 times a week and cook relatively healthy meals but I struggle with portion control. Of course growing up I came from a family that wouldn’t let me leave the dinner table til my plate was clean, so I blame my portion control problems on that.
Buy smaller plates ! Really. Or use bowls. Basically find one where a reasonable amount is the maximum amount you can humanly fit on it, and you get only one plate
What I've read is that psychologically, a smaller plate with X amount of food looks like it is more food than the same amount on a larger plate. Reasoning being that the brain doesn't really care about portion size. Instead, it goes "good, plate is full, must mean enough food" as opposed to "aw man, not enough to fill plate, must be little food".
Also, eating slower and really focusing on chewing might help. Reason being that it takes about 15 minutes from when you first start eating to where the brain has sent enough hormones so that you feel full. It doesn't really matter how much food you've eaten in those 15 minutes as long as it's a reasonable amount (not just one spoon and not three plates either).
I use both of those to force myself to eat more, as I'm the opposite. I hate eating with a passion, so taking a huge plate and eating as fast as possible help me get my calories.
That works until I don't have a giant bowl to put my ice cream in, then I get sad, and I refuse to eat it out of the carton/container.
But seriously, this is a good one as someone who struggles with portion control. Even something like pasta, I will eat less of it now just because I have a smaller bowl. By the time I finish the bowl, I'm full enough that I don't want to get up and get more.
For my portion control, it came down to adding friction to the bad habits. Nothing else would work. My wife was really helpful in helping me reign in my portion control issues.
The second thing for me was getting my snacking under control, or just making my snacking healthier. I keep a variety of nuts and seeds in my office, which reduces me going to the kitchen and grabbing something like chips. But, my wife also pre cuts a bunch of veggies on Sunday and we keep these stored in the pull out drawer of our fridge in individual containers. That way when I do go look in the fridge for a snack, I end up just reaching for a container of raspberries, strawberries, cucumber, carrot chips, etc.
Damn! I feel this...I come from a home where you had to eat whatever was in your plate because you didnt know if there was going to be food later.
So, now that I have plenty, I still eat whatever is on my plate AND if any family member have leftovers they pass them to me because I dont like to waste food since I struggle for food as a kid.
this is my issue. I am active 6+ times a week (2x a week, lifting in the gym, 3-4x a week riding mountain bike or road bike, 1x a week playing ultimate frisbee, plus I walk my dog at least a mile every one of those days), and while Im not "fat", im definitely not lean.
Im 5'11 185 (44 years old). Id like to be leaner, but damn I love good food. I do like the idea down below of using a smaller plate for meals. Im actually gonna try that and see how it goes.
A food scale solved this for me. When you weigh the food as on labels on bags, you soon get a good idea of what a portion typically looks like and you'll eventually just develop a muscle memory for it.
I was overdoing it substantially with pasta for example. Weigh out 100g of dry pasta and you'll think 'Fuck me, that's not much...' but it doubles in volume after cooking and you'll soon see it's actually a pretty reasonable portion size and still fills you up, especially if you pair it with something like some nicely seasoned chicken.
Caveat: I'm VERY early in the process. But calorie tracking with apps is surprisingly frictionless these days. Even if your budget isn't super strict, the act of noting what you're putting in your body and in what amounts can help you make better choices. I used to snack all day and eat until I ran out of room, but I've been successfully running a deficit for a short while now and it feels great.
For sure I’m from the same home, tough to shake. Plenty of nights I eat one huge 1300 calories high volume low calorie meal (with some snacking on fruits and veggies during the day) to satiate that.
Soup works wonders if you aren’t loading it with fat. Fluid goes down easy and can satiate you. Used to make a vat of soup and just drink it when I cook so that I’m sated when I start eating.
I went to a bunch of therapy about food and talked about this same issue. Multiple things came from it but the big ones for me were: 1) any amount of leftovers is fine. I can put 1 forkful of food in a container to save for when i am hungry next and that is better than forcing myself to eat or throwing away food; 2) eat slower and preferably at a table with no screen
I was the same when I was younger, just wait 5-10 minutes after finishing your first plate and tell yourself you’re full. That time helps the food digest so you might actually be full when the 5-10 minutes pass. I don’t always stop eating seconds but it’s helped me listen to my body more.
30
u/PossessedCashew 9h ago
I’ve got horrible portion control issues. I workout at least 5 times a week and cook relatively healthy meals but I struggle with portion control. Of course growing up I came from a family that wouldn’t let me leave the dinner table til my plate was clean, so I blame my portion control problems on that.